Bob's Birding Blog

Otters on the Mersey (well Fiddlers Ferry at least)

2011-11-24T08:15:00.000Z

Otters have returned to the River Mersey, which was once one of the most polluted areas of water in Europe.

The animals' pawprints have been spotted by Forestry Commission rangers by the river near Fiddlers Ferry.
Rangers have yet to spot an otter on the riverbank and have urged anyone who photographs one to contact them.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-15852705

Global warming affecting waterfowl migration?

2011-11-23T07:48:00.000Z

A recent study by Aleksi Lehikoinen from the University of Helsinki - examining three decades' worth of data from the Hanko Bird Observatory in southern Finland - has found that of the 15 species of wildfowl monitored six were setting off significantly later for their winter migration compared to thirty years e.g. greylag goose and tufted duck. They suggest that this is the rate of respond by waterfowl to global warming.

Dr Geoff Hilton, head of species research for the WWT said: "In this country, we're at the end of the flyway for birds coming down from Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia.We're almost the last stop, so some species aren't coming at all. They'll just stay further up the flyway." An example of this is that the number of White-fronted geese reaching us in winter is 75% lower than it was ten years ago.
See:http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15783321
The full article in the Journal of Ornithology is at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/12g4k839p2837140/
which you should be able to access as it is free during the month of December.

Convention of Migratory Species

2011-11-22T08:15:00.000Z

With the theme “Networking for Migratory Species”, the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals is being held 20-25 November, in Bergen, Norway.

Representatives from close to 100 governments, as well as several key wildlife conservation organizations, non-governmental organisations and scientists are coming together to discuss urgent conservation responses to address the rapid decline of migratory animal species across the globe.

See: http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/11/10th-conference-of-parties-to-the-convention-on-migratory-species/

windfarms

2011-10-31T08:30:00.004Z

Interesting article on wind warms from the US. http://focusingonwildlife.com/massive-bird-kill-at-west-virginia-wind-farm.html The deaths caused in this case were probably avoidable if lights had been turned off, but it wont help the wind-farm industry in they don't adhere to simple measures of mitigation.
The combination of events in this article - time of migration, poor visibility, and lights left on - pose some interesting questions for the UK (given that we are no where near as vast in wilderness as the US). Are these sorts of factors likely to be more or less of a problem at UK wind farms?

It's all about woodpeckers at the moment.

2011-10-29T21:06:00.004+01:00

We might have all seen the article on the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15458633) about a report published on-line at the Public Library of Science (PLoS) detailing how woodpeckers are prevented from injuring their brains during pecking. The authors say that unequal upper and lower beak lengths, a spongy, plate-like bone structure, and the fact that the bird slightly turns its head on pecking all serve to influence how the forces of impact are distributed. They also state it is likely to be a combination of all of these three features rather than just one acting alone that prevents injury. It is anticipated that this knowledge could be developed to improve our own head protection devices.

Secondly, a statement from Bird Studies Canada detailing a report that appeared in The Auk (the scientific journal of the American Ornithologists' Union) in October. The report details how a biologist from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology had succeded in tracking down video footage of the world's largest, now extinct, woodpecker - the Imperial Woodpecker (two-foot tall and crested). William L Rhein, a dentist and amateur ornithologist, managed to film the bird in 1956 in the Seirra Madre Occidental mountain region in Mexico. No other footage is know to exist and no sound recordings were ever made.
See: http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/10/imperial-woodpecker-1956-film/

Vinoculars - for christmas?!

2011-08-31T07:30:00.003+01:00

Released in November at a snip - only £1800.00 - these vinoculars are the twitchers dream piece of kit. Twin HD video camera recording in 2D or 3D, stereo sound recording, and instant playback of both. Surely no rarity should ever be mis-identified again. What is more a GPS receiver also notes the ground position so that fellow twitchers will know exactly where you are.
Given that even standard high end binoculars are approaching this price I would imagine that, should this product deliver to the specification in the advert, there almost certainly will be a market for them.

....so I am as happy as happy can be....

2011-07-15T07:39:00.002+01:00

One small step to a very uncertain future. The Spoon-billed sandpiper eggs collected from Chukotka in order to try and save this enigmatic little wader from extinction have......hatched. Seventeen chicks have so far hatched from 20 eggs, with the remaining three hopefully hatching any day now. Fingers crossed things still progress as well as they have started. See:

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2798

A Field Guide to Monitoring Nests

2011-07-05T09:05:00.001+01:00

The BTO is delighted to announce the publication of the definitive guide to finding and studying the nests of British birds.

This new book has been produced as an aid to those involved in monitoring nests for research and conservation purposes. Written and illustrated by experts, the guide contains a wealth of information for 146 British and Irish species, together with introductory sections on fieldcraft, legislation, the BTO Nest Record Scheme and the importance of nest monitoring. Available from BTO Sales (www.bto.org/shop).

The well-illustrated text, coupled with key information on breeding ecology derived from BTO datasets, delivers an impressive amount of information on 146 British and Irish breeding species. The material has been selected to support those involved in nest recording, as well as those wishing to develop their skills in this area. Introductory sections cover general techniques for finding nests, good practice guidelines and review the current legislation surrounding visits to the nests of wild birds.

James Ferguson-Lees and Richard Castell are two of Britain’s leading experts in the field of monitoring nests, having seen and studied the nests of all 146 species covered by this book.

Their wealth of field experience delivers a level of information beyond that seen in other publications on this subject. Dr Dave Leech is a Senior Research Ecologist at the BTO, and also an experienced nest recorder. His analysis of BTO nest record datasets has delivered much of the supporting information presented in this book

Mersey Estuary tidal power scheme 'will not go ahead'

2011-06-23T08:07:00.003+01:00

It appears that, for now, the tidal power scheme for the River Mersey is on hold. That is - currently it is not economically viable but, should things change, it could be put back on the table. So a little bit of good news. However, we must remain vigilant as, according to Peel's Stage Three feasibility report the preferred option is 'a full barrage' from New Ferry to the Dingle. See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13875032 and
http://www.peelenergy.co.uk/news and http://www.merseytidalpower.co.uk/

My thanks to others who have been watching this development more closely and keeping me informed.

£500m Port of Liverpool developers Peel pledge to replace nature reserve which would disappear in development - Liverpool News - News

2011-06-09T08:01:00.000+01:00

£500m Port of Liverpool developers Peel pledge to replace nature reserve which would disappear in development - Liverpool News - News

Boy, this'll need some careful thought and consideration. Glad it's not my decision one way or the other.

Easter Sunday and beyond....

2011-04-19T14:02:00.003+01:00

http://www.brockholes.org/?dm_i=449,EV6G,JHNAB,16Z1Y,1

check it out!

...a single bee at 50km!!

2011-02-19T16:27:00.003Z

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has heard that technology designed to track storms could soon be used to track birds, bees, bats and other flying objects - as technology and resolution improves. Previously these 'flying-objects' frustrated meterologists as they tracked and monitored storms. Now, the same technology has given rise to the field of aeroecology.

Meterologists are able to measure something called QPE - the quantitative precipitation estimator or, in simple terms, the number of raindrops in clouds. The same QPE software could also, quiet easily, estimate the number of birds in a flock, their height and direction and additionally the approximate size of the bird.

Just think what this could do for migration studies.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12507030

The average birder.

2011-02-15T19:53:00.003Z

An interesting article at: www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/art4/ free and online.
The researchers study birdwatchers as citizen scientist both sides of the Atlantic. They found that the competitive elements of birdwatching i.e. twitching (and extensive fieldwork), to be more male dominated, while Garden BirdWatch(ing) has a female bias.
It is suggested that females might be more appreciation-motivated, driven by a wish to help birds, reduce stress and assist scientific research, while men appear to be more achievement orientated and competitive driven. As they say in exams - discuss.
Image taken from: stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com

WSD - World Sparrow Day

2011-02-01T08:01:00.004Z

There are at least 24 different species of sparrow through-out the world and, although many are under pressure, World Sparrow Day (WSD) focuses particularly on the decline, both in number and range, of the common House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Once common across the world this species is declining everywhere with, worryingly, no apparent specific reason as to why.
WSD is a day whereby the message is simply to bring the sparrow into the focus of everyone in order to raise awareness of its plight and to focus on issues giving rise to its decline.
For those interested The Independent newspaper is still offering a financial reward to anyone who can solve the mystery of the decline.

See: http://www.worldsparrowday.org/index.html

ReTurn(ing) stone

2011-02-01T07:34:00.003Z

The wonders of modern science. A Turnstone ringed with a small, less than one gram, geolocator has been captured in successive years at its wintering grounds in Australia. Downloading the data from the locator each time means that researchers have been able to plot the migration route taken by the bird in following years.
The data shows that the birds initially fly 7,600 miles non-stop in about 6 days to Taiwan where they rest and feed up, before taking on the second non-stop stage of 5,000km to their breeding grounds in Siberia. Interesting among the routes taken is that there is variation between years.
Given that Turnstone can live for up to 20years there is scope to collect yet more data as they, the birds, undertake their average 500,000 total miles flight in a lifetime.
See:
http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/01/ruddy-hell-turnstone-flies-27000-kms-%E2%80%93-twice/

Launch of new BTO logo

2010-12-06T12:47:00.002Z

Migrant Birds in Africa back on-line.

2010-11-17T21:13:00.002Z

The joint BTO /RSPB / Ghana Wildlife Society and Naturama survey in western Africa has just re-started for the second 'winter'. This exercise attempts to gather data, by field recording and ringing, of Palearctic/African migrants in an attempt to add information on the habitats used by a lot of our summer migrants when wintering in Africa. Many of these birds are in decline and, while we can protect them and their habitats while they are here as summer visitors, we know nothing of their distribution and habitat use in their wintering areas. This expedition hopes to answer some of these questions.
The blog from survey participants can be found at: http://migrantbirdsinafrica.blogspot.com/

A mystery solved.

2010-09-23T08:05:00.002+01:00

How do cuckoos steal a march on the eggs of their host in order to hatch first and then evict all of their competitors? Researchers at Sheffield University think they have found the answer (Published September 22, 2010 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B).
They believe that, in comparision to other birds, female Cuckoos hold on to their eggs for a further 24 hours before they lay them. This gives them the added advantage of being incubated at 40dC rather than the 36dC they would experience in the nest. This additional warm for 24hours, in terms of development, gives them a massive 31 hours growth difference compared to the eggs in the nest - and in developing eggs this time difference on development is huge.
As a result, this means that the cuckoo will hatch at least 24 hours, if not more, before the other eggs allowing it to perform its dirty deeds before the others have a chance.
Image from RXWildlife Sightings.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in gulls

2010-09-21T08:31:00.002+01:00

Portuguese researchers analysing droppings from Caspian Gulls found that one in ten of the birds carried antibiotic resistant bacteria. Given that these birds are wild the only way that they could have come into contact with antibiotics would have been via eating human scraps (off rubbish tips and the like).
The concern now is that these birds could act as reservoirs and transporters of resistant bacteria to other areas, and that bacteria from their droppings could re-enter the food-chain causing an increase in the spread of resistant bacteria.
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11374536

CE60645

2010-09-21T08:27:00.002+01:00

The oldest recorded British Arctic Tern - 30years 2months 23days (at least). Ringed as a chick on the Farne Islands on 28th June 1980 and recaptured this summer. Not a world record however, that is held by a US Arctic Tern that lived for 34 years.
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11375618

Garden Bird Feeding Survey

2010-09-17T17:33:00.004+01:00

The Garden Bird Feeding Survey, at 250 geographically selected gardens, has now been running since 1970. During that time it has plotted many changes in bird feeding activity so now, at 40 years of age, it seemed prudent to have a fresh look at the data collected.
Surprisingly, the number of feeding BlueTits in winter has dropped from 5.3 (average count per garden per week) to 3.1 This doesn't necessarily on its own indicate that Blue Tit numbers are dropping, just that they are not feeding in gardens. However, other surveys do show that numbers are decreasing so the number of birds feeding in gardens actually supports this trend.

GBFS data, by the same token, also supports the precipitous decline in Starlings and Song Thrush (down 75%) and House Sparrow (down 70%). On the other hand it also indicates good news - Goldfinch up 25 fold, Long-tailed Tit tenfold and Great Spotted Woodpecker fourfold.

Shotton Tern Colony

2010-09-17T07:46:00.002+01:00

For the second year running the colony of Common Terns at Shotton failed to breed. This is disturbing news given that not so long ago they hatched over 800 chicks in one season. Concerned at this change of events a meeting of interested parties was convened to try and understand what had happened, what was potentially happening, and whether anything that could be done to reverse this non-breeding could be actioned.
At the end of August representatives from Merseyside Ringing Group (who tend and ring the terns), Corus (on whose land the terns nest), the Countryside Commission for Wales (statutory government agency), RSPB, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Environment Agency Wales all met to discuss the colony. The notes and minutes of this meeting can be found at:
http://www.davidnorman.org.uk/MRG/shotton_common_terns.htm
Please feel free to read and comment. One request from the meeting was:
"We would be particularly interested to know if anyone has information on sandeels in the Dee estuary and if there is any objective assessment of where the terns preferred to feed - we've all watched them but we haven't really analysed their movements".

and now for some good news

2010-08-20T08:15:00.002+01:00

Birds given special protection in Liverpool Bay

Thousands of common scoters spend winter in Liverpool Bay

Liverpool Bay has been designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds.

The bay, which stretches from Anglesey in Wales to the Lancashire coast, is one of 15 marine protected areas to be given the status on Friday (today the 20th August 2010).

It is known for being home to thousands of common scoters and hundreds of red-throated divers each winter.

The bay has been given SPA status after being identified as internationally important for its biodiversity.

The special protection means the wildlife has to be protected for the benefit of present and future generations, the Countryside Council for Wales said.

Nearly 1,000 red-throated divers spend the winter in Liverpool Bay, and more than 50,000 common scoters - 58% of Britain's population - regularly make the bay their home every winter. They are often seen in large groups offshore, or as long lines flying along the coast.

The decision to grant the bay SPA status, under the European directive on the conservation of wild birds, follows a three-month public consultation, which started last November.

Latest WeBS report

2010-08-18T14:56:00.002+01:00

In recent years, the UK’s estuaries and other wetlands have seen several notable changes in the birds using them. Little Egret and Avocet are now present in higher numbers than ever before, but familiar species such as Ringed Plover and Dunlin are at all-time lows, and other coastal waders such as Redshank, Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit have also experienced recent declines.
The latest WeBS report, covering the winter of 2008/09, documents the expansion of four native waterbird populations in the UK, with Pink-footed Goose, Svalbard Barnacle Goose, Little Egret and Avocet all noted at record levels. Avocet for example has increased by over 1000% in the last twenty years.
In contrast, populations of six species reached an all-time low point; Mallard, Pochard, Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Ringed Plover and Dunlin – all of which have declined by at least 20% in the last twenty years.

New BTO VP

2010-06-23T10:58:00.001+01:00

Chris Packham, commented on his new appointment, “I am delighted to take up the position of Vice President for the BTO. Everyone can help safeguard the future of our birds by making sure that decisions affecting their environment are based on sound, unbiased science. Sending their birdwatching records to the BTO can help make this happen.”

Photo: Chris with BTO Director Andy Clements

Winter effects begin to show

2010-06-17T08:27:00.002+01:00

Jan-March 2010 Garden Birdwatch data has revealed that the recent winter has significantly affected some of our smaller garden birds. Using appearances in gardens as a year on year indicator Goldcrests were absent from 48% of gardens where they have been present previously. In some areas of the country, see map, in real terms this equates to a 60% loss in bird numbers.
For wren they were absent in 22% of gardens and treecreeper in 15% fewer gardens.
Trends such as these will be closely monitored to ensure that the declines reported are indeed weather related and do not hide some other factor responsible for the decrease.

a return from surveying and nest recording.....

2010-06-13T14:33:00.002+01:00

...so now I'll try and get back ontrack. Just seen this from Amazon - bargain!

Nocturnal visits

2010-03-24T08:45:00.002Z

Steve White has just sent me some preliminary regional Atlas results for Tawny Owl (see picture). The red dots indicate where we have confirmed recent presence for Tawny Owl - from either breeding or winter data - while the khaki dots indicate records we had from the previous local Atlas in 1997-2000.
Question: Have Tawny Owls really decreased this dramatically over the last 10 years, or is it because we are all afraid of the dark?!
We would like to think it is the latter so, the request is, please try and get out at night in order to collect more data on all nocturnal species - especially owls but also woodcock and, if really lucky, nightjar.
Please do not assume that your observation has already been recorded by someone else. Send everything in - we would rather had masses of (duplicate) data rather than none at all.

Swift by name and nature.

2010-03-16T19:44:00.002Z

Peregrines, as we know, are the fastest thing on two wings being able to reach speeds of 186mph when stooping after prey. However, they are not the fastest bird when flying level this, allegedly, is the spine-tailed swift, with an unconfirmed maximum speed of 105mph in level flight. Now, using verifiable techniques, the record for speed in level flight has passed to the common swift - with a maximum recorded speed of 69.3mph. According to research at Lund University workers have found that swifts do everything 'at the double' whether flying to roost, migrating or feeding, they do it at 22-26mph. But that's not the end of their work - they have found that when swifts come together in 'screaming parties' they will quite often reach speeds of 47mph.
Someone said to me that their year begins with returning Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, others wait for cuckoo, but this year I'll be waiting for the screaming demons - more particularly as they nest in my roof!

Shrinkage...Bergman's Rule.

2010-03-16T08:30:00.002Z

According to Bergman's Rule animals tend to become smaller in warmer climates. Historically this has been demonstrated for the same species over latitude or altitude' but a question asked recently was 'given global warming could the same trend be recorded in response to climate change?'
To find out, Dr Josh Van Buskirk of the University of Zurich, Switzerland and colleagues Mr Robert (Bob) Mulvihill and Mr Robert Leberman of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Rector, Pennsylvania, US decided to evaluate the sizes of hundreds of thousands of birds that pass through the Carnegie Museum's Powdermill ringing station, also in Pennsylvania.
Examining records from 486,000 birds caught between 1961-2007 they found that of 83 species of spring migrant 60 had become smaller by wing length and weight; and of autumn migrants 66 out of 75 species had reduced in size. Although the time frame appears small we must remember that the birds have gone through at least 20 generations.
It appears then that north American birds are responding to Bergman's Rule however, further analysis is required as changes could be the response to other parameters affected by warmth such as food availability or metabolic rate. Furthermore, it has to be ascertained whether these changes are beneficial or otherwise. For a fuller article see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8560000/8560694.stm

100 million

2010-02-25T19:29:00.002Z

I landmark figure has been reached just before we start the new breeding season of survey work. At Thetford sometimes up to 200,000 birding records can be received a week however, today, one record was awaited with interest - the 100 millioneth record submitted to the electronic database. The record - a Coal Tit submitted from an observation in South Wales.
Image from bbc.co.uk

A sniff too far...

2010-02-24T08:20:00.002Z

Remember my previous post about 'Doesn't smell right' where researchers were suggesting that birds migrated by sense of smell (Jan 29th) - and I thought it was a load of nonsense. Well, now comes a publication that potentially explains their results. In "PLoS ONE" German researchers publish data on the finding of a 'magnetometer' in the upper beak of (many) birds which could potential act to measure the vector of the earth's magnetic field (by intensity and inclination), whereby a bird can map its' exact position anywhere on the globe. Using some fancy non-destructive science they have been able to show that the upper beak contains a network of iron containing nerve branches which, they say, will be able to encode the earths magnetic field. Viola, bird migration explained!?
So, back to the nasal wash-outs - the wash-out may (also) affect a birds sense of smell but, more importantly, it probably primarily affects functioning of this 'magnetometer' - which is then responsible for a change in migration pattern.
See: Falkenberg G, Fleissner Ge, Schuchardt K, Kuehbacher M, Thalau P, et al. (2010) Avian Magnetoreception: Elaborate Iron Mineral Containing Dendrites in the Upper Beak Seem to Be a Common Feature of Birds. PLoS ONE 5(2): e9231. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009231 (plosone@plos.org)

Breeding Bird Survey

2010-02-23T20:56:00.003Z

Even though the Bird Atlas is on-going the Breeding Bird Survey - the BTO's main survey - still needs to be undertaken. Within the region there are a handful of volunteers who make my job extremely easier by undertaking this survey without cajole or duress every year - I thank you. This year several of these individuals have 'retired' being physically unable to undertake or commit to a full set of required visits - thus more than the usual number of BBS squares are available. The list is attached. If anyone wishes to undertake the BBS survey in any of these plots please do contact me (before anyone else grabs them).

Doesn't smell right

2010-01-29T07:38:00.002Z

Birds migrate by smell! or at least have the ability to utilise their sense of smell to help them migrate appropriately. This was a subject discussed at the Swanwick conference in December and now it is being more widely reported (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127110423.htm). By performing some nifty experiments and olfactory manipulations in american Cat-birds reseachers were able to show that those birds that couldn't smell properly didn't migrate as they should. However, I would argue, just because you've messed with someone's nose doesn't mean they cannot smell (are we talking about all smells or just a small range of smells) and, if you had flushed my nose with a saline solution to the extent of interfering with my sense of smell I might be a bit disorientated too! I need more data before I'm convinced of this. Discuss.

Collins Bird Guide 2nd Edition

2010-01-28T08:53:00.002Z

Available on Amazon at the amazing price of £12.49 with free delivery. That's better than half price, admittedly only by a penny, but with free delivery - bargain.

Vanishing Whinchat

2010-01-27T18:58:00.003Z

Preliminary 'Bird Atlas 2007-11' data has revealed that Whinchat, previously scattered across the whole of the country 20 years ago, is virtually all but gone from anywhere south of the Pennines. Small colonies do exist on Salisbury Plain, Exmoor and Dartmoor, but the bird has vanished from previous strongholds in Norfolk and Hampshire.
Breeding habitat has not thought to have changed to explain this loss and, given that the numbers of Stonechat - which share similar habitats but do not migrate - have increased three fold in recent years this is probably correct.
Loss on migration, or in wintering areas, is considered to be the most likely candidate - particuarly as other sub-Saharan migrants (turtle dove, wood warbler, pied flycatcher, nightingale and cuckoo) are also showing declines. The results of the BTO and RSPB's Out of Africa data is much needed. See: http://migrantbirdsinafrica.blogspot.com/ for how this work is progressing.

Picture taken from Telegraph newspaper /Alamy

Changing Delamere

2010-01-26T08:05:00.001Z

An exciting new project has been launched to restore the lost Meres and Mosses on the Forestry Commission estate at Delamere Forest, near Northwich in Cheshire, which have been dry for up to 80 years.
The Forestry Commission and Natural England are spearheading plans for the re-wetting of Delamere in a bid to conserve the rare natural landscape and benefit important wildlife and plant species in the region.
The work to re-wet them is all part of Natural England’s £4 million Wetland Vision which will fund almost 2,000 hectares of wetland recovery projects in the next two years.
See: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/WebNewsReleases/10AAEFCD675F3DF1802576B2002FEA4E

BTO Core surveys

2010-01-25T09:25:00.003Z

For information. All BTO core surveys - should you wish to become more involved, or want to know more about a particular survey - have been grouped onto one web page with links. See:

http://www.bto.org/survey/core.htm

A wonderful bit of non-news.

2010-01-25T07:54:00.006Z

Reported in the Guardian Newspaper – Pink-footed goose is a CO2 villain. Apparently these geese contribute to global warming – not by the usual fashion of gaseous release – but via a mechanism of grubbing up moss in the arctic when returning to their breeding grounds.
When the geese arrive in the arctic plants have not yet started to grow so, in order to get something to eat, they dig down through the soil to get those bits of plants they can eat. By removing the upper moss layer the geese leave the under-soil open to warming and degradation followed by erosion due to wind and rain. The liberated carbon is then made available for utilisation by bacteria – subsequently finding its way into the atmosphere.
The average goose has been calculated to be responsible for 37kg of arctic carbon released per year. Multiply this by the number of geese (240,000 in the UK in winter alone) and the increased numbers as a result of conservation measures (
three-fold rise in the Svalbard population) and that’s a fair bit of carbon - however, in the global scale of things it’s nothing.So goose wont be on the menu just yet.Image taken from Guardian Newspaper /Alamy

All I want for Christmas is a......

2009-12-17T08:13:00.007Z

Slender Billed Curlew (Photo: Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) - not because I have any particular affinity for this bird but it would be a shame to have it become extinct in this time and age.
Many birders will be out searching the western palearctic this winter in order to try and conclusively find one - it could be a very happy christmas for someone.
See:
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1862

Brockholes Wetland Nature Reserve.

2009-12-15T08:53:00.002Z

Work has started on the development of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust reserve at Brockholes - just outside Preston (J31/M6). The site, a disused gravel quarry of 160 hectares, with £8M of funding from the Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission and the Northwest Regional Development Agency, will be turned into a major wetland and woodland reserve with wildlife and visitors in mind. The site hopes to attract 250,000 visitors a year and will be open in 2011.
See: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Nature-reserve-floats-a-new.5910308.jp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/8411565.stm

Blackcaps - one or two?

2009-12-11T08:38:00.002Z

In recent times a migratory divide has been noted among southwest- and northwest- migrating Blackcaps - with birds wintering in either Spain or the UK. Both groups of birds face particular challenges, the Spain migrators dependent upon fruit on their migration route, while the pressures of the UK population appear to have been alleviated by our winter feeding techniques - we have enabled their survival. Over a very short time-span, in evolutionary terms, this situation has resulted in two 'ecotypes' where the birds, returning to shared breeding woodlands, are no longer breeding with each other. This could be the start of different subspecies and, indeed, it is already apparent. The 'new' northwest migration route is shorter and, as a consequence, birds on this route have developed shorter, rounder wings, giving greater maneuverability but being less suited to longer migration. They also have longer, thinner bills - less suited to eating fruits (which they no longer need to do).
There is a bit more science on whether "geographical seperation is necessary to drive speciation" - which this work appears to refute - but if changes have occured so rapidly in one direction they could equally be changed to another just as quickly.
Full article published in Current Biology on-line 3rd Dec; but also see: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/091204_birdfeeding

More on the Bay

2009-12-08T08:27:00.004Z

Specific plans for each part of the coast can now be viewed at: www.mycoastline.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163&Itemid=153 For those of you quick off the mark there is a public consultation to be held at Kings Gap Hotel Hoylake this Thursday (10th Dec) at 7pm

Twite Twite

2009-12-07T14:07:00.008Z

The England Twite Recovery project, a partnership between Natural England and the RSPB - with funding from the Environmental Stewardship Scheme, is permitting Pennine farmers to assist in the recovery of this species which, last reported 2008, indicated only 100 breeding pairs from 15 colonies in England. Currently 17 farmers are involved, modifying their land to create upland hay-meadows and pastures in support of Twite. (See:http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/news/2009/021209a.aspx).

In Lancashire just over 100 twite survive - in a little colony near Worsthorne and a flock which visits Whitworth Quarry. Around Burnley the 'Watershed Landscape project' aims to raise £3M in order to reclaim peatland in the hills around Hurstwood (between Burnley and Rossendale) to assist in a Twite recovery. Although not without controversy (see:http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/4650579.__3m_bid_to_save_Burnley_s_endangered_twite/)

Tim Melling, the RSPB Conservation Officer said of twite "They are a funny little bird." But someone loves them - see: http://northlancsringinggroup.blogspot.com/2009/02/twite-ringing-late-winter-update.html

Image taken from: www.machrihanishbirds.org.uk

Out of Africa

2009-11-30T21:32:00.002Z

When the BTO launched its Out of Africa Appeal and fieldwork I was extremely supportative, and interested, in the outcome of both. The Appeal I can follow through the BTO website but the fieldwork has been a bit more problematic - until now. The latest BTO e-newsletter (http://enews.bto.org/interface/external_view_email.php?B107140829241814502614) gives a link to the Migrant Birds in Africa blog (http://migrantbirdsinafrica.blogspot.com/) giving an up-to-date account of fieldwork as it happens. Happy reading.

Liverpool Bay - public consultation.

2009-11-28T13:18:00.005Z

Is Liverpool Bay a worthy protection area for birds - especially for Common Scoter and Red-throated Diver? 60-70,000 Common Scoter winter in Liverpool Bay (60% of the UK total) while 1,000 grebes (5% of the UK total) have been recorded. The decision to label Liverpool Bay as an SPA (Special Protection Area) with be presented to the respective English and Welsh governments in summer 2010 following three-months of public consultation. This designation will not protect the Bay from development but it will mean that any proposed schemes e.g. for wind farms, would be dealt with at a higher level of scrutiny.
See: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/marine/sacconsultation/default.aspx#livbay for details
and send comments to: natura2000.consultation@naturalengland.org.uk
Picture taken from BBC website, map from Natural England.

North West Bird Watching Fair

2009-11-25T10:14:00.005Z

A decent weekend all told. With Ellen Walford (Membership Promotions Officer) and Neil Calbrade (WeBS Low Tide Count National Organiser) coming up from Thetford and support from Tony Cooper (RR Lancs E) , Jean Roberts (RR Lancs NW ), Steve Sutill (RR Manchester) , Jan Gillam (Merseyside GBW Ambassador) and myself we had a good representation all weekend.
It was good to meet and talk to so many of you again, and it was good to talk to all the missing 'email' faces from the Bird Clubs and organisations with which I only have email or letter contact for 363 days of the year. We'll be back next year so put the date in your diary.
L to R: Tony, Me, Jan, Neil, Steve, Ellen (missing Jean - went off to do her WeBS counts!)

The Dilys Breese Medal

2009-11-25T07:58:00.006Z

Dilys Breese was a pioneering producer of BBC natural history programmes on radio and TV. The Living World, Wildlife on One and The Natural World are some of the series on which she worked. Many people will remember the award-winning film Meerkats United (1987) on which she was executive producer. Less widely known is her work for the British Trust for Ornithology. She became a council member in 1973 and was honorary secretary from 1998 to 2001. In 1983 she became the first recipient of the BTO's Golden Jubilee medal for her outstanding service to the Trust.
Upon Dilys' death the BTO decided to honour her memory by using her bequest to annually award the Dilys Breese Medal - awarded for excellence in communicating the work of the BTO to a wider audience, and raising the profile of bird conservation both nationally and internationally.
The first awards, presented at the House of Lords by Baroness Barbara Young, President of the BTO, were made to; TV Producer and Wildlife Writer, Stephen Moss - Radio Presenter and Producer, Brett Westwood – Journalist and Environment Editor, Stuart Winter - TV Presenter, Writer and Wildlife Stalwart, Tony Soper - New Media guru, Fiona Barclay. Highland Journalist, Ray Collier.
In future years there will only be a single award.
Text taken from Birdguides website and BTO Press release.

The second half.

2009-11-24T08:14:00.003Z

1.7 million Roving Records, 1.9 million records from BirdTrack, 104,000 timed counts in tetrads - this is the totals for bird records returned in the first two years of the BTO Atlas. Now, as we enter year three, we are looking to fill the gaps and increase that ever important list of species richness and confirmed evidence of breeding.
The image shows the'official' map for the Breeding Season in Merseyside, however, this is a little behind on reality due to issues with data uploading and receipt of observations. The overall picture though is representative. A black square indicates complete, a yellow square is missing a late season visit and no coloured square at all means that data is still required (or has yet to be uploaded).
So, if you feel moved to contribute for the first time, or want to do more, then please contact me. Areas around St Helens are of immediate priority followed by areas south of Ormskirk and Southport respectively.
Now we just need the weather to improve so we can complete winter visits and then look forward to a better spring and summer.

2009-11-20T08:03:00.004Z

The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme, now based in Lancaster, (CEH Lancaster, Library Avenue,, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP. Tel. 01524 595830; e-mail: leew@ceh.ac.uk) is a scheme run jointly by Natural England, the Environment Agency and that well know group The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU). Their remit is simple - a long term monitoring programme of the levels of 'contaminants' found in the liver and eggs of predatory and fish eating birds.
A recent article on the Birdguides Webzine featured a Shropshire kestrel sent for analysis: "As many as 70% of the Common Kestrel liver tissue samples tested contain traces of rodenticide. Some of these are the less toxic 'first-generation rodenticides' such as Warfarin™, designed for outdoor use, but most, including our Kestrel, show traces of the more toxic and persistent second generation of rodenticides. For our Kestrel there were traces of Brodifacoum™ which, despite its use being restricted to indoors, is found in 16% of Kestrels".
With kestrels apparently declining in numbers this finding adds more concern to their future well-being.
So, if you find any higher predator - owl, heron, grebe etc - please contact PBMS and see whether they are interested. If so they'll send you postage and packing for its return.

North West Bird Watching Fair

2009-11-12T12:47:00.003Z

Martin Mere 21-22nd November.
A BTO stand will be manned all weekend with Ellen Walford, Membership Promotions Officer, coming up from BTO HQ Thetford. A range of Regional Representatives will also be in attendence over the weekend, as will Jan Gillam the Merseyside Garden Birdwatch Ambassador (Sunday only). For those of you who wish to catch up with me I'm down to be present all day Sunday.
For more on the Fair see: http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/martin-mere/events/north-west-bird-watching-festival

2009-10-16T19:13:00.002+01:00

I have been meaning to add this for a while but have only now just found the time. In the latest BTO News there is an article headed Valuable Volunteers. It makes interesting reading. As part of the JNCC/BTO Partnership we have to add our contribution to the financial considerations. The BTO has, in real money, an annual turnover of £4.6million; with a full-time staff complement of about 100. However, this contribution is dwarfed when one takes into account the volunteer contribution spent on Partnership work. Calculating volunteer input to the monitoring schemes of BBS, WBBS, Nest recording, ringing and WeBS results in a working equivalent of 204 full-time staff at a cost of £6.7million. If you then add in work from other surveys - Heronries, Birdtrack, Garden Birdwatch - other aspects of the ringing sceme, the contribution of Regional Representatives, survey organisers and other volunteer effort the contribution multiplies to 1100 full-time staff at a cost of £36.0 million.
Now look at the Pie chart above and compare our contribution to 'the national value of volunteering within the conservation sector' and we can justifiably be proud of our contribution. Member for member we do significantly well.

Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck she is not....

2009-10-07T08:13:00.003+01:00

A plug for the dark-side. The RSPB have a new President, the second female in it's history. The popular TV presentor and long suffering side kick to Bill Oddie, Kate Humble, has been awarded the presitigious role. We can now look forward to a fresh and vibrant change to the RSPB's public face - the female touch. With Barabara Young as the President of the BTO it appears the girls are in the ascendency.
Picture taken from: telegraph.co.uk

magpie, crow and rook and now....

2009-10-02T08:38:00.001+01:00

Open season has been declared on ring-necked parakeets — the vibrant green squawking birds seen across parts of southern England. The parakeets are considered by government nature advisers as great a pest as the grey squirrel, and from January 1 anyone troubled by the birds has permission to kill them with a shotgun or rifle, or trap them in a cage or net. Their eggs and nests may also be destroyed.

See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6857722.ece

To date you can do the same with magpie, crow and rook - so what about Canada Geese?

River Mersey

2009-09-23T08:30:00.002+01:00

A feasibility study looking at harnessing the tidal power of the Mersey has been launched by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and renewable energy developer Peel Energy today (September 22).

The NWDA said that the comprehensive study was intended to identify a single preferred tidal power scheme that delivered the maximum affordable energy, while taking into consideration its impact on the environment, shipping, business and the community, including options for mitigation or compensation.

Peel, in partnership with the NWDA and the Mersey Basin Campaign, recently completed a pre-feasibility study, "Power from the Mersey", to consider viability, technology and options.

After identifying a preferred scheme, the two bodies hope to submit a planning application by 2012, with completion of construction and operational commencement scheduled for 2020.

See: http://www.newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=3024

Migration weekend

2009-09-23T08:04:00.003+01:00

This weekend is, it seems, migration weekend. On the birding side we have VisMig and on the butterfly /moth side we have BMM (butterfly and moth migration).
VisMig, or Visible Migration, is an increasingly popular aspect of birding where one selects a site and then diligently records all passing migrants. Secretly it has been going on for years but, in more recent times, it has increased its profile. This weekend it is trying to co-ordinate activities, not only across Britain but across Europe, to have an interconnected set of observers recording active migration. There is a very readable article on Birdguides (http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1748) and the growing fraternity of VisMig'rs have a website at www.trektellen.org
Some of our most familiar butterflies and moths migrate - red admiral, painted-lady, clouded yellow and hummingbird hawkmoth to name a few. This weekend is the 'peak' for migration and so Butterfly Conservation is asking all that can to get out and record migrating butterflies and moths. In some cases individuals have been marked (the butterfly equivalent of bird ringing) and participants have been requested to look out particularly for these marked individuals. More information can be found at http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/text/987/migration.html

Migrating Tree Sparrows - image from Birdguides article, copyright Clive McKay.

100 years of bird ringing.

2009-09-14T08:08:00.006+01:00

With 100 years of bird ringing being celebrated this year there are lots of opportunities for publicity of the event - some of this will be at a local level and some nationally. Circumstances last week brought the two together in that a 'local' lad appeared in the 'national' press (the Times no less) for an article on ringing.
Local ringer David Fletcher, a ringer for 35 birds, just happened to be in the right place at the right time to be preserved in history himself!
See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/photo_galleries/article6816964.ece?slideshowPopup=true&articleId=6816964§ionName=PhotoGalleries

Lancs & North Merseyside local Atlas

2009-08-11T12:20:00.002+01:00

Large dots indicate tetrads that have been covered (including a handful where there have been no TTVs but fully comprehensive RRs have been received, e.g. Moor Piece, Marton Mere, Knowsley Safari Park). Small dots indicate tetrads that have been allocated but not yet surveyed. White dots indicate no coverage at all.
Help as always gratefully received, plus as many RR observations that you can submit the better - especially with the highest breeding code possible.
We hope to have the next newsletter available towards the end of October so any contributions please...

Why so clever ?

2009-08-11T07:53:00.003+01:00

Much has appeared recently in the press, on the radio and in scientific reviews regarding the problem solving ability of corvids. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8181233.stm
Reported in Current Biology is the case of rooks being able to gain initally inaccessible floating food by dropping stones into a vessel in order to raise the water level so as to reach the food. In another study at Oxford University crows were able to use a small hook to gain a medium hook to gain a large hook in order to get at food. Amazingly some of the tested birds were able to solve the problem at their first attempt.
The question here for me though is: why do corvids manifest this ability to utilise tools under laboratory conditions when they are not widely reported to use the same ability in the wild? It's a bit like a human being able to read, speak and write a foreign language but only doing so as a party piece once a year. Why do these birds have this ability but then not use it more commonly?

Raptor persecution

2009-08-10T12:24:00.002+01:00

I offer this with no comment whatsoever. I bring it to your attention simply because it names the Forest of Bowland and thought you may /might be interested.

It is lifted in totality from a posting to Surfbirds.

See http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/

Once again, Forest of Bowland Hen Harriers have been mercifulessly destroyed by gamekeepers this summer, one of the last remaining strongholds of the species in Britain. Round-the-clock wardening had been ongoing on this pair but as soon as it was lifted after the young had fledged the nest, the entire family was destroyed. A similar fate beheld breeding European Eagle Owls - Cumbria and Lancashire being the stronghold of this recently colonising species. Five Northern Goshawk nests have also been targetted this summer - the nests being destroyed and the contents removed.

This compares in stark contrast to the continuing success of breeding Montagu's Harriers in Southern England, where a minimum 59 young have fledged this summer. Caring farmers have gone to great lengths when harvesting the cornfields and have given the harrier nests a wide berth, leaving the marked areas not harvested. Some individual nests have successfully fledged five juveniles.

Urban bird are lazy

2009-07-21T11:45:00.002+01:00

The most succesful citizen science project of recent years - 6000 participants getting up on the shortest day to record the time birds arrived in their gardens to feed - has just been published (by the BTO's Garden Ecology Team). In a nutshell, birds in the (cold) countryside get up earlier than their (warmer) urban cousins to feed in the morning, in order to quickly refresh their energy reserves. Having spent a long night keeping warm, country birds need to be out and about early to feed in order to survive. On the other hand, urban birds protected by the 'urban heat island effect' with temperatures anything up to 8 degrees higher than country temperatures, dont need to feed as early as they have not used up as much fat reserve when keeping warm at night. Therefore it is much more critical to feed birds in the country than birds in the city (who equally dont have access to left over take-away and MacDonalds!)

Nancy Ockendon, Sarah E. Davis, Mike P. Toms and Sarah Mukherjee (2009). Eye size and the time of arrival of birds at garden feeding stations in winter. Journal of Ornithology (Published online-early)
web: http://www.springerlink.com/content/fr11240311p1g4w5/?p=d84bccb00b0e4aa4bfb8e98a8546c8a6&pi=9)

Nancy Ockendon, Sarah E. Davis, Teresa Miyar and Mike Toms (2009). Urbanization and time of arrival of common birds at garden feeding stations. Bird Study (Published online-early)
web: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00063650902937313

Puffin Puffin!

2009-07-21T08:31:00.005+01:00

An expedition, to the Shiant Isles, broke the British longevity record for Puffin on 5 July 2009 when they caught EX08155, which was originally ringed on the island on 27 June 1977. EX08155 was originally ringed by Ian Buxton, also a member of this year’s team, so he was reunited with the same bird 32 years later!

But this record was topped just five days later on 10 July, when Ian recaught EB73152, originally ringed on 28 June 1975, making it over 34 years old (older than three of this year’s expedition members). This is now the oldest recorded Puffin in Europe, beating an Icelandic bird at 33 years old. Amazingly, it not only still had its original metal ring, but also its colour ring, allowing it to be identified as a Shiants bird ‘in the field’.

BTO Press Release. Picture (Alex Borawska) shows Kate Thompson (24) with Puffin (34)

Tree Pipit and Nightjar

2009-07-10T08:07:00.002+01:00

This year is the second year of a study into Tree Pipits and Nightjars in Thetford Forest. Part of this study is to film the nests in order to record behaviour and to monitor the culprits responsible for predation of either the eggs or chicks. Two small videos have recently been posted of this work (see: http://www.bto.org/research/ecosystems/nestcamera.htm). The one of the nightjar is particularly interesting (and instructive) as the chicks do appear to wander some way away from the nest before returning, one assumes, for warmth and feeding.

UK Seabirds in 2008

2009-07-02T19:58:00.003+01:00

Out now see: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4467

More high tech comes to birding

2009-07-02T08:20:00.002+01:00

From the BBC - we have GPS dataloggers being used on Puffins on the Farne Islands to monitor their movements following recent declines (see:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8126331.stm) and then, more technical, we have neurologgers being used on homing pigeons (see:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155548.php). The pigeon article is interesting - fit a pigeon with an EEG (brainwave) logger, together with a GPS system and then compare brain pattern with location. By releasing the pigeon to 'home' and knowing where it is (by GPS) the brain wave pattern can be interpreted to determine what stimuli the pigeon is responding too in flight.

"Interestingly, the brain recordings revealed that the pigeons took unusual interest in a couple of locations that did not seem to be relevant to finding their way home. Upon further investigation, the researchers discovered a farm and cattle paddock in one of those spots, and in the second case, a nearby barn. The "riddle" was solved by visiting those places, Vyssotski said. Both harbored colonies of feral pigeons, lending them special significance for the birds".

By using the same technique on other species we may be to identify what areas are important to them, why, and then find ways of conserving them.

Farmland Bird Numbers up 119% (according to the RSPB)

2009-07-01T19:08:00.001+01:00

The catch? Only on their demonstration arable farm in Cambridgeshire – but – serving to demonstrate that crop yields and biodiversity improvements can coexist.

The original aim of their farm was to try to show how winter combinable crop production and farmland bird populations could both benefit from the right management. The farm is a commercial concern so, for this reason, winter cropping dominates. A four-year rotation of winter wheat, oilseed rape, winter wheat and spring beans is in place. The fact that this allows them to keep over-wintered stubbles in place is a bonus.

Bird populations have flourished since 2001, despite a slight dip last year. Species such as skylarks, linnets, yellowhammers and reed buntings have all doubled in numbers, while grey partridges, lapwings and yellow wagtails have returned - probably due to having some spring cropping."

Not surprisingly, some of the land is used for RSPB trials. One of the projects is finding ways of meeting the hunger gap - the period of time between February and late April - when food for birds is very scarce on arable farms. We haven't found the solution yet."

Set-aside

2009-07-01T18:46:00.001+01:00

An interesting slant on set-aside published in FWi (Farmers Weekly interactive) last week.

A wheat breeder and a seed merchant, who acknowledge that the decline in farmland birds is linked with the modern productive farming needed for food security, state that set-aside figures for helping birds through the hunger-gap of Feb-March need re-evaluating.

They stress that the widely reported DEFRA figure of a 13% fall in the population of 19 species of farmland birds from 1994-2007 masks big variations that have barely been mentioned or discussed, in particular yellowhammers and linnets that have diminished greater than any other species.

“Considering that their steep decline was associated with compulsory set-aside over the whole 1994-2007 period, there's no evidence that set-aside was of any significant benefit to them"

They advocate more thorough co-ordination of existing experimental evidence to produce a management manual which addresses what set-aside apparently does not – to provide a mix of seed-size bearing crops through-out the whole winter period, including the hunger-gap, that will help ALL species including yellowhammer and linnet. To undertake this is one challenge but to do it in a manner that does not give rise to massive bird-food farms is another.

Geriatric Great Tits

2009-05-14T08:35:00.003+01:00

Great tits live long enough in the wild to suffer the burden of old age. As the years pile up, the birds become less able to raise healthy chicks and produce fewer young.
The findings, recently published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, come as a surprise because it was thought that wild birds die well before the onset of ageing.
The most important finding is that female great tits living beyond 2 years of age show reduced offspring production. This means that at any time 1 in every 5 breeding females is affected by ageing.
Generally studies of this nature only collect data on first egg dates, clutch sizes, hatching dates and fledging rates – but make no attempt to relate that back to the age of the maternal parent. This report is unique to that extent.
And to paternal parents: 14 percent of chicks are not fathered by the male who raises them, so age-specific parentage is not accurate.

http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=420

A dilemma

2009-05-14T08:18:00.002+01:00

Within farming a switch is occurring whereby previous grass silage is being replaced by maize silage. A bonus is that maize needs less nitrogen (fits with Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Policy), has greater productivity and lower production costs. The switch to maize is, to an extent, being driven by the need to grow crops with less nitrogen use but also because climate change makes it possible.

On the other hand, compared to grass silage, soil erosion is greater under maize, and oxidation of soil organic matter becomes a source of atmospheric carbon – rather than a carbon sink which grassland is.

So it’s dammed if you do, and dammed if you don’t.

Ethogram (I didn't know either)

2009-05-07T08:11:00.002+01:00

An ethogram is a catalogue of discrete behaviors typically employed by a species. Still non the wiser!
When collecting data on species it is usually undertaken by monitoring individuals. This is all well and good if the species inhabits areas easy to access permitting them to be followed easily. When, however, they move quickly, inhabit areas without access, or have behaviours that result in changes of altitude, or depth, it becomes more difficult.
Technology is improving and remote data loggers attached to animals are making it easier. In one such study (see: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0005379) they have used accelerometers to record behaviour. These types of loggers are particularly useful in that they can record the dynamic motion of a body in e.g. flight, walking, or swimming.
Using the shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, as a study species, they have been able to record the behaviour of a bird by analysing the resultant 'surge' profiles. They can determine when it was swimming, walking or flying, and when it was diving (including the duration of the ascent and descent, and even the depth that it dived too) .
This is exciting news - it now permits the remote monitoring of species previously impossible. My only reservation about all of this is that you have to have some knowledge of the behaviour of the species in order to make any meaningful interpretation of the surge profile. In the case of little know species this could be difficult.

World Migration Day and 100 years of ringing

2009-05-07T07:36:00.002+01:00

On the 8th May we celebrate 100 years of bird ringing in the UK. On the 9-10th May we celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. Over the next few weeks an estimated 16 million birds will arrive in the UK, after spending the winter as far away as South Africa. Bird watchers in general, twitchers in particular, and ringers (as usual) will be out and about watching, recording and, in the case of the latter group, catching, measuring and ringing, as many birds as they can.
Our love of birds is a two edged sword. On the one hand we have the desire, knowledge and know-how to identify species by sight and sound and to revel in our ability to do so. On the other our recording and survey work reveals the slightest dip (and increase) in any species, often indicating a habitat, and world, in turmoil.
We think we know a lot but, the more you know the quicker you realise how little you really know. It is important to keep recording, surveying, watching and ringing to help others, more knowledgeable than ourselves, detail what is going wrong with the world so we can attempt, if we wish, to put it back into a more harmonious balance.

See: http://www.borntotravelcampaign.com/

Lapwing WAS number 1

2009-05-07T07:21:00.002+01:00

On the 8th May 1909 the first bird ever, a Lapwing, was ringed in Aberdeen. Since then over 36 million different birds, using 11.3 tonnes of metal, have been ringed. Ironically, or maybe predictably, the first bird recovered abroad was also a Lapwing - ringed in Scotland and found in France.
Ringed birds have turned up in many different ways: they’ve been eaten by crocodiles in Gambia (Osprey), by Chimpanzees in zoos (Buzzard), caught by African spiders (Reed Warbler), hit whaling ships in snowstorms (Arctic Tern), been hit by golf balls (gulls and ducks) and even died after getting their bill stuck in the hem of a blanket (Barn Owl)!
Although so many birds have been ringed there is still a lot to learn. Whilst we now know a lot about the movements of Swallows (the first recovery was in South Africa in December 1912), we know next to nothing about their close relative the House Martin, with just two birds found south of the Sahara (in Senegal and Nigeria). Similarly, the wintering areas of Spotted Flycatchers and Pied Flycatchers remain a mystery. Given that both of these last two birds are declining rapidly it is becoming imperative that we fill these gaps in our knowledge.
Ringing also tells us a great deal about survival rates of our birds. Our oldest ringed bird, at 50 years and 11 months, is a Manx Shearwater; originally ringed at Bardsey Bird Observatory, North Wales, on 17 May 1957, it has bred on the island each summer ever since.

BTO volunteers ring over 800,000 birds every year. Part of the BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership of the BTO and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales, and also on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency). The scheme also receives support from National Parks and Wildlife (Ireland). The volunteer ringers give freely of their time and expertise and also provide a substantial part of the Scheme’s funding.

See: http://www.bto.org/ringing/ for more information.

...the Mistle Thrush.

2009-05-04T14:56:00.005+01:00

Found this nest quite by accident. Where I can, I scan nest boxes with binoculars in order to see if there is any activity before approaching the box. I was looking at a box about 30 yards away when something didn't appear quite right. About 25feet above the box was an unusual white patch. On examining further it was a Mistle Thrush, frozen, looking at me looking at it!

My route took me away from this box initially but, when I did get there in order to check the box below, the Mistle Thrush was 'away'.

A quick off-loading of kit and a climb up the tree revealed the nest - five young, big by usual passerine standards, but blind and downy by thrush criteria. A quick photo and exit should, hopefully, find me ringing the pulli next weekend.

Nest box season begins

2009-05-04T14:52:00.004+01:00

Checked all the nest boxes this weekend – bar one, which went awol! Had eight Great Tits all sitting, so couldn’t check contents but all must be sat on full clutches, and one Blue Tit doing the same. Then had another eight ‘tit’ nests with eggs 1x3, 1x4, 3x6, 1x8 and 2x9. At least one of these I think is Coal Tit, three Blue Tit and the rest Great Tit. Another 20 possible nests were under construction.

For Pied Flycatchers have three nests with eggs (1x1, 1x2 and 1x3) with another fourteen nests under manufacture. At the moment it is impossible to tell whether any of these will be due to Redstarts.

Other findings included a Mistle Thrush nest with five blind and downy young, another nest with parents feeding – but high up a rotting alder tree, so wasn’t about to climb that and a Tree Creeper nest which I’ll have to check again next week (when I have a torch!). Also discovered two pairs of Nuthatches feeding young and Blackbirds and Song Thrush carrying food – but with insufficient time to track back to nests. A few Chiffchaff alarm called as I passed by but Willow Warblers and Blackcaps were still singing. Ravens and Buzzards were quiet and the cuckoos only appeared late on it the day.

Allee effect

2009-04-24T08:42:00.003+01:00

French researches, using the internet, have demonstrated that conservation bodies ought to think very carefully about exploiting rare and endangered species as a ways and means of raising environmental awareness. Apparently, under the anthropogenic Allee effect, humans place a high value on rarity and so are willing to play high costs to exploit the last individuals. This effect is manifesting itself now with top-end ecotourism and the increase in rare and exotic 'pets'.
Using the internet, researches placed a series of slide shows of photographs free to view on-line and then monitored access and duration of viewings. They found that common species were viewed infrequently and rapidly, but that rare and endangered species experienced longer viewings - with individuals prepared to wait even longer for loading to see them. They then argue that labelling a species as rare or endangered promotes public perceptions to the extent that individuals will go out of their way to either 'see' or 'acquire' a species before it disappears - which inadvertently they will then be adding too.
Thus conservationists should be prudent when using rarity to promote conservation.

Angulo E, Courchamp F (2009) Rare Species Are Valued Big Time. PLoS ONE 4(4): e5215. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005215

Owls

2009-04-17T08:26:00.002+01:00

I bet most birdwatcher could count the number of owls they see each year on one hand, and maybe only on two fingers for the number of species. For most, Barn Owl is probably the most visualised species (hopefully not dead at the side of the road) followed either by Tawny Owl or Little Owl. They just don't seem to be birds we come across duing our general birding - even if we are up before dawn!
So, as we enter another period of recording for the National Atlas we are all being asked to spare a thought for owls. As we plan our visits to sites, and the routes we will take, we are also being asked to look at the clock i.e. make time to stay on site to either see or hear whatever owls may be about. Generally owls are not covered well during surveys unless specifically targeted, so it is important to encourage all volunteers to spare a moment for the owls and to try and add their 'spot' to the national map of their distribution.

Craneflys - daddy-long-legs to you and me.

2009-04-15T08:55:00.003+01:00

Global warming is killing cranefly larvae such that up to 95% of the population is killed before emergence as adults the following spring. Golden Plover breeding in the uplands is also being altered in accordance with the same rise in temperature.
In this scenario two plus two equals five and the effect is cumulative. According to new research Golden Plover populations in the uplands will disappear within 100 years if they do not adapt, or find new food sources. In the meantime numerous chicks will die of starvation.
Furthermore it is not only Golden Plover that will be affected but all other upland bird species i.e. curlew, that use craneflys as an important source of food.
Ref: Pearce-Higgins et al. Impacts of climate on prey abundance account for fluctuations in a population of a northern wader at the southern edge of its range. Global Change Biology 2009

Cuck, no, oooo.

2009-04-09T07:42:00.002+01:00

Everyone appears to be awaiting the arrival of the Cuckoo this year, and much has been printed on their expected continued decline. The next couple of weeks or so could determine whether Cuckoo is reclassified as Red-Listed. Listen-out.

Butterflies not doing so well either.

2009-04-09T07:25:00.002+01:00

For 12 species of butterfly 2008 was their worst year since records began in the mid 1970s. Orange Tip and Small Tortoiseshell have dwindled rapidly in recent years, and for some species, there are parts of the country where they are now extinct. Being sensitive indicators of habitat and meterological changes these findings serve to add to the gloomy global picture of a changing world.
You can help by documenting and reporting all of your butterfly sightings (whilst doing that survey or Atlas roving record) and sending them into either your local Records Centre or direct to Butterfly Conservation. If you wish to be more involved Oxford University are recruiting volunteers to actually rear (and release) some butterfly species (Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock) in order to record hatching failure rates and/or wasp infestations of caterpillars (see: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~zool0376/small-tortoiseshell.htm)

UK Biodiverstity Traffic Lights

2009-04-08T07:43:00.002+01:00

The most recent set of the eighteen biodiversity indicators have recently been published. The indicators include the population status of: key species; plant diversity; the status of priority species, habitats and ecosystems; genetic diversity of rare breeds of sheep and cattle; protected sites; management of woodland agricultural land and fisheries; impacts of air pollution and invasive species; expenditure on biodiversity; and the amount of time given by volunteers to nature conservation activities.
Of the 33 components measured 11 show long-term deterioration and only 9 long-term improvement.
Using an introduced traffic light system Breeding Farmland Birds, Breeding Woodland Birds and Breeding water and wetland birds are all red (deteriorating) over the period 1970-2007, while breeding seabirds and wintering waterbirds are green (improving) - for the same period for breeding, but the shortened period of 1975-2007 for wintering birds.
However, if one considers the change since the year 2000, breeding farmland birds, seabirds and wintering waterbirds are all red, with breeding woodland, water and wetland birds moving to amber (little or no overall change).
For full material see: www.jncc.gov.uk/biyp

Migration web sites

2009-04-03T07:28:00.002+01:00

Two new(ish) web sites to push your way - both related to bird migration.
http://www.borntotravelcampaign.com/ is a site dedicated to raising awareness of bird migratory routes and attempts to make them 'safe-routes' for birds. It features detailed articles, maps and videos of water-birds, land-birds and soaring birds. It's worth a look.
The second site is Birdlife Internationals Flyways Programme. http://www.birdlife.org/flyways/ This is another site similar to the first which is attempting to raise awareness of the importance of protecting birds along the whole of their migratory pathway and not just in either their breeding or wintering quarters.

simple but effective

2009-04-02T08:55:00.002+01:00

The number of birds killed by crashing into communication towers could be reduced by about 50–70% by simply changing the towers’ lighting systems, researchers say. Millions of night-migrating songbirds collide with (these) towers each year. Joelle Gehring of Michigan State University in Lansing and her colleagues counted bird carcasses below 21 similar-sized towers in Michigan during two 20-day migration periods in 2005. Towers with only flashing lights had a mean of 3.7 bird kills per season, whereas towers with both flashing and steadily burning lights had a mean of 13. As the steady light may attract birds, the team suggests that tower operators turn off those lights or reprogram them to flash.
Original article published in: Ecol. Appl. 19, 505–514 (2009)
Picture is a bit OTT - but you get the idea.

frogs and toads and...

2009-04-02T08:35:00.002+01:00

The BTO, Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust launch a combined initiative today in order to attempt a 'stock-take' of the nations' frogs, toads, and other reptiles. Called Reptiles and Amphibians in your Garden the scheme aims to combine scientists and volunteers in a nationwide review of frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards. The objective is to understand how amphibian and reptile populations may be responding to a variety of threats, including habitat loss, disease and garden chemicals.
Although people may think of amphibians and reptiles as creatures that occur only in the countryside, the 13 species native to Britain can all, to differing degrees, inhabit gardens. Some gardens can harbour hundreds of common frogs, and others can house large populations of slow-worms (a legless lizard). Grass snakes can also be prevalent in some urban areas, where they dip in and out of ponds looking for amphibian prey.
Volunteers are needed to complete a simple recording form, marking off species they have seen and answering straightforward questions about their gardens, such as whether they have a pond, whether they use pesticides or whether or not they have a compost heap.
For your ‘Reptiles and Amphibians in your Garden’ pack please call the BTO’s Garden Ecology Team on 01842-750050 or email: gbw@bto.org

Half of British population thinks countryside is boring

2009-03-31T08:19:00.002+01:00

...according to a OnePoll survey of 3000 adults. The adults were asked for their views and knowledge of the British countryside. A third of respondents said they had never even considered visiting the British countryside.
Their answers also revealed that one in 10 adults could not identify a sheep, 44% could not spot an oak tree and 83% did not know what a bluebell looked like. When they were shown a picture of a stag, 12% of adults identified it incorrectly as a reindeer.
And they probably think that milk comes from a supermarket!
One part of my rejoices because it means I will have to share the countryside with less people, but another part says how sad - many of these individuals are missing what is potentially the most enriching experiences of their lives.
Original article at: http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/30/114941/half-of-british-population-thinks-countryside-is-boring.html

RSPB BGBW

2009-03-25T11:41:00.005Z

The results from the 30th Big Garden Birdwatch were released this morning, with a surprising finding. Having jumped 88% from last year's count Long-tailed Tit has leapt into the Top Ten (admittedly only at 10 but there nevertheless).
Reasons for this increase are suggested as being an adaptation to garden feeding - nuts and seeds rather than insects - as well as two reasonable recent breeding seasons permitting maximum numbers of juveniles to survive year on year.
Although there have been changes since the survey began - woodpigeon and collared dove increasing dramatically - this years results confirm the continuing decline of both House Sparrow and Starling.
Full results can be found at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/results/

Eric Simms, DFC, 1921-2009

2009-03-23T08:46:00.003Z

Naturalist, ornithologist, author and conservationist.
I first came across Simm's work via his sound recordings, and it wasn't long before I was sufficiently interested in his life to get hold of a copy of his 'small' autobiography 'Birds of the Air'. Since then he has always been one of those individuals I have admired.
Via a subscription to a book club in my youth I aquired British Thrushes (New Naturalist), and received a copy of Woodland Birds (New Naturalist) as a school prize for a Sixth Form project on oak trees. Much, much, later I managed to win a copy of British Warblers (New Naturalist) via eBay - although British Larks, Pipits and Wagtails (New Naturalist) still evades me. Are you following? Simm's has been the most prolific author of texts for New Naturalist which, given their high standards, speaks volumes for the man.
Other texts I have of Eric's are The Public Life of the Street Pigeon, Birds of Town and Suburb, Bird Migrants and the Natural History of Birds, and have two copies of Birds of Town and Village.
He made quite an impression on me - he'll be missed.

See:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5946477.ece
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/5007637/Eric-Simms.html

Picture taken from The Times article.

Brockholes

2009-03-20T08:45:00.003Z

The new Lancs Wildlife Trust site of Brockholes (Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve), just off J31 of the M61 at Preston, received a major boost yesterday with £8M of North-West Regional Development Agency money being secured in order to help build the visitor centre.
See: http://www.lancswt.org.uk/PDFs/gettinginvolved/brockholes/Vision%20for%20Brockholes%20-%20updated%2015%20November%202006.pdf for more details of its future development.

Cheshire Rookeries

2009-03-13T19:35:00.002Z

Following on from their successful breeding and winter atlas, Cheshire & Wirral Ornithological Society are undertakng a county wide Rookery survey. Most known Rookeries have been allocated a counter but, as with all things, some small sites may have been missed. If you see any Rookeries in the county assume nothing - take a grid reference, count the number of occupied nests, note the date and send it in. If you'd like to add more value note the size of the colony (metres long /wide), the number and type of tree involved and the surrounding habitat.
This time of year they are easy to spot - I have five sites this morning just driving part of the A49
Picture by 'littlemithi'

Sea eagle

2009-03-13T07:52:00.002Z

Apparently English Nature wish to introduce White-tailed eagles into Norfolk - with a decision expected this year. Not all have greeted this proposal with glee. The Countryside Restoration Trust point out that eagles breed only 125 miles away at Oostvaardersplassen (The Netherlands) and, if conditions were suitable in Norfolk self colonisation would occur naturally.
The price of the reintroduction is costed at £600,000 and, the Trust say, this money could be better spent elsewhere. Frankly, on this point, I agree with them.

If it's not Atlas it's BBS (and WBBS)

2009-03-12T08:33:00.004Z

Irrespective of Atlas demands work must continue as usual, and now is the time I send out all of the necessary paperwork to fieldworkers who undertake the annual task of Breeding Bird Survey work (as well as other annual surveys). Many fieldworkers are year-on-year regulars which, heart-felt thanks, makes my work considerably easier.

Within Merseyside there are 42 BBS plots and two WBBS. So far 22 BBS plots and both WBBS plots have been taken by volunteers, meaning that there are some still unallocated. Of these six are considered uncoverable - either because the random selection process has put them 'at sea' or they are currently places volunteers have no wish to go to in the early mornings!!

Once I have allocated all plots to existing and newly presenting volunteers I will post the remainder here, in the hope that you may like to adopt one.

The Heronries census, all colonies to the north of Liverpool, is usually undertaken by ringers and WeBS counts, usually but not always undertaken at coastal sites, has its own network of volunteers.

Atlas, Atlas and more Atlas.

2009-03-12T08:17:00.002Z

Well, it's that time of year and all Atlas organisers are motivating their volunteers for the start of the new breeding season. In line with this they are all producing their respective newsletters informing fieldworkers of the results to date. Obviously I have the Lancs and North Merseyside one (see: http://www.lacfs.org.uk/Documents/Atlas_Newsletter_March_2009.pdf), and also the one covering the breeding Atlas work of north Wales (see: http://www.northwalesbirdatlas.co.uk/Forms/BTO%20Atlas%20Newsletter%202%20Spring%202009.pdf).

At a local level our statistics to date are: over 400 contributing observers who have undertaken >200 TTV's. From the first winter period we have 28k TTV records, with 25k records from the first breeding season. When you add in Roving Recorder records it brings us to in excess of 100k records from one full season of field work.
On the ground this equates to coverage of 41% of winter tetrads and 31% coverage of breeding season tetrads. With 77% of tetrads allocated this means, on paper, we are on course as it stands to cover 75% of the county. For a local Atlas at tetrad level this is promising. Obviously next year we will push to get volunteers to fill gaps and push us towards that desired 100% coverage. That said there are gaps appearing now - St Helens, Bowland and areas of south Liverpool. So, if you can, consider offering yourself up to cover these areas.

A big thank you to all those who have contributed to date, or are about to contribute for the first time this year.

more on worms

2009-02-23T13:04:00.002Z

Here it is, my participant pack has arrived (together with a nice id chart for worms). There are 26 different species of British worm - and there was me thinking there were only two - from an aptly named compost worm to an octagonal-tailed worm. There is even a Black-headed worm.
The survey task is to dig a hole 20x20x10cm and collect all the earthworms for identification, as well as noting foreigners - beetles, flies, bugs, snails, slugs and spiders. Then, followed by some remedial soil characteristics and measurement of pH that's about it - although I still have to work out what the sachets of vinegar and mustard are for.

Soil and earthworm survey - March 2009

2009-02-20T07:51:00.002Z

Being organised by OPAL - Open Air Laboratories - in conjunction with the Natural History Museum. The national earthworm survey is about to start, with bees being later in the year.
See: http://www.opalexplorenature.org/?q=soilsurvey

Get involved - even if its only from your back garden.

Shifting baseline syndrome

2009-02-19T20:49:00.001Z

A conservation theory which says that people’s perception of the environment is determined by what they see now, with their own eyes, and does not take into account what things were like in the past.

A study undertaken by Sarah Papworth, a PhD student at Imperial College London, found that ‘young members of the community are less aware of past changes’. Not rocket science you might say, but if people do not perceive there is any degradation in the world around them they may be less willing to engage in conservation in any form. Questioning village residents about common birds now, and twenty years ago, older villagers were better able to judge how numbers had gone up or down. People who thought there had been no change in bird populations were more likely to think birds common now were also common twenty years ago.

Sarah suggests, reported in Conservation Letters, that there is both ‘generational amnesia’ – where younger people do not know what things were like in the past, coupled with ‘personal amnesia’ where people assume that what they see now is how the world has always been.

Conservationists are now taking into account shifting baseline syndrome when planning activities – it is now more and more common for researchers to use local residents’ recollections alongside traditional methods when compiling data on changes in biodiversity over the years.

Birds' strategic mobbing fends of parasitic invaders

2009-02-19T20:23:00.002Z

When I first read this headline I was thinking fleas and lice – but we’re talking cuckoos. A study recently published looks at how reed warblers are further adapting to the attentions of cuckoos. Evolution has progressed to the extent that cuckoos now lay eggs similar to those of reed warblers so that they are not rejected. The strategy now employed by reed warblers to prevent their hosting a cuckoo chick is to ‘mob’ the invading female cuckoo thus preventing any eggs from being laid. However, it’s not simply a question of mobbing every cuckoo in sight. The study found that mobbing cuckoos in high-risk areas had the benefit of preventing laying, offset against the actions attracting predators. In low-risk areas there were no such benefits with mobbing appearing to attract further cuckoos (and predators).
The strategic defense employed by reed warblers – mobbing, or not, according to the likelihood of being parasitized – has been likened to a military ‘defense-in-depth-strategy’. Next it’ll no doubt be close body combat and guerrilla tactics throughout the reedbed.
Article appears in Current Biology

Reed warbler feeding a parasitic common cuckoo chick in a nest. (Credit: Photo Per H. Olsen/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Image)

Eye Eye

2009-02-12T20:02:00.004Z

If you have a few minutes to spare and wish to test your birding skills have a quick look at Ingeborg Van Leeuwens' (University of Dundee) birding quiz - all based on eyes! The only help you get is (shows my area of weakness) if you can't work it out it's either a duck or a goose!

It can be found at: http://www.maths.dundee.ac.uk/~ingeborg/birdquiz/birdquiz.html

Demog Blog

2009-02-12T13:16:00.002Z

A new BTO led blog initiated on the back of this being the 100 year of ringing in the UK. This blog is created by Mark Grantham who is now the voice of the BTO Demography Unit (after spending his more recent time being the voice of Birdtrack)

http://www.btoringing.blogspot.com/

Demography - "The study of the characteristics of populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics"

Is it a bird, is it a box?

2009-02-10T08:15:00.002Z

Fashion versus function - a statement that can be applied to almost anything. Now, however, it has been applied to nestboxes. Retail outlets, including many garden centres, are selling nestboxes that are, to be truthful, ornaments rather than functional bird nesting boxes. The RSPB have warned against purchasing these items as nestboxes as they can be deathtraps - tin roofs can fry nestlings if the box is placed in direct sunlight, ceramic boxes do not give proper insulation and colourful boxes could invite predators simply as they investigate what they are actually seeing. Good timing. With the BTO Nestbox challenge starting next week it would be nice to get everyone using a nestbox 'fit for purpose'.

Bees can count...

2009-01-29T07:30:00.002Z

...apparently. Carefully controlled research in Australia has confirmed that bees can count - certainly up to three, and maybe to four. Placing bees in a specially designed environment such that they could not use sound or smells to navigate they managed to find their way to an exit hole marked with a series of dots. Is this really counting, or just pattern recognition? Who knows? But, all of a sudden, evolution has to be re-written as we are now not that dissimilar to bees, or is it the other way round. It never ceases to amaze me, even in today's world, that money is still avaialble to spend on interesting but questionably, useful research.

The 2008 breeding season.

2009-01-27T20:29:00.002Z

Results have been just released on the 2008 UK breeding season. 2008 was a cool wet summer being wettest in July and August, thus affecting those birds that have later broods. This following on from the wet summer of 2007.
Birds that had higher levels of average productivity were Chiffchaff (+22%) and Long-tailed tit (+16%) as they tend to be early season nesters. Great Tit (-35%), Song Thrush (-35%) and Garden Warbler (-34%) all did badly with reduced productivity levels with Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Willow Tit, Blackcap, Robin and Dunnock all having reduced productivity levels in the 20%'s.
Constant Effort Site ringing and the Nest Record Scheme will monitor how these birds are faring this year - particularly after the cold snaps of winter.