Reporting direct from AGM at Criccieth

14.15 hours at the Marine Hotel, Criccieth. The AGM of the Observatory has just begun and the Chairman, Patrick Davies, is giving his Report and about 33 people are present listening intently.

Patrick is telling members of the appointment of Richard Brown, our new Assistant Warden, who hails from North Yorkshire. Richard Else has also been appointed, with a grant from the CCW, to monitor the Shearwater population on the island this summer.

He went on to inform members that we are looking into acquiring Satellite Broadband which will broaden the Observatory's accessibility enabling much better information exchange in the future.

The 2007 Report is due to be published by the end of August at the latest, well ahead of last years. (My comments: It is perhaps one of the Observatory's main jobs, as it details all the research and survey work that we conduct thoughout the year which fits into the national picture. This enables bodies such as the BTO, RSPB, Countryside Council for Wales, Local Authorities, etc. to better able to conserve many species of birds and show how important Bardsey Island is for the study of birds and the importance of it for its own breeding birds.)

The Chairman then announced to the members that we had been searching for, and found, a new President. He then explained how we discoverd him and are putting him forward for this important post. The meeting then unanimously agreed to appoint the Rt. Rev. David Hawkins, Bishop of Barking, as our new President. (His CV can be found at: http://www.bbfo.org.uk/president.htm)

All the other Officers of the Observatory were re-elected without dissention. Bryan Thompson was elected as a Friend of Bardsey, as was Liz James.