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...
Britain's rarest bird is found nesting at airshow despite
deafening noise from jet engines and tens of thousands of visitors
With the
deafening sound of jet engines and the commotion caused by hundreds of
thousands of visitors, it seems an unlikely place to bring up your brood.
But
Farnborough International Airshow is home to a breeding pair of black redstarts
(Phoenicurus ochruros), who have made a nest to
care for four chicks in the roof of a hospitality chalet.
Photo: RSPB
The
birds, so rare that they are protected by law, stunned wildlife experts when
they were found nesting at the festival in Farnborough, Hampshire.
Organisers
were due to take down the chalet when the show finished last week, having
attracted 227,000 visitors and seen the sale of aircraft worth £46billion.
But they
decided to leave it up for an extra two weeks to avoid disturbing the chicks,
which are only two weeks old. Experts believe there are only about 40 black
redstarts in the country.
Keith
Betton, of Hampshire Ornithological Society, said the birds were brown with a
red tail and a little bigger than a robin.
'Black
redstarts are one of the ten rarest birds in Britain and a delight to watch,'
he added.
'They
have a tendency to nest in unusual places such as power stations and building
sites but their new home is equally bizarre.
'This
breeding pair have found a little hole in the side of a chalet and set up home
for their chicks despite the bustling crowds and noisy aircraft.
'Once you
are aware the birds are nesting it is a criminal offence to disturb them so the
airshow have to leave them in peace.'
Half of Kielder's osprey
chicks didn't survive the weather
Rare English ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) may
have defied the dismal summer weather, but cold conditions and record rainfall
have still taken their toll. Two osprey
chicks which hatched just before the Jubilee weekend - and dubbed Jubilee Jack
and Queenie - have been ringed by Forestry Commission experts in 62,000 hectare
(155,000 acre) Kielder
Water & Forest Park. The sole surviving chick on the second nest
in the Northumbrian wilderness - given the name of Olympia - has also been
ringed.
A record breaking six chicks hatched in Kielder this
year, however, three succumbed to the elements, which also blighted the
breeding season for other rare birds, including goshawks.
But Rangers remain upbeat. Forestry Commission Wildlife Ranger Philip
Spottiswood explained: "We have maintained our record of producing three osprey
chicks each year since 2009 when the bird began to breed again in
Northumberland for the first time in at least 200 years. Despite the
conditions, the chicks ringed this year are very healthy and we expect them all
to fledge in the next few weeks. Given the dreadful weather that is a
tremendous result."
Expanding Scottish population
Duncan Hutt, from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, added: "The species was
extinct in England until recently, but Kielder together with the Lake District
has been naturally re-colonised. A big factor has been the expanding Scottish
population and also the erection of special nesting platforms near Northumbrian
Water's Kielder Water, which offers perfect hunting grounds for trout."
Kielder Osprey Watch 2012 is organised by the Kielder Water & Forest
Park Development Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. The
partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by
maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding
and monitoring the nest site.
Little egrets breeding at
Cotswold Water Park for the first time
August 2012. Little egrets (Egretta garzetta)
have successfully bred at the Cotswold Water Park Trust's Cleveland Lakes Reserve, near Ashton Keynes, marking
the first breeding of this species in the Cotswold Water Park.
Photo: Wikipedia
During May, when the weather was so wet and windy, the little egrets
produced 2 nests and young were seen the day after some particularly stormy
weather. Their survival is all the more remarkable when you see their nests;
they are small, sparse and spindly on the outer branches of trees; they don't
look very wind-proof!
Young from these nests fledged, following which 2 more nests were found
with young in. The nests of these bright white birds are surprisingly hard to
locate in dense tree cover! Young from the later two nests also survived the
wet and windy conditions. Young little egrets can be seen feeding with adults
around Cleveland Lakes Reserve at present. At least 5 juveniles have fledged.
The Cotswold Water Park Trust thanks volunteer Kim Milsom for his
herculean efforts made in 2012 in monitoring the breeding grey heron (Ardea cinerea) and little egret and
other breeding waterbirds of Cleveland Lakes.
Kim Milsom, volunteer for the Cotswold Water Park Trust has been
monitoring the waterbirds of Cleveland
Lakes Reserve since 2009; "Supporting the Cotswold Water
Park Trust in recent years by monitoring the great success of the habitat
creation at Cleveland Lakes has had a number of highlights, but the successful
breeding of the little egrets, the first in the CWP, is perhaps the greatest!
On every following visit, I feared that the summer's gales and driving rain may
have destroyed the nests, but the chicks seemed very resilient and the parents
did a great job and successfully reared at least 5 young".
Gareth Harris, Biodiversity Manager, Cotswold Water Park Trust says,
"Although little egrets breed elsewhere in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire,
this is the first confirmed breeding for the Cotswold Water Park, albeit
somewhat overdue! They have been demonstrating breeding behaviour at Cleveland
Lakes Reserve for the last 2-3 years, so a breeding attempt has been expected.
To see 4 pairs successfully breeding on their first attempt, AND in a year of
such poor weather, is fantastic"
Starlings in decline
With its cheeky nature and its chirpy, chattering song, the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is one of our most recognisable birds,
but figures show that 40 million starlings have disappeared from the European
Union, including the UK, since 1980. This crash is triggering concern about the
bird's future status as a widespread and familiar bird. In the UK, the RSPB has
launched a research project to see why this bird's population is in freefall
here too. In 2002 the Starling was added to the UK 'red list' of the Birds of
Conservation Concern, because its population had halved during the previous
three decades.
Picture: RSPB
Each
winter, the UK's starling numbers are boosted by birds arriving from
continental Europe. There is evidence of a decline in the number of starlings
visiting Britain in winter, and this could be linked to the decline elsewhere
in Europe. The RSPB's Dr Richard Gregory heads up the Society's bird monitoring
section. Commenting on the starling's decline, he said: "The starling is
still a plentiful bird, but its numbers are falling alarmingly." For
example, the numbers recorded in winter by the RSPB's annual Big Garden
Birdwatch have fallen by 80% since 1979, and by nearly a third in just ten
years. Dr Gregory added: "Our records show that we have lost more Starlings
across Europe than any other farmland bird. Forty million Starlings lost
represents over 150 for every hour since the 1980s. This loss should be a
wake-up call, because we ignore the decline of nature at our own peril."
Dr Will
Peach, who is leading the research into the Starling decline in the UK, said:
"It is figures like these which have convinced us of the need for action,
which is why we are launching a research programme to unravel the mystery of
this bird's disappearance." There have been several theories put forward
to explain the Starling's decline. In parts of Europe, suggestions include the
loss of grassland through conversion to forestry land and the growing of crops.
But these changes haven't affected the UK in the same way, so the reasons for
the rapid contraction in the UK are not understood. Working in Somerset and
Gloucestershire, RSPB researchers will be working with farmers to examine
whether there are sufficient food and nesting sites for Starlings in livestock
areas. Starlings feed by probing lawns and pastures with their longish bills,
looking for soil invertebrates, including leatherjackets. These
leatherjackets — cranefly larvae — are widely regarded as pests, so Starlings
provide a good service for farmers and gardeners. Part of the study will
examine the food supply of these pastures to assess whether Starlings can find
sufficient food.
Martin Harper is the RSPB's
Conservation Director. He added: "We don't know the reasons for the Starling's
decline, but we hope that our research will yield the answers to ensure this
bird has a secure future. Understanding exactly what is causing these declines
will allow us to develop practical and cost-effective solutions for land
managers and farmers. These could then be delivered through wildlife-friendly
farming schemes and other policy interventions. But only if Europe and our
Government grow this vital source of funding as they reform the CAP and agree
the European budget over the next few months."
Rare Burnley birds on song for Lotto grant
A PROJECT to save a rare Burnley songbird has won through to the finals of a national environmental competition, it has been announced.
One key aim of the initiative is to restore the habitat of the twite (Carduelis flavirostris), otherwise known as the Pennine finch, which is on the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) at-risk list. Currently there are only around 100 breeding pairs of twites — it used to be native to several counties but now the moors around Worsthorne and Hurstwood are one of the few places ornithologists can spot the tiny creatures.
The winners of the competition will be showcased on BBC TV’s The One Show and also receive a £2,000 grant to aid future work.
Pam Warhurst, Pennine Prospects chairman, said:
“Volunteers are at the core of this project, guiding, inspiring and carrying
out landscape restoration so winning an award would recognise their toil and
passion for the uplands at the highest level.”
Landowners across the moors have become involved in the fight
to save the twite, with the RSPB working with nearly 40, across 75 hectares.
The introduction of more traditional hay meadows, with
dandelions and wild seeds, is vital to the twite making a comeback.
Photographer captures rare bird on camera
WHILE Bolton may have
plenty of pigeons, an amateur photographer has captured images of a much rarer
bird that has been spotted in the town.
Peter Hunter, aged 48, spotted a sparrowhawk
(Accipiter nisus) building a nest
in Breightmet three
months ago.
He returned to the same spot —
which has not been identified to protect the birds’ safety — to watch as the
eggs hatch and the chicks grow.
Mr Hunter was lucky enough to see
the sparrowhawk feeding its chicks in Breightmet six weeks ago.
Mr Hunter, of Slaidburn Avenue,
Breightmet, said: “I love wildlife and taking photographs.
“I have never seen a sparrowhawk
nest in Bolton though, so I was really excited when I saw it. The chicks looked
like little balls of fluff.”
He watched the birds as they grew
and on Sunday morning, he caught the last few chicks on camera as they prepared
to fly the nest.
Mr Hunter said: “I wanted to
watch the birds to make sure they were okay. I tried hard not to disturb them
and it was great to watch them turn into impressive sparrowhawks.
Chris Collett, of the RSPB, said:
“Wildlife photography is a very popular activity and with a little patience, it
is possible to get some amazing images.
“But it is important to remember
that birds and other wildlife can be easily disturbed, particularly during the
breeding season. So you always need put the welfare of your subject first and
ensure that your presence does not have a detrimental effect on them.”
The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper-column inches than any other cryptozoological subject. There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.
