www.devonbirds.org

The Devon Birds newsletter October 2015

Keep an eye out for Yellow-browed Warblers (Photo: Alan Doidge. Drawing: Mike Langman) Welcome George Harris, Chairman September ended with a very pleasant long run of dry sunny weather which helped very late broods of House Martins to feed up their young with some reported still in the nest at the end of the month. It is a really exciting time though; there has been some spectacular visible migration in late September and early October with many reports of large numbers of Swallows and House Martins on the move. In recent weeks there has been an irruption of Siskin and more recently we’ve heard that large numbers of Coal Tits are also on the move. We understand from the BTO that this autumn has seen the largest arrival of Yellow- browed Warblers for many years so it is well worth keeping a look out for this small warbler. 4 October hailed the arrival of the first Black Redstart on Lundy, so the weeks ahead certainly look promising. Now is also a good time to look and listen for the first winter thrushes. We have already had a report of a Redwing feeding on rowan berries in a member’s garden on 5 October. It won’t be too long before the first Bramblings of the season begin to appear. I would also like to remind members about our joint major conference on Friday 6 November with well-known speakers giving us their thoughts and ideas on “A Better Future for Devon’s Birds”. Tickets have sold extremely fast but there are still some seats available so don’t delay, book now through the website or follow instructions later in this Harrier. All the speakers have access to the seven years of data being used to create the new Devon Birds’ Atlas and they will be focussing attention on what we can do about those in serious decline in Devon as well as applauding some newcomers since the Sitters Breeding Atlas in 1988.

news Devon Bird Atlas – progress report It is an almost universal rule that books take longer to complete than predicted. The Atlas is no exception. We, the Editors, want to be sure that all is as good and correct as we can possibly make it. As I write, all the species accounts are complete and typeset, and the introductory chapters are receiving their final edit before typesetting. The book should be ready to go to the printers before the end of October for delivery by the end of January and hopefully earlier. It will be well worth the wait! Stella Beavan and Mike Lock

Left: A species account page from the new Devon Bird Atlas. This is without doubt the most important contribution to our understanding of the distribution and abundance of birds in the county for three decades. More on Willow Tits later in The Harrier.

Devon Bird Atlas – facts and stats

• Breeding and wintering birds • Covers the period from winter 2007 to summer 2013 • 500pp approx • Covers 480 species and subspecies • Full colour maps and photos • Foreword by HRH Prince Charles • Introduction by Humphrey Sitters • Cover artwork by Mike Langman Initial offer price £36.99 or £30 if collected at a Devon Birds event

Available from www.devonbirds.org - go to Shop.

news A Better Future for Devon’s Birds ONE-DAY CONFERENCE • 6 NOVEMBER 2015 • EXETER RACECOURSE LAST CHANCE TO BOOK ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT Stephen Moss (l), well-known naturalist, author and broadcaster will give the keynote speech at the conference. He will be joined in the morning session by Martin Harper (r), RSPB’s Conservation Director, who will talk about the challenges of species conservation. Last minute preparations are being made for the Conference on 6 November titled, A Better Future for Devon’s Birds. It is co-hosted by Devon Birds and the Dartmoor Preservation Association. The Conference aims to make an important contribution to the conservation of birds in the county. It is the first time that Devon Birds has organised such a prestigious event that has attracted speakers from national and local conservation organisations. And for everyone who contributed towards the new Devon Bird Atlas, it will be the first opportunity to hear about the current status of many of the most important bird species in the county. It probably won’t come as a surprise that there’s more bad news than good. Nightingales lost; Golden Plover, lost as a breeding bird; Curlews down; Lapwing down; Cuckoo down; Skylark down; Yellowhammer down. Little Egret and Goosander up. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Answers will come, we hope, from Stephen Moss, the well-know naturalist and broadcaster, who will give the keynote speech. Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director, will talk about species-level conservation. Harry Barton of Devon Wildlife Trust will tell us about the landscape-scale work that DWT is doing. John Varley from Clinton Devon Estates will talk about the balance between conservation and commercial management of large areas in the county. He is joined by fellow Natural England board member, Simon Lyster. Plus, Kevin Bishop from Dartmoor National Park; Professor Charles Tyler, John Walters and Malcolm Burgess. There will be plenty of opportunities for delegates to ask questions and hold to account those on the panel who are tasked with the responsibility for looking after bird conservation in the county and beyond. If you’ve left it to the last minute to buy a ticket, there are just a few left that we have reserved for Devon Birds’ members. But be quick, the Conference is very nearly sold out and we cannot exceed the capacity of the venue. To find out if tickets are available, visit the Devon Birds’ website: www.devonbirds.org or call Fiona Senior at Dartmoor Preservation Association on 01822 890646.

3 news

Devon Willow Tit Project Volunteers wanted to help locate our Willow Tits

Can you help find our Willow Tits? Numbers have plummeted and the birds aren’t easy to identify. Just the sort of challenge that Devon Birds’ members love. (Photo: Ashley Banwell)

Willow Tit is one of our most charismatic and elusive species. It’s not confined to wet woodland but, in Devon at least, that’s its most usual habitat. It is also habitat that has historically disappeared from across the country as it’s been drained and cleared for agriculture. Not suprisingly, the Willow Tit is one of the UK’s fastest-declining species. It has disappeared from many counties and it’s barely holding on in many others. Data that will be published in the new Devon Bird Atlas suggest that the species has suffered much the same fate in our county, showing a precipitous decline in distribution of over 70 per cent in 30 years. It’s just possible that it’s a bird that’s under-recorded. Its habitat is often rather inaccessible; it’s elusive even in areas where it’s known to occur; and, to add to the difficulties, it’s almost impossible to tell apart from Marsh Tit except when it calls. The good news is that we know there are still birds in Devon and that plenty of its preferred habitat still exists. Now Devon Birds has teamed up with Devon Wildlife Trust and the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) to look for the birds. We are currently planning a two-year Willow Tit Project, starting with field work in February and March 2016. Malcolm Burgess is currently finalising the methodology and Fiona Freshney of DBRC will be co-ordinating the work,

4 news liaising with landowners and working with volunteers. The project’s ultimate goal will be to inform and target future conservation and land management advice that will offer long-term protection for this important species. In the first instance, the plan is to visit all the sites in which Willow Tits have been found both in the new Devon Bird Atlas and the former Sitters’ Atlas. There are 190 tetrads in which the birds are now shown to be absent but we want to check if any birds remain. The areas of greatest concentration are the Culm Measures, the county’s Willow Tit hotspot, Dartmoor, where a number of sites have been recently identified, North Devon, where numbers have thinned out markedly and East Devon, where the birds seem to have disappeared. Can you help? We are looking for 50 volunteers who are willing to visit a number of sites over the late winter period. The plan is to identify the birds by using call; fortunately, Willow Tits are very responsive to playback, especially at this time of year. No experience is necessary as training will be given at a number of events we’re planning to hold across the county. All you will need is transport, an mp3 player (or phone that plays calls) and a small speaker (we will recommend an inexpensive one). It helps, of course, if you can identify Willow Tit and Marsh Tit by call but, as they are quite different, that shouldn’t be a problem. At this stage, we are not looking for a firm commitment, just expressions of interest. If you would like to help with this important survey, please send an email to Julia Harris at [email protected] or call Julia on 01822 853785.

Willow Tit at its nest, in this case in a larch tree showing that the birds can also be found in young conifer plantations as well as the more usual wet woodland. (Photo: Ashley Banwell)

5 news

Pre-migration nerves? David White has captured the perfect shot of a very late fledging House Martin still in the nest at Budleigh Salterton this month.

DEVON BIRD REPORT NEWS

DEVON BIRD REPORTS AVAILABLE

Mike Lock writes: I have been given a complete set of Devon Reports from 1972 to 2013. The cover of the 2009 Report is slightly faded but otherwise all are in good condition, consistent with their age. If anyone would like these, please let me know and we can discuss how to get them to you. If you feel like making a donation to Devon Birds, so much the better! Contact me at [email protected]

DEVON BIRD REPORT 2014

I am sorry to have to let members know that the 2014 Devon Bird Report is now most unlikely to be ready for delivery until early 2016. Pressure of Atlas work and two cataract operations are the Editor’s excuses and these have been compounded by the disastrous failure of two contributors’ computers with the loss of data and the need to rewrite sections. One lesson that can be drawn from this is the importance of keeping regular backups of your important data. Mike Lock

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news Top quality binoculars and scope for sale

Swaorvski ATM65HD angled spotting scope with 25-50x zoom and case (no tripod). £1500 new.

Two generous donations mean that we have for sale a top brand Swarovski telescope and a pair of Zeiss binoculars. Both are in excellent condition and they appear to have been little used. They would each cost £1500+ new. Please send offers over the reserve price of £700 each in sealed envelopes containing your details and the amount, marked either BINS or SCOPE. If you wish to bid for both, please send two envelopes. Send to: Julia Harris, 6 Clonway, Yelverton, Devon PL20 6EG. Closing date: 11 December. All envelopes will be opened at the same time with an independent witness present. Winning bids will be given in The Zeiss Victory FL 7x42 T*FL with Zeiss carrying case. Harrier. All monies raised will benefit Devon Birds.

7 reserve news

South Huish Marsh, owned by the National Trust but managed by Devon Birds. Our Reserves – A Review To ensure that our reserves continue to make an important contribution to our conservation work, Devon Birds commissioned an independent review earlier this year.

Following a number of land acquisitions over many years, Devon Birds currently owns or has management agreements in place at nine different sites within Devon. This land covers just over 64 hectares in total and is distributed across four reserves in South Devon, four in North Devon and one in East Devon. Until now, none of the reserves had been reviewed in relation to their future management and the current aims and objectives of Devon Birds. A decision was taken by Council to undertake a full reserves review and an independent consultant and Devon Birds’ member, Chris Townend, was appointed to carry out the task. The key questions that Chris was asked to address as part of his site assessements were: • What are considered to be the key target species for each of the sites? • Do the sites have real conservation value? • What are the conservation outcomes that should be delivered?

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reserve news

• Are all sites suitable for public access or is disturbance too great an issue? • Is climate change considered an issue to delivering the outcomes? • Is Devon Birds the best owner/manager of the sites or would they be better managed by another conservation organisation?

Chris visited each of the reserves, reviewed the available species records for each site, considered both their conservation value and the people engagement potential as well as offering valuable insights into all the questions posed. The full report was considered by Council at the last quarterly meeting on 14 October where a number of recommendations were adopted. The key ones were that all reserves should have comprehensive management plans in place; bird and other species records should be systematically collected for all reserves; where appropriate, suitable people engagement plans should be adopted. To help with this process, three Council representatives, Jon Avon, Jerry Tallowin and Nigel Hewitt will meet early in 2016 to draw up a pro forma that can be used to review each of our reserves in a consistent manner. In the light of the review, it was also agreed by Council that notice would be given to Torridge District Council of our wish to terminate our management agreement over the Kenwith reserve in Bideford. Torridge DC has been approached by a group of local residents who have expressed a wish to take over responsibility for the management of the site and it was felt that this solution might offer a better outcome for both nature conservation and local people. It was also suggested that the North Devon Biosphere Group be approached for their advice. We will work with whoever is appointed by Torridge DC to take over the management of the site and we will continue to offer support and advice as needed.

OWL PELLETS WANTED

Andrew Griffiths writes: I am a new lecturer at the University of Exeter and one of the first practical classes for new biology students is the dissection of owl pellets. They use keys to identify the contents of the pellets, especially the jawbones of small mammals in order to reconstruct the diet of the owls. This teaches some important skills: id keys, biologicial drawing and some ecological inference about difference in diet of owls in different habitats. But we have 200 students, so even working in pairs, I need 100 pellets. It’s been really difficult A dissected owl pellet, in this case trying to find so many and I’d really appreciate from a Long-eared Owl it if any Devon Birds’ members can help. My contact details are: [email protected]

9 news

Bioblitz at North Sands in Salcombe Three Devon Birds’ members, with the help of those from the Kingsbridge Natural History Society, surveyed a bay in Salcombe near the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, namely North Sands and the valley inland. On 27th and 28th September fifty birds were identified of the 704 species of wildlife and plants recorded in the area. The same event, which was held last year at Mount Batten in Plymouth, recorded over a thousand species. The aim was to survey one square mile, extending into Kingsbridge estuary to cover a range of habitats. These included the coastal heath, woodlands, meadows, reedbed, estuary and an extensive rocky shore well exposed by the spring tides. The event was organised by the Marine Boiological Association, from Plymouth, in partnership with South Devon AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and Ambios Ltd, involved in nature, conservation and training. On the first day, bird and fish and plant surveys, bug hunts, woodland walks, pond and rockpool dipping were organised. In the marquee, specimens were gathered in trays and pots and identified with the use of microscopes if needed. In the evening a bat survey and moth and marine life trapping took place. School children took part the next day in bug hunting, seashore safaris and nature walks to help add to the collection. The night time rockpooling was illuminated by a full moon, which later was a fiery red at 3am, as it was eclipsed by the earth. Seine netting each day bought in about a thousand sandeels from the shallows along with other small marine life. On the second day the early morning bird walk was set for 7am. Over the two days Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen in the woodland. Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Blackcap enjoyed the insects, abundant blackberries and elderberries from the hedgerows. Raven, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel flew with many Swallows above the valley in the strong easterly wind. In the estuary Shag, Little Egret and Mediterranean Gulls fed in the waters. George Montagu, a naturalist from the eighteenth century, who lived in Kingsbridge, was one of the first to have identified the same bird and marine species, as those collected for the bioblitz. Liz Harris 10

around the regions

Bar-tailed Godwits and Avocets taking off from Bowling Green Marsh (photo: Colin Scott)

PLYMOUTH BRANCH While visiting West Charleton, near Kingsbridge in August a small group of Plymouth Branch members were rewarded with a dry late morning after torrential rain and high winds earlier. Without the shelter of the hide, our visit would have been shortened. Several Cirl Bunting showed well nearby. A Green Sandpiper was spotted on the scrapes, along with a fleeting Kingfisher while a few waders fed in the estuary. Our September visit to Topsham started from the quay by the Exe River, followed up the Clyst to the viewing platform and on to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh. Good numbers of waders such as Black-tailed Godwit and a couple of Avocet fed in the estuary, while a Sandwich Tern rested on a buoy. From the hide three Spotted Redshank, a Ruff, a Greenshank and six Pintail were identified from the many waders flying in. The newly developed area of Goosemoor revealed a Common Sandpiper and Snipe. The indoor meeting mid September is summarised as ‘The challenges around Thurlestone’. What is needed to create a successful habitat for wildlife on two South Devon coastal reserves? Nick Townsend described the efforts required each year in his excellent talk South Milton Ley and South Huish Marsh - the work and rewards of a South Devon Reserves Officer. The two reserves are very different. South Milton Ley, owned by Devon Birds,

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around the regions

has a large reedbed with surrounding footpaths. One hectare of the reeds needs cutting every year, along with regular grass cutting and fence repairing. Photographs of the planting of hedges and trees showed that the latter have now grown well and a new boardwalk constructed. Nick stated that South Huish is meadowland and comprised of three scrapes. Though owned by the National Trust, it is managed by Devon Birds. Water levels need to be regulated and ditches cleared. All the work on both sites is achieved with his dedicated team of volunteers, help from local farmers and use of mechanical equipment. Control of the vegetation is helped during the summer by Highland cattle and Dartmoor ponies introduced to South Huish, as they will devour anything. The work is compounded by the need to remove debris after winter storms. Excellent video showed the ferocity of the sea in 2013/2014 eroding the beach with the result that huge wooden poles protecting the beach were thrust into the Ley. Breaching of the water of the Ley through the sand bar into the sea was also shown well. So what are the rewards? These can be measured by the number of species seen on the reserves and off the nearby coast. Over 200 have been reported on the thurlestonebaybirds blog over the years and many have been ringed. Rarities such as Squacco Heron, Little Bunting and Bearded Tit have been spotted. This proves that the work achieved in this area offers several rich and diverse habitats for wildlife . What further plans could improve these sites? A possible hide and a gravel island on South Huish are being discussed. Liz Harris

Squacco Heron and Little Bunting are just two of the rarities that have been recorded in the Thurlestone Bay area that includes both South Milton Ley and South Huish Marsh.

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around the regions

TAW/TORRIDGE 20 October - eleven of us met at Darts Farm on a calm, warm sunny morning. Making our way down to the fishing lake and hide, the first birds seen were a pair of Reed Buntings perched in the sweetcorn crop. In a large eucalyptus many Greenfinch and Goldfinch seemed to be feeding around the seed cups, and on the lake Moorhens and Mallards splashed about. Suddenly a large flock of Canada Geese with Black-tailed Godwit, Teal and other small birds took to the air much to our disappointment, disturbed by a thoughtless person walking her dog in the designated bird sanctuary area. On the walk back some of the group had Kingfisher, Chiffchaff and Stonechat. Our walk along the river Clyst and the new cycle trail, although very pleasant, produced few birds, but at the Goosemoor viewing screens we had several Greenshank, Black-headed Gull, Teal and Grey Heron. A number of birds seemed to be on passage overhead including many Starlings with a Sparrowhawk hunting amongst them. Lunch was enjoyed at Bowling Green Marsh hide whilst watching good numbers of birds, including Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwits, a group of 30 Avocet, 200 Redshank, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, a lone Knot and several hundred Canada Geese. The bushes along the path to the viewing platform were full of Starlings seen arriving earlier, resting presumably after a long journey, also feeding amongst the shrubs were Greenfinch, Goldcrest, Bullfinch and Chiffchaff. At Goat Walk we sat in the warm sunshine watching another group of Avocets, Curlew and Great Black-backed Gull, several Grey Heron and another Kingfisher. Looking at the view across the river to Powderham, soaking up the atmosphere and appreciating what was probably the last day of our Indian Summer, seemed a

SOUTH DEVON BRANCH Mike Lock gave a very informative talk entitled Natural History of Kamchatka and the Aleutians on 20 July; he included a wealth of information on the history of the area and as to be expected some fascinating botanical information. On 17 August, Chris Proctor gave a talk entitled Northern Spain- Butterflies, Birds and Wildlife, which as usual contained so much and such diverse information that it left the audience wanting more. On 21 September, John Gale gave a talk entitled Pyrenees, Moon Moths and Sea Birds which took us from the Pyrenees with its birds, butterflies, wild boar and eventually lynx to pelagic trips of the Scillies. John’s son Tom finished the evening with a talk on his experiences as a volunteer on Fair Isle. All the talks were well attended by around 20 members. The branch at present is successful but is in desperate need of a Programme Secretary as Bob Bailey is very keen to stand down; this is disappointing as Bob has managed to arrange some excellent speakers. The speakers already arranged for next year promise more entertaining evenings. The request in The Harrier for WeBS counters at Galmpton on the River Dart was successful; Gary and Kay Deare are now counting the section from their kayak. Mike Goss

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bird notes

BIRD OF THE MONTH

There’s really no contest for the bird of the month in October. The Isabelline Shrike at South Huish was happy to pose for photographs as shown above and below left by Alan Doidge. There were also a good number of Firecrests around too – this photo was taken by Tony Marchese.

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international MALTA AND CYPRUS UPDATE

Five of the nine White Storks from a Swedish reintroduction programme that recently migrated via Malta

MALTA On 10th October, 89 MEPs wrote to European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, asking him to take urgent action against the Maltese government for breaking EU laws to allow trapping and spring hunting of Europe’s migrating birds. At a press conference in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Catherine Bearder MEP said “The birds which are shot and trapped in Malta, against EU rules, belong to all of Europe and to Africa. That makes this a European issue and the Commission should act accordingly.” On a more positive note BirdLife Malta have just applied for EU funds to start a Peregrine re-introduction programme.

CYPRUS Having just completed another three week stint in Cyprus surveying illegal trapping sites, first signs were not good. The estimates of total birds illegally trapped during 2015 will probably be at or above the 2014 levels of more than two million birds. However, there is good news from the UK sovereign bases, where trapping levels are high. A new commander has taken over and is very keen to reduce trapping. Consequently, two areas have been cleared of non-indigenous Acacia trees thereby reducing suitable trapping habitat. More clearance is planned for the future. Roger Little

15 book review

BRITISH BIRDS: NAMES – FACTS -MYTHS By Geoff Green (Copies obtainable from Amazon Bookstore or from the author on 01404 813127 or email [email protected])

This book is crammed with interesting facts. We are lucky that this is one of the challenges Geoff Green has set himself for his retirement. There are sections on local bird names, common names, scientific names, collective names for flocks and on myths and folk lore. He adds information on the status of the birds over the last decades and their position in the garden bird-watch chart. Sometimes I felt I would have liked all the information about each bird in one place but, as each section lists the birds in alphabetical order, it is quite easy to flip from one section to another. There are a few minor mistakes or typographical errors, like a reference to Turnstones eating ‘insects’ and the mis-spelling of ‘murmuration’ of Starlings. I have learnt many new names, facts and stories. Among his sources, Geoff quotes from Greek and Roman myths, the Bible, the Koran, Shakespeare and Boris Pasternak. I loved the quotation from the poem ‘The Lark Ascending’ by George Meredith and the Turtle Dove quotes, including bursting into song with “O for the wings of a dove.” You may be pleased that in all the fascinating medley of word-play and quotation the following riddle does not appear: “Why did the Owl howl?” “Because the Woodpecker behind would peck ‘er behind.” Gordon Waterhouse

WHAT’S ON

Please note: there is an amendment to the published programme:

East Devon Branch Field Trip: the trip to Stover Country Park will now take place on Monday 2nd November not 6th November as previously advertised. All other details remain the same: meet at 9.30am at the Stover car park (SX832749) – pay and display.

Please check the Devon Birds website (www.devonbirds.org) for all other events and field trips or refer to the 2015 printed programme.