NEWSLETTER Summer 2018 Editor: Tony Bates

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER Summer 2018 Editor: Tony Bates RSPB New Forest Local Group GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE How do you make your garden an even better home for wildlife? Firstly, consider different plants available, the space you have and resources you have at your disposal. The larger the variety of habitats you create in your garden, the better home for wildlife it will make! Taller more structural bushes and trees will provide shelter and nesting sites for birds and mammals, whilst, lower flowering plants or patches of uncut grass and wildflowers will provide good ground cover for others, as well as food for birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. Choosing plants that flower, seed and bear fruit at different times of the year will give year-round benefit. Bringing even a small an area of water into the garden can provide a resource for a big range of wildlife: home for insects and amphibians, somewhere to drink or bathe for birds and mammals. When choosing plants consider not only your soil type, light and shade and appearance but also value to wildlife. Ornamental trees may not produce fruit, but they may be valuable in other ways. Varieties susceptible to insect attack, for instance, are valuable to birds and other insects that feed on the offending insect. Simple and open flowers and those with a stronger scent are likely to provide more nectar for bees and hoverflies. The most economical and environmentally sensitive way to purchase plants is as bare-rooted or as seeds. This avoids buying plants that have been potted using peat and uses less plastic. Bedding plants may have been raised on an industrialised scale in huge heated glasshouses and shipped here from the continent. The containers they are grown in do not usually recycle or biodegrade well and the plants are usually grown in peat. Using native plants and wild flowers can be hugely beneficial and important to wildlife that may rely on them for food and nesting. Areas of wild flower meadow in countryside and in decline as well, so introducing these to our spaces can be a key part in keeping species alive and keeping insects like bees in business. There is more advice on the RSPB website

2 GARDEN BIRD SURVEY January to March 2018 This turned to be quite an interesting quarter with some rarer species reported including a new addition to our records and an increase late on in the number of winter thrushes seen thanks to the beast from the east. Recently I have mentioned the large number of species some of you have been reporting in your gardens and wonder if I have stirred a competitive streak in some of you as one person has recorded 40 species for this quarter which included 4 kinds of gull and a meadow pipit (quite a rare garden visitor). The new addition was a yellow browed warbler that turned up in Pennington. A ring ouzel was present for 4 weeks in Tiptoe. The beast from the east may have accounted for 12 people recording redwings (4 last year) and 8 people having fieldfares (only 2 last year). The majority of these records were in late February and early March. In addition, 3 people saw bramblings in their gardens as opposed to only one last year. When it comes to looking at the tables there is little change in the rank orders in the top halves of each table but a small difference in recording rate at the top can change a species position quite a lot. For instance, in the birdgardens table in 2017 everyone saw dunnock and they were equal first in the list but this year only one person failed to see a dunnock dropping the recording rate to 97% but down to sixth position in the list. Most species recording rates in the birdweeks table were similar to last year although goldfinch, long-tailed tit, siskin and bullfinch were more plentiful but changed their position in the table very little. Jackdaws were slightly down and as usual there were more pied wagtails around than in the summer. The colder weather probably also contributed to the increase in the numbers of most species visiting our gardens with goldfinch, house sparrow, goldcrest and bullfinch showing the biggest increases even though their positions did not change much. It is interesting to note that our results for these species are not dissimilar to the BTO Garden Birdwatch results. Other species among the 55 reported during the quarter were: sparrowhawk (11 gardens); pheasant and black-headed gull (10); herring gull (9); green woodpecker and stock dove (8); blackcap (7); rook and tawny owl (5); jay and tree creeper (4); feral pigeon, common buzzard, grey heron, mistle thrush, mallard and reed bunting (3); lesser redpoll, marsh tit and grey wagtail (2); red legged partridge, common gull, lesser black-backed gull, greater black-backed gull, and hawfinch (1).

3 Table 1: Percent/Birdweeks Table 2: Percent/Birdgardens 1 Blackbird Robin Wood pigeon Blue tit Dunnock Great tit Goldfinch Collared dove Starling House sparrow Chaffinch Magpie Long-tailed tit Coal tit Carrion crow Greenfinch Song thrush Nuthatch Jackdaw Great spotted woodpecker Siskin Pied wagtail Wren Bullfinch Stock dove Blackbird Robin Wood pigeon Blue tit Great tit Dunnock Collared dove Goldfinch Long-tailed tit Starling Coal tit Chaffinch Magpie Song thrush House sparrow Wren Carrion crow Greenfinch Nuthatch Pied wagtail Goldcrest Jackdaw Great spotted woodpecker 24 Siskin Bullfinch The percentage figure in Table 1 is calculated by adding the percentage of weeks that each observer records any species and dividing by the number of observers. If an observer records a species for 9 weeks in a 12-week period this is 75% for that observer. If the total of all the percentages for 50 observers is 3000 this gives a percent/birdweeks figure of 60. If half of the observers each record a species for half of the weeks we would get 25% for the percent/birdweeks figure. The percent/birdgardens figure is simply the number of gardens in which a species has been recorded divided by the number of recorders and multiplied by 100. The last column in each table gives the corresponding rank position for the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

4 TRIP REPORTS Winterbourne Downs Tuesday, 10 April 2018 Light rain or drizzle for most of the journey to RSPB Winterbourne Downs turned into a heavy down-pour as we arrived. Luckily that was the end of the rain for the day and, although the sun failed to put in an appearance, it remained dry for the rest of the trip around the reserve. Seven people braved the forecasts to make the trip, with nearly as many guests as local group members. We decided to start by taking the westerly large loop starting up the disused railway, returning to the cars for lunch and then tackling the shorter easterly loop after refreshments. We set of to the sound of a yellowhammer and dunnock singing in the trees ahead and had fleeting views of bullfinch. Tits, chaffinch and goldfinch were in the trees along the track, while hares were active in the field to the left, and two swallows flew overhead - the first of the year for most of us. Patches of sweet violet grew along the track, but the daffodils were definitely of the domestic variety. Stopping at the screens overlooking the "stone curlew patch" we were able to discern two stone curlews at the near left-hand end of the patch and all had reasonable telescope views of the birds. A smaller bird perched on top of a bush for most of the time we were at the screens was identified as a corn bunting. Some of the party were lucky enough to catch sight of some grey partridge before the disappeared behind a mound, never, unfortunately to reappear. Going along the path at the top of the field we saw a singing chiffchaff and had a good view of a large sparrowhawk nearly overhead, but the partridge turned out to be red-legged and not the elusive grey. Buzzard were circling and frequently calling. Cowslips in the meadow were in flower. Following the path downhill at the far side of the field from the railway track we heard green woodpecker yaffling close by, but it remained hidden, as did the great spotted woodpecker we heard drumming a few minutes later. Completing the circuit of the field, skylarks were singing and small flocks of goldfinches flew towards the car park trees. Two roebucks were grazing in the field across the road. After a short stop for lunch, we set out along the footpath at the start of the smaller loop across a meadow dotted with cowslips. The path took a left turn and entered a small wood mainly of yew trees, with some larger beech. Blue, great and long-tailed tits were foraging in the bushes, and a male blackcap

5 was spotted feasting on ivy berries. A treecreeper put in an appearance, but the nuthatch that was tapping a nut somewhere near-by did not oblige us with a view. Wrens were seen and heard close-by. A red kite glided overhead and buzzards continued to call frequently and, on leaving the wood, we had good views of them circling in the valley. Back at the screens, we saw the two stone curlew again, but they virtually disappeared when the hunkered down on the earth; even with the scope directly on them, they were difficult to pick out. It turned out to be a much more enjoyable and productive visit that had seemed possible in the rain as we arrived. Species list: mallard; red-legged partridge; grey partridge; pheasant (h); red kite; sparrowhawk; buzzard; stone curlew; wood pigeon; collared dove (h); green woodpecker (h); great spotted woodpecker (h); magpie; jackdaw; rook; carrion crow; blue tit; great tit; skylark (h); swallow; long-tailed tit; chiffchaff; blackcap; nuthatch (h); treecreeper; wren; starling; blackbird; song thrush; robin; dunnock; chaffinch; goldfinch; bullfinch; yellowhammer; corn bunting. Durlston Country Park Monday, 23 April 2018 After a little confusion as to which car park we were meeting in, due to the Visitor Centre moving from its former home in the Learning Centre to the Café, 16 people set off for a stroll round Durlston Country Park. The weather was bright, but with a biting south-west wind. Taking the path to the cliffs to the left of the Café, a couple of very agitated blackbirds were calling from dense bushes. Things calmed down when a sparrowhawk flew off from the cover. A pair of blackcaps were full of the joys of spring and mating repeatedly in a small tree opposite. At the cliff top shag were seen on the sea and flying past and the first sighting of fulmar gliding along the cliffs. A peregrine falcon was spotted on a rocky cliff-face and it later gave excellent views as it slowly drifted along the cliff top at eye level. A few swallows were seen coming in off the sea. Apart from a chiffchaff, small birds were in short supply in the bushes along the cliff top. On the sea were rafts of common guillemot with a few razorbills. Stopping at a grassy patch overlooking an inland valley for a coffee break, we saw a few small birds including goldfinch. A male kestrel was perched on some powerlines and later took off and flew towards the group. A common whitethroat was singing from dense vegetation along a stone wall, but eventually gave good views. Continuing along the cliff path, another peregrine was located on the cliffs but, while there were fleeting views of meadow pipit,

6 wren and dunnock, there were still very few small birds. Eventually, a male stonechat was seen to the left of the path. Towards lunchtime, we headed inland up a steep grassy hill and were immediately rewarded by a singing lesser whitethroat. It was spotted flying between bushes, but then obligingly perched on top of a small tree and continued its song for some time. On the hill side, we found both greenwinged and early spider orchids. We stopped at the hill-top for lunch amongst a carpet of cowslips and to the song of skylark. In a dip in front of our lunchspot were several more early spider orchids and rosettes of spotted leaves, which suggested common spotted orchids would soon be in bloom. After lunch, we returned towards the car park at the higher level and saw several skylarks displaying above meadows of cowslips, while swallows hawked inches above the ground. Back at the visitor centre another lesser whitethroat was found at the same spot that we had seen them a couple of years earlier. Over tea and cake in the café, the last bird of the day was seen circling over the fields to the east, which was a common buzzard. Species list: Fulmar, gannet, shag, sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, peregrine falcon, blackheaded gull, herring gull, great black-backed gull, common guillemot, razorbill, feral pigeon, wood pigeon, magpie, jay, jackdaw, carrion crow, blue tit, great tit, skylark, swallow, long-tailed tit, chiffchaff, blackcap, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, wren, starling, blackbird, song thrush, robin, stonechat, dunnock, house sparrow, meadow pipit, chaffinch, goldfinch, linnet. Portland Bill Tuesday, 1 May 2018 After the disappointment of the cancelled trip to Portland on 29 March, it was heartening that 17 people assembled in Cheyne Weares car park for the rearranged trip on 1 May. The day started with bright sunshine, which was a pleasant change from the heavy rain in March. Whitethroats were singing from bushes around the car park and a buzzard cruised low over houses opposite. While watching the buzzard, a peregrine falcon appeared and having seen off the buzzard continued to circle the area for a while. A short walk down the road over-looking the fields did not produce anything of note, but back on the cliff path a peregrine was spotted sitting atop a wall against the sky. It was still there when we returned 4 hours later! Linnets fluttered between the cliffs and bushes and sang from the tree tops and a black mass on top of a fence post proved to be a raven, which allowed a fairly close approach. A pipit singing from a rock on the cliff edge had us confused for a while, but photos suggest it was just a meadow pipit behaving oddly. Progressing inland to a wooded quarry was a little disappointing as we hoped that some of the recent fall of warblers might still be present there. Other than a chiffchaff, there were linnets, wren and blue tits in small numbers. Then back across the road to the fields opposite, which we scanned for yellow wagtails to no avail. Kestrels were active around the field area. At

7 the "top fields" area, we spotted the first or several redstarts, first a female soon followed by a male, but only tantalising glances. We soon came on several other birders who had located a female golden oriole feeding in some bushes across a field. She seemed fairly sedentary only moving small distances to other food sources. Then a male golden oriole flew over the bushes and she set off to follow him out of immediate view. After a short wait, it seemed they were unlikely to reappear any time soon, so we wandered slowly down the track towards the cliffs. A male redstart was feeding around a dung heap at the corner of a field and provided good views. Further on, skylarks were singing and one was on the ground close to the path. Walking along the cliff-top towards the lighthouse provided the first view of gannet and shag and stopping on the cliff edge we could see guillemot on the sea and guillemot, razorbill, cormorant and shag on cliff ledges. A single wheatear was found along the fence towards the Bill. During a lunch stop at the obelisk, there was a continuous passage of Manx shearwaters, mostly going east past the Bill along with a few gannet and a single great skua. Herring and great black-backed gulls floated around and a raven flew slowly past. No little owl at the observatory quarry and little other than rats in the observatory garden. The walk back to the car was done hurriedly as black clouds started to close in on us and we had a sharp shower as we arrived back, but not too much of a soaking. Some of us stopped a Ferrybridge for tea and cakes and to look over the shore. Two whimbrels were at the water's edge along with Sandwich tern, gulls and oystercatchers. A large group of summer plumaged dunlin probed the mud along with a few ringed plover. Three wheatears were in the vegetation in front of the café and meadow pipit and linnet fluttered around. Species list: Pheasant (H), fulmar, manx shearwater, gannet, cormorant, shag, buzzard, kestrel, peregrine falcon, oystercatcher, ringed plover, dunlin, whimbrel, great skua, black-headed gull, herring gull, great black-backed gull, sandwich tern, common guillemot, razorbill, feral pigeon, stock dove, wood pigeon, golden oriole, magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, raven, blue tit, great tit, skylark, swallow, chiffchaff, whitethroat, wren, starling, blackbird, song thrush, robin, redstart, wheatear, dunnock, house sparrow, meadow pipit, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, wagtail sp. (H).

8 Garston Wood and Martin Down Friday, 11 May people squeezed into the small car park at Garston Wood on a bright May morning. A male blackbird appeared taking food into a nest in ivy on a tree over the car park; the calls of the nestlings could clearly be heard. We followed an anti-clockwise route through the RSPB Reserve listen to the song of song thrush, chaffinch, chiffchaff and blackbird. Clumps of Solomon's seal were admired as were the early purple orchids. Green-veined whites fluttered over the wild flowers. Blackcap and garden warbler were heard and a buzzard seen flying over the wood. However, small birds were hard to spot. In two different places we heard bullfinch calling but they remained unseen. As we followed the path, the wood became carpeted in wild garlic which scented the air. Blue and great tits were seen and an occasional blackbird flew across the path. A pair of nuthatches was doing what pairs of nuthatches do in spring! Swifts were spotted flying over the wood, a mistle thrush was in full song and a male blackcap was located. Towards the end of the circuit a single fallow deer was seen and long-tailed tits crossed the path. The group then took the short drive to the north car park at Martin Down and lunched in the car park. Some of the group spotted displaying lapwing on the drive. A cuckoo was calling from near-by, but when some of the group went to look for it, it flew over the car park and they were the only ones not to see it. Whitethroats were singing from bushes on both sides of the car park and often making song flights. As a walk on the downland side of the road is planned for early June, the group explored the coppiced area across the A354. A pair of noisy stonechats greeted us as we followed the path toward the wooded area. Chiffchaffs were singing, but small birds were still proving illusive. A buzzard glided low over the woods. Non-avian highlights included Roman snail, bloody-nosed beetle and purple-bar moth. Back across the road, we strolled down as far as the rifle butts, serenaded by numerous skylarks. A couple of yellowhammers were seen, fairly distantly and more stonechats were seen. The highlight was the number of singing corn buntings seen, some of which were very close. A quick stop at Sillens Lane on the journey home produced a kestrel, but no turtle doves. Species list: Pheasant (H), buzzard, kestrel, lapwing, wood pigeon, collared dove, common swift, magpie, jay (h), jackdaw, rook, goldcrest, blue tit, great tit, skylark, swallow, long-tailed tit, chiffchaff, blackcap, garden warbler (h), whitethroat, nuthatch, wren, starling, blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush (h), robin, stonechat, dunnock, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, bullfinch (h), yellowhammer, corn bunting

9 Telegraph Hill/Franchises Lodge Tuesday, 22 May 2018 Bird-watching in a wood in the second half of May can be a frustrating experience as it is difficult to get more than a fleeting glimpse of a bird between the leaves. Hence, forest birding is more a bird-listening experience. With this in mind, 13 of us met at RSPB's latest reserve acquisition, Franchises Lodge, at 7.00 am - an early start for us to get the best chance of hearing bird song. As the reserve is not yet open to the public, our walk kept to the public rights of way, which provide an approximately 5-mile circuit around the reserve. With special permission from the site manager, we parked our vehicles on a level area off the by-way as the nearest car park at Telegraph Hill is very small and well used by dog walkers and others. From the car park, we could hear two singing firecrests and a great spotted woodpecker was calling. Following the by-way, we soon heard a third firecrest singing but that was the last one we heard that morning although we did hear about 10 goldcrests. Chaffinches and blackbirds were singing strongly and the most frequent tit heard was the coal tit. The woods were carpeted in bluebells, still in full bloom, which seem to bloom later of the north facing slope of the reserve than in other near-by woodland. The rhododendrons were putting on a magnificent show; but it is an invasive species that will require considerable management as the reserve develops. Three fallow deer trotted away between the trees; another species that will require management if the understory is to be developed. A blackcap was singing some distance away but it was a while before we heard the first chiffchaff. In the fields just off the northern boundary of the reserve, song thrushes, blackbirds and carrion crows were feeding. We turned left where the by-way meets the bridleway and heard a great spotted woodpecker drumming - while we heard several that were calling; this was the only one heard drumming. Behind the solar farm, small golden butterflies were fluttering around, but were not conclusively identified as they were never seen at rest - however, as it is too early for small and large skippers, the best guess was that they were pearl-bordered fritillaries. [However, a subsequent visit to the site, identified them not as butterflies at all, but speckled yellow moths Pseudopanthera macularia - a day flying species that feeds on wood sage]. Along the bridleway, we heard blue-tits, robins, goldcrests, chaffinches, blackbirds and another blackcap. The feeders in the garden of Pimlico Cottage were popular with siskins, greenfinches and tits. Near a kink in the track, we heard a wood warbler trilling in the woodland, but did not get a view. Turning left again onto the footpaths that here runs along the border of the reserve. The path can be wet and muddy at this point as there are small streams and ponds around the path. A goshawk was heard calling. Just

10 before we crossed the new bridge, we heard a clattering in the Scots pines to the left of the path and as a cloud of feathers settled a dead wood pigeon was lying with its feet in the air. A large bird was glimpsed departing through the trees. A goshawk had made a kill about 30 metres from us and we still hardly saw it. We slowly made our way up the hill past Franchises Lodge stopping occasionally to listen to the bird song. Just before leaving the reserve, we encountered a party of National Park Authority and RSPB officials being guided by Nick Tomalin, the site manager. Returning to the car park at am, two woodpeckers were calling loudly and a firecrest was still singing. We saw few birds, but heard all of our target species for the day: wood warbler, firecrest and goshawk along with migrant species such as chiffchaff, blackcap and cuckoo. The group was impressed by the quality of the woodland and range of tree species and is looking forward to seeing how the reserve develops over the next 10 years or so. SNIPPETS from Pete Smith Tagged Cuckoos Selborne and Larry update Selborne Selborne 'Our' tagged cuckoo was the first to arrive back in England on April 13th and spent the next few weeks around Pig Bush, Beaulieu Station and near Brockenhurst before setting off south again on June 20th. That's only just over 9 weeks in England! He travelled down to Brittany and the into the Basque region of northern Spain. He then spent some time in a wooded area of central Spain before setting off south again on August 22nd arriving in Algeria on Aug 24th. He crossed the Sahara (990 miles!) and by August 26thwas in south Mali. After passing through Burkina Faso he arrived in Benin on August 31st. At the beginning of September, he was in the Pendjari National Park, home to elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo and antelope a bit different to the New Forest! Larry Larry, a cuckoo from the Forest of Bowland, favoured a much more easterly route. He set off south on June 19th and went to southern Italy via France and Croatia. He had used southern Italy as a stop off point in his two previous migrations but this year it was exceptionally hot and dry and obviously not to his liking for he turned around and by August 1st he had amazingly gone up to Poland. None of the tagged cuckoos had ever visited Poland before! He stayed in Poland until August 16th but by the 18th he had gone back to Croatia and then Montenegro. By August 23rd he was in Egypt near the border with Libya (still much further east than the other cuckoos) and by August 30th he was in Chad having successfully crossed the Sahara. So, it looks as if Selborne and Larry were using different makes of satnavs!

11 Conflicting news for Godwits? Two subspecies of black-tailed godwits occur in the UK. The Icelandic subspecies is a fairly numerous passage migrant and winter visitor, but breeds only in Iceland. The 'Continental' version breeds across Europe and towards central Asia. It is the latter species that maintains a tiny breeding population in the UK, mainly in the Ouse Washes and the Nene Washes. Populations of the 'Continental' birds are declining all across Europe and fewer than 60 pairs nest in the UK. To try to boost the English population godwit chicks have been captive bred and will be released into the wild when large enough. This process, known as 'head-starting' will hopefully prove an effective way to boost numbers. Meanwhile, numbers of black-tailed godwits stopping off on the island of Tiree in the Hebrides have reached record numbers, which bodes well for their breeding season. Typically, a few hundred birds stop off at Tiree on their way to Iceland with the previous record being 1320 birds in However, this spring has seen a record-breaking 2270 birds feeding up before their trip north! At least 20 birds were seen with coloured rings on their legs, which revealed that they had spent their winters in a range of diverse areas including France, Portugal, England and Spain. So, worrying for one subspecies but promising for the other! Scottish Hunting Estate has licence revoked Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has revoked a licence to control wild birds at Raeshaw Estates in the Borders as a result of ongoing concerns about wildlife crime. A licence restriction was imposed in 2015 on the basis of clear evidence provided by the Police. The decision was challenged by judicial review but the verdict was upheld in March During a compliance check in May a number of illegal traps were found, and so the estate's general licence was revoked.

12 General licences allow landowners or managers to carry out certain management actions with minimal bureaucracy expecting any wildlife control actions to be carried out legally. This includes control of common birds such as magpies and crows. However, estates which lose the confidence of the SNH can have their general licences removed and then have to apply for individual licences to control birds which gives SNH more control and oversight of what is going on. SNH hopes this will spread the message that they will act to stop wildlife crime whenever possible. Let us hope they continue to act against these rogue estates who have been implemented in also in crimes against birds of prey! Peregrines are being attacked! We have heard a lot about hen harriers etc being killed illegally but it appears that Peregrines are also being targeted. Earlier this year a teenage girl discovered a peregrine struggling to fly in Kings Somborne, near Stockbridge. She caught the bird and it was taken to the Hawk Conservancy Trust near Andover. A vet found that the bird had a fractured wing caused by shooting. The bird was ringed and it showed that the bird had hatched at Salisbury Cathedral in 2014 and was known as Peter. He recovered well after treatment and was released back into the wild. So, unfortunately, this incident shows that it is not only shooting estates in the Pennines which are targeting raptors, but that it is happening a lot closer to home. All images by Chris Robinson or Tony Bates unless otherwise credited The RSPB is the UK s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no , Scotland no. SC037654