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...
Just 800
pairs of corn buntings left in Scotland
New research has
highlighted the need for urgent action to transform the fortunes of one of
Scotland's fastest declining farmland birds. Once widespread across
Britain, the corn bunting (Miliaria calandra) is now rare in
Scotland with only 800 breeding pairs, confined to parts of the eastern
lowlands and the Western Isles. Over a 20-year period, an Aberdeenshire
population of this multiple-brooded, crop-nesting bird declined by 91% from 134
pairs to just 12.
Photo: RSPB
The joint study by
RSPB Scotland and Dr Adam Watson, recently published in the journal Ibis, found that gradual changes in crop
management, particularly an increase in field size and decrease in weed
abundance, reduced the availability of safe nesting sites and food sources the
species depends on. Allan Perkins, RSPB Scotland Conservation Scientist, said:
"Intensive crop management and removal of field boundaries, resulting in
fewer weeds and the insects they support, together with earlier harvesting of
cereals and mowing of grass has had a detrimental effect on the corn bunting.
This is a species that favours low-intensity farming and it is vital that such
systems are preserved, or habitats replicated through agri-environment schemes.”
Amy Corrigan, RSPB
Scotland's Agriculture and Rural Development Policy Officer, said: "Thanks
to good ecological research like this we know exactly what is needed to save
the corn bunting in Scotland, and we have the agri-environment schemes and
farmers capable of delivering it. However, we currently face the prospect of a
lengthy gap in funding for agri-environment schemes due to ongoing negotiations
in Europe on the CAP. A break in schemes would be extremely detrimental to
conservation effort directed at this once common farmland bird. We hope the
Scottish Government will demonstrate its commitment to addressing biodiversity
declines, and indeed the livelihoods of those farmers working hard for nature,
by ensuring schemes critical to the conservation of vulnerable species like
corn bunting can continue during this period of financial uncertainty.
"Scottish Government are currently consulting on their 2020
Challenge for Scotland's Biodiversity. In it they recognise the need to develop
a conservation programme for priority farmland species in a parlous state. We
agree and suggest that the corn bunting should be a priority species for this
programme."
Flamingo egg – in
Sunderland?
Bird experts hatched a cunning plan to keep a rare egg safe. Staff at Washington
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust were on alert to snatch a precious Chilean flamingo
(Phoenicopterus chilensis) egg.
Photo: Wikipedia
It will
be the first time in six years that one will have been laid at the centre. But wardens, rather than guarding against
illegal collectors or poachers, feared the mother may accidentally break it. They were
also concerned it may be targeted by gulls swooping on it and taking it away.
Leanne
McCormella, trust marketing manager, said: “We are on alert for the egg to be
laid by a Chilean flamingo, the first since 2006.
“They
only lay one, rather than a clutch, so it can get knocked off the nest by a
clumsy flamingo or predated by gulls.
“We are
almost 100 per cent sure that our Chilean flamingoes will lay eggs this year.
“They
only lay one, so they’re very precious and we need to grab them as soon as
possible.”
After
being laid, the eggs are swapped for wooden ones, so the adults don’t notice,
and incubated in the Waterfowl Nursery until they start “chipping”.
“Shortly
before it hatches, the egg is returned to the mum and dad, who then rear
the chick, which can live to be more than 60 years old,” said Leanne.
Flamingoes
have been part of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust’s breeding programme for 45
years and have been living at the Wearside centre since 1986.
They live
in large colonies, which can be home to between 10,000 and one million birds at
a time.
Hours
before hatching, flamingo chicks begin calling from inside the egg,
establishing a bond with their parents so they can find each other within the
colony.
Angus
Breeding Success for Rare Marsh Harrier - Birds breed successfully at RSPB Loch
of Kinnordy for second year in a row
Marsh
harriers (Circus aeruginosus) have bred successfully at RSPB Loch of Kinnordy,
near Kirriemuir, for the second year in a row. Their breeding success was
confirmed by the recent sighting of two juvenile marsh harriers flying over the
loch. Last year the rare birds were recorded breeding at the reserve for the
first time since records began.
Kim Ross,
Tayside Reserves Assistant Warden, said: “It’s fantastic to see marsh harriers
returning to breed at Loch of Kinnordy for a second year. It’s like getting our
own gold medal following all of the work we have done on the reserve. After
their success last year, I was hopeful that Kinnordy could become a regular
nest site for marsh harriers. When the pair returned in late March, I was very
optimistic and seeing the two juveniles for a second year in a row is
wonderful!”
The male
marsh harrier returned from its wintering grounds in west Africa during the
last week of March and only a week later the female arrived. Straight away both could be seen carrying nesting material to the nest and food passes were
observed quite regularly – all signs that showed the harriers were quite
comfortable nesting at the reserve.
RSPB Loch
of Kinnordy staff and volunteers were initially worried that the wet weather
may have an impact on the breeding success. The heavy rain had caused the
loch water levels to rise and because marsh harriers are ground nesting birds,
there was a concern that the nest may be flooded. However, food passes
continued and both adults made regular visits to the nest, indicating that
things were fine. This was confirmed by the recent sightings of the juvenile
birds.
Surprisingly,
the juveniles have fledged almost a month earlier than they did last year. Kim
added: “We are not quite sure what the reason for this is. The weather
certainly didn’t help them!”
Although
regular summer visitors to the Loch of Kinnordy, marsh harriers are rare, with
only 360 breeding females in the UK. The species continues to make a slow
recovery after being wiped out in the UK in the late 19th century as a result
of habitat loss, persecution and pesticide poisoning. Conservation measures at
the nature reserve, such as reedbed management, have contributed to the
increased presence of the species in the area.
All four
harriers can be seen easily from the three hides at the nature reserve. Hides
are open daily from dawn until dusk. For more information please see www.rspb.org.uk
RSPB
Scotland’s work at Loch of Kinnordy is supported by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Individual projects have been funded by Angus Environmental Trust.
Birds of
prey centre boss "borrowed rare birds from zoos and sold them on"
THE former owner of the National
Birds of Prey Centre in Newent has appeared in court accused of illegally
selling rare birds, pocketing himself over £12,000.
Keith Beaven, 67, of Birchfield
in Staunton, was at Cheltenham Magistrates Court facing up to 13 charges of
theft and fraud.
Beaven issued no plea as he stood
accused of borrowing rare birds of prey before selling them on to the tune of
£12,500.
He bought the Centre in 2004 before selling it back to previous owner Jemima Parry-Jones in 2008. She and
the centre, renamed the International Centre for Birds of Prey, are not
connected to this case.
Between 2007 and 2010 he is
accused of loaning birds from zoos across the country for a breeding programme
that he claimed to be operating.
However, it is alleged this was a
ruse to obtain the rare species from zoos, and that he sold the birds on for
his own benefit.
The birds in question include
eagle owls, black kites, hawk owls, a ural owl, a spotted owl and a boobook owl
among others.
In court Beaven was told to
return to Cheltenham magistrates on October 9 at 10am for a committal hearing.
Squatters force swallows to build a new home
Lister Cumming from Aberdeenshire said: "The swallows have used the same nests for many years in the eaves of both sides of my sister in law's front door. However in 2012 they returned from their long migration to Africa to find that some squatters had moved and made some substantial alterations to their home."
"These squatters had the audacity
to build a second floor on top of the existing nest without planning
permission. ...The culprits in this case are wrens!"
The evicted swallows had to build a quickly erected alternative nest alongside the squatting wrens. So whilst that appears to have worked out well for both the swallows and the wrens, it must have led to a frosty relationship with the neighbours, especially now the wrens are planning to plant some Leylandii.http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/swallow-nests.html
Satellite-tracked cuckoo takes surprise route to Africa
A satellite-tracked male cuckoo has taken a "surprising" route on his way back to Africa this summer.
The team from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) monitoring Lyster’s movements thought he would follow the same route as last year.
However, instead of flying west around the Sahara Desert he was tracked 1,000km east on the Algerian coast, ten days earlier than his 2011 route.
The team think favourable conditions could be responsible for the change.
The study has already shown how little time these birds spend in Britain and where in Africa they spend the winter.
Experts hope it may also provide insights into why there has been a 50% decline in British cuckoos over the last 25 years.
Paul Stancliffe, part of the cuckoo-tracking team, told BBC Nature that they "expected Lyster to follow the same route as last year".
"But to our surprise it was 1,000km east after an extraordinary 500km crossing of the Mediterranean Sea," Mr Stancliffe said.
A potential reason for this change in route is that he found it a suitable habitat after having travelled through the same region of Algeria earlier in 2012 during his journey from Africa to the UK.
Another explanation is that he simply drifted off course.
Lyster arrived in Algeria on August 1 and remained there for two days before setting off in the late afternoon of August 3.
He headed southwest, flying diagonally across the Sahara Desert, and is currently in southern Mauritania.
"It will be interesting to see if he makes his way to his 2011 stopover location," Mr Stancliffe told BBC Nature.
Although five birds were tagged in 2011, the only other surviving signal comes from a cuckoo called Chris.
Chris is currently south of the Sahara on the northern shore of Lake Chad, 2,000km north of his 2011 stopover location.
He has followed a very similar route to the one he took last year, flying straight over the Sahara.
To provide further data, another 11 cuckoos were tagged by the BTO this year, taking the total number of traceable birds to 13.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19112879
Rare bird sighting
A RECENT sighting at Montrose Basin has had local twitchers twittering to catch a glimpse of a rare bird that rejoices in the nickname of the “flying pig.”
Photo: Wikipedia
An adult water
rail (Rallus aquaticus) and three
of its chicks were spotted on the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) wildlife
reserve by two rangers on July 11 with a second sighting four days later, by
which time a fourth chick had hatched.
Its unusual
nickname arises from its distinctive call, which consists of a series of grunts
followed by a piglet-like squeal and is used in territorial disputes and when
the bird is alarmed.
The water rail
is also known for its aggressive tendencies and has even been known to kill
smaller birds by drowning them.
Both sightings were near the visitor centre and the nest is believed to be in that vicinity. http://www.brechinadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-headlines/rare-bird-sighting-1-2442227
Rare bird killed by rat
poison
Wildlife officers are investigating after an
endangered red kite (Milvus milvus) was killed by rat poison in Nidderdale. In May 2012 a fieldworker was
monitoring raptors on Lofthouse Moor when he found the body of a red kite near
a cattle grid.
Photo: Wikipedia
The bird
of prey had been dead for a few days, and it appeared to have been feeding on a
baby rabbit when it died. The fieldworker reported the find to police, who
suspected the bird had been poisoned.
Natural
England sent the bird to the Veterinary Laboratory Agency in Thirsk and Food
and Environment Agency at Sutton Hutton, near York. Toxicology tests found the
it had eaten rodents poisoned by commonly available rat and mouse poison, and
had been poisoned by a combination of banned pesticides.
PC Gareth
Jones, Wildlife Officer for North Yorkshire Police, said: “The use of rat and
mouse poison is a common problem which puts the lives of Red Kites and other
birds of prey in danger.
“It is
the responsibility of anyone who puts down poison to control rats and mice, to
collect the dead rodents and dispose of them properly.
“It is a
great shame that another Red Kite has been killed in North Yorkshire
particularly as they are an endangered species and have only recently returned
to the county.”
Police
are now appealing for anyone with information that might help their
investigation to come forward. Contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select
option 2 – and ask for Gareth Jones or Ripon police. Crimestoppers can be
contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 and the RSPB have a confidential
reporting line on 0845 466 3636.
Rare arrivals at Birdland
Excited staff are celebrating a rare and momentous occasion after a black-necked cygnet (Cygnus melancoryphus) hatched at a Cotswold bird
sanctuary.
Keepers at the Birdland at Bourton were
delighted when a pair of the swans, native to South America, hatched a chick,
which continues to thrive.
The cygnet can now be admired swimming around
the pond with mum and dad and can often be seen hitching a ride on one of its
parents’ backs.
It will take two years for its striking
black neck to develop. The parents arrived at Birdland in late 2010 from a
private breeder and quickly settled in to their new home on the Trout Pond.
Though a nest was built in 2011, no eggs were laid.
However,
keepers’ hopes were raised when the male started behaving territorially towards
them in late May.
The female started sitting on her nest at the
beginning of June and five eggs were laid and, following incubation, all five
hatched in July.
Sadly, four of the five chicks did not
survive which has been attributed to the parent birds’ inexperience.
Birdland has recently welcomed another new
member of its extended family this week – a tiny and rare frogmouth chick.
The chick is
being hand reared by assistant head keeper Chris Abbey, who is feeding it a
carnivorous diet five or six times a day from 7.30am to 7.30pm.
The chick is the first of its kind at
Birdland and it is hoped it will be able to breed once it matures. The owl-like
birds present distinct features such as wide eyes and large tongues.
Natively found throughout Australasia,
frogmouths typically feed on crawling animals such as caterpillars, beetles,
scorpions, and centipedes.
New on Frontiers of Anthropology, a submission by Teresa Drusin:
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