Have a look at Fleetwood Bird Observatory later this evening for details of what was a phenomenal Black Tern passage off the obs today.
My moth trap was equally devoid of moths as yesterday with just 3 Light Brown Apple Moths and a single Garden Carpet making up the catch!
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Few Moths And A Few More Pulli
I ran my moth trap last night with high expectations of a decent haul, but it wasn't to be. I even got up exceedingly early so I could process all the moths before heading off to three sites to check boxes! Three moths, three species was all I caught; a Plume Moth, Garden Carpet and a Hebrew Character.
Thankfully we faired better with the nest boxes. To and from out nest box site in the Hodder Valley we ringed two broods of two Lapwings. At each site we got 2 out of the 3 in the brood. Sadly at the first site near Inglewhite one of the Lapwing chicks got run over and killed by a car. Ian and I came across the three chicks in the road, screeched to a halt and went to gather them up. We found two, but one had disappeared into the verge. We ringed the two chicks and then the third popped out, but before we got to it a car came round the corner and ran over it. If we hadn't been going past I think all three would have been road casualties.
In total we ringed 46 pulli at the boxes that were a mixture of Blue and Great Tits. The Pied Flycatchers aren't ready yet, but we did lift an unringed adult female off the nest and ringed her. Most of the Tree Sparrows that we ringed last week had either successfully fledged or were about to fledge. However, there were still one or two boxes still at the egg stage.
Garden Carpet
In total we ringed 46 pulli at the boxes that were a mixture of Blue and Great Tits. The Pied Flycatchers aren't ready yet, but we did lift an unringed adult female off the nest and ringed her. Most of the Tree Sparrows that we ringed last week had either successfully fledged or were about to fledge. However, there were still one or two boxes still at the egg stage.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Buzzard Petition Site
If you feel strongly, as I do, about Defra's horrendous plans to look into methods of controlling Buzzards then please visit this petition site by clicking here
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Defra Plan To Control Buzzard Numbers
Before I get onto the latest barbaric proposal by the Tory bunch of 'merchant bankers' who claim to be the greenest government (what a fecking joke) yet, to destroy further species of our already beleaguered birds of prey, you might have noticed a change in my blog title!
The reason for the change is to reflect more of what my blog is about and also because all the Fleetwood bird stuff is covered in my good mate Ian and I's new blog Fleetwood Bird Observatory Depending on the success of our new blog and our commitment to it the title 'Fleetwood Birder' may return in the future! To launch my new blog title I was going to regale you with a tale of a classic days birding in late May in Norfolk in 1987, but that will have to wait until another day. Instead I am having to pass on more depressing news for the fortunes of yet another of our magnificent raptors.
Listening to the today programme on Radio 4 this morning I heard about Defras plans to control Buzzard numbers so some of the irresponsible gun toting idiots can have more tame Pheasants to blast for a giggle. No doubt this will all be dressed up as how Pheasant shooting is important for the rural economy, which is the usual lame excuse the 'boys in blue' come up with to keep all their wealthy chums happy. The income from blasting tame Pheasants won't be anywhere near as much as the income from tourism by people visiting the countryside to enjoy our magnificent birds of prey.
Anyway, below is an article from the good people at Birdguides
'The RSPB is stunned by Defra's plan to allow the destruction of Common Buzzard nests and to permit Buzzards to be taken into captivity to remove them from shooting estates. The Society believes this intervention against one of England's best-loved birds of prey will set a terrible precedent and prove to be a costly and unnecessary exercise. The move by Defra followed lobbying by the Pheasant-shooting industry. Buzzards usually scavenge on animals that have already died, but they will sometimes take young Pheasants that are released for sports shooting.
The Buzzard was eradicated from large swathes of Britain following decades of persecution. Legal protection and a general warming of attitudes towards Buzzards and other birds of prey on the part of many lowland land-managers led to Buzzards recovering across the UK: a fantastic conservation success story. Martin Harper is the RSPB's conservation director. Criticising Defra's proposal, he said: "We are shocked by Defra's plans to destroy Buzzard nests and to take Buzzards into captivity to protect a non-native game bird released in its millions. Buzzards play a minor role in Pheasant losses compared with other factors like collisions with vehicles."
Pheasants are not native to the UK. Around 40 million birds are released every year for shooting. The impacts of this practise on wildlife have been poorly documented, but serious questions have been raised about the impact such a large injection of captive-reared birds might have on the predator–prey balance in our countryside. Buzzards will take young pheasants from rearing pens, given the opportunity, but the RSPB believes the issue can be managed without destroying nests or moving Buzzards. Measures include providing more cover for young Pheasants in release pens, visual deterrents to discourage birds of prey and providing alternative food sources.
Mr Harper added: "There are options for addressing the relatively small number of Pheasant poults lost to Buzzards. Destroying nests is completely unjustified and catching and removing Buzzards is unlikely to reduce predation levels as another Buzzard will quickly take its place. Both techniques would be illegal under current wildlife laws, and I think most people will agree with us that reaching for primitive measures, such as imprisoning Buzzards or destroying their nests, when wildlife and economic interests collide is totally unacceptable. At a time when funding for vital conservation work is so tight, and with another bird of prey, the Hen Harrier, facing extinction as a breeding bird in England, I can think of better ways of spending £400,000 of public funds. This money could work harder for wildlife, and I hope the Government will therefore put a stop to this project."
Mick Carroll of the Northern England Raptor Forum said: "Given that Buzzards are still recovering from past persecution and there is no evidence they are a significant cause of loss, this is a scandalous waste of public money." Nigel Middleton, Hawk and Owl Trust Conservation Officer for the Eastern Region, said: "We are totally against persecution of any birds of prey, and destroying the nests of Buzzards is tantamount to this. We believe that alternatives should always be sought to lethal control where the commercial interests of humans come into conflict with birds of prey."
I don't want to say anymore because I will end up ranting, but it is possible to have a look at a project specification by Defra entitled 'The Development Techniques to Reduce Predation of Pheasant Poults by Buzzards'. If it wasn't so terrifying it would be funny. There are phrases like "a 2011 survey by the National Gamekeepers Organisation found that 76% of gamekeepers believe that Buzzards have a harmful effect on gamebirds". Oh what a surprise! That's a good bit of unbiased research to base a policy on then. I imagine that you could add any predator species into that and a majority of gamekeepers would say that they were having a harmful effect on gamebirds. What will be next; Sparrowhawks?! It then goes on to say that BBS 2010 results for breeding Buzzards in England shows an increase in the breeding population of 146% between 1995 and 2009". So that's it then, the population of Buzzards has increased, the Gamekeepers Association says they are having a harmful effect on non-native tame gamebirds soon to be blasted for a giggle, so lets have a cull. Sickening!
The reason for the change is to reflect more of what my blog is about and also because all the Fleetwood bird stuff is covered in my good mate Ian and I's new blog Fleetwood Bird Observatory Depending on the success of our new blog and our commitment to it the title 'Fleetwood Birder' may return in the future! To launch my new blog title I was going to regale you with a tale of a classic days birding in late May in Norfolk in 1987, but that will have to wait until another day. Instead I am having to pass on more depressing news for the fortunes of yet another of our magnificent raptors.
Listening to the today programme on Radio 4 this morning I heard about Defras plans to control Buzzard numbers so some of the irresponsible gun toting idiots can have more tame Pheasants to blast for a giggle. No doubt this will all be dressed up as how Pheasant shooting is important for the rural economy, which is the usual lame excuse the 'boys in blue' come up with to keep all their wealthy chums happy. The income from blasting tame Pheasants won't be anywhere near as much as the income from tourism by people visiting the countryside to enjoy our magnificent birds of prey.
Anyway, below is an article from the good people at Birdguides
'The RSPB is stunned by Defra's plan to allow the destruction of Common Buzzard nests and to permit Buzzards to be taken into captivity to remove them from shooting estates. The Society believes this intervention against one of England's best-loved birds of prey will set a terrible precedent and prove to be a costly and unnecessary exercise. The move by Defra followed lobbying by the Pheasant-shooting industry. Buzzards usually scavenge on animals that have already died, but they will sometimes take young Pheasants that are released for sports shooting.
The Buzzard was eradicated from large swathes of Britain following decades of persecution. Legal protection and a general warming of attitudes towards Buzzards and other birds of prey on the part of many lowland land-managers led to Buzzards recovering across the UK: a fantastic conservation success story. Martin Harper is the RSPB's conservation director. Criticising Defra's proposal, he said: "We are shocked by Defra's plans to destroy Buzzard nests and to take Buzzards into captivity to protect a non-native game bird released in its millions. Buzzards play a minor role in Pheasant losses compared with other factors like collisions with vehicles."
Pheasants are not native to the UK. Around 40 million birds are released every year for shooting. The impacts of this practise on wildlife have been poorly documented, but serious questions have been raised about the impact such a large injection of captive-reared birds might have on the predator–prey balance in our countryside. Buzzards will take young pheasants from rearing pens, given the opportunity, but the RSPB believes the issue can be managed without destroying nests or moving Buzzards. Measures include providing more cover for young Pheasants in release pens, visual deterrents to discourage birds of prey and providing alternative food sources.
Mr Harper added: "There are options for addressing the relatively small number of Pheasant poults lost to Buzzards. Destroying nests is completely unjustified and catching and removing Buzzards is unlikely to reduce predation levels as another Buzzard will quickly take its place. Both techniques would be illegal under current wildlife laws, and I think most people will agree with us that reaching for primitive measures, such as imprisoning Buzzards or destroying their nests, when wildlife and economic interests collide is totally unacceptable. At a time when funding for vital conservation work is so tight, and with another bird of prey, the Hen Harrier, facing extinction as a breeding bird in England, I can think of better ways of spending £400,000 of public funds. This money could work harder for wildlife, and I hope the Government will therefore put a stop to this project."
Mick Carroll of the Northern England Raptor Forum said: "Given that Buzzards are still recovering from past persecution and there is no evidence they are a significant cause of loss, this is a scandalous waste of public money." Nigel Middleton, Hawk and Owl Trust Conservation Officer for the Eastern Region, said: "We are totally against persecution of any birds of prey, and destroying the nests of Buzzards is tantamount to this. We believe that alternatives should always be sought to lethal control where the commercial interests of humans come into conflict with birds of prey."
I don't want to say anymore because I will end up ranting, but it is possible to have a look at a project specification by Defra entitled 'The Development Techniques to Reduce Predation of Pheasant Poults by Buzzards'. If it wasn't so terrifying it would be funny. There are phrases like "a 2011 survey by the National Gamekeepers Organisation found that 76% of gamekeepers believe that Buzzards have a harmful effect on gamebirds". Oh what a surprise! That's a good bit of unbiased research to base a policy on then. I imagine that you could add any predator species into that and a majority of gamekeepers would say that they were having a harmful effect on gamebirds. What will be next; Sparrowhawks?! It then goes on to say that BBS 2010 results for breeding Buzzards in England shows an increase in the breeding population of 146% between 1995 and 2009". So that's it then, the population of Buzzards has increased, the Gamekeepers Association says they are having a harmful effect on non-native tame gamebirds soon to be blasted for a giggle, so lets have a cull. Sickening!
Sunday, 20 May 2012
The Good Lovelies
For details of the ringing session that Ian and I had this morning at the obs go to http://fleetwoodbirdobs.blogspot.co.uk/
Now, on to the Good Lovelies. Who are the Good Lovelies I hear you ask. They are an all female, I hate to say folk, so will say acoustic/roots band from Toronto, Canada. Gail and I went to see them last Thursday in Garstang and we thoroughly enjoyed them, so much so that we nearly went to Barnsley the following night to see them again!
What's strange is that they aren't really my cup of tea and I shouldn't really like them; no twin lead guitar attack, no heavy blues riffs, no mellow aching Gilmour-like guitar solos or keyboard driven songs lasting over twenty minutes! But what impressed me was their wit and on-stage banter, beautiful harmonising vocals, good straight forward song writing and their ability to play multi-instruments that they swapped around after each song.
I had a chat with them during the interval and after the gig, and probably bored them to death by telling them about all the Canadian bands I like such as Rush and Jeff Healey! Have a look at the clips below and see what you think, or I am just going soft and mellowing in my old age!
Now, on to the Good Lovelies. Who are the Good Lovelies I hear you ask. They are an all female, I hate to say folk, so will say acoustic/roots band from Toronto, Canada. Gail and I went to see them last Thursday in Garstang and we thoroughly enjoyed them, so much so that we nearly went to Barnsley the following night to see them again!
What's strange is that they aren't really my cup of tea and I shouldn't really like them; no twin lead guitar attack, no heavy blues riffs, no mellow aching Gilmour-like guitar solos or keyboard driven songs lasting over twenty minutes! But what impressed me was their wit and on-stage banter, beautiful harmonising vocals, good straight forward song writing and their ability to play multi-instruments that they swapped around after each song.
I had a chat with them during the interval and after the gig, and probably bored them to death by telling them about all the Canadian bands I like such as Rush and Jeff Healey! Have a look at the clips below and see what you think, or I am just going soft and mellowing in my old age!
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Pied Flys and Things
Ian and I spent the morning checking boxes at three sites. First up was our site in the Hodder Valley in the heart of Bowland. Most birds were sitting tight, either on eggs or brooding small young. We did manage to ring a brood of 5 Great Tits and lifted 2 female Pied Flycatchers off the nest. The first female Pied Fly was ringed at this site as a breeding female in 2009 and each year we have recorded her at the site. It gives me goose bumps when I think about the mileage she has covered flying to and from West Africa each year, and the dangers that she has seen and overcome. Absolutely amazing!
The second female wasn't one of ours and was a control; X932417 anybody? It will be interesting to see where she was ringed. Wandering around the woodland we had singing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.
Our next port of call was Rawcliffe Moss to check our Tree Sparrow boxes and we managed to ring 23 pullus here. We then moved on to a friends farm at Nateby to check a further 25 boxes. We ringed one brood of two Tree Sparrows and a brood of four Great Tits. Like our site in the Hodder Valley a lot of females were sitting tight on the nest, so it looks like next week will be a busy weekend ringing.
Don't forget to click Fleetwood Bird Observatory to find out what was at the 'obs' today.
Great Tit
The second female wasn't one of ours and was a control; X932417 anybody? It will be interesting to see where she was ringed. Wandering around the woodland we had singing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.
Our next port of call was Rawcliffe Moss to check our Tree Sparrow boxes and we managed to ring 23 pullus here. We then moved on to a friends farm at Nateby to check a further 25 boxes. We ringed one brood of two Tree Sparrows and a brood of four Great Tits. Like our site in the Hodder Valley a lot of females were sitting tight on the nest, so it looks like next week will be a busy weekend ringing.
Tree Sparrow
Don't forget to click Fleetwood Bird Observatory to find out what was at the 'obs' today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)