The RSPB North Staffs Local Group
The Ouzel September 2016
‘Out of this wood do not desire to go.’ William Shakespeare
A ruff afternoon at RSPB Frampton Marsh in April - photo credit Ian Worden
Group Leader’s Message – Geoff Sales Welcome to the start of another season and what we trust is an excellent line-up of indoor talks and birding trips. You will have read in the last edition of the Ouzel about the Staffordshire Birders’ Conference held in March, you may have
even been there, either way a second one is now being planned for Sunday 5 March 2017. There was certainly much support for a follow-up event and one sooner rather than later to maintain the momentum. The format will be similar to last time. Two speakers are so far arranged: Kate MacRae, who is the Group’s guest speaker in October; and Mary Colwell, who recently undertook a 500-mile walk to raise awareness of, and money for, the plight of the curlew. This walk, from Enniskillen to Boston (Lincolnshire), took Mary through our county and she spoke at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Fair in May. The few of us who turned out for the final car-share trip of last season were treated to the sight of a handful of curlews on their breeding ground near the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. Connections, connections! For information on the plight of curlews, visit On the ‘red list’ since December Mary’s blog and website at 2015 – curlew photo credit Andy www.curlewmedia.com. Both Hay (rspb-images.com) these speakers have appeared on Springwatch and Countryfile, and Kate is frequently a guest on BBC Midlands Today. Conservation Matters: (1) The Hen Harrier Trident has been in the headlines a lot over the last six months or so but one good piece of news about it emerged in early August. That was when the RSPB reported on the successful rearing of four hen harrier chicks at HM Naval Base Clyde’s high security Coulport site in Argyll, the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads. Thanks to the Ministry of Defence, the Society ringed all four birds and tagged both a male and female.
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Sadly the species has had an extremely disappointing year south of the border, where it is believed there have been just three nests compared to 15 in 2015, a distressingly low figure in itself. As those who attended the Hen Harrier Day rally at Edale in Derbyshire on 7 August learnt, no hen harriers have bred in the Peak District since 2014. Although there have been suggestions that bad weather and a decline in the vole population may have contributed to this year’s national outcome, the RSPB’s Conservation Director, Martin Harper, has stated that the Hen harrier - Society is photo credit Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) convinced ”that the primary reason for the continuing scarcity remains illegal killing”. So convinced, in fact, that in July it felt it could no longer support DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Action Plan. The plan, introduced in January, required conservation bodies, landowners, hunters and the Government to work together in promoting the survival of the bird and increasing its numbers in England. Explaining the Society’s decision to withdraw its support, the Conservation Director stated, “We have come to this conclusion because we believe that reform to protect the hen harrier will only come through licensing of driven grouse shooting where, for example, crimes committed on estates managed for shooting should result in the withdrawal of their right to operate.” Not surprisingly none of this year’s nests were on grouse moors.
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(2) England's Last Golden Eagle In April, England was presumed to have lost its only golden eagle as a result of natural causes when it failed to reappear in its traditional territory in the Lake District after the winter. Although his partner, a considerably older female, died in 2004 'Eddy' continued to build nests for her, with the RSPB reluctant to provide a new mate given the unsuitability of the Lake District for eagles in recent years. (3) A Stuck Up Patient The staff at Stapeley Grange RSPCA in Nantwich had to nurse an unusual patient in May when a goosander found in a chimney in the Manchester area was handed in to them. Although there have been no explanations as to how the bird got there, goosanders are known to regularly nest in tree cavities.
Butterfly Walk, 22 July
small tortoiseshell butterfly - photo credit Chris Shield (rspb-images.com)
Our first butterfly walk, led by Geoff Sales and Dave Goodwin, produced sightings of 10 different species, with two day-flying moths and 19 birds, including a hobby, thrown in for good measure. Whilst none of the butterfly species were particularly rare – notwithstanding the small tortoiseshell’s recent decline as, it is partly believed, the parasitic fly, sturmia bella, has extended its range with global warming – the event did provide a glimpse into a different aspect of the natural world a lot of us often overlook.
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Skomer Island, getting close to nature – Peter Durnall
In May 2016 I was fortunate to spend a week on Skomer as a volunteer assistant warden. Skomer is about a mile off shore from the Marloes peninsula in south west Wales and separated from the mainland by a stretch of water known as Jack Sound. The island is free of all land based predators which makes it one of the most important nature reserves in the world and since 1958 it has been designated a national nature reserve, managed by the South and West Wales Wildlife Trust. There are no cars or shops, no TV or mains electricity and just the wardens plus a few researchers and guests remain overnight. Skomer is basically a big lump of rock of around 300 hectares, which was formed in the Silurian period about 440 million years ago and separated by rising sea levels in later periods. This treeless island, covered with a deep soil cap, has cliffs over 60 metres high in places. These characteristics make it a perfect sanctuary for burrow nesting puffins and Manx shearwaters. Skomer has the largest puffin colony in southern Britain, given its 10,000 pairs, and almost half the world population of Manx shearwaters with 165,000 pairs. The latter are largely nocturnal and only fly to and from the island at night to avoid predation by great black-backed gulls! Their legs, set well back, are designed for a life at sea. They have great difficulty moving with grace or precision on land and lay their single eggs in fairly deep burrows, which they either excavate themselves or adopt after rabbits have ceased using them. There are over 10,000 rabbits on the island plus 10,000 lesser black-backed gulls, a similar number of guillemots and many hundreds of razorbills and kittiwakes. There are also good numbers of fulmars, herring and great black- backed gulls during the breeding season.
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I was awoken on my first night by the ghostly sound of the shearwaters returning to the island, the night sky being full of the whirring of their wings and loud cries as they called to their partners underground. How they find their own burrows amongst Manx shearwater at midnight – infra- red photo credit Peter Durnall the many thousands is amazing! These birds fly all the way to the south Atlantic off the coast of Argentina for the winter and return each spring to this tiny tip of Wales, a journey of over 7,000 miles. Skomer is the ideal place for the shearwater to breed as it is not too far north, giving it a reasonable amount of darkness in spring and early summer. How does one become a volunteer assistant warden? Well, you have to apply by the end of September the previous year. Six people are selected for a week by the resident wardens, dependent on their previous experience, knowledge of wildlife and ability to converse with other people, particularly the day visitors, in order to help them enjoy their visits to the island. They also have to be able to walk several miles each day and climb steep steps. Transport to the island is by the boat Dale Princess which makes a special sailing each Saturday morning for volunteers, staff and overnight guests plus all their luggage and stores for the island. The favourite duty with most volunteers is working at the ‘Wick’, a sheer cliff carved with ledges. This is the best place to see the puffins, which come very close and even cross the path right under your feet. There are no foxes, badgers, rats or squirrels only voles of which the Skomer Vole is a unique sub species of the bank vole, being considerably larger.
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Keeping rats off the island is paramount as it can take years to eradicate them as the RSPB have found out at nearby Ramsey Island which has finally been declared rat- free! They are now awaiting the arrival of some puffins, which had been wiped out there! A puffin at the Wick - Rumour has it that they photo credit Peter Durnall have installed dummy puffins and put up a sign saying “Puffins Welcome.” Let’s hope they are successful next season. The only reptiles on Skomer are slow worms, of which there are a considerable number. During my seven day stay the weather was very mixed with strong winds and rain followed by lovely sunny spells which necessitated sun cream and hats being on as there is little natural protection. It’s easy to forget that Skomer is not just about sea birds. It is also an important site for migrants and many rarities have been spotted there. I saw a woodchat shrike, an Iberian yellow wagtail plus a nightingale which were all firsts for me! I did find time to do some video work though and my short film “Skomer Getting Close to Nature” is almost finished. It lasts about 11 minutes so I hope to show it, along with others, at one of our future meetings but definitely at the next Birders’ Conference. If you visit in early spring like me, the island is covered in bluebells, making it a very spectacular site. Skomer is a fantastic place to visit; you can take a day trip, pay to stay overnight or do it the hard way and volunteer like myself but it is well worth the effort. It is a privilege to be there.
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The Oa In June Roger and Miriam Birch spent an afternoon at an RSPB reserve on Islay, The Oa, inspiring Roger to produce some more of his impressive poetry:
Across the moor a corncrake rasps. While highland cattle ruminate, And feral goats roam grassy cliffs Beneath the lofty monument.
Down below a mournful wailing, From seals laid up along the shore, Was that an otter in the kelp? The briefest glimpse, we’ll never know.
Out to sea, watch gannets plunge dive, As porpoises hunt beyond the surf, Dark dorsal fins slice through the waves, Whilst high above the gulls patrol.
At half a mile, atop the cliff, Sun glints upon a golden mane, Airborne, sends a bonxie fleeing, Majestic – eagle rules the sky.
The cliff at The Oa - photo credit Miriam Birch
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Morecambe Weekend Away, 6-9 MAY – Don McLauchlan The tradition - long established by Jenny Wright - of running birding weekends for Group members was continued this spring when 28 of us descended on Morecambe on Friday 6 May. Four of our number who had to work that afternoon battled valiantly against M6 roadworks and the normal Lancaster gridlock to arrive just in time for our first evening meal. The usual noisy cacophony ensued, while we enjoyed a very pleasant dinner served by charming, chatty staff. The conversation was largely about the sites visited on the journey north. Those who visited Brockholes were full of praise for the new flagship reserve of Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Others visited Pennington Flash and reported a good numbers of birds there. We decided RSPB Leighton Moss would be our target for the Saturday. The weather dawned fair and sunny and we were anxious to be on the way, so about 20 of us were outside the dining room at 8 am to the horror of the poor chef. It seems we were meant to drift down to breakfast between 8 am and 10 am – no chance! So to Leighton Moss and we dispersed into small groups. The walk to the Allen and Morecambe hides was very pleasant and yielded several species including willow warbler, wren, robin, and reed bunting which we saw and chiffchaff and grasshopper warbler which we only heard. Sun makes such a difference. The view from the hides was glorious even if there was a limited number of species and small numbers of birds. Black-tailed godwits in the distance, shelduck everywhere, the odd redshank, pintail on the bank and some egrets - you know what communal birding is like. Camaraderie! The visit to the reserve’s main site was enlivened by the search for the black tern (not too difficult) and the male garganey, which was more elusive. Bearded tits were seen by one group and a bittern heard booming by another. Still relishing the sunshine we were enjoying a splendid day’s birding. Besides the birds on the
The Ouzel pools we had good views of willow warblers and a garden warbler on the Causeway but failed to see the Cetti’s we could hear. Near the end of the day a few people went to Warton Crag, where peregrines were seen, and a few others to Jenny Brown’s point, which is always worth a visit for the view. We saw a whimbrel and the ubiquitous shelduck. I had put it to the group that they could, if they wished, get up early to catch the low tide on Sunderland Point. This would necessitate leaving the hotel at 6.30 am and I expected just a few die-hards would brave the early start. Imagine my surprise when 16 stalwarts decided to join me. Shelduck, making strange noises - In the event it was one of the photo credit Ben Hall weekend’s highlights. (rspb-images.com) Although only the people in the front car saw the barn owl, the atmosphere at the Point, with the light and the distant calls of the birds, made up for the lack of birds in great numbers. We did hear a shelduck make a strange bubbling noise we had never heard before. We walked over to Sambo’s Grave picking up a number of species and viewing large numbers of distant waders that were largely dunlin and ringed plovers. Breakfast was enjoyed rather more than usual that morning. Afterwards we split up into various groups heading mainly for Heysham and Middleton Nature Reserves. The latter boasts the presence of 10 different warblers and the group who went there early heard eight of those although only the whitethroats (both species) were showing well. Some of us managed to get to the car park at Conder Green before the 10.17 metre high tide came over the road, meaning we could not escape and had a couple of hours to spend in the area. With a tea room and riverside walks both available this was not a problem. At first we had to amuse
The Ouzel ourselves with the views of ducks including eider, but as the tide ebbed birds flew in and we saw several whimbrel and a solitary curlew, perhaps evidencing the decrease in numbers of this species (see page two). Other party members at Heysham walked down to the coast and saw clusters of waders. Yet another group went to Hest Bank and enjoyed the walk around that area Our final tally for the weekend was 89 bird species seen and two heard. Everyone obviously enjoyed the occasion, we were blessed with beautiful weather and there is a definite appetite to do it again. For the organiser the weekend fulfilled all my hopes when I took on the mantle from Jenny and perhaps the most pleasing thing is that I am now passing the baton on into the very capable hands of Lee Parkes, who I’m sure will take it to new heights with her own ideas of how it can be done. Garden Awards Presentation, 3 August – Richard Moth The Group was invited to send volunteers to an annual awards presentation made by Stafford and Rural Homes at a smart new office in the Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford, with awards made to tenants of the housing association for such things as ‘Best Front Garden’, ‘Best Shed of the Year’, ‘Best Wildlife Garden’ etc. About 50 people attended the ceremony including the mayors of Stone and Stafford. Joan and Pete Hudson and I went from our Group. We set out leaflets and books on tables at the back of the room and, hopefully, encouraged questions and answered them effectively. Joan did us proud with a very interesting 15 minute presentation entitled: “Attracting Wildlife to your Garden.” She made good use of the excellent information technology facilities and included plenty of tips for would-be naturalists. The ideas suggested were not too expensive, but very effective and easy to carry out. A good example was the use of an up-turned dustbin lid as a
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Joan Hudson raising the Group's profile - photo credit Pete Hudson Most of Joan’s material was taken from her own garden and that of another North Staffs member, Val Lucking – so she was able to tell people of her own real excitement in successfully enticing wildlife. She also included a couple of videos in her talk, which showed surprising (and welcome?) visitors to her garden (a badger and a fox). People were given plenty to think about.
Corvus, A Life with Birds by Esther Woolfson - Richard Moth
With the nights slowly drawing in, this is a good time of year for settling down with a good book and our Treasurer, Richard Moth, has one to recommend:
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Birds are in Esther’s life in a big way and a personal way because they live in her house. She has a unique living experience with each bird because of their individual personalities and she admires them as much as any owner would admire their cat or dog. In ‘Corvus. A Life with Birds’ she tells you about her starling, magpie, rook and crow. All her birds have problems, the crow, for example, cannot utter a noise and has a faulty leg, and none would What’s there to crow about? - photo credit Nick Upton survive very long in the wild. (rspb-images.com) But with the love and care they are given, most will live well beyond their normal life spans. Each bird is studied in great detail and the author works hard to understand why a bird should be restless, (apparently) unhappy, stressed or not eating. The book covers lots of bird anatomy including some very good descriptions of feathers, their function and makeup. There’s also information on preening, bone structures and wing shape and how things vary with the different requirements of different species. Should you want it, there’s a lot of scientific detail, but also lots of examples of amusing bird behaviour and interactions with humans. For example, after coming home Esther tucked her socks into her walking boots in readiness for another outing, but the rook immediately ran across, stole one of them and hid it in her cache! The rook has her favourite composers but gets very annoyed when classical music is played that she’s not so fond of. Even within the house environment, the birds react to the changing
The Ouzel seasons – it seems their built-in instincts play a big part even though they are in an alien environment. Overall, I found the book enjoyable. The scientific detail did get a bit heavy, but I was most amused by the bird behaviour and the way Esther described her experiences. I was also intrigued, but not really surprised at the evidence of their intelligence. Not many books or articles are written about corvids – they are not our most popular birds, so it made a welcome change.
A Final Note from RSPB Coombes Valley
At the end of April, members of the Group gathered at RSPB Coombes Valley to witness the dedication of the bench erected in memory of Ben Bentley and Brenda Kemp, two of our former colleagues. Given the vagaries of this summer it was almost inevitable it would rain but Ben’s daughter Jacqui still managed to get a photograph.
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Beyond a Joke
Spanish singer Julio Inglesias was being interviewed on a television programme by host Anne Diamond. During the interview he used the word “mañana” (which is pronounced “man-yana”). Anne asked him what it meant. He said that it means “Maybe the job will be done tomorrow, maybe the next day, maybe the day after that or perhaps next week, next month, next year. Who really cares?” Anne immediately turned to Albert Yatapingu, from the Gumbaingeri tribe (aboriginal), who was also her guest on the show and asked him if there was an equivalent word in his native language. He considered the question a few seconds before replying, “Nah. In Australia we don’t have a word to describe that degree of urgency.”
A man tells his doctor he thinks he’s becoming a moth. “That’s a problem for a psychiatrist, not a doctor,” the doctor tells him. “I know,” the man says,” but your light was on!”
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Spreading your Wings In April, while in Spain, I was lucky enough to see a courtship display by nothing more exotic than a pair of house sparrows. After all the other birds I’d seen in Andalucia and displays by firstly a pair of great crested grebes and then a flock of flamingos, I took the two birds for granted at first, reasoning that I saw their like all the time at home. Not these two though! As I watched them the male bird repeatedly approached the female and then slowly backed away, with his head bent low and wings spread- eagled brushing the ground, reminiscent of, dare I say it, a matador holding several capes out towards a bull. It was a million miles away from anything I’d seen before, most filmed courtship displays tending to resemble sumo wrestling bouts, and a reminder that there’s always something new to see in nature. If you’ve seen anything that’s made you rethink your thoughts about nature or have any stories about it I’d love to hear from you. As usual you can submit articles, photographs, cartoons or ideas to me, Alan Cartwright, via [email protected] or by contacting me on 01630-296126 and, if neither of those work, just by grabbing me at an indoor meeting. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the newsletter.
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