A day unworthy of comment! 29th April, 2012.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY,

COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY

A dreadful day, raining from end to end, within which I only saw a few birds from the flat , somebody's burglar alarm went off for most of the day and my son updated me on what birds he was seeing from Central Park in New York. Who needs age to be a grumpy old man in such circumstances?

Blacktoft Sands Nature Reserve. 28th April, 2012.

An early start to get a problem sorted out with one of the car's wheels and then on to Blacktoft Sands RSPB Nature Reserve. Situated on the south side of the River Humber and adjacent to the Trent outfall it's always been a favourite of mine and somewhere to head for when opportunity allowed. Located amongst adjacent farmland it comprises a series of pools and extensive reed beds and, of course, is situated along a notable migration route too.

It has to be said, forcibly, that the weather was very pleasant, although an increasing north east wind brought a sharp edge to temperatures, a nice change after all that rain!! Blacktoft boasts various iconic species , chief amongst which is Bittern, so it was good to have a single bird fly past one of the hides, gain a little height, complete a U-turn and then go down in the reeds. A superb view!!  All the while squabbling Grey-lag Geese were a feature of the day, with calling and flights over the lagoons producing a background vibrancy that let no one forget it was Spring.

With a rising wind various hirundines whirled around over the various lagoons with, in the end , Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin being seen as well as several Swifts. At intervals individual male and female Marsh Harriers wheeled about over the reed beds where, eventually several pairs will settle down to breed. To complement this collection of star birds several Avocets were present and clearly settling to breed on one lagoon from which their fluty calls could be heard long before one arrived, providing a marked contrast to the ill-tempered and raucous outpourings of the already incubating Black-headed Gulls. A single, utterly graceful adult Little Gull added its presence to all this activity, elegantly swooping to and fro and picking off food items from the water surface and occasionally giving a glimpse of its scarlet legs and dark underwing.

With water levels being high ( it's all that rain you know!! ) no waders were in evidence compared to other occasions but such provided an opportunity to look closely at the shrub and tree cover on the reserve and seek out any passerine migrants. A couple of Blackcaps valiantly produced snatches of song against a wind that was now quite strong at times and, nearby from areas of rough vegetation, two or three newly arrived Sedge Warblers had already staked out territories and were energetically announcing their presence.

All in all , a good day!  

A pretty wet drought, it has to be said!

After a day getting various things in order I left on the 26th to travel south. All worked out perfectly in the first few hours; the ferry journey was uneventful, the road journey unhindered. Of birds there was little in evidence which is not unsurprising when travelling along major routes.

I suppose it started raining once I got into Northern England!!  It kept on, got worse , visibility reduced and the whole scenario was pretty horrific, compounded by a discussion on the radio that the drought in southern England was likely to continue for some time  ( it was raining there as well ). Why are we forever burdened by the bloody conditions in southern England, a situation that is continually bolstered up by the biassed weather reports, by proportionality, on television and radio!!  Whilst I appreciate that heavy downpours are not going to replenish the aquifers overnight, and that more gentle rain over a prolonged period is required, some good surely must come out of the current situation!  The Water Authority official who offered the thought that the drought could last a couple more years needs to be somewhat more circumspect in my opinion. These long term forecasters are little better than soothsayers in the event and we would be better served by their silence!! I hate to think of the prospect, but we might just have a couple of very rainy years, what then, complaints about soddened land, crop failures and increased prices.

It kept raining all night and into the 27th, and there's more forecast. Oh, and I forgot to mention the 160 flood warnings that have gone out.

I don't actually mind the reportage about a continuing problem and what is needed to rectify the balance, but please stop belly-aching about the south of England and its problems. Last year it was the summer heat, now it's the drought, what next?  In the end I wonder how much of the grumbling stems from the public or is a result of media hype?  Most people seem to get on with life and accommodate the problems, but, as ever, then there's the minority............  mind you, I wish this rain would stop as it's not holiday weather at all!!! 

Routine survey work 23rd and 24th April.

It was good to see the cows with calves around the house this morning and to anticipate the presence of lambs which are arriving at the present time. The shot below is taken through the kitchen window, which looks out directly onto the pasture concerned. It's always amusing to find a calf scratching its chin on the window sill and see its big eyes watching my presence!!

As I left on the 23rd virtually the first birds I encountered were two nominate Canada Geese. For the first few years after I came here in 1999 very few of these birds were in evidence, indeed , it was more customary to see one of the sub-species arriving with the influx of wintering geese than wandering birds from the mainland. This has now changed and a small pronounced passage occurs each spring, usually of single birds or pairs, but the occasional small party as well. I've also had birds flying through off SW Islay or north up the Sound of Islay. Whilst there is a sedentary population on Colonsay the majority of birds are usually seen when travelling north on the mainland, i.e. up through Oban.  I've also found birds in the summer on Jura so it may well be this could be a species we gain as a new breeder at some point.

Scottish BirdFair..........a diary date!

Spring moving on a bit further!

An early session of seawatching before being locked into more formal tasks!
Species numbers were similar to yesterday with the exception of Auk numbers that were closer to 1200 birds moving north in the same time span ( 90 minutes ). In addition to these more routine movements a party of Wigeon , a Whimbrel and a flock of 35 Bar-tailed Godwits  moved north. The latter are regular migrants over the sea to and fro their breeding/wintering quarters but these birds seemed a bit early to be on the move , which is usually later in May.

I'm always intrigued by the movement of birds such as Gannet and Razorbill. I usually presume ( not a good trait in science! ) that the Gannets are returning to their major breeding colony on Ailsa Craig  and that they have been feeding further north. Similarly the auks are likely to be moving, at this time of year, to their more northerly breeding colonies, but all such is conjecture. Increasingly information suggests seabirds are having to move over greater distances in order to utilise productive feeding grounds and I guess, certainly in the middle of the breeding season, more care is needed nowadays than previously in presuming birds are simply involved in local movements. Currently, as numbers increase, suggestions as to where the observed Manx Shearwaters originate are on the back burner!!

Late today I was sent a reference to a recently published paper in the Journal of Ornithology based on a fifteen year study of  3127 prey items taken from 37 peregrine nests in the Basque area of Northern Spain. Part of the paper's title is " Are patagial  wing tags a potential predator attraction for harriers?"  In 2009 4 sets of Hen Harrier remains were found in  eyries along with 2 Montagu's Harrier remains , birds of which had been wing tagged. In 2010 a further eight tagged Montagu's Harriers were found. Further details are not available but the results and research are certainly of immense interest. Personally I would have chosen a slightly different title but the meaning may have been distorted in the translation from Spanish.  The accusation that patagial wing tags  negatively affect their hosts has been raised before and possibly this might start a reassessment of the matter.

Satisfying and varied!

Finally, a day that I could put to my own use and with the promise of good weather too!

I decided to complete a spell of seawatching first as I'd not had an opportunity for a good session for some time. The sea had a slight swell only, was back lit from the east, although the horizon was obscured by mist, and so viewing conditions were good, particularly as the wind was a light WSW. Auks were pouring north ( probably all Razorbill ) and a count had just under a thousand fly north in 90 minutes. Southward moving Manx Shearwater, Kittiwake and Gannet were all probably involved in feeding movements coupled with local Fulmar, Black Guillemot, Shag and Common Gulls presented a never ending tapestry of movement and sound. Two Whooper Swan, two Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver all flew north, but nothing else , surprisingly, was on the move.

Outer Loch Indaal held several Red-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver and two probable, but distant,  Black-throated Diver along with at least 54 Common Scoter. Checking for terns off Bruichladdich I had a few waders , including three Purple Sandpiper, all of which were assuming summer plumage.

Moving on towards  Loch Gorm a single Cuckoo called from somewhere across towards Gruinart and a Swallow flew through northwards. The loch held a few Tufted Duck,4 Goldeneye and Mallard and several groups of Grey lag Geese that again appear to exceed the total present last spring.A single adult Iceland Gull showed well in contrast to Common, Herring and GBBG's nearby.As if to confirm that spring was now well on its way 12 Willow Warbler were in song in the bushes along the path skirting part of the loch, but little else!

Despite calling in at several other sites no other migrants were in evidence so challenging days yet remain!

Merlin magic, but without the hat and wand!

After a routine day, with no surprises except glorious weather, I settled down to complete an article I'm writing about raptor persecution. Crouched over a laptop and staring out into the yard beyond my lounge window I was amazed to see a female Merlin fly past in virtual slow motion......just outside.  A moment of chaos and then a careful look outside, but nothing on show!

So, with binoculars in hand I went outside, only to have the Merlin swoop past me within a couple of metres, turn rapidly, sweep past and disappear over the wall between the house and the barn. Just as quickly it returned, swept over the yard and up and over the house , its ability to make "tight turns" nothing short of impressive. I then made a move to get around the house, only to almost step on a hapless Meadow Pipit which appeared from beneath the car which, doubtless, was the quarry in which the raptor had an interest! The pipit flew off , obviously unharmed, and I gained a distant glimpse of the Merlin tearing over the adjacent open grass moor toward the hill beyond. It all made up for an otherwise dull day!

Bolivia anyone?

BirdLife Bolivia  ( Asociaion Armonia )has just published a major report on the country's avifauna  ( State of Bird Conservation in Bolivia ).

To many , Bolivia will be a bit of an unknown when it comes to birds, although I suspect trips have been more regularly available from the U.S.A. than from the UK. Whilst it's a land-locked country it plays host to 1422 bird species and is the sixth most bird rich country in the world. For example, it has 12 macaw species alone!

As elsewhere human influences on the environment abound, which places very real pressure on some bird species, indeed a developing risk of extinction. The alteration of forest habitat into pasture or farmland is by far the most serious threat, but even the illegal trafficking of wild birds can be included in the list of activities which have potential effects, chief amongst whose targets is the Blue-throated Macaw population.

All such challenges are set out in what might prove to be a ground breaking approach in the design of such reports whose style is deliberately set out to appeal to all, from interested civilians and school children, to government officials, scientists and conservationists, to business managers and both national and international policy makers. A tour de force aimed at elevating the significance of the country's bird life in global terms!  Having seen some tour reports I guess the country will increasingly become a venue to be savoured at the very least!!

The shame that is Cyprus!

By pure chance this morning I happened on a report put out by BirdLife International last autumn. Dated October, 2011 it details the disgusting increase in catching songbirds last autumn in Cyprus and the apparent lack of any meaningful action by the Authorities to limit the activities of those responsible.

Between 1st September and 9th October field work by BirdLife noted over 866,000 birds had been slaughtered!


Such activities, using lime sticks and mist nets, have occurred previously and the problem is not new. The "catch" is then used in the preparation of  delicacies  sold in restaurants named ambelopoulia.  Action has been taken to draw this to the attention of the Cypriot Authorities, but it would seem such protestations have largely fallen on deaf ears.

Instead of petitions and the like, is it not time that such ridiculous behaviour becomes the focus of attention, routinely, not exceptionally, of the relevant Directorate in the European Commission given that Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004?   I seem to remember lobbying on this subject previously when it was announced that some of the trapping had even taken place within the boundaries of the UK garrison on Cyprus. Given the state of the Cypriot ( and Greek ) economy now is the time to put real pressure on the authorities with meaningful threats involved in order to bring about a cessation to the practice. Hand waving and voluble presentations aren't enough!  Actions by the authorities, noted by all , would serve to be a lesson and indicate commitment to the problem which , hitherto, appears to be somewhat lacklustre at best.  One hopes that, in the light of the above report, some improvements have been gained in the intervening months. It would be nice to think so!

On the other hand, if you're contemplating a holiday to Cyprus, consider somewhere else. I'm sure in the current economic climate there are endless other places to consider where more civilised practices are in place!!