As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out-of-place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and Fortean.Because we live in strange times, there are more and more bird stories that come her way, so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones...
Rare birds wing their way to Woolacombe
A pond in the village of Woolacombe, North Devon became a hive of activity when four rare birds made it their temporary home in the middle of March. Four night herons, so named due to them being more active after dark, arrived and caused the influx of birdwatchers from all over the south west to visit the village. The birds’ migratory route would normally see them travelling from Africa to southern Europe.
Image courtesy Wikipedia
Jon Turner from Braunton, conservation officer for the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society, said while it was unusual to see them in the UK, it was “unprecedented” to see four at once. (three adults and one juvenile)
“Presumably they have migrated north as a group, got lost in the fog and landed on the first available pond,” said Mr Turner. “I have not seen one in Devon before and have been birdwatching for more than 30 years. The best time to see them is in the morning or evening when they are going to roost or coming out to feed.” A single night heron was also spotted at Halsinger near Braunton.
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/rare_birds_cause_flap_at_woolacombe_1_1242938
“Presumably they have migrated north as a group, got lost in the fog and landed on the first available pond,” said Mr Turner. “I have not seen one in Devon before and have been birdwatching for more than 30 years. The best time to see them is in the morning or evening when they are going to roost or coming out to feed.” A single night heron was also spotted at Halsinger near Braunton.
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/rare_birds_cause_flap_at_woolacombe_1_1242938
Peregrines at St. Mary’s
Calne in Wiltshire has a pair of peregrine falcons that are believed to be nesting at the top of St. Mary’s Church. Sam Whit’s picture of one of the falcons on St Mary’s Church Calne is in a flap after a pair of peregrine falcons were spotted at the top of St Mary’s Church – and it seems the feathery companions may not be alone for long.
The Rev Kenway’s wife Sadie said: “We do want to be careful, as not everyone is going to be pleased that a pair of peregrine falcons have taken up residence in Calne. “They do hunt smaller birds, and we are concerned that they might end up becoming targets, which may also result in damaging the church.”
Mr Kenway said: “They are protected – killing of birds of prey was outlawed years ago – and our main concern is that they remain so in the town. “They are very fast and very efficient killers. It is pretty amazing to have these rare birds here, and it’s an exciting addition to the town.”
Perry Chadwyck-Healey, of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said he hoped that the birds were nesting. “It is quite rare for them to be somewhere like this,” he said.
“However, it is fairly common for them to use big churches, like St Mary’s, as their natural habitat would be more like a cliff-face. “We are now really hoping that they are going to nest. It would be absolutely wonderful. I think that if the female were to lay, it would be either very soon, or it could have already happened.”
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/9603344.Twitchers_flock_to_spot_falcons_in_Calne/
Perry Chadwyck-Healey, of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said he hoped that the birds were nesting. “It is quite rare for them to be somewhere like this,” he said.
“However, it is fairly common for them to use big churches, like St Mary’s, as their natural habitat would be more like a cliff-face. “We are now really hoping that they are going to nest. It would be absolutely wonderful. I think that if the female were to lay, it would be either very soon, or it could have already happened.”
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/9603344.Twitchers_flock_to_spot_falcons_in_Calne/
Ospreys are returning to Britain after their long migration from West Africa
The first osprey sighting of the year was recorded at the end of February. However, this bird has now been joined by many others as they end their migration from West Africa. Two hace appeared at Rutland EWater and the pair from last year at Glaslyn have returned.
The Lady of the Loch’s arrival is still awaited. At 26-years-old it would not be surprising if she did not return this year – she has raised 48 chicks so far and considering an osprey’s life span is on average just 8 years it is remarkable that she has survived this long.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/2012-osprey.html
Cuckoo appears lost
The BTO have announced that is almost certain that one of their tagged cuckoos is no longer alive. The last two transmissions from Clement showed that his body temperature was dropping and they have not heard from his since. He was last heard from on 25th February. Clement was the most sponsored of the BTO cuckoos: he was tagged around a year ago and had been talked about by television news presenters, the BBC’s Springwatch team and helped advertise the fact that Britain has lost over half of its breeding cuckoos.
The Cuckoo tracking project is being funded by the BBC Wildlife Fund, Essex & Suffolk Water, BTO supporters and individual sponsors.
To find out more about Clement's journey please visit BTO website.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/clement-missing.html
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