Saturday, 6th April. Migration really kicking in !

Following a report of Citrine Wagtail we went to explore the area around what is known as the old Kourian Fish Farm on the Akrotiri Penninsula. We found the field, but not a sign of any wagtails , so we explored the wider surroundings and found an expanse of open ground with scrub , exposed rock and low herbage. Things were quiet at first and then we had some buntings , which turned out to be Ortolan, numbers of House and Spanish Sparrow, calling Nightingale , singing Corn Bunting and Chiffchaff, and Hoopoe. A Common Buzzard appeared and moved inland and a Curlew called out at sea, flew close and then moved east along the coast.

Moving back towards Phasouris  along the coastal track we had both Sardinian and Fan tailed Warbler in song, 55 Garganey flew east out at sea, as did a couple of Yellow legged Gull, a Kingfisher sat on a rock and a Northern Wheatear appeared, both the latter no doubt recently arrived migrants.The wetlands near the old Rabbit Farm had a good selection of waders , but nothing appeared to be new so we moved on to Agios Georgios.

Within a fairly short time we had Collared Flycatcher, Chiffchaff,  Blackcap , numbers of Greenfinch , Hoopoe and a Masked Shrike, whilst , nearby, we found 2 Short toed Larks.  We decided to go back to the Phasouris reedbeds to finish the day and, whilst there , enjoyed seeing a flock of 25 plus Purple Heron,  Little and Cattle Egret , Grey Heron, and around 145 Glossy Ibis on the move. It seems our decision to keep working the Ackrotiri sites was paying dividends !

Friday, 5th April Mediterranean MigFest continues !

After yesterday anticipation ran high as to what might be expected.  First call was to Phasouris reedbeds where, first of all, we had a chat to a local ringer ( Viktor ) about what might be happening generally ,but also had the privilege of seeing several species ( Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler and Sardinian Warbler ) "in the hand". Watching out from the tower hide over the vast reedbed we had great views of Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Garganey and Ferruginous Duck besides recording a series of more common species.  Two Great White Egret were picked up in flight westwards being seriously mobbed by local Hooded Crows but, despite efforts we couldn't locate them again. All the while at least two Black Francolin called in the background !

As we drove down the road towards the flooded area near the old Rabbit Farm a metre long Whip Snake curved itself across the road and into the undergrowth. A good selection of waders was on offer.......Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Spur winged Plover, Ruff, LRP , Greenshank and a couple of Common Snipe.

From there we went on to Bishop's Pool where we had a single Teal, a couple of Purple Heron, Common Cuckoo, Olivaceous Warbler and a single male Collared Flycatcher. We then moved on to Agios Georgios where, almost immediately , we had a Wryneck in nearby trees which gave superb views. Things didn't end there as it was soon followed by a Masked Shrike. With all thoughts of lunch put aside we then began to look for what else might be around. This proved to be several Common Redstart, Chiffchaff ( abietinus ) , Blackap and Lesser Whitethroat. A look around the external boundaries of the site turned up a Subalpine Warbler , which sat on top of a bush for a while and gave good views. A little further afield both Crested Lark and Sardinian Warblers sang and brought an end to yet another tremendous day.

Thursday, 4th April. the start of it all !

An early breakfast and then, after the usual handover procedures associated with car hire shortly after 0800 hours, we were off !!

As might be imagined the first birds at Phasouris reedbeds  ( Akrotiri Reserve ) were from a list of Cattle and Little Egret, Squacco Heron , Purple Heron , Glossy Ibis and various common species including a supportive cast of Cetti's Warblers, which seemed to be everywhere. Further on we spent some time at the recently inundated area near the old Rabbit Farm where an absolute plethora of waders was in evidence,,,,Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and Spur winged Plover. A good start, all the while accompanied by Fan tailed Warblers ( sorry,  I prefer it to Zitting Cisticola !! ). Nearby a male Ruppells Warbler appeared for a short time, a nice find given they are a quite early migrant and one I could have missed.

After a brief and distant look at Akrotiri Salt Lake and the Greater Flamingo's we went on to Agios Georgios and the area of scrub woodland nearby . An old time favourite of mine and one that, today, was to prove to be a gold mine for birds. Sitting down under one of the shelters it was immediately apparent there was a lot of birds around. And so it proved with Sardinian Warbler , Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Redstart, Eastern Bonelli's Warbler , Subalpine Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Collared Flycatcher all been seen well. There were at least three E. Bonelli's Warblers and male Collared Flycatchers and it was a difficult task to finally move on ! A walk around the surrounding area produced a single Black-eared Wheatear and Crested Lark. An amazing early afternoon !

On to Lady's Mile , but the water levels were really high and the only birds of real interest were 7 Black winged Stilt huddled together on a small island. A call to Zakaki Marsh was disappointing at best ( about which a separate entry will appear in due course  ). The place is overgrown and displays no evidence of positive management, despite the provision of a very adequate hide. A great shame on which to end what had proved to be an absolutely tremendous first day.

Modest celebrations were offered up in return, followed by a really delicious evening meal. I have to admit I was in bed around 2100 hours , which is the equivalent of 1900 hours at home ( Good heavens  I'd be missing Channel 4 News ! ).

Wed April 3rd In transit at last !

 0230 hours saw me leaving home, after clearing the car and windscreens of ice amidst sub zero temperatures, and taking care to avoid what seemed to be the inevitable dodgy road section !  The Doncaster/ Sheffield Robin Hood Airport is no more than an hour from home and I was in good time to sort out the car parking arrangements and be in place for the 0500 hours book in.

Come 0710 hours we were airborne and any thoughts of poor weather could be put aside !  The plane was full, "us retireds "  know how to live you know despite the doom and gloom which currently enshrouds the UK !   The flight was on time , arriving at Paphos, Cyprus at 1140 hours amidst glorious sunshine. After all the usual formalities I was in an arranged taxi being whisked eastwards to the St. Raphael Resort in Limassol where I'm going to be based until early May . Believe you me, it was a delight to be putting on sunglasses !!!

The hotel is rated a 5 star and certainly qualifies as far as available facilities are concerned. I booked this venture with Mercury Holidays almost a year ago , taking advantage of various deals on offer as I don't usually aspire to such comfort !  If you're in a position to do so,  then try it somewhere as the "rewards" on offer are extremely attractive.  I was joining a good friend of mine ,who visits Cyprus regularly and who was out doing the rounds of various local birding sites  with Colin Richardson, nowadays a resident of Cyprus having moved from the UAE some years ago.

As agreed we met  ( in the bar, where else ?) at 1800 hours and immediately started to plot and plan the next day's birding activities, pore over what had been seen recently and what was still around, and basically put together a birding  campaign for the next month !  Heady stuff 1 After a great meal I'm afraid I bowed out , retired to my room and availed myself of the comfort !!

A declaration that makes no mention of Brexit !!!

Well, after several false starts I believe I can now say, "Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible ", as used to appear in times past when a break in TV transmission had occurred.  Since injuring my knee last September, moving back to normality has been slow and attempts to hasten on the process have proved futile and ill advised.

Thankfully I'm now convinced I can contemplate a bit of normal wear and tear so, to this end , I'm  just about to have a month long, leisurely birding trip out to Cyprus , which I hope will offset what has been a frustrating period.  A word of warning, don't confuse mobility with activity. Hobbling about the house ,or a quick shopping trip, aren't comparative to being out tramping around the local reservoir and, also, attempting to make the transition too early involves paying the price of further delay !

So all those enticing promises ( a big year list,  exploring new areas and participating in surveys ) have had to be set aside and more modest , undeclared targets arrived at .  Some benefits have emerged of course. I've decided on a new personal recording patch ( quite a big one, of which more later ) ,  read endless books, decided on some future survey work and researched a few foreign trips. It hasn't been a complete waste of time.

So, out to Cyprus for virtually the whole of April, which is one of the best months out there for migration.  Intensity at a gentle pace if such can be the case.  Birdlife International is promoting the importance of the European- Africa Flyway and I hope to link my own reportage with that initiative. I'll put out an introductory Blog and ,then , issue a Blog on a daily basis for the duration of the trip. For those who know Cyprus I hope it will bring back enjoyable memories and , for those who have never been, I hope it provoke an intention to visit.  After the stop-start scenario of the last few months I have to say, I can't wait !!

Islay Barnacle Goose issue appears dormant !

Since writing about the actions which Animal Concern Advice organization had raised and referred on to the Police relating to the methods undertaken as part of the Scottish Natural Heritage cull of Barnacle Geese on Islay, nothing, but nothing, appears to have happened.

I have written myself to the authors of the original paper in British Wildlife requesting any updates they might be aware of and offering to assist in promoting the issue , but have received no reply. I understand that they were invited to attend the next meeting of the Advisory Group on Islay, which is to be held in March, but such might now have been superseded given the different aspects taken over by the case. No updates appear to have been issued by either the RSPB  or Animal Concern ,or official statements issued by SNH beyond the initial response at the onset of the reports. No update has been traced on any investigations taken up by the Police either.

So, nothing, or so it seems.  Given the initial aspect drawing attention to the subject was the paper offering alternative ideas to the current SNH policies in place, quickly followed by the issues of malpractice surrounding the scheme , the appetite for change and calls for action by the various bodies appears to have subsided abruptly. On the other hand the light under the back burner going out or the long grass growing higher might be seen as a benefit by some...........

Project Splatter.

When first I came across the above title I suspect my reaction was similar to that which has just gone through your minds !!   But I was intrigued too, so I explored a little further.

In essence it's a Citizen Science exercise run as a serious research project by academics. With the ever growing amount of traffic on our roads the levels of roadkill very probably have never been higher. This project aims to collect all such records so that a quantified assessment can be set out and the problem given serious exposure. 

Take a read at the website Project Splatter  ( simply click on this link ) and check out the details provided.  I've elected to download the app ( Android ), which is made available, and which will now enable me to send in records as and when. Whilst I guess we're never going to be able to eliminate the problem of roadkill at least this project is making a serious attempt to evaluate the problem.  And, yes, I know that,  whilst driving along a busy road and seeing a dead Badger on the verge,  it's not even legal to reach for your phone, engage your Grid Reference app and give a precise report of location etc, but ingenuity will overcome that I'm sure !!

A simple involvement as a UK Citizen to ensure the death of part of our wildlife heritage wasn't entirely in vain. 

Criticism of Islay Barnacle Goose cull gathers momentum.

Since issuing a Blog relating to the cull of Barnacle Geese on Islay three days ago further details have now been issued on the Animal Concern Advice Line   (Barnacle Goose shooting  ). Simply tap this link and enter the News section.

Apparently the incidents caught on video occurred in February and March of 2018, which may have escaped my notice previously, as opposed to within the current winter season. These incidents have now been referred to Police Scotland for consideration of possible wildlife crimes and firearms offences. It is alleged that one of the shooters involved is possibly known to the Police already.

I would urge readers to visit the above web site, consult the reportage , set out as copy correspondence, and access the video footage, all of which give a more vivid and graphical record than can be achieved by mere description.

In addition to the above, Animal Concern has contacted Scottish MP's and drawn the matter to their attention.  Clearly the 10% "crippling rate" accepted by SNH is not resting easily with the animal welfare organization and presents a further aspect over which SNH's feet are likely to be held to the fire !

At the present time I'm unaware of any public statement having been issued by Scottish Natural Heritage  (SNH ) , which might shed further light on the reported circumstances.

My initial Blog rested mainly on the advocated need for the current strategy, which includes a cull of geese, to be re-visited  and revised. In the excellent paper, published in British Wildlife, mention was made of animal welfare issues, but not in detail and certainly not to the extent associated with the above reported incidents. Clearly the results of the inquiry now being conducted by the Police and the obvious negative PR aspects automatically directed towards the Strategy, it is incumbent upon SNH  to routinely re-evaluate the scheme overall and its operational management ?

Visit to the Aire Valley. 26.1.2019

A long standing arrangement to explore the Aire Valley , near Leeds with Matthew was finally realised and proved to be remarkably productive and enjoyable.  But , first of all, it was a call into central Wakefield , and Sainsbury's , to avail ourselves of a group of Waxwings which are feeding in  the car park's trees . There. in the grey light post dawn, the small flock of Waxwings sat in immobile relief at the top of one of the trees. Had they roosted there I wonder ?   Preening and quietly sitting out they provided  great views and a good start to the day.

On to Calder Wetlands where a couple of Great Crested Grebe, Tufted, Mallard and Goldeneye were present, but little else. We then decided to cut across town to the NE and visit St. Aidans. This is a relatively new RSPB reserve , although the final negotiations have taken some time to complete. It's now fully operational with a  Visitor  Centre and car park and a full complement of access pathways around the site.

First of all we visited Lemonroyd Sewage Farm ( no good birdwatching day should be without one ). At least one of the Water Pipits present there was quickly located together with Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Chaffiches feeding around the beds before everything was disturbed and fled. . Nearby Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit , Wren, Robin and Stock Doves were present . Matthew had a brief view of two Green Sandpiper dropping into some favoured area at the far side of the site to which we attempted to gain access for an overview along a railway embankment, but failed.

The Aire Valley has seen much industrial activity over the years and its topographical features have changed as restoration processes have been completed. The site names of yesteryear still remain though ( Swillington, Mickletown, Allerton Bywater )  although many of the actual wetland areas I knew have been subsumed into newly formed features . St.Aidans is an extensive area ,best overlooked from the hillside on which the Visitor Centre is situated.

Even before we had left the Centre the Tundra Bean Goose had been located, feeding alone on one of the nearby open hillsides. Soon after other geese ( Grey lag Geese and Canada Geese ) were disturbed from nearby fields, descended on the site and managed to "redisribute " everything !! A walk down into the centre of the reserve provided views of a variety of duck, large numbers of Golden Plover and Lapwing overflying the site and single Curlew and Redshank.. Excellent views were then obtained of two Bearded Tits feeding in a fringing reedbed. We finally made our way back up to the Visitor Centre after resolving to visit again at some future point.  The reserve is new,  with the RSPB calling for suggestions from people of what they would like to see provided there in the future. Access footpaths appear to be already in place and no part of the reserve seemed devoid of people, people running, people with dogs , people on bikes and even someone swimming. They're a tough lot in Yorkshire !  Having said all that , the wildlife didn't seem to be at all affected by this ever-moving presence and maybe the multi use provision is a condition imposed by the local ( Leeds City ) council. Certainly I'll be back, as I can imagine that, early on a May morning, the site is a rewarding place to be , although perhaps before all the lycra begins to flash and flex !!  Given it's a well known fact that the Aire valley is a well established migratory highway, anything might be expected.

Onto the RSPB Fairburn Ings Reserve nearby where a cup of coffee was first priority on the agenda, taken whilst watching the frantic activity around the feeders.  Again, good views of duck as you might expect, particularly Shoveler, and Goosander.  A walk around one of the circuits provided views of  Lesser Redpoll, a good flock of Goldfinch and a variety of tit species including two Willow Tit , one of which was the leucistic individual we been tipped off about at the Centre. Again, a site where you could spend a full day and doubtless ratchet up a very good list of species seen. 

All in all ,a good day , and all before the rain set in mid afternoon !

Islay Barnacle Goose cull under pressure.

In the October issue of  British Wildlife there is a very interesting review of the current strategy to cull wintering Barnacle Geese on Islay  ( " The  Islay  Barnacle Goose management strategy:  a suggested way forward ."   Steve Percival and Eric Bignal.  Pp 37- 44 ).  Without repeating what is an absolute plethora of detail , this is a very welcome intervention, fully referenced, and with a raft of suggestions of what might be considered to provide a better way forward to improve a currently unsustainable strategy  and without the necessity for a cull.   Strangely enough there is almost a predictive quality interwoven in the text set against what has arisen recently this winter and. clearly, the advocated solutions laid out in the paper must now be examined seriously by the Scottish Government.

From 1999 until a couple of years ago I lived on Islay, was a member of the SNH ( Scottish Natural Heritage ) team that censused the geese each winter and, additionally, took a keen interest in the burgeoning population of Grey lag Geese on the island. The latter too, quite legally, has been reduced and contained by shooting  but, if an island wide strategy dealing with the presence and effects of geese there were to be drawn together it is my contention that their presence and effects should be included.

We need to remind ourselves of two main aspects, setting aside the fact that the most recent counts might alter the figures slightly  ( see later comments ).   Islay holds around 60% of the global population of Barnacle Geese in winter as well as around 25% of Greenland White-fronted Geese.  The numbers concerned are of International importance and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the EU Birds Directive there is clearly a responsibility placed upon the Scottish Government to recognize this and to ensure the populations are managed accordingly.  However that presence comes with a cost to local farmers upon whose grazing lands the geese feed.  Since 1960 the numbers present in winter has grown from around 5000 to over 40,000. Such has been countered by the Scottish Government offering subsidy payments to farmers under a variety of agreements which have been amended from time to time.  From 2015 it was decided to try and bring the wintering population of Barnacle Geese down  (eventually ) to between 25,000 and 30,000 and , from that year a cull has taken place with a total of 8200 being shot including 3300 in the winter of 2017-18.

Now at this point it is important for me to say that the intention of this Blog entry is to alert people to the situation and to ask that, if they so desire,  they should read the above paper and absorb the compelling arguments it puts forward, the facts and figures it contains , as well as the proposals for the current strategy to be revisited. There are accompanying issues such as the use of lead shot and animal welfare problems.  It may well be that questions raised by birdwatchers who have visited in winter can play an integral part in bringing about change. Islay itself has very few active birdwatchers and no past history of opposition from the same cohort, so external pressure is a necessity. The RSPB  ( and the WWT ) both resigned from the National Goose Forum a while ago, appropriate action at the time, but something that will do little to assist the progression of change now needed. A joint formal complaint to the European Commission was submitted by the two bodies but, given the current mess in which the UK finds itself , one wonders what influence anything emanating from Europe might have under current circumstances.  I also confess to no longer having the confidence I did in RSPB which appears to have morphed into a very cautious conservation body .  So, watch this space for advice on what to do and lend any weight you can to a call for a new strategic approach.

But the story doesn't end there I'm afraid !

A little while ago it was reported that SNH had held a "training day" for staff, farmers and marksmen reiterating  ( one assumes ) the laws relating to both Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted Geese ( which is totally protected ! )  and the appropriate approaches to be taken when implementing the cull.  Without being overly cynical one has to ask, in the light of the evidence referred to below, what prompted the sudden concerns re "best practice " and the need for a "course"?  One couldn't write the script in terms of what then followed , as the extract from The Ileach  ( Islay's local newspaper ) reports on.


         

                    

                 Barnacle goose cull controversy

                    Ileach 46/07 19 January 2019

Animal Concern Advice Line (ACAL) have published an article, along with three videos of shooters in action , which expresses their disquiet about the shooting of geese on Islay.

According to them, the lethal aspect of the goose management programme should be halted im­mediately. “Barnacle goose num­bers have fallen dramatically,” they say. “The November count having gone down from 48,400 to 30,400, a drop of 37% since the previous year.

“Breeding rates are at an excep­tionally low level with only 3% of the flock being young birds, the lowest percentage in over 25 years. Scotland has a duty to care for these otherwise protected birds instead of killing them.”

They analyse the video footage on their site and question whether the shooters are following the pre­scribed rules.

They ask, “Given the matter of seconds between arrival and shooting how did the shooters even attempt to follow the rules and ensure there were no white-fronted geese, curlew, lapwing or other birds amongst the barnacle geese?”

Summing up ACAL’s concerns on 10 January, John F. Robins writes, “On the grounds that it is cruel, scientifically flawed and could be endangering the conser­vation status of the global popu­lation of barnacle geese, Animal Concern Advice Line asks the Scottish Government to imme­diately stop killing geese on Islay and conduct a full review of the Islay Local Goose Management Scheme.”

SNH whose responsibility it is to oversee the culls defended their methodology.

“Goose management on Islay is carried out in the most hu­mane way possible with the aim of reducing the significant level of agricultural damage caused by grazing geese and maintaining the population of barnacle geese at close to the current level of around 30,000.”

They are however limiting the cull this year to 1000 because the goose population this year has seen a dramatic decrease over pre­vious years.

After viewing the videos, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) commented, “We have requested that SNH run their methodology past the Scot­tish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SSPCA) as an independent animal welfare authority.

“RSPB Scotland recognises that Islay’s globally significant Greenland barnacle goose popu­lation has impacts on agricultural systems on Islay. We have, how­ever, consistently promoted an approach that combines strategic goose scaring with management support for affected farmers, rath­er than large scale shooting.”

RSPB Scotland believe that SNH’s Islay goose strategy set a “dangerous precedent” for wildlife management in Scotland.

“SNH has not shown willing to adjust policy on this, so we have reluctantly resigned our seat on the National Goose Management Review Group,” said Paul Watson added.

Back in 2015 when the cull was first mooted The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and RSPB Scotland complained to the European Commission in Brus­sels based on our opinion that the Scottish authorities have not met all the necessary conditions, nor had a sufficient evidence base, in order to justify the large cull of a European protected species.

In their complaint they wrote, “We are concerned that the gener­al approach adopted – deliberately reducing populations of protected wildlife species through killing as a low cost-solution where con­flict emerges – may, through the precedent now emerging on Islay, become a standard approach to the management of other pro­tected species and populations in Scotland, and thereafter elsewhere in the UK and possibly further afield.”

                 

Now, I would urge you to take a look at the Animal Concern Advice Line website and navigate through to the videos concerned  ( be persistent ).Clearly the action being pursued by the marksman is unprofessional at best and warrants the above referrals being made. I suppose the last comment to be made, although I doubt the final comment, is that , in recognition of the reduction in numbers of attendant Barnacle Geese this winter on Islay and the low productivity rate arising from last year's breeding season ( 3% )  SNH has announced that the cull will be limited to 1000 birds only this winter ( which might already have been achieved  ? ).

I've a feeling that this might well be a subject to which a future report is required !!