Club Membership
for the year is £12 per individual (£20 for two adults at
the same address), free for those under 16 years of age,
and is open to all, not just "locals". Members
get free admission to our seven monthly meetings during
the winter season (September to March inclusive), normally
on the second Friday of the month at 7.30pm, to enjoy guest
speakers presenting wildlife slide or film shows. Non-members
are always welcome at the meetings, entrance fee £3.00 payable
at the door (under 16's free). We try to be completely informal,
catering for beginners and experts alike. During the interval
tea/coffee is available and there is plenty of opportunity
to talk with friends and guests.
Our club is entirely
self-funded. We are dependent on membership fees, profit
from sales of bird food and from fund-raising events such
as a Coffee Morning to keep us going and, importantly, to
maintain and improve our nature reserve at Dyke Farm. We
are, of course, also very grateful for any donations that
come our way!
Our club came into
being in 1961 when seven local people with an interest in
birdwatching decided to get together and form a club. They
opted to hold their inaugural meeting on 19th October 1961
in a large room in Emilio Dicerbo's home. Instead of just
the original seven, no less than 22 attended. The 'Moffat
Birdwatchers Club' was born and it then went from strength
to strength, aiming to show films and to have talks by naturalists
over each winter 'season', also providing birdwatching trips
to various locations. The Green Woodpecker was adopted as
the club 'badge' as it was about this time that it was first
recorded as nesting in the Moffat area. Fourteen years later,
in 1975, to reflect the widening interest in wildlife in general,
the club decided that a change of name was called for and
so it became the Moffat & District Wildlife Club. Emilio
Dicerbo was elected as the original President in 1961 and
he continued to hold the post 2014, the only surviving member
of the original seven founders. After 53 years at the helm,
in 2014 Jock (as he is perhaps better known) decided to stand
down as president. However, he remains as an Honorary President
by popular demand. Jock has published books on birdwatching
('Birds of Scotland' and 'The Birdwatchers Almanac') and is
well known for the many photographs he has taken over the
years and for the numerous public presentations he has done.
In 2001, through
the generosity of George and Marion Paterson of Dyke Farm,
the club acquired the use of a piece of boggy land, covered
in scrub willow and alder, measuring some 7 acres in total,
to create a nature reserve. With the help of donations and
grants, a digger was brought in to clear areas and create
ponds. A hide was constructed to overlook the main wetland
area. This was all done under the guidance of the 'man with
a vision', Jock Dicerbo. Officially opened in 2004, our
Dyke Farm Nature Reserve has become a quiet haven of interest,
not only for birds but for animals, amphibians, insects
and plants - including a few that are quite rare..A second
hide, additional ponds, trees and shrubs and an extensive
network of paths have since been added.
In recent years,
the club has actively participated in the development of the
former Dyke Quarry. At the end of quarrying operations the
site was required to be redeveloped as a nature reserve. It
has now become the property of a local trust and is open to
the public as the Moffat & District Community Nature Reserve.
Part of the site immediately adjoins our own reserve but is
of totally different habitat so the two reserves hold remarkable
potential as a good area for a wide range of wildlife.
It is also worth
mentioning that all work on the reserves requires manpower!
This has almost entirely been carried out by a very small
group of volunteers. Alas, the passage of time takes its toll,
people are forced to give up due to age or by moving away
from the area, and our workforce is becoming depleted so we
apologise for any aspect that appears neglected (though wildlife
doesn't mind). It goes without saying that we would very much
welcome additional help.
In 2011, to celebrate
the 50th anniversary of its original incarnation, a new logo
was adopted (as shown at the top of the page) which now also
includes a Nuthatch in the image - a bird that was virtually
unknown in the area in the late 1990's but has established
itself beyond all expectations and is now commonplace.
Also in celebrating
our 50th year, the club committee asked our President if he
could put together a book outlining the whole history of the
club since its innovation. This was duly done and we have
publishined a hardbacked book, based on Jock's experiences
of the club over the years and full of photographs, not only
of wildlife but also of the various people who played a part
in making the club what it is today. First shown in 1973,
Jock had a very popular slideshow "Birds of our rivers,
hills and moors" and, as part of our anniversary this
was transferred to DVD using only the original material. The
book and DVD will stir fond memories for the reader. Both
the book and the DVD are available from Grieves, Newsagents,
on Moffat High Street. Also available are souvenir badges
and car window stickers bearing the club logo. A selection
of nestboxes, feeders and bird food is always available for
purchase, at very competitive prices, at Grieves Newsagents
with the profits going towards the cost of feeding down at
our reserve!
All dates for the
meetings, and the topics for them, plus date for the Coffee
Morning can be found on our 'Events' page.
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