Thursday 28 March 2024

Housebuilder 'proud' of its pledge to safeguard welfare of stone-curlews and other scarce wildlife

 

Unlikely bedfellows - Persimmon Homes and stone-curlews

BRITAIN'S largest housebuilder, Persimmon Homes, has pledged to safeguard the welfare of rare stone-curlews which live near the site of a proposed 139-property development.

The Wryneck is not naming the location to save alerting unscrupulous egg collectors, but planning consent was granted in November last year.

Before proceeding, the company says it will create a 2.33-hectare off-site habitat chiefly for the stone-curlews but potentially also for other scarce birds, such as woodlarks and nightjars, plus seldom-seen reptiles.

Says a Persimmon spokesperson: "We are proud of this project and its likely ecological benefits.

"The site will be managed in perpetuity for the stone curlews and other wildlife." 

Natural England initially objected to the project, but its concerns seem to have been allayed by the proposed mitigation.

The off-site habitat will be on land adjacent to an existing Site of Special Scientific Interest.

* Photo, via Wikimedia Commons, taken in Italy by Francesco Venonesi

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Auction opportunity beckons to buy set of volumes illustrated by acclaimed bird artist Archibald Thorburn

 



This superb set of volumes by acclaimed wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn is set to go under the hammer on the morning of April 10  at a specialist sale of books, maps and manuscripts to be held by auctioneers Tennants at their premises in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The pre-sale estimate is that the Lot will fetch between £200 and £400 which seems modest. However, it has to be said that the market for antiquarian ornithology-related books has not not been notably strong in recent months.

Tuesday 26 March 2024

The Isle of Wight's White-tailed eagles love to go a-wandering - but not (for some reason) to Wales or Ireland

                                               

Tim Mackrill - expert on fish-eating raptors 

WHEN White-tailed Eagles returned to England almost five years ago, no one expected Lapwings to be a beneficiary species.

But early evidence is indicating that their presence can displace Buzzards which prey on Lapwing chicks.

By contrast, though White-tailed Eagles do feed on birds, their targets tend not to be Lapwings but Coot or unfit specimens of larger species such as Grey Lage and Canada Geese.

This information and much more featured in  a fascinating weekend talk by Dr Tim Mackrill. It was entitled The Return of The White-tailed Eagle to England.

In his illustrated presentation on Saturday to the annual meeting of the Lincolnshire  Bird Club, he noted that this majestic raptor, the fourth largest eagle in the world, used to be widespread in England until it was persecuted to extinction.

Why the persecution? Tim did not go into detail but noted  a religious link. Fish-eating is associated with Good Friday which is why, through centuries, substantial bounties were placed on the killing of both this fish-eating species and another, the Osprey.

What initiated the return to England? It dates back to June 2019 when the  highly-respected Roy Dennis Foundation introduced birds from  Scottish nests to the Isle of Wight where the bird had been extinct since 1780.

As Tim described it, this was born of the Foundation's conviction that the time had come to start "undoing a past wrong". 

The initiative has not been without controversy, especially among a minority of farmers.  

                                             

High in the sky! Such a magnificent raptor!

The species, especially young birds, feed extensively on carrion but, contrary to scare stories, there is no reliable evidence that they attack lambs or any other livestock.

Those animal carcasses on which they are seen feeding have invariably already died beforehand of other causes.

In his talk, attended by an audience of about 40, at the education centre at Whisby Nature Park, near Lincoln, Tim described how, in order to forestall any risk of imprinting, young birds were gradually introduced to their new Isle of Wight environment in such a way that the human involvement was imperceptible to the birds.

Although some of the 29 releasees since 2019 have died - for instance from avian influenza, ingesting poisoned rats, pylon cable collision or even, in one instance,  impact from a train while feeding on a dead deer on a  railway line.

Early indications are that survival rates seem to be greater among females, The reasons for this are not clear, and, according to Tim, it may just be happenstance.

One remarkable bird has managed to thrive despite somehow losing its right foot - thought to be the result of electrocution, entanglement with a fishing line or having been caught in a spring-trap.

Thanks to the attachment to the released birds of satellite tags (costing about £1,000 apiece). a huge amount is known about the nomadic behaviour of the species.

Tim and his raptor-studying colleagues are now able not just to track tagged birds but also to predict their movements up down the whole length of Britain, thence sometimes across the English Channel though western Europe to Scandinavia and back to the Isle of Wight.

It seems that the birds have favourite perching sites trees - such as willow, Scots pine and birch -  where, almost hidden from human view, they may spend as much of 90 per cent of their time doing absolutely nothing.

"They seem to favour the sit-and-wait method of foraging," said Tim who noted that, as birds grow older, they became increasingly adept at stealing food from other birds, even snatching prey from Herons, Peregrines, Buzzards and Marsh Harriers.

Basing his talk mostly on scientific data, peppered with the occasional anecdote, Tim also touched on  plumage moult, breeding behaviour, historical context, Scottish introductions and how the diets (including cuttlefish and grey mullet) of individual birds change during the four or five ears or so while they grow from juveniles to adults. 

He also noted the significance of White-tailed eagles in generating tourism - thought conservatively to  be in excess of £5-millon per annum on Mull and more than £2.4-million the Isle of Skye. 

Contrary to widespread belief that White-tailed Eagles are solely birds of wild coasts, they breed extensively at inland sites in Germany and Poland, and they regularly nests on the outskirts of cities as large as Rotterdam, Helsinki and Hamburg.

Yet, despite the accumulation of knowledge about the species, it still  retains sufficient secrets to be classified as a bird of mystery.

Why, for instance, given the abundance of estuary and other suitable feeding habitat, do the nomadic flights of released birds exclude almost the whole of Wales and Northern Ireland? 

"Maybe it has something to do with prevailing winds, but we don't really know," said Tim.

Also unknown is the extent of its eyesight, though, according to the speaker, its detection ability could, incredibly, be as far as 10 miles! 


Tim has recently published a highly acclaimed book, The Osprey. He is pictured below with  some of those who attended his talk near Lincoln - from left, Mike Harrison, Chris Grimshaw, John Watt, Jon Cooper, Phil Espin and David Cohen.











Monday 25 March 2024

A strange-looking bird - alas now extinct - looks even stranger in Staffordshire taxidermists' unique recreation

Slimline - Barry Williams' version of the great auk


IS  this what a great auk really looked like?

The long-extinct species has been reimagined and recreated by Staffordshire-based taxidermist Barry Williams as being much slimmer than in most other depictions.

It also has a somewhat strangely located left eye.

Enclosed within a five-glass display case, measuring  58cm by 36cm by 88.5cm, it is due to go under the hammer at a sale due to be held on April 17 by auction house Tennants of Leyburn in North Yorkshire.

The pre-sale estimate is that it will fetch between £1,200 and £1,800.
                                             
Here's looking at you - the eye has it!

 

 
                                          

Council's touching plea on behalf of Cleethorpes shorebirds: 'Beach is their home - we are the visitors'

  

Shorebirds, such as knot and oystercatcher, seen here on central beach just after high tide 


NORTH East Lincolnshire Council has today put out an unexpected - but welcome - plea on behalf of the birds and other wildlife that live within its jurisdiction:

"The Easter holidays are almost upon us and everyone is gearing up for the start of the season in Cleethorpes.

"From enjoying a wander along the prom to sighting some of nature’s most beautiful birds along the saltmarsh.

"With its sand dunes, saltmarsh and tidal mud flats, Cleethorpes is a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest  and provides vital habitat for hundreds of thousands of wading birds, rare plants and sea life. 

"Always keep a safe distance away and do not disturb. 

"Remember this is their habitat, their home and we are the visitors." 

The appeal concludes: "If you have concerns for an animal or bird’s health or safety, you can report it to the resort management team on 01472 323356."

Thursday 21 March 2024

Former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine (91 today) always put in a good word for the birds


 Lord Heseltine - lifelong bird enthusiast 


IT'S many happy returns of the day to birdwatcher, former Deputy Prime Minister and Tory grandeee Lord  Heseltine of Thenford. 

He is 91.

His interest in all things ornithological started as a boy in Swansea where the family lived in a house with a spacious well-planted garden that was full of birds all through the year. 

"From an early age I enjoyed both watching them and listening to their  calls and songs," he recalls.

"I have no doubt I also took inspiration from the  rugged beauty and sandy bays of the nearby Gower peninsula where I spent many happy times.

"When I was at school at Shrewsbury, I  also was allowed to keep birds in an old farm  shed in the grounds. 

"Among them was a  jackdaw which I coaxed into becoming finger-tame."

Very occasionally, Lord Heseltine's interest in birds and wildlife overlapped with his political career. 

He was a key figure  in framing and promoting the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.

He recalls: "The RSPB was one of the main consultees. 

"I remember telling the society how much it was to their benefit  to have a Secretary of State for the Environment who had a keen interest in birds. It was as if all their Christmases had come at once!"

Any downsides of the legislation?

"It has unleashed a population explosion of magpies which, I fear, have almost cleaned out many migrant songbirds that were once much more widespread than they are today.

As a minister, Lord Heseltine always sought to squeeze in a spot of birding during his overseas travels. 

He says one of his most unforgettable memories is of a visit to one of the Falklands Islands. 

"It was carpeted with rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatross. 

"One of the joys of birdwatching is that it is a hobby than can be enjoyed anywhere in the world. 

"I have met  many like-minded bird enthusiasts at foreign embassies and the foreign commands of our armed services."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons







Tuesday 19 March 2024

Workers down tools on ambitious Fair Isle Bird Observatory project as employers run out of cash

Artist's impression of the observatory project


HOPES that the new Fair Island Bird Observatory would open later this year have been dashed.

It emerged this week that cashflow problems have hit Lighthouse, the Sheffield-based modular firm that was building the £7.4-million observatory and its ancillary guest accommodation .

The likelihood is that it will go into administration resulting in a long delay while financial, legal and other issues are addressed.

Workers have now downed tools on the  project which was a replacement for another modular-built observatory that was destroyed by a mystery fire five years ago this month.

Says Douglas Barr, chairman of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust: "Regrettably, we have been advised that our builders have lodged a notice to appoint an administrator.

"This is particularly frustrating given we now have a windproof and watertight building.

"We were in the process of completing the internals which were scheduled to be finished this autumn."



So near, yet so far. Lighthouse released these photographs last year to illustrate  how the project was progressing