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The Newsletter of the Nest Record Scheme The newsletter of the Nest Record Scheme Issue 30 MAY 2014 InsIde thIs edItIon 02 news roundup 03 dAvId glue 1947–2014 04 A recorder reFlecTs 05 All-TIMe Top recorders 06 A 13,000 pAge suMMArY 07 Treecreeper boxes 08 nrs AnnuAl Totals 10 nrs MenTorIng 12 moorlAnd MonITorIng 13 runway plovers 14 rockIT scIence 15 nrs latesT resulTs 16 spoT The nesT This season sees the official launch of NRS mentoring. See the article on page 10, and visit www.bto.org/ volunteer-surveys/nrs/taking- part/nrs-mentoring to find your nearest mentor (screenshot below). Top: Bernard Pleasance, John Dries, Tony Davis, Josh Marshall and Richard Castell at the NRS 75th anniversary conference. Left: Veteran recorder David Warden photographing a nest box in 1949. Right: A young nest recorder checking a Song Thrush nest with a mirror in 2011. 75 years of nesting he Hatching and Fledgling year, 80 such volunteers came to the Inquiry was started by the BTO Nunnery for a day of celebrating the T in 1939 to collect information on success of NRS and looking forward facets of basic breeding biology, such to its future. It was thrilling to see as incubation and fledging periods. In like-minded ornithologists from all the first five years, 1,988 nest record over the country meeting up to talk cards were sent in by c.20 participants. about nest recording. We enjoyed Seventy five years on, the Nest Record talks from speakers including David Scheme (NRS) has c.660 active Warden, a recorder since 1948, and recorders and an amazing 1.6 million Josh Marshall, a recorder since 2013! nest records have been collected, an NRS mentor Mark Lawrence gave The NRS mentoring scheme invaluable dataset that has been used a talk to mark the official launch of is generously sponsored by for scientific study far beyond the scope NRS mentoring (see p 10), which of the original inquiry. The survey we was the perfect introduction to a have today is a product of the BTO’s discussion on how we train the next unwavering commitment to citizen generation. For a full report on the science and the dedication of more than day, see www.bto.org/nrs. In the 4,000 volunteers who have participated meantime, enjoy this newsletter and through the years. On 30 March this wish NRS a happy 75th Birthday! 2 NRSnews spring 2014 FRoM The eDiToR nrs NeWS Welcome... NRS News is the annual newsletter for supporters of the Nest Record Scheme (NRS). The views expressed by the contributors to this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor, the Council of the BTO or its Committees. elcome to this special edition of NRS News, celebrating 75 years of the survey. This also happens to be an anniversary issue of NRS News is written by you, so please send your Wthe newsletter itself, since the first one (title above) was written ideas and contributions to: by David Glue in May 1984. It is poignant that in this very issue we are Carl Barimore, remembering David (p 3), but perhaps we can take heart from knowing that, NRS Organiser, Nest Record Scheme, BTO, The Nunnery, just as this newsletter was born of his determination to ensure that volunteers Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU are welcomed, supported and nurtured, so it is testament to his work that Tel: (01842) 750050 today we can fill it with articles by and about enthusiastic nest recorders and Fax: (01842) 750030 Email: [email protected] the fantastic science they are helping to produce. Desk-top publishing: In this celebratory issue we are delighted to include a reflective piece by Carl Barimore & Jane Waters. stalwart recorder Ron Louch (p 4) and acknowledge some of our longest- Printers: Swallowtail Print, serving participants (p 5). Equally, in keeping with the ‘passing on the baton’ Norwich. theme of the NRS conference (front page), it’s great to have articles on getting Thanks to the proof readers started as a nester (Josh Marshall, p 12), setting up new projects (eg Amanda for their efforts! Biggins, p 14) and helping others to become nesters (South Devon Nesting The Nest Record Scheme is funded Crew, p 10). by a partnership of the British Trust for Ornithology and the Joint Please email questions or thoughts to [email protected], or chat with us on Nature Conservation Committee the Yahoo Forum (http://yhoo.it/1lNASu0). A huge thanks as ever for your (on behalf of Natural England, support and have a great season! Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency). Carl Barimore editor & nrs organiser The British Trust for Ornithology is a charity dedicated to researching NeWS RounduP birds found in the UK. For Membership details please contact Chris Morley at [email protected] Latest NRS results on the web to use a separate form at all. For more For those of you who haven’t already information, please see www.bto.org/ Cover photos: BTO Collection and seen, the preliminary results for a volunteer-surveys/ringing/taking- David Warden selection of species in 2013 can be part/nrs-sch1-help found at www.bto.org/nrs-prelim-2013. While it was a very late year, breeding 2014 NRS courses success was generally close to the Four more NRS courses have been average for both migrants and residents. scheduled this year, beginning with the The long-term trends were revised in the one-day course in Armagh, Northern autumn and published at www.bto.org/ Ireland back on 19 April. Many thanks to birdtrends earlier this year. tutors Tony Davis, Stephen Hewitt, Peter British Trust for ornithology Kent, Bruce Taggart and Mike Toms. The Nunnery, Schedule 1 submissions made easier Details at http://bit.ly/1lbroWC Thetford, Norfolk. IP24 2PU Previously, Schedule 1 holders Tel: (01842) 750050 monitoring nests for ringing and nest Thanks for photos Fax: (01842) 750030 recording would also have to report In NRS News 29 we asked for photos Email: [email protected] on unoccupied sites by completing a of nests of a number of species and we Web site: www.bto.org separate Schedule 1 report form. Now received over 330 images—so many that Registered Charity it has been made possible to report we’re still going through them! Many No 216652 (England & Wales) on all nest sites via NRS and not have thanks indeed to all who contributed. No SC039193 (Scotland) spring 2014 NRSnews 3 David Glue 1947–2014 Dr humphrey Crick previous head of the nest record scheme avid Glue was the founding Hinders”. father of a rejuvenated Nest David not only made sure DRecord Scheme in the 1980s, that nest recorders felt valued taking over as Nest Records Officer but he produced papers when the survey most needed that really advanced our his unique and personal brand knowledge of little-studied of volunteer encouragement and species. He would go through engagement. the cards and extract all the By the mid 1980s, NRS had been natural history on nest sites on in the doldrums because staffing had and breeding productivity for TI been so pressed that there just wasn’t species such as Grasshopper collec o T time to look after it properly. Amazingly Warbler, various owls and b we were still receiving some 15,000 the woodpeckers. He was an David Glue at Beech Grove, Tring in the early 1980s. records per year, but the poor old nest expert in the analysis of owl recorder wasn’t getting much back pellets and published useful papers on not to be defined by this and came from the BTO. When David Glue was their diets—in total he published over back to work as energetically as ever; put on the job in 1984, he answered 60 papers, including the first NRS- it is certain that his love for his work this problem by bringing out the first based paper to appear in the world’s top at the BTO and the friendships with edition of Nest Record News and doing scientific journal, Nature, showing how members and staff helped him keep the simple thing of thanking people for climate change was leading to earlier going so enthusiastically. He had a truly their efforts. His personal typed letters laying dates. remarkable strength of character that was extolling the virtues of a recorder’s David not only made an important bolstered by his strong Christian beliefs. latest submission of nest records and impact on the Nest Record Scheme, In addition to his BTO “family”, his providing enthusiasm for further efforts but he was also key to the development own family, daughters Sam and Mandy in the coming year were a highlight for of our garden bird work, running the and brother Peter, were very important so many contributors to the NRS. Garden Bird Feeding Survey for many to him. He was also very lucky to The results were startling and years, and helped set up the Birds be cared for so well by his live-in within a year the number of records of Estuaries Enquiry, a forerunner companion and carer Fran Bowman. He being submitted was back up to over of WeBS. David joined the BTO in will be really missed by so many and in 31,000. He started writing articles in 1968, fresh from university and was particular we will miss his letters, often Nest Record News, providing a round- a very enthusiastic member of staff, signed off by his up of the season based on phone calls having been a very keen naturalist all characteristic to key recorders around the country, his life.
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