A reasonable day for weather but still plagued by light northerlies which, by and large, are destined to remain over the next few days.
Local birding produced precious little in reality! A singing Whinchat near the house has been there all week, and throughout the day, suggesting it hasn't yet secured a mate. Before being away Grasshopper Warblers had arrived, and were still arriving, but there is now no evidence or their presence. Discussions with a colleague had made him suspect the majority had actually passed through so quick was the transition.
Similar discussions with contacts suggests this spring has been very poor for skua passage. Monitoring on the Solway has produced few birds compared to other years and limited passage has been in evidence off the Outer Hebrides and certainly few birds have been noted off Islay. Two Corncrake are present almost within the centre of Portnahaven such that they are a talking point amongst local people, which is good. A full "all island" survey should be happening soon which will give an insight into their status this season. Hopefully we will see yet further increases and presence in new areas.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A shameful day for mankind!
Nothing special, or of particular note, despite many uncommon migrants being about in the UK overall. Our turn next? A quite cold northerly wind prevails and doesn't help matters. Local birds are busy feeding young and the adjacent moors are beginning, very gradually , to quieten.
Yesterday Birdlife International announced within its update if the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's ( IUCN ) Red List for Birds that the Alaotra Grebe should now be considered extinct. This species lived, and was confined to a tiny area in the east of Madagascar, where it was present on various lakes. Due to the introduction of carnivorous fish, and to nylon gill nets which fisherman used to catch them and which the grebes were often caught up in and drowned, the species has reduced rapidly in recent years. It is now FOREVER no longer a constituent member of our global biodiversity.
Besides the sadness and frustration one inevitably feels various other emotions arise too. Whilst we may be the highest evolved form of life on this planet, do we have a right to neglect other "constituents" such that they reach their final fate? Madagascar is renowned for its unique wildlife with various international organizations , studies and goodness knows what else based or operating there. Yes, it's a difficult environment and doubtless difficult challenges are present, but in this case we were dealing with a restricted area, several lakes and a population known to be very small. Perhaps the question ought to be asked why such irresponsible actions were allowed by the local fisherman at EVERY site and what was done to prevent such? Endless monitoring has its place, but surely there comes a time when the initiative needs to be grasped and inspired actions taken outside of the confines of air conditioned offices and prevaricating officialdom. Having said that my sentiments are also with the guys on the ground, who no doubt addressed the odds and difficulties, but were defeated in the end by minimal resources and the prevalent attitude amongst a large sector of mankind, including said officialdom despite agreements and the like, that wildlife and our natural environments are there for our use and abuse and not present as equal "partners" in our stewardship of this planet.
Not a day to be proud of in my opinion and, sadly, I suspect there will be more!
Yesterday Birdlife International announced within its update if the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's ( IUCN ) Red List for Birds that the Alaotra Grebe should now be considered extinct. This species lived, and was confined to a tiny area in the east of Madagascar, where it was present on various lakes. Due to the introduction of carnivorous fish, and to nylon gill nets which fisherman used to catch them and which the grebes were often caught up in and drowned, the species has reduced rapidly in recent years. It is now FOREVER no longer a constituent member of our global biodiversity.
Besides the sadness and frustration one inevitably feels various other emotions arise too. Whilst we may be the highest evolved form of life on this planet, do we have a right to neglect other "constituents" such that they reach their final fate? Madagascar is renowned for its unique wildlife with various international organizations , studies and goodness knows what else based or operating there. Yes, it's a difficult environment and doubtless difficult challenges are present, but in this case we were dealing with a restricted area, several lakes and a population known to be very small. Perhaps the question ought to be asked why such irresponsible actions were allowed by the local fisherman at EVERY site and what was done to prevent such? Endless monitoring has its place, but surely there comes a time when the initiative needs to be grasped and inspired actions taken outside of the confines of air conditioned offices and prevaricating officialdom. Having said that my sentiments are also with the guys on the ground, who no doubt addressed the odds and difficulties, but were defeated in the end by minimal resources and the prevalent attitude amongst a large sector of mankind, including said officialdom despite agreements and the like, that wildlife and our natural environments are there for our use and abuse and not present as equal "partners" in our stewardship of this planet.
Not a day to be proud of in my opinion and, sadly, I suspect there will be more!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
24th May,2010.
As you might well imagine after being away a fortnight things like E-mails and correspondence, in addition to "domestic things", dominated the day. Whilst last week had its fair share of good migrants in the UK things seem to have "kicked off" over the weekend with a lot of very good birds being around, e.g Squacco Heron and White-winged Black Tern. Ah well, back to reality where, thankfully, over the past two weeks very litte appears to have got this far other than a Pectoral Sandpiper seen on one afternoon only.
Rare breeding birds seem to abound! Amongst various reports received Purple Herons in southern England are the most extreme newcomers. Hopefully they might yet follow the same pattern as did Little Egret previously!! Reflecting on many of the changes, both locally and in a more wider perspective, some species appear to be in better numbers, in new places and to be consolidating their situation. The results from the BTO Atlas will undoubtedly shed light on what has happened over the past few years and, I suspect, draw new distributions for many species. Iconic species, like White-tailed Eagle continue to thrive and extend their numbers gradually, benefit having been gained from the re-introduction programmes which have been conducted. By contrast, commoner species like Lesser Spotted Woodpecker appear to be at low ebb and attract less attention due, in part, to the greater difficulty of carrying out similar schemes. Again, but by pleasant contrast, the seemingly increased numbers of trans Saharan migrants like Cuckoo and Common Whitethroat, which appear to be in better numbers this year, are a welcome change given the increased knowledge we have about some of the drastic habitat changes in their wintering quarters. In a couple of weeks or so a good friend will be visiting , who also spends time in Gambia, West Africa, and who will no doubt have some commentary available on the continuing changes which are taking place there! As ever, the challenges outweigh the resources available!
Rare breeding birds seem to abound! Amongst various reports received Purple Herons in southern England are the most extreme newcomers. Hopefully they might yet follow the same pattern as did Little Egret previously!! Reflecting on many of the changes, both locally and in a more wider perspective, some species appear to be in better numbers, in new places and to be consolidating their situation. The results from the BTO Atlas will undoubtedly shed light on what has happened over the past few years and, I suspect, draw new distributions for many species. Iconic species, like White-tailed Eagle continue to thrive and extend their numbers gradually, benefit having been gained from the re-introduction programmes which have been conducted. By contrast, commoner species like Lesser Spotted Woodpecker appear to be at low ebb and attract less attention due, in part, to the greater difficulty of carrying out similar schemes. Again, but by pleasant contrast, the seemingly increased numbers of trans Saharan migrants like Cuckoo and Common Whitethroat, which appear to be in better numbers this year, are a welcome change given the increased knowledge we have about some of the drastic habitat changes in their wintering quarters. In a couple of weeks or so a good friend will be visiting , who also spends time in Gambia, West Africa, and who will no doubt have some commentary available on the continuing changes which are taking place there! As ever, the challenges outweigh the resources available!
Monday, May 24, 2010
23rd May,2010.
A direct journey northwards in rather hot weather, and with a few stretches with heavy traffic, thankfully saw me arrive on time for the ferry after a quick shop en route. A message to advise a Broad-billed Sandpiper had turned up at the Old Moor Reserve not far from Sheffield, and that No.1 son was setting off to see it, filled me with dark thoughts and the motivation to speed on home in the hope something similar was around... it wasn't!! Eventually arrived home around 2130 hours, picked up a pile of utterly irrelevant mail ( in the name of green conservation, can't we ban mail shots and advertising ... I don't need dresses etc in size 34!! ) downloaded too many E-mails and learned the coalition Government is to impose severe cuts with immediate effect. I thought I lived in paradise on Islay?
22nd May,2010.
With only a few hours before my needing to leave we set out early in the clear, but already warm air of the early morning to visit the Wyming/Redmires area again. The still conditions were ideal for us to enjoy the wall of birdsong arising from different habitats, predominant in which were several Mistle Thrushes at different locations. Grey Wagtail feeding young and Common Sandpiper were the most interesting birds seen and we returned home fairly soon thereafter to allow me to load up ready for departure. A really good week for birds, with many thanks to Matthew for acting as chauffeur and site guide, and to him and Rose for providing a base, hospitality and good company.
After routine goodbyes I left to visit friends near Barnsley ( why is this Mecca of culture and character not in spellchecker?) and spend the rest of the day catching up on news and gossip!!
After routine goodbyes I left to visit friends near Barnsley ( why is this Mecca of culture and character not in spellchecker?) and spend the rest of the day catching up on news and gossip!!
21st May again, a forgotten adjunct!!
Following our return to Sheffield we sped up to the Redmiires/Ringinglow Moor area to have a last look for Montagu's Harrier, but again with no success! A local detour of slightly greater length than expected, took us into nearby Derbyshire and produced two Grey Partridge at the roadside and, shortly afterwards , a site at which a pair of Ring Ousel were feeding young! Great views were had of both adults flying with food to a group of gritstone blocks within which the nest was obviously located.
A fine end to a good day , or was that after the pint of Stones beer to offset the hot conditions of our endeavours!!
A fine end to a good day , or was that after the pint of Stones beer to offset the hot conditions of our endeavours!!
21st May,2010.
Early departure in what was warm conditions even from 0630 hours! Visited Hatfield Moors, which is an outlier of the Thorne Moors complex and part of the same National Nature Reserve. Peat extraction occurred here until not that many years ago when the whole area was purchased for the nation. What a magnificent job Natural England (formerly English Nature) have made of the site, and continue to do so! Another site about which there was much campaigning in the 1980's and, as with Thorne, a relief to see it now as a pristine reserve.
The exposed former peat extraction areas at the centre are often visited by feeding Hobbies, but none were about today. Flocks of around 50 Ringed Plover and Dunlin, and a single Turnstone, fed alongside the flooded areas and a single Common Tern and a Marsh Harrier overflew the site. A lady we met, who carried out census work on Adders, advised us we were unlikely to encounter any as it was already too hot, and so it was!!!
On an area nearby we located a pair of Woodlark, a species which maintains a small population in this part of South Yorkshire. And so then it was off to collect the car and drive back to Sheffield amidst ever increasing traffic in the late afternoon. I find it hard to get used to this aspect of urbanisation!!
The exposed former peat extraction areas at the centre are often visited by feeding Hobbies, but none were about today. Flocks of around 50 Ringed Plover and Dunlin, and a single Turnstone, fed alongside the flooded areas and a single Common Tern and a Marsh Harrier overflew the site. A lady we met, who carried out census work on Adders, advised us we were unlikely to encounter any as it was already too hot, and so it was!!!
On an area nearby we located a pair of Woodlark, a species which maintains a small population in this part of South Yorkshire. And so then it was off to collect the car and drive back to Sheffield amidst ever increasing traffic in the late afternoon. I find it hard to get used to this aspect of urbanisation!!
20th May,2010.
Several hours spent in Wharncliffe Chase north of Sheffield, Yorkshire. The vast majority of the area is deciduous woodland , but an area of heathland is on the very top of the valley side. A good variety of typical species was seen , including Spotted Flycatcher and Nuthatch, and several Tree Pipits were singing from their perches on the very top of Birch trees on the heath. Blackaps are plentiful this year, as are Whitethroats in more scrubby open areas.
Following this we went to Wyming Brook woodlands, a delightful woodland SSSI west of the city where, again, we had a pleasing assemblage of expected species with the only absentee being Wood Warbler (that other people we met mentioned were in short supply this year). Wrens appear to have survived the winter quite well despite my learning of what must have been horrendous conditions locally. As a bonus we also had a few singing Goldcrest here and at Redmires.
We then had a further vigil near to Redmires in the hope of connecting with the male Montagu's Harrier, which is resident at the moment but appears to be ranging over a big area. Having called in yesterday, and learned later of our having missed it , the same happened today. That's birding!
Following this we went to Wyming Brook woodlands, a delightful woodland SSSI west of the city where, again, we had a pleasing assemblage of expected species with the only absentee being Wood Warbler (that other people we met mentioned were in short supply this year). Wrens appear to have survived the winter quite well despite my learning of what must have been horrendous conditions locally. As a bonus we also had a few singing Goldcrest here and at Redmires.
We then had a further vigil near to Redmires in the hope of connecting with the male Montagu's Harrier, which is resident at the moment but appears to be ranging over a big area. Having called in yesterday, and learned later of our having missed it , the same happened today. That's birding!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
19th May,2010.
A thoroughly enjoyable first few hours of birdwatching before being fortified by an excellent breakfast. Anybody contemplating visiting Spurn, and requiring B and B accommodation, should consider Mr and Mrs Wells, West Mere Farm (01964 650258),on the outskirts of Kilnsea village, it's great!!
Whilst we had nothing exceptional, views of Grey Plover and other waders in full summer plumage was a delight, and views of Barn Owl, Lesser Whitethroat and Little Tern and a variety of other common species were all obtained in tremendous weather...calm, sunny and warm! As nothing appeared to be on the move we returned to Welwick in the early afternoon and again walked out towards the main drain emptying the nearby low lying farmland into the Humber. As we walked along the retaining bank the Purple Heron suddenly lifted from around 50 m. away and leisurely flew over the adjacent field to another major drain beyond. We had absolutely excellent views and decided not to pursue the bird any further.
So ended what had proved to be a very productive and enjoyable mini-bird tour within Yorkshire.....you know it's the best!!
Whilst we had nothing exceptional, views of Grey Plover and other waders in full summer plumage was a delight, and views of Barn Owl, Lesser Whitethroat and Little Tern and a variety of other common species were all obtained in tremendous weather...calm, sunny and warm! As nothing appeared to be on the move we returned to Welwick in the early afternoon and again walked out towards the main drain emptying the nearby low lying farmland into the Humber. As we walked along the retaining bank the Purple Heron suddenly lifted from around 50 m. away and leisurely flew over the adjacent field to another major drain beyond. We had absolutely excellent views and decided not to pursue the bird any further.
So ended what had proved to be a very productive and enjoyable mini-bird tour within Yorkshire.....you know it's the best!!
18th May,2010
Away early with the first stop being the North Cave Reserve near to Junction 38 on the M62. Developed from former gravel workings this is a great site with lots of bird interest. Avocets breed, probably the first freshwater site at which it occurred, and a substantial artificial Sand Martin breeding "cliff" is present, both distinctive features besides it being a good site for migrant waders, gulls, terns etc. We then moved on and managed to see Red Kite at a breeding area, a single bird wheeling around in a clear blue sky.
A wetland area at Swinemoor held no passage waders so we pushed on to Tophill Low Reservoirs where an array of commoner duck species, Turtle Dove and the single Temminck's Stint were seen. The latter was a bit difficult to pin down initially but eventually provided good views. On to the coast at Flamborough where Gannets and auks were seen offshore in numbers given the area is a short distance from the huge seabird colonies on Bempton Cliffs to the north. Best of all was views of a Woodchat Shrike in an area to the south reached by a pleasant walk along the cliff top.
We then had a rather hot drive south to visit Welwick, near Patrington where we then made a somewhat frustrating examination of an extensive area of saltmarsh and various major drainage channels given our hope to see the Purple Heron which had been present over the last couple of days. Birds seen here included Little Egrets, Marsh Harriers,and a flock of over 100 Dark bellied Brent Geese. We were fortunate in seeing a group of Whimbrel leave the nearby Humber Estuary and fly off north eastwards, climbing steadily at a 45 degree angle, calling all the while, before they headed off overland at a height almost beyond vision.
Finally, we reached our destination, Spurn Peninsula, where we celebrated our successes and failures of the day over our meal at the local pub before retiring to our overnight accommodation at a local farm.
A wetland area at Swinemoor held no passage waders so we pushed on to Tophill Low Reservoirs where an array of commoner duck species, Turtle Dove and the single Temminck's Stint were seen. The latter was a bit difficult to pin down initially but eventually provided good views. On to the coast at Flamborough where Gannets and auks were seen offshore in numbers given the area is a short distance from the huge seabird colonies on Bempton Cliffs to the north. Best of all was views of a Woodchat Shrike in an area to the south reached by a pleasant walk along the cliff top.
We then had a rather hot drive south to visit Welwick, near Patrington where we then made a somewhat frustrating examination of an extensive area of saltmarsh and various major drainage channels given our hope to see the Purple Heron which had been present over the last couple of days. Birds seen here included Little Egrets, Marsh Harriers,and a flock of over 100 Dark bellied Brent Geese. We were fortunate in seeing a group of Whimbrel leave the nearby Humber Estuary and fly off north eastwards, climbing steadily at a 45 degree angle, calling all the while, before they headed off overland at a height almost beyond vision.
Finally, we reached our destination, Spurn Peninsula, where we celebrated our successes and failures of the day over our meal at the local pub before retiring to our overnight accommodation at a local farm.
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