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...
Royal Tunbridge Wells welcomes back the woodlark
9 March 2012
Thanks to the RSPB’s restoration efforts at Broadwater Warren nature reserve in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Beauty near to Royal Tunbridge Wells, woodlark have returned. This bird is the cousin of the skylark, which is the more familiar of the two, but the woodlark has a song that is as equally clear and melodious. Due to widespread conifer planting, this once familiar bird has seen its population decline in the area, and has become increasingly rare. Oddly enough, although its name suggests otherwise, it prefers open ground to woodland.
Picture Courtesy Wikipedia
RSPB Weald Sites Manager Steve Wheatley, said: “This is a wonderful moment for the new reserve. We hope the woodlark population will build and build. Not only that, we hope this is the start of a great return of wildlife to the area.”
“We’re only in the second year of a ten year restoration project, so it’s great to see and hear the wildlife responding so quickly. A big part of our job this summer is to help visitors enjoy these amazing birds and the other wildlife around the reserve.”
“We’ve got an interesting programme of events coming up this year at Broadwater Warren which includes dawn chorus walks, nightjar evenings, and events for children.”
To find out more visit: www.rspb.org.uk/broadwaterwarren
Sophie McCallum, Communications Manager, sophie.mccallum@rspb.org.uk
http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/308536-woodlark-return-to-tunbridge-wells
Goldfinch on the increase in gardens
James Meikle, guardian.co.uk 7th March 2012
According to the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology), the goldfinch has climbed up 10 places on the list of most commonly reported species in gardens since Garden Birdwatch began in 1995, and appears to have been enticed from farmland to our gardens. However, this news was coupled with the decline in the house sparrow, blackbird, wren, starling and greenfinch.
Tim Harrison, development officer of Garden BirdWatch, said: "Improved foods and feeder designs, coupled with feeding pressures in the wider countryside, appear to be driving (the rise of the goldfinch) and other farmland species ... into gardens."
“But for every success story there was a species doing less well, with the mistle thrush, for example, struggling. The percentage of gardens visited by the bird in 2011 was at its lowest point in the history of the survey.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/07/goldfinches-farmland-british-gardens
Swallows delay making the long flight back to Africa.....
EOGHAN MacCONNELL
.... and according to Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland, some swallows have not bothered to migrate at all. They are usually the signal that winter is at an end when they return around April.
“We would expect a couple of winter sightings,” explained Mr Hatch. “The weather in Ireland was mild enough that they could have survived.” And he said “the first “reliable” swallow sighting in Ireland this year was near Clonakilty in Co Cork on Saturday, March 3rd.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0307/1224312912745.html
Peregrines at Derby Cathedral – mild winter prompts early mating
March 07, 2012
The mild winter has also seen peregrine falcons mating and nesting on the side of Derby Cathedral earlier than ever before.
Nick Moyes, working for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a consultant to the Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project, said: "Checking through the video recordings at the weekend, I discovered a sequence showing the birds mating.
"The previous earliest date for mating was March 8 in 2009, so this is a full week earlier and suggests we may have eggs well before the end of the month."
In 2006 an artificial nest platform was installed on the cathedral’s medieval tower and since then the footage has given interesting insights into the private lives of the falcon.
Mr Moyes said: "The project has exceeded all our expectations since the nest platform was put up back in 2006.
"Hits to the project's web cams and blog have now passed the two million mark since they were set up in 2007, with viewers watching our birds from over 70 different countries."
It was at Derby, also, that rare footage was captured showing that the falcons hunt at night, by using the city lights to guide them.
The cameras can be viewed at www.bit.ly/derbyblog
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Mild-winter-sees-cathedral-s-birds-prey-mating/story-15420624-detail/story.html
Bird hunting on your iPhone
Bird Hunting Mania! is a game for your iPhone. This is not to shoot or kill birds as the name may suggest – and perhaps it is not the best title to give it - it is to protect rare and endangered species on Earth by bringing back birds from a different planet.
The game features a wide variety of birds including hummingbirds, parrots, eagles, and even – wait for it – a phoenix!
You have to catch the birds in a net, which you have to buy with your in-game money.
There are 11 different types of birds in the game, which also has 3 different locations in which to play: mountains, waterfalls and forests. You can also get bonuses, ie magical eggs that are given when you catch a phoenix.
Bird Hunting Mania! is already the number one app in the Chinese app store and available for free awaiting your trial.
http://www.iphonefootprint.com/2012/03/pull-out-your-iphone-to-kill-time-with-bird-hunting-mania-iphone-game-review/
Red Owl about it!
The Forestry Commissions’ Hicks Lodge National Forest Cycle Centre near Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire has had some rare visitors of the feathered variety over the winter. After the Commission transformed the 168 hectare former opencast mine into a wildlife haven, five short-eared owls moved in. This species is uncommon in Leicestershire, and has only been seen a few times.
Forester Alan Dowell explained: "The birds arrived earlier in the winter and it wasn't long before birders were sending us reports and turning up with binoculars, cameras with long lenses and telescopes. They have been seen flying at either end of the day hunting for voles and mice. It shows that we are getting things right here in the National Forest. With areas of grassland, trees and a lake we have a very wildlife friendly location. The birds will soon fly off to their summer breeding grounds, but we hope they will return later in the year.”
The bird is on the Amber List due to conservation concerns and the RSPB estimate that there could be up to 3,500 breeding pairs in the UK.
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/WebNewsReleases/7C88C04845178003802579B4003A2DF9
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Bird-watchers-flock-Leicestershire-colliery-short/story-15384771-detail/story.html
Increase in rare birds at Moors Valley
Karen Bate, 3rd March
Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Ashley Heath, Dorset has reported an increase in rare birds at the park. Spotted this year have been bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and gadwalls (Anas strepera), two species that have been in serious decline. The mild winter has also seen the early arrival of the hobby hawk (Falco subbuteo), which normally arrives in the UK in late April.
The Park has several nestcams in a number of different park locations which means that visitors can watch chicks grow and fledge.
For information visit moors-valley.co.uk.
http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/9558257.Increase_in_rare_birds_at_Moors_Valley/
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