The RSPB is a registered charity in England and Wales-207076, in Scotland-SC037654

Chorleywood and District Local Group Newsletter No. 78 February 2014 The RSPB is a registered charity in England and Wales 207076, in Scotland SC03765 www.rspb.org.uk/groups/chorleywood

Group News

Firstly, we must let members know that there is a change of venue for the coach trip in May. We are now planning to visit the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve at Arundel, in Sussex, rather than Damien the Cotswold Water Park. At Arundel there will also Weller at be a chance to visit the town or castle. Booking has the new now opened. Aquadrome information The year-long survey of Chorleywood Common, point - see undertaken at the request of the Parish Council, page three has been completed, with 52 species of birds discovered to be using this local nature reserve. We believe that around a half of these species probably breed in the area. Read more about it on page two. experience with 10 of our Group attending. We Now, another local reserve needs our help. The must have been almost the last people to see the Ranger of the , Damien famous lagoons at Snettisham between the shingle Weller (seen here), has plans for this local nature banks, which are now destroyed. reserve, which are described in his article on page three. He would like us to get involved in organising In July, we will hold stalls at both Chorleywood Day and leading walks around this area, which lies next and Chenies Manor Plant Fair. Perhaps you might to Stockers Lake and often attracts the same birds like to do a ‘shift’ on the stalls, always a lot of fun! found on the better-known nature reserve. We will try to help him, so if you care to get involved, please The Committee speak to any Committee member and we will work out how we can be of use. CONTENTS At the Committee meeting held in January 2014, we Chorleywood Common Survey ...... Page 2 decided to donate £300 to the RSPB. They are Forthcoming Events ...... …….3 more in need of funds following the storm surge in Aquadrome Ranger’s Plans ...... 3 December, which destroyed much of the Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital ...... 4 infrastructure of the Norfolk Coast Reserves, The Dunnock .... …………………………………….4 especially at Snettisham. A special appeal has Membership Fee Increase .. ……………………….4 been launched. Only a couple of days before this Binoculars for Sale …………………………………5 disaster, our trip to that area had been a fabulous Award for RSPB Advert ...... ……………………..5 Farmers Alliance Project ...... …………………6 Your Photos ..... …………………………………….7 1 Outdoor Meetings .... ………………………………7

Bird Survey reveals 52 species are Dog Free Area By using brushwood to keep out dogs in a limited using Chorleywood Common area, it might be possible to encourage woodcocks.

In October 2013 we finished our year-long survey of Cricket Pitch this local Common, done at the request of This is used by many species despite being near Chorleywood Parish Council. Their need was to the main road, e.g. gulls and mistle thrushes. establish a base line for the bird population of the Common, so that the success (or not), of future Golf Course management plans could be established. The Few birds were seen using the golf course. The result, with 52 different species seen over the year, greens are treated with a worm retardant, but as no was a surprise, but this does not mean that there chemicals are used on the fairways, this remains a cannot be improvements to the management of the puzzle. Common to make it more bird friendly. Our results have been sent to the Biological Acid and Chalk Grassland Records Office. The importance of these rare habitats and their associated flora are emphasised in the current Around half of these species were either just visiting management plan. Heather and gorse areas will be (the cuckoo and meadow pipit, for example, extended to reinstate the original heathland. With perhaps during migration), or they were seen only more wild flowers, birds will benefit from the seeds, once or twice (bullfinch, lesser redpoll, linnet, and also insects visiting the flowers can be taken by redwing). Around half were possibly breeding, and birds. We suggested planting some small trees in during the early spring walks, the sound of the bird clumps, in the middle of the grassland, to provide song was truly remarkable. Wrens, robins, perches and shelter for birds. chiffchaffs, blackcaps, jays, all the more common tit species, green and great spotted woodpeckers The team who did the surveying, and who were present in large numbers at this time. The deserve our thanks, consisted of the following sound of tawny owls kept some residents of the volunteers:- Common awake at night, but we do not know how many there are. Christina Bessant, Wannie Collins, Peter Harman, Helen Livermore, Richard Livermore, Woodland Janet Lowndes, Anna Marett, Vaughan Ryall, The relatively young oak and silver birch Carol Smith, Richard Tomlin, Joan Thompson, woodland contains very few native berry-bearing David Witton, Linda Witton, Tony Wright. shrubs (except the marvellous rowans). We suggested the planting of many native berry- At the time of writing, the Parish Council Open bearing bushes at any sunny south or west facing Spaces Committee was considering our report and woodland edges to provide winter food, not only for we hope that at least some of our ideas are the resident birds, but also to encourage fieldfares, followed up. Our report and the table of results for waxwings, siskins, and redwings. Disappointingly, each month can be obtained in full if you email this idea has been rejected because, we are now [email protected]. Also there are copies informed nothing can be planted on the Common. to be found at our indoor meetings on the display We suggested that nest boxes could be installed for table. treecreepers, kestrels and owls. We also hope that fallen branches and tree trunks are not tidied away.

52 species found on Chorleywood Common from October 2012 to September 2013

Blackbird, blackcap, black-headed gull, blue tit, bullfinch, buzzard, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, coal tit, collared dove, cuckoo, dunnock, feral pigeon, goldcrest, goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, greenfinch, green woodpecker, heron, jackdaw, jay, kestrel, lesser redpoll, linnet, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, meadow pipit, mistle thrush, nuthatch, pied wagtail, red kite, redwing, ring-necked parakeet, robin, rook, sedge warbler, siskin, song thrush, sparrowhawk, starling, stock dove, swallow, swift, tawny owl, treecreeper, whitethroat, willow warbler, woodpigeon and wren.

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Forthcoming Events

11-13 April 2014 RSPB Members’ Weekend, University of York. Fascinating talks and a choice of 17 excursions. Cost: £255, inclusive of meals. Contact: Events team - 01767 680 551 Sunday 11 May 2014 Spring Chorus and Warbler Walk. Friends of Stocker’s Lake. Meet on the Causeway between Stocker’s and Bury Lakes at 8.30am.

Saturday 12 July 2014 Chorleywood Village Day. The Group plans to run a stall. Help needed, please. Sunday 20 July 2014 Chenies Manor Plant Fair. The Group plans to run a stall. Help needed, please. 15-17 August 2014 Birdfair, Rutland Water. Early bird tickets available from 1st March 2014. www.birdfair.org.uk

Encouraging Bird Watching at Rickmansworth Aquadrome

Hello, my name is Damien Weller, Park Ranger for Council. I was appointed Park Ranger in August 2011. Previously I had worked for more than ten years as an Environmental Consultant, specialising in native reptiles and amphibians.

As a keen naturalist myself, I am always happy to pass on my enthusiasm for wildlife to others and strive to create opportunities for others to share their knowledge and experience. We have recently renovated the Information Point, within the “Café in the Park” at the Aquadrome Local Nature Reserve. Now we have a bird identification board, bird recording book and recent spots chalk board. Ultimately, I would love this information point to be a first stop for bird watchers visiting the Aquadrome and surrounding areas. For this to work, we need experienced bird watchers to contribute to the recording book and recent spots board on a regular basis. I would like to encourage any members of your Group to pop in and contribute if they are visiting the Aquadrome and surrounding areas.

I organise a variety of walks and talks at the Aquadrome throughout the year, including bird walks. If any members of your Group would like to help lead, assist or organise bird walks at the Aquadrome, I would be more than happy to work alongside them. This could be a good platform for introducing the RSPB as a next step for those who want to further their interest. I have good links with uniformed organisations and I am hoping to work more with local schools in the future. The hope being that we can help to introduce the next generation to the spectacular world of birds.

Please feel free to contact me if any of the opportunities mentioned are of interest to you and you would like to find out more.

Damien Weller, Park Ranger, Three Rivers District Council [email protected] 07824 33 55 19

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MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASE Slight flexibility in the new arrangements The Dunnock

On looking through our collection of old AGM The dunnock is a humble bird minutes, we discovered that the last increase in our Very poor and shy. membership fee was in 1998, 16 years ago, when it You never hear his chirp at all was raised from £2 to £3. Inflation over that period Though he does try. has been 55%. Basically, we need more funds! The new fee will reflect the RSPB’s own membership arrangements and will be slightly flexible, i.e. you His nest is always near the ground pay what you wish within limits. He is afraid of heights. He faces lots of predators, Do nothing now. This is just a warning and the fee Especially at night! stays the same until the 2014/15 season. We will then ask you and new members to pay at least £5 His diet is so simple, per annum. This will require a letter to your bank He won't eat nuts or seeds. asking them to increase your standing order Just some pinhead oats, payment to us. Is really all he needs.

However, if you do not change your fee we will not His coat is light brown, expel you from the Group and you will still be welcome at our meetings. After all, some of you With grey flecks on his back, have been members since the Group was formed in A grey hood over his head, 1977 when the fee was £1. But it is imperative that And his eyes the darkest black. we can cover the ever rising costs of speakers, particularly it they need travelling expenses. By Rachel Gardner, when she was 10

The Committee I know this poem is not entirely accurate -

please allow me some poetic licence.

Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital Trust A chance to get close to red kites

Red Kite Aviary There is a huge aviary at Tiggywinkles. It is high and divided into two sections. The size is unfortunately necessary because of the number of red kites that it is required to hold. When I visited Tiggywinkles in late 2013, 15 red kites were inside, because they were being treated for injuries sustained either accidently for example by getting trapped in barbed wire, in road accidents, being strangled by plastic bags or injured deliberately by man. Others had disease such as trichomoniasis, which may result from eating infected columbids Recovering red kites Photo: Dave Smith such as collared doves.

Most of them seemed to be in good shape. A visit Information Centre, with displays on the birds’ here gives an opportunity to see kites swooping biology and a skeleton display. around the aviaries, and as you can see from these photographs, it is a chance to see them close up. Bird Nursery and Mammal Nursery Usually when we see them soaring above us, It is possible to see young garden birds being fed details of their plumage are always just too distant every 15 minutes from dawn to dusk in the spring to study. Next door to the aviaries is the Red Kite and summer. The Mammal Nursery Ward has a 4

viewing window through which you can see the young patients being treated and fed without Anyone for Tennis? disturbing them.

The new Bone Exhibition has a collection of This email from a reliable source was skeletons and there is a live link to the X-ray sent to David Baker, one of our Department by which you can see the patients members. being x-rayed. There is a collection of old x-rays taken of many wild species who have been patients Hi David, in the past. I thought you would be interested in

my experience on Wednesday. The Visitor Centre is open every day between Easter and 30 September. Between 30 September and Easter, it is open just from Monday to Friday. We were playing tennis and three red kites were swirling around over our For emergencies the hospital is open 24/7 all heads, squealing at each other, when the year. If you find a dead red kite in the one swooped down and picked up Chilterns, email [email protected]. If you find one of our tennis balls! He carried it an injured animal, the 24-hour phone number is around for a bit then dropped it 01844 292292. and swooped and caught it again before it hit the ground! He did this again, then just flew around and after five minutes dropped it for good. It certainly looked like play. The ball Binoculars was unharmed.

Hope you are well. Margaret For Sale

Prestigious Award for RSPB Advert

In December RSPB staff attended the Direct Marketing Association Awards Ceremony. The recent TV Advert was short listed in two categories, - Best Use of Film and Best Brand Building Campaign.

I am delighted to say that we won Gold in both awards. This is truly remarkable, especially given the other multi-million pound brands we were up against, like Virgin, O2, Ikea, British Gas and Intel.

These are Opticron Classic 3, 8x32. The Chair of the judging panel was Stephen They come with a case and are in Poliakoff, so from a film point of view, we could not good condition. have had a better critic and apparently he loved our film! Contact Irene Oulsnam Tel: 01923 284460 Sallie Crawley, Volunteer Development Officer

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Produce from Hope Farm for sale in RSPB shop

The first product from Hope Farm, the RSPB’s ‘model’ farm, is now on sale in one of the RSPB’s own shops. This extra virgin rapeseed oil has not been produced on a mass scale, in which purification and grading and extraction processes remove all the distinctive character of the oil. It is crushed and bottled in Cambridgeshire and has a distinctly nutty flavour.

So if you visit the Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve, near Castleford, Yorkshire, or any RSPB reserve shop or online why not buy a bottle?

Sowing rapeseed at Hope Farm

The Volunteer and Farmer Alliance - a successful project comes to an end

The Volunteer and Farmer Alliance Project has been enormously successful. The novel approach of linking interested farmers with RSPB volunteers and following up the volunteer bird surveys with practical advice, has earned a huge amount of appreciation from the agricultural industry. In total, 6,750 surveys were undertaken. Farmers have been inspired to undertake effective conservation management to protect farmland birds. It has reached 3,000 farmers across the country and thousands of volunteers were involved. A high number of these farmers have acted on the advice they have received and have entered into agri-environment schemes. Also, farmers involved in the ‘Nature of Farming Award’ Scheme have advocated wildlife friendly farming to other farmers and policy makers.

Now that EU LIFE+ funding is coming to an end, a fresh approach to supporting farmers is planned. Rather than survey and provide advice across the whole of the UK, we will now be concentrating most on the face to face advice in 27 focus areas, each carefully chosen for their importance for farmland birds. Each area is home to priority species: either range restricted seed eating birds, or breeding waders. Volunteers will continue to be involved in monitoring these birds.

Here are two examples of what can be achieved by applying lessons learned from places like Hope Farm, the RSPB’s own farm.

Set on the north east coast of Aberdeenshire, John Moir’s farm is proof that successful business can go hand in hand with wildlife friendly farming. John supplies M & S and Tesco with organic beef and Waitrose with oats, yet they manage their farm with corn buntings in mind! The population of these threatened birds has risen by 157% between 2006 and 2012. Other birds, butterflies and wildlife have benefited too.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Pembrokeshire, Furzy Mount Farm teems with wildlife, whilst remaining a highly productive farm. It was surveyed in 2004 through the Volunteer and Farmer Alliance, by local member Peter Kimberley. Now amongst well managed hedgerows, field margins, crops and pastured, a host of birds were recorded and the barn owls are one of the farmer’s favourites. In winter, huge

starling flocks come to roost at the farm.

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Your photos Please send photos to [email protected]

Snow buntings in North Norfolk Pete Coulson Geese over Titchwell Tony Wright

Outdoor Meetings

Maple Lodge Nature Reserve, house. Coots, moorhens, herons, jays and magpies Rickmansworth were also seen. Cost £17 or OAP £11. Sunday, 22 September 2013 Membership Secretary: Keith Pursall 07580 535986 or visit www.maplelodge.org. Access to this private nature reserve is usually limited to members, so, we were shown round by two guides who clearly loved this place. The doors Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve are controlled by a secret code; once unlocked you find yourself in the clubroom, with kettle, chairs and Saturday, 19 October 2013 tables, guidebooks and loos. All very ‘Famous Five!’ Members can visit at any time of the day or night, As Carol, Dave and I approached the reserve on giving opportunities for special wildlife watching at the A1306, a kestrel hovered over an adjacent field dawn or dusk. under a lowering sky and we were welcomed into the reserve by eight collared doves and about a Maple Lodge is not large, but they seem to have dozen house sparrows, attracted to the food packed everything into the reserve. They have bee dispensed near our parking place. hives, bat boxes (with eight out of the nine Hertfordshire species of bat being present), bee RSPB guide, Louise Moss, led the nine of us to the and marsh orchids, the occasional lesser spotted start of the walk and gave us a short talk about the woodpecker, marsh harrier and osprey, etc. The list reserve. About 40 Canada geese flew by, a carrion is impressive. crow perched on a post, a little egret stood in the shallows, a wren and a blue tit gave voice and six There are many hides around the lakes and from goldfinches adorned some willow trees. Louise these we had two kingfisher sightings in no time. A pointed out the grey steel funnels on the visitor hobby was chasing emperor dragonflies and a centre roof. These are light tubes that greatly buzzard sat on a neighbouring barn. Nuthatches enhance the natural light levels coming in. She and great tits dominated the feeders near the club mentioned the six shooting butts on the site of the 7

former Purfleet Rifle Range. The whole site has a Finally, a small reddish brown raptor flew in front of military history. the last hide and on to a fencepost. So fittingly for three of us, the first and last species we would see As we walked round we reached the sheltered and while in the area would be a kestrel! protected old cordite store, where several birdwatchers had their sites aimed in the direction Andrew Case of a white ‘blob’ halfway up a tree. A barn owl! There were supposedly two, but after many paces North Norfolk along tarmac, gravel path and boardwalk (all of the routes are wheelchair friendly), we had only another Last Weekend in November 2013 view of the same bird. In the more open area was a finch on top of hawthorn, perhaps a linnet and The now traditional bird watching weekend for 2013 unmistakable on a briar were female and male took place over the last days of November when 10 stonechats. Some of us believed that we heard the members went off to Hunstanton in Norfolk for three abrupt song of the Cetti’s warbler. days. On the way up, eight of us stopped off at Welney Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Reserve for From the hide, landscaped in memory of Ken lunch. Just as we left the shelter of the café, the Barrett (1932-2006), we saw a marsh harrier, as rain started in a cold northerly wind. It, therefore, shelducks, mallards, tufted ducks and other ducks came as a pleasant surprise to the first-timers to sit plus six lapwings all became airborne to escape it. down in the large hide overlooking the main lake to find that it was heated. We were welcomed by the Other birds seen on our perambulation round to the sight of hundreds of whooper swans, lapwings, shooting butts were gadwalls, pochards, shovelers, teals and wigeons, but no Bewick swans. Later we mute swans, a drake pintail, a curlew and spotted were entertained by a couple of marsh harriers redshank flying. A buzzard was sitting on a distant fighting over what appeared to be the body of a post, while little grebe, teals, moorhens, coots and mole. Not much meat on that! mallards were seen in the pools. We all were pleased with a close view of a common wheatear At dusk the staff came out with a barrow full of on a fence post. barley, which they spread around the edge of the lake. This tempted many more swans to come winging in through the sky with a great hooting and honking. Some of us had hopes of seeing clouds of starlings, but what were there produced only a distant and minor display. Peter Bartlett alone amongst us saw a peregrine falcon.

After the evening feed we set off to finish our journey to Hunstanton, where dinner was taken in an old fashioned pub. On the Saturday all of us went to Titchwell, where the north wind did blow, at least in the morning. Luckily a rain shower soon passed and we were able to spend several hours on the beach or in some very comfortable (but not heated) hides. A lovely flock of snow buntings kept With the butts in the background are Richard, Tony, us interested, but just would not come in range of Dave, Helen, Andrew, Carol, Mary, Pete and Evelyn our cameras, although Peter Coulson was able to Photo: Tony Wright get some good pictures on the following Monday We left the reserve at a turnstile (one way) to see (see page 7), when the rest of us had left. The other what birdlife the north shore of the Thames estuary birds of note were grey plover, avocet, pintail and was offering. The sun had come out, but alas the ringed plover. tide was in and all we saw to landward were three greylags on grass and ten lapwings in the middle of For the evening we moved along the coast to a small lake. We had some refreshment in the Holkham, to catch the flocks of geese as they come visitor centre and set about finishing the circular in to roost in the adjacent fields. Lots of pink-footed route. En route to the last hide we saw common geese and brent geese were close to the car park, redshank, lapwings, teals, wigeons, magpies and a giving us hope that more would come as dusk fell. curlew. A dunlin was pointed out to us. We were not disappointed and from an elevated

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hide we watched spell bound as thousands of The route from Amersham to Little Missenden goes geese flew in, skein by skein against the darkening between Shardeloes mansion and its lake in the sky to settle down in front of us, accompanied by valley bottom. For a small lake it was popular, with more honking and hooting. To fill any lulls in the many tens of black-headed gulls, several little arrivals, at least two barn owls patrolled the grebes diving, gadwalls flying in, coots, mallards hedgerow in front of us with their meandering, and a few teals. Overhead we were accompanied fluttering flight. To those of us for whom this was a by red kites and a few buzzards far over on the first sighting, it was a great surprise to see just how other valley side. light in colour barn owls are. This does, of course, go with their name, Tyto alba. The tall lime trees along the valley bottom were carrying large bunches of mistletoe. “We might see some mistle thrushes”, said Irene. No sooner were these words uttered than we were lucky to see that very thing. In fact on three occasions we spotted mistle thrushes eating or guarding the berries of mistletoe, which they greatly favour. They will guard other berries like holly and hawthorn too.

Along the riverside meadow, grazing sheep and digging crows and jackdaws were accompanied by green woodpeckers. Apart from ‘half-breed’ mallards in the mill stream, we saw some pied Brent geese in Norfolk Photo: Tony Wright wagtails on the roof of the watermill. We then divided into the walkers who crossed the A404 to Sunday was the last day for most of us, so only six return via a higher path on the other side of the of us drove along the coast to Snettisham in valley, and the strollers who retraced our steps on pleasant sunshine. Yet more waders were seen on the flat valley bottom. the beach and alongside the lagoon, including large flocks of dunlins, golden plovers and shelducks. As We all felt invigorated by this walk, which was full of we were leaving, Tony was ambushed by a merlin, life and pleasant company. but the rest of us were looking elsewhere. While Carol Smith this was going on, Helen and Richard were scaring a stoat away from a rabbit, which otherwise would Stockers Lake, Rickmansworth, have been Sunday lunch for the stoat! Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust

This was just a few days before the severe North Reserve, 1 January 2014 Sea storm surge and associated flooding, so once again Tony had chosen a good weekend for us. Despite the wind and rain, we spent an interesting hour or two in the hides on the south bank of this In total we saw 68 species, some just once and HMWT reserve. The usual winter visitors were on some in thousands. the lake, for example, goldeneyes, red-crested Peter Harman pochards, shovelers, gadwalls and wigeons. Miserable lapwings looked at us over the rain-swept water. So far this year the goosanders had The River Misbourne Valley, near unfortunately not arrived, as the northern weather Shardeloes had not yet sent them down to us. Certainly, 2013 autumn and winter had been very mild. Saturday 14 December 2013 The flocks of siskins were large this year, perhaps After many dark days of fogs and clouds, this was a reflecting breeding success over the fine summer. cheering walk in the sunshine. Birds were out in How high pitched and frantic they sounded as they force! Winter visitors like fieldfare and redwing were sought seeds on the alders! They dashed from tree numerous, feeding on many hawthorn and holly to tree and later on after more rain we found a flock berries. Ash seedheads attracted many goldfinches, of perhaps 60 to 90 siskins, carefully preening their while on the ground the beech mast was being bedraggled feathers, in brighter light this time and eaten by chaffinches, great tits and coal tits. we could see the bright yellow of the males.

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Female siskin Mike Langman, rspb-images.com

It was interesting too to see how goldfinches coped in the rain. Along the path between the hides were a few ivy clad trees. We investigated the loud chattering coming from within the ivy and found out that possibly 100 goldfinches were taking shelter within, only one or two being in the open. Apart from the waterfowl and these finches, we also had a good view of a nuthatch, tits, chaffinches and a wren. Carol Smith

Articles and photos for the next newsletter are welcome.

Deadline: June 2014.

Please send them to the Editor at [email protected]

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales No. 207076, Scotland No.SC037654

Any advertisements enclosed with this newsletter are not specifically endorsed by the RSPB or the Chorleywood and District Local Group

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