LIFE FELLOWS’ NEWS

IN THIS ISSUE SPRING 2005

■ Celebrating 10 years at RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve ■ The ups and downs of the capercaillie in 2004 ■ Working for Belarus ■ Lines in the sand: news from The Lodge nature reserve ■ Sir John Lister-Kaye ■ Ospreys move to North Wales AN UNUSUAL LEGACY . . .

Andy Hay(rspb-images.com) FELLOWS’ NEWS

People leave all kinds gardening for wildlife, but he made everything for her and now had no his living by creating and writing motivation to do more. of things to the RSPB, ground-breaking plays and series for We are always grateful to supporters generous and caring in television. These included The Plane who show great foresight by including their determination to help Makers (1963–65) and its follow-up a gift, large or small, to birds, via the series, The Power Game (1965–66 and RSPB, in their Wills. If you would like us conserve birds for 1969) and Front Page Story (1965). His to know more about how your Will can future generations. next series was Hine (1971) and he benefit birds and other wildlife, we wrote scripts for The Frighteners have a small information booklet that (1972–73) and The Secret Army you may find helpful. It was unusual, though, to receive a (1977–79), before he devised a new If you have already included the sum of money plus all the royalties series, Airline, in 1982. He also wrote RSPB in your Will, we would like to from a number of books and film and novels and co-wrote the screenplay thank you. In either case, we would be television scripts. These were written for the epic film Battle of Britain. pleased to hear from you. Please by RSPB fellow, Wilfred Greatorex. Greatorex ceased writing after contact the Legacy Department at The Mr Greatorex, who included nine the death of his wife, saying that he Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, other charities in his Will, enjoyed realised that he had written or on 01767 680551.

TOP DAY OUT IN LONDON TOWN

The RSPB Members’Day and AGM Executive, Graham Wynne, Chairman There will also be plenty of time to takes place on Saturday 8 October of Council, Professor Ian Newton and peruse the great selection of RSPB 2005, at the Queen Elizabeth II Treasurer, Bryan Barnacle about the goods on sale and to chat to staff at Conference Centre, Westminster, RSPB’s vital work for wildlife and the the exhibition stands, who are keen to London. It is your chance to see the environment. This work is made ensure you enjoy your day. work of the RSPB first-hand and meet possible by dedicated members of If you have any questions, please SPRING 2005 people who make your Society tick. staff and the continuing generous ring Gillian or Carol in Events at The IN THIS ISSUE You will hear direct from our Chief support of our fellows and members. Lodge, telephone: 01767 680551. ■ Celebrating 10 years at RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve ■ The ups and downs of the capercaillie in 2004 ■ Working for Belarus The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. We belong to BirdLife International, the global partnership of bird ■ Lines in the sand: news from The Lodge nature reserve conservation organisations. ■ Sir John Lister-Kaye The RSPB, UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL. Tel: 01767 680551. www.rspb.org.uk ■ Ospreys move to North Wales

Regd charity no 207076 410-0557-04-05 FRONT COVER: CONWY NATURE RESERVE AND CASTLE BY ANDY HAY (RSPB-IMAGES.COM) CELEBRATING 10 YEARS AT RSPB THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE CONWY NATURE RESERVE CAPERCAILLIE IN 2004 Chris Knights(rspb-images.com) Steve Knell(rspb-images.com)

gateway for the public to discover Scotland, trying to save this species Welsh birds and the work of the RSPB. from extinction in the UK. Much The reserve flora has matured RSPB effort was made possible during the 10 years of operation. through generous support from The reed beds, grassland areas and fellows and members, in particular managed scrub all attract a wide range through a new initiative called ‘Friends of species. On the estuary, wading of the capercaillie’led by the Earl of birds make the most of the rich Lindsay. Members of this group habitat for feeding, while many ducks receive special newsletters and can be seen on the lagoon pools. invitations to capercaillie related Views from the centre are events during the year. breathtaking with our bird feeding By May, we were daring to hope station in the foreground and a that the conservation work, including glimpse of the mountains of a marked reduction in the number of Snowdonia in the background. capercaillie killed by flying into fences, A busy programme of events was beginning to pay off. The weather has been organised to celebrate the in the summers of 2001, 2002 and anniversary, with something different 2003 had been quite good, so almost every weekend. Events range capercaillie had bred reasonably well, from guided walks and optical boosting the population. Just as we demonstrations, to woodcarving and family fun days. began to feel optimistic, the heavens opened in June and the 2004 breeding Little ringed plovers nest on bare ground at Conwy. We will be holding our annual A male capercaillie is a stunning sight – if you can find one. Festival on the Bank Holiday weekend season was a complete washout – in May. The Festival is a major heavy rain killed most of the chicks. attraction and this year promises to be To keep the population stable, The year 2005 marks a In the early years, the area was very Last year will be the long-term decline had been halted even better. each hen capercaillie must rear one bare and looked more akin to a and numbers had possibly doubled special anniversary for our With a great team of staff and remembered for the chick every year. In 2004, an average building site than a haven for wildlife. since the previous survey in 1999. volunteers, the future for RSPB of only 0.3 chicks per hen was reserve at Conwy, north However, many birds soon moved in dramatic changes in The annual lek surveys (counting Conwy is looking very bright indeed. achieved on sites that are monitored. to the newly created habitats. the birds at regular display sites), Wales, as we celebrate 10 We look forward to offering you a fortune for the vulnerable On many sites, none were reared at Lapwings were among the first to warm welcome. completed in May, provided more all. This was very depressing given years of operation. The arrive and enjoy the disturbed earth, UK capercaillie population good news – the number of males the good start to the year. So long as reserve opened to the which provides a good area for RSPB Conwy is grateful for the financial in northern Scotland. The on the 44 leks counted since 2002 breeding success is better during the feeding. Within a short while, the support received via Landfill Tax credit increased again. In 2002 there were public for the first time on first little ringed plover nest was outlook changed from very next couple of years, though, the poor funding from the Waste Recycling Group 135 (an average of 3.07 per lek); in 14 April 1995 and visitor discovered, causing great excitement. 2004 breeding season should not Ltd, administered by WREN. good to very bad within 2003 there were 154 (an average of This was the first time the species cause a decline. We are already hoping numbers have grown 3.5) and in 2004, 185 males displayed had nested in the area. a matter of months. The for a warm and sunny June this year. at these 44 leks, an average of 4.2 steadily each year. We Little ringed plovers and lapwings blood pressure of RSPB If you are particularly interested in males per site. the capercaillie, would like to know welcomed more than continue to breed at the reserve and staff working with this have been joined by more than 40 The reserve is on the North Wales coast Given that the capercaillie had more about its conservation, or how 52,000 visitors in 2004. other breeding species. In total, an just west of Llandudno; the nearest wonderful species varied beenin decline since the 1970s, when to support new work through the railway station is Llandudno Junction. an estimated 20,000 were present in ‘Friends of capercaillie’and would like amazing 220 bird species have been accordingly. The reserve owes its existence to the recorded at RSPB Conwy. Grid reference: SH799771. The reserve is Scotland, these exciting results were to know about special visits to open at all times; the centre is open creation of the A55 road tunnel under In addition to the amazing bird very welcome. The increases were not Abernethy Forest with a chance of from 10 am to 5 pm (or dusk if earlier). the Conwy estuary. During the spectacles, people help to make this The year started well. A national entirely unexpected, however. An seeing this most elusive but theatrical Tel: 01492 584091 construction, an area for settling the a truly special Welsh reserve. RSPB population survey completed in March enormous amount of effort had been of birds, please contact Alison Tourist information centre revealed that capercaillie numbers had expended by the RSPB and other Connelly at our Scottish sludge pumped from the excavations Conwy has a unique location lying Tel: 01492 592248 was required, and the lagoons that right alongside the A55 expressway. increased to around 2,000 individuals. organisations, such as Scottish Natural Headquarters, tel: 0131 311 6500, or make the reserve were created. The reserve now serves as a major This was tremendous news. At last, Heritage and Forestry Commission e-mail [email protected]

2 3 WORKING FOR BELARUS LINES IN THE SAND

Lars Lachmann, RSPB country programmes officer, tells us how the RSPB is working in Eastern Europe. Conor Jameson found a new incentive to walk around The Lodge reserve at lunch time. Mike Lane(rspb-images.com) Mike Andy Hay(rspb-images.com) removal of plantation conifers. A small Europe’s rarest songbird. A dozen or so together with local private and flock of a rare breed of sheep, called visit the south coast of England every collective farmers to ensure the Manx Loghtans, will play its part in autumn: this is where they breed. necessary land use is resumed to maintaining clear areas by grazing at I share my compartment with three guarantee the long-term future of an appropriate level. The sandiness Belarusians from the country’s capital, these sites. In the wake of this project, can then come into its own, increasing Minsk: a student, two bicycle APB launched a campaign to tell the heathland flora and attracting – manufacturers and an old people about the natural values of the we hope – threatened heathland bird grandmother. All of them know country’s fens and bogs, the ‘green species such as woodlarks, tree pipits, lungs of Europe’. Aquatic warblers ‘vertlavaya kamyshovka’, the aquatic Dartford warblers and nightjars. Not warbler. This boosts the positive featured in the first daily TV to mention the other wildlife that response to my regular, non- commercials ever broadcast in Belarus. needs a heathland ecosystem too. representative, in-train poll to 80% of No wonder everybody knows them. Well ahead of the schedule of our Aquatic warbler: a Belarus special. Belarusian citizens having heard of this Now, APB has more ambitious little bird. How come so many know goals. Recently, the Global restoration plans and on a ripple of about this elusive warbler? Environmental Facility (GEF) approved excitement in the workplace, a The rhythmic tatam-tatam of the rails The bird is the emblem of APB – a milestone project prepared by the Dartford warbler arrived in November. has come to a stop as my train arrives BirdLife Belarus, the RSPB’s young RSPB and APB to restore 42,000 A tiny piece of Kent on our little bit at the border. We are leaving the newly partner organisation in this country. In hectares of drained and degraded of Dorset, you could say. It took up enlarged European Union and the fact, a search for the breeding grounds peatlands at 17 sites across Belarus, residence in the heather: tiny, russet, wheels of the carriages have of this species, organised by the RSPB- with a budget of US$ 3 million over fiery-eyed and skittish; irritable, to be changed. In Belarus and further funded BirdLife Aquatic Warbler four years. poking around unseen in the brush, Another GEF-funded project is east in Russia, trains run on wider Conservation Team, led to its scolding softly, popping its head up being prepared: APB plans to recreate tracks than in neighbouring Poland rediscovery in 1995. This brought from time to time to survey the terrain large areas of habitat in the Pripyat and Western Europe. together a number of highly motivated and to regard the attendant group of river floodplain and to integrate Belarus – it is not a country or a scientists and conservationists and led Manx Loghtan sheep get stuck in at The Lodge. birdwatchers (many of them in office name that rings many bells for most to the establishment of APB in 1998. sustainable land use into all development plans for this huge area. wear in the lunch break), then birdwatchers. This may be because it The RSPB decided to support this Around US$ 9 million are likely to disappearing again. has been an independent state only emerging organisation from the very be spent for this important project. The Lodge, Sandy, Beds, prime territory for a bit of heathland. Where has it come from? Will it since 1991, when the Soviet Union beginning. It now has 900 members With APB only seven years old, but A little piece of Dorset in mid-Anglia, stay and survive the winter? Will it broke up. It may also be because it is and has grown to become one of the is recognisable to many exceptionally successful under difficult you could call it, although it’s a far cry not easy to enter, being ruled by an biggest independent organisations in find company here? We can only circumstances, the RSPB’s international as the UK home of the from the spaces mythologised by authoritarian president, who is not Belarus, certainly the biggest in nature guess and hope. When I was a child, team regards Belarus as one of its always fond of westerners. A lack of conservation and voted ‘best non- RSPB. As addresses go Thomas Hardy. One thing that the Dartford warbler was one of the textbook country programmes. interesting birds, however, is certainly government organisation in Belarus’ characterises heathland is its real rarities among the UK’s resident Knowing this and feeling very it’s fairly memorable, not the reason: northern species during an independent 2002 review. simplicity, and its dependence on birds, confined to small areas of the comfortable with the work that awaits including the great grey owl and smew Today, a consortium drives the being kept largely clear of encroaching coastal strip of southern England. me in Minsk, I lie down again in my perhaps because it evokes breed here, as well as birds commonly trees that will shade out the low stuff, Milder winters and improved habitats development of conservation in Belarus sleeper and listento the comforting believed to occur only a lot farther east, a quaint image. I’m lucky bulk up the thin soil, fertilise it with with the APB at the hub of these sounds of the rails leading towards the have enabled it to spread since then such as azure tits and terek sandpipers, activities. This network connects the East: tatam-tatam ... enough to work here, fallen leaves and turn it (as all dry and ours may have come from a or to the south, such as Syrian RSPB in the UK and APB in Belarus along with 500 others. land here will turn, left to its own population now established in Suffolk, woodpeckers and rollers. But the main with the German Otto Foundation and devices) into forest. It’s a harmonious Surrey or Berkshire. treasures of the country are its the UK Darwin Initiative with the We’re not all twitchers, balance of sensitive land use and There has never been one here extensive fens and natural floodplains, Ministry for Environmental Protection by any means. Or even wildlife, and you don’t find much of before, that we know of. That it is here which are no longer found in such and the United Nations Development Note: APB has started a programme it nowadays; certainly not inland. at all, that it belongs here, and that quantities anywhere else in Europe. programme in Minsk. to develop sustainable nature and birdwatchers, for that At present, we have just a few it is surviving, so far, makes this a Old school maps of Europe do The first great conservation birdwatching tourism to the Important hectares of heath at the Lodge. It’s special moment, for me and many not even show Belarus, but they name successes of APB were management Bird Areas of Belarus. This will offer matter. At least, not till gently sloping and is predominantly the so-called ‘Pripyat Swamps’in plans to save the three biggest fen tours to watch capercaillies, black grouse recently. others, birders and non-birders alike. heather-clad and we have plans we’re prominent letters. This area in the mires in the country, which hold 90% and hazel grouse and all the northern owl And makes going to see it not really south of the country is home to about of Belarus’s aquatic warblers, from species in the northern taiga forest and pretty excited about to increase this like twitching at all. We hope in time 80% of the world population of the destruction. After six years of intensive greater spotted eagles, aquatic warblers, We have a nature reserve here and, it area, having recently acquired some that there will be more to come, to small, striped aquatic warbler, the only work, the bird’s population at these great snipe and azure tits in the Pripyat being a sandy part of Bedfordshire (a neighbouring land thanks to the check out what we’ve done, to globally threatened bird that regularly sites is now secured and expected to lowlands. Watch out for details in future Lower Greensand ridge, to be prodigious response to a membership endorse our efforts, give the seal appears in the UK and mainland grow by 20%. Further work is planned issues of BIRDS magazine. geologically accurate about it), it’s appeal. We will do this by the gradual of approval, and to stay.

4 5 SIR JOHN LISTER-KAYE OSPREYS MOVE TO NORTH WALES David Kjaer(rspb-images.com)

with author/naturalist Gavin Maxwell on a handbook of British mammals, a project that remained unfinished with Maxwell’s early death. In 1976, he founded the Aigas Field Centre and later the Aigas Trust for Environmental Education, a Scottish charitable trust that provides environmental education and field studies for Highland schools. Apart from his work with the RSPB, he was soon in demand for other influential committee work. This came with the Nature Conservancy Council and later Scottish Natural Heritage, the Centre for Highlands and Islands Policy Studies, the Advisory Council for the Millennium Forest for Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust (of which he was President) and the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (he is still an active Vice President). His books include The White Island, an account of working with Gavin Maxwell on Eilean Bhan and Aigas house. The Seeing Eye, the story of the early A splendid osprey: will this become a regular sight in Wales? years of the field centre. One for Sorrow is a novel that explores the complicated history of land use in the Sir John Lister-Kaye is interested in the natural environment, An historic event took the pair was kept safe. Many of the chick under the watchful eye of Welsh Highlands of Scotland while Ill Fares from all over the world. Aigas lies volunteer wardens were local people. Wildlife Trust volunteers. a writer, lecturer and the Land is a sustainable land ethic place in 2004 – two pairs within the Highland region on the They devoted many hours, day and Ospreys have visited Wales on for the sporting estates of the professional naturalist. River Beauly, only a half-hour’s drive of ospreys chose to nest night, to protecting the nest site. migration to and from Africa, but Highlands and Islands. Most west from Inverness, five miles from We were delighted when two there are no records of them ever He is a Life Fellow of the recently, he has published the in Wales for the first time. the village of Beauly. chicks hatched in mid June. Our having nested here before. The species acclaimed Song of the Rolling Earth, RSPB and has served on He is also a self-employed farmer hopes were short-lived, though. had become extinct in the UK by the a memoir of 25 years as a Highland the RSPB’s Council and and businessman running a small One of the pairs was seen early Unfortunately, owing to harsh early 20th century, but returned to the family estate with interests in housing, naturalist and Nature’s Child, in in the breeding season at a site near weather, the nest collapsed and sadly Highlands in Scotland in 1954. Since on our advisory committee forestry, sport, tourism and recreation which he revisits his own childhood Porthmadog, in north Wales. As soon the chicks did not survive. The adult then, the Scottish osprey population and lists among his interests global experiences of nature through the for Scotland, which he as it became clear that the birds were birds stayed in the area, fixing the has increased to more than 160 pairs. environmental issues, breeding eyes of his youngest daughter. incubating eggs, a round-the-clock nest and hunting for fish. Ospreys are very loyal to their nest chaired from 1986 to 1993. pedigree Highland cattle and The influence of Sir John’s work, watch was set up with help from the collecting trees, adding to the writing, lecturing and thinking on the We set up a viewing point some site and we hope they will return to local community, landowners, the distance away from the nest, so north Wales next year. If you would Most of his career has been spent Victorian arboretum at Aigas. people and wildlife of the Highlands Countryside Council for Wales, the establishing the first Field Studies A defining moment came in 1967, will no doubt continue to grow. people could come and see these like further information on the Snowdonia National Park Authority, Centre for the Highlands and Islands when Sir John witnessed the Certainly, in Scotland, where the remarkable birds. Many local people scheme, or would like to volunteer for of Scotland, the Aigas Field Centre, infamous Torrey Canyon oil spill RSPB is so active, has so many North Wales police, the Wales Raptor came to see them, along with next year’s operation, please contact and its charitable foundation, The (100,000 gallons) on the Cornish superb nature reserves and faces Study Group and Gwynedd Council. thousands of visitors, who got the RSPB Wales Headquarters on Aigas Trust for Environmental coast. He was inspired to work as a such challenges in wildlife Ospreys are Schedule 1 birds, a glimpse of the birds before they 029 2035 3000 or e-mail Education. For 25 years the Centre has freelance environmental journalist and conservation in the 21st century, it specially protected under the Wildlife left the area. [email protected]. hosted field study groups and travel began a career as a writer, abandoning is good to have such people on the and Countryside Act 1981. Illegal egg We are pleased to say that the We are extremely grateful to the study programmes from universities, his career in industry. In 1968, he side of the birds and the unique life collectors still target them, however, other pair of ospreys bred successfully, local people for their welcome support institutions and other organisations moved to the Isle of Skye to work of the Highlands. so we made every effort to ensure elsewhere in Wales, and reared one for this project.

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