chat 112 web
Transcription
chat 112 web
1 Summer Comes and Goes A brief look at the arrival and departure dates of the summer visitors in our area. Species Date of Arrival Swallow Swift Sand Martin House Martin Blackcap Whitethroat Yellow Wagtail Grasshopper Warbler Lesser Whitethroat Willow Warbler Spotted Flycatcher Garden Warbler Whinchat Wheatear Common Tern Common Sandpiper Hobby 12th April 27th April 12th April 15th April 28th April 17th April 25th May 15th April 17th April 20th March 25th May 3rd May 30th April 13th April 14th April 15th April 5th May Last Date Seen 5th October 30th August 20th September 30th September 11th November 29th September 22nd September 28th July 29th September 21st September 10th June 13th June 10th September 20th October 20th August 27th August 7th October Of course this is just a few of our summer migrants. Then there are the winter migrants that fill the places of the ones that have gone. Fieldfare Waxwing Redwing Goldeneye Jack Snipe Date Left 17th April 10th April 15th April 21st April 29th March Date Arrived 13th October -------------28th April 29th September 27th September Two species had only two entries in our area for the whole of summer First Report Last Report Cuckoo 26th May 9th June Turtle Dove 15th June 5th August 0ne species had only one entry for the whole of summer Common Quail 10th August These two species of summer migrant which seemed to stayed all year: Chiffchaff and Blackcap Thanks to Paul Leonard at R.M.B.C. for his help and co-operation in compiling this information. Tony Kettle 2 Rotherham and District Ornithological Society www.rotherhambirds.co.uk Honorary Secretary: Malcolm Taylor CHAT 112 APRIL - JULY 2014 PRESIDENT’S INTRODUCTION What a difference a year makes! Last spring we had endured the coldest winter for several decades and there was lying snow well into April. This year we’ve had mild but incredibly wet weather and as I write this in early March the signs of spring are everywhere with butterflies on the wing and many species of birds holding territories. Wildlife is very good at adapting to natural conditions such as fluctuations in the weather; it’s been doing it for centuries. In the UK where our weather is unpredictable at best it is an essential survival strategy. What wildlife isn’t able to cope with so easily are the more dramatic changes to the environment imposed on it by mankind. Destruction of habitat, removal of food sources, intensive farming practices and our subsequent effects on the global climate are issues that our wildlife is unable to respond to so easily. At the moment our local wildlife is under more pressure than any time in the last thirty years. The change in planning laws that was introduced by the coalition government in 2011 undos years of legislation that was put in place to protect habitat and vulnerable species. Thanks to changes in the law planners can override any previous protection if there can be a proven economic benefit to a local community from a building or change in land use. In the last two years there has been a vastly increased threat to our local wildlife as a direct result of this change in the law. Greenbelt land that was previously relatively protected can now be built on if the economic benefit can be said to outweigh its environmental credentials. In Sheffield, a proposed ‘super fire station’ off the Parkway next to Bowden Howsteads Wood and close to the Wildlife Trust reserve Carrbrook Meadows would never have gained approval before the change in the planning laws. Proposals to route the high speed railway HS2 across several areas of protected SSSI land and nature reserves is also a major threat to our wildlife. Planners and developers are exploiting this softening of the law to their great advantage and it’s now much harder for campaigners to find a strong enough argument against development proposals of this type. As individuals we can all play a part to oppose any development that threatens our wildlife and I know that several RDOS members are already doing this in their local area. As a group RDOS will also continue to maintain a proactive involvement in local planning and environmental issues. Ben M Keywood 3 Notice of the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Rotherham and District Ornithological Society to be held at the Herringthorpe United Reform Church Hall, Wickersley Road, Rotherham Friday 11th April 2014 at 7:30 pm AGENDA 1. Apologies for Absence 2. President’s Address 3. Minutes of the 39th Annual General Meeting 4. Matters Arising 5. Honorary Secretary’s Report 6. Honorary Treasurer’s Report 7. Recorder’s Report 8. Election and resignation of Officers and Committee Members, and appointment of Trustees 9. Election of Honorary Auditor Any Other Business (for which notice shall be given in advance) EVENTS PROGRAMME Friday 11th April AGM Followed by Vietnam by Ben Keywood Sunday 27th April Coach Trip: Filey RDOS COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Ben M. Keywood HONORARY SECRETARY Malcolm Taylor MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY John Laskey PROGRAMME SECRETARY Keith Bartlett TREASURER Ken Tupholme RECORDS CO-ORDINATOR and PUBLICITY OFFICER Tony Kettle RDOS CHARITY FUND TRUSTEES Ken Tupholme Beryl Griffith CHAT Submissions [email protected] Sunday 11th May Field Trip: Idle Valley Nature Reserve Tuesday 27th May Mid-week Walk: Longshaw and Padley Gorge Friday 20th June Evening Field Trip Grenoside Woods Tuesday 24th June Mid-week Walk Old Moor Perimeter Tuesday 29th July Mid-week Walk: Wickersley Wood And Winthrop Gardens Tuesday 26th August Mid-week Walk: Clumber Park Greenfinch 4 Forthcoming Events Field Trips Sunday 27th April Mini Bus Trip to Filey The mini bus will pick up from the market car park at 8.00am, followed by Brecks and The Three Horseshoes in Wickersley. Travelling to Filey we will visit the new reserve and then the usual cliff top car park, leaving for home at 4pm. The fare is £15 per person. Limited places, so please book early. Sunday 11th May Idle Valley Nature Reserve Meet at the car park at 09.30. To get to the reserve take the A631 towards Maltby. Turn right by Maltby Grammar School onto the A634 to Blyth. At Blyth crossroads, follow the A634 towards Barnby Moor where you turn right towards Retford. After crossing over the railway bridge carry on for half a mile and turn left into the reserve. Friday 20th June Evening visit to Grenoside Woods We will meet at 19.30 at The Red Lion in Grenoside for a walk looking for Nightjars and moths. To get to Grenoside, take the A629 Upper Wortley Road out of Rotherham to Chapeltown. Cross the roundabout and go under the railway bridge. Turn left into Burncross Road and follow this on to Hall Wood Road. At the junction with the A61 turn left towards Grenoside. In Grenoside turn right in to Norfolk Hill to Main Street. Turn right and The Red Lion is on your right. Mid-week Walks The following Tuesday walks have been arranged. May 27th 10am Longshaw and Padley Meet at the top of Padley Gorge (where the ice cream vans park). The walk takes us over the moors and up Padley Gorge. We should see Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Tree Pipit and other woodland and moorland species (approx 4 miles). June 24th 10am Old Moor Perimeter Meet in RSPB Old Moor car park. The walk takes us to Wombwell Ings and then past Bolton Ings. We hope to see a variety of warblers and some breeding water birds. July 29th 10am Wickersley Woods and Winthrop Garden Meet in the Youth Centre car park on Flash Lane, Bramley (S491919). We will walk through the woods to Winthrop Park where we will stop at the award winning garden for a short time before walking back past Slacks Pond to our cars (approx 3 miles). August 26th 10am Clumber Park Meet on the cricket field. After a walk through the park we will stop for our traditional picnic. Car park charges may apply for non NT members (approx 4 miles). Ken Tupholme Recent Events Winter Mid-week walks The final mid-week walk of 2013 saw us in luck with the weather - a brilliantly sunny day sandwiched between two poor ones. We arrived at Waleswood in time to see a small flock of Siskin depart and as we made our way around the perimeter of Rother Valley Country Park to Pit House West a Tree Creeper was seen. We could also hear a Water Rail squeal some distance away while a good number of Redwing appeared to be sunbathing in trees across the pond. Plenty of common birds were present, easy to spot in the still, bright conditions. What happened when we turned a corner was a complete shock. There in front of us were two young ladies taking for a walk, of all things, a skunk, an Arctic fox and a raccoon, together with a rather more mundane pug dog! A brief conversation with their owner didn’t really satisfy our curiosity as to why anyone would want to keep such creatures. Arriving at the lakes we had good sightings of Goldeneye, Goosander, Wigeon, Shelduck and a large number of GreatCrested Grebe amongst several other species. At the Visitor Centre a Song Thrush and Pied Wagtail were spotted, and soon we encountered Bullfinch and Greenfinch. Making our way back to our parking spot we found we hadn’t seen the last of our exotic species as the field next to it is the home of an Alpaca. This was certainly one 5 of the strangest and exotic walks we have ever done. The rain stopped as we met in Whiston for our January walk to Whiston Meadows. Long-tailed and other tit species flitted through the trees as we walked through the meadows. There was only a few Coot and Mallard on the flooded flash. Numerous winter thrushes were seen throughout the walk and we had excellent views of a Sparrowhawk as it flew up a hedge in front of us and a Kestrel obligingly sat in a tree for us to view. A Green Woodpecker yaffled in the distance and as we walked along the raised bank a Green Sandpiper flew up from a flooded field. As we neared the end of the walk the rain started but this did not dampen our enjoyment of the morning’s birdwatching. Almost at the end of one of the wettest-ever winters eleven members arrived at Lound for the February mid-week walk expecting very muddy conditions. Luckily our fears were unfounded; perhaps the recent strong winds had dried the ground a little. In fact there were early signs of spring as a singing Mistle Thrush greeted our arrival. Later a pair of Great Crested Grebes showed us a snatch of their courtship ritual. The many lakes that have been created from gravel extraction each created their own particular habitat, some duck species appearing in good numbers at one lake and absent from others. One lake in what is now known as Idle Valley Nature Reserve yielded a large number of Shoveler, with just a few present elsewhere. Likewise Pochard were more in evidence in one location than others, presumably these instances are due to specialised feeding. Most of the expected duck species were there in healthy numbers, but it was good to see a pair of Pintail towards the end of our circuit. It was not only duck species that provided interest, there were snatches of song from various songbirds, and it was good to hear Skylark despite the noise of the gusty wind. A familiar call we heard could only have been a Green Woodpecker, aptly nicknamed “Yaffle”. A Kestrel was seen hunting for food alongside Chainbridge Lane and flocks of Lapwing were quite mobile. We had walked along the river where the adjacent fields held large numbers of swans, mostly Mute but a few Whoopers as well; and we had good views of a pair of Oystercatchers taking advantage of the conditions provided by management of the location. As we made our way back to the cars we talked about the river, but this was just Idle gossip. John Laskey and Ken Tupholme Christmas Social Friday 13th December As usual our December indoor meeting dispensed with all the usual formalities of a speaker and instead we spent the evening in the company of quiz masters Malcolm Taylor and John Laskey presiding over a couple of light hearted quizzes. These included a picture puzzle (identifying birds from their heads or tails) and a word search the rules and instructions of which caused a little head scratching at first but were in-fact much simpler than first impressions suggested. In our four teams there was a little bit of healthy competitive spirit, but only for as long as we could resist the wonderful feast of buffet food. And what a feast it was. We are so grateful to the many members who toiled in the kitchen preparing such a large range of pastries, sandwiches and cakes for us to enjoy. Thank you very much to all of you that contributed to satisfying our appetites. Whilst eating, the Christmas Social provides us with the opportunity for exactly that, socialising and chatting with fellow members and exchanging stories and gossip. The RDOS Christmas Social always kicks off the Christmas calendar for me, it’s the precursor for everything else to come and a very enjoyable evening was had by all. Ben Keywood 6 Nature’s Year by Allan Parker Friday 10th January Todwick resident Allan Parker was paying his first visit to RDOS for many years, so we didn’t know quite what to expect from the presentation he was to put on. He explained that he would show each season of the year from spring to winter with photos of all kinds of wildlife, including plants, insects and mammals as well as birds. What we used to call a “slideshow” seems to have passed into history, going by the technical gadgetry on display by recent speakers, and this was no exception. Spring was announced by early blackthorn and coltsfoot, and Allan described how he used macro lenses to blur the background in these photos. Numerous spring shots followed, a photo of an adder lying flat to soak up as much of the early-year sun as possible. May was exemplified by bluebells, early butterflies and photos of Mallard and Gadwall with Allan remarking how common the latter have become. Migrants arrived and we saw pictures of Sedge and Reed Warbler and then a fine shot of Swallow courtesy of a long telephoto lens. Allan likes to tell a story with his camera and we saw a fine sequence showing a Black-Headed Gull harassing a heron. A photo of a female Kingfisher was used to help us distinguish it from a male, in Allan’s words the female uses “lippy”. the Farne Islands and great depictions of breeding Fulmar. Back inland and Allan remarked how pit tops had become good birding sites, homes for Skylark and Yellow Wagtail, with fine photos of these. Then we were treated to wonderful close-ups of oxeye daisy and several kinds of orchid, followed by insects, and tips on how to take the best photographs. Butterflies included Common Blue, Silver-studded Blue and Orange-tip, which Allan likes to photograph showing the underwing. Autumn was depicted by landscapes of mists and colours of trees and berries, an ideal time to photograph the thrush species with the arrival of Redwing and Fieldfare, the latter seemingly in short supply this year. Fungi were depicted by examples with appropriate names such as “Turkey Tails” and “Shaggy Ink Cap”. Off to the coast again and we were shown photos of the two main Godwit species with identification hints. Winter began with more fungi, some types not evident until this late in the year, and lichens, at their best now. A visit to Mull brought wonderful pictures of otters and Red Deer, and then Sea Eagles, Goldeneye, Smew, Snow and Lapland Buntings, all beautifully portrayed. Back home we saw a sequence of a Bittern at Potteric Carr being fed on sprats brought from Doncaster market, leaving its hiding place for a rare chance to capture this remarkable bird on camera. Some fine pictures of sunsets made an appropriate end to the evening. The quality of the photography we had experienced left us all in awe, and finished hoping that it would not be so long before we saw Allan again. John Laskey Potteric Carr Sunday 15th December Little Grebe Into summer we saw Great Crested Grebe at their nests and then Little Grebe at Cromford - a good place to see this species. Off to the coast next, and shots of Puffin on Nine members met at Potteric Carr for a stroll around the reserve. There weren’t a lot of birds but a small group of finches with some siskins were about. A few Redwing and Fieldfare were also seen and a Cetti’s Warbler was heard calling but sadly not seen. In the afternoon a water Rail was on Piper’s Marsh with a buzzard flying 7 overhead. Due to the railway company closing the crossing we couldn’t visit the whole reserve but a good day was enjoyed by all. Keith Bartlett Clumber Park Sunday 12th January Although the temperature was -1c, it felt much warmer as we set off for our annual walk around the lake. The day was windless with a clear blue sky and sunshine. We walked through the chapel wood and saw Nuthatches, Coal Tits and heard the needle thin call of Goldcrest. We were informed that a single Hawfinch had been seen around 9am but we did not find any. We made our way along the lake edge to the arm – on the water were several species of duck including Goldeneye and Goosander. East Anglia - Nature’s Haven by Steve Lovell Friday 14 February 2014 The saying “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good” was a fitting motto to the subject of our February indoor meeting. Steve Lovell is a Lincoln man, a selfemployed garden designer who has had experience of working at various RSPB locations. His illustrated talk partly showed us how nature reserves were being designed to cope with the storms we were currently experiencing, so his visit could not have been better timed. He explained that his presentation would be in the form of a journey north through East Anglia, starting on the Thames Estuary and heading to the North Norfolk Coast with some inland detours and then finishing at the Nene Washes. A map he showed us outlining the areas at risk from all the different natural and man-made threats was quite disturbing, but then he began to explain the steps being taken to counter these threats. Wallasea Island RSPB reserve is a mammoth conservation and engineering scheme scheduled for completion in 2019 and Steve showed pictures of the work being done, including the use of soil out of the excavations from the CrossRail project. We saw photos of Rainham Marshes RSPB reserve, a great place for Water Voles and Teal, but requiring management to counter the threat from foxes. Goldeneye On leaving the village of Hardwick we crossed the footbridge over the River Poulter to the other side of the lake, and made our way to the delightful Clumber Bridge where we saw 20 more Goosander. We then made our way back to our cars and although it was possibly our lowest species count we have had at Clumber, it was certainly the best walk. John Dye Minsmere is a familiar place to many of us, but Steve showed us photos of some recent changes including the Island Mere hide, built with the help of funds from Landfill Tax and a great place from which to see Bittern. He explained that conservationists were learning all the time and now understood how to help rudd, the main source of food for the Bittern. We then were taken metaphorically to the Norfolk Broads, an area that receives over two million visitors each year. Places like Sutton Fen, where land is being managed to help Stone Curlew, Hickling Broad and Strumpshaw Fen were described. He showed us pictures of otters taken at the latter location, which is being managed for the benefit of orchids and Norfolk Hawker 8 Dragonflies. We saw North Denes beach near Great Yarmouth with its Little Tern colony, the birds obtaining food from around the base of the nearby wind turbines but sadly under threat from Kestrels. An illustration of current problems was shown by the damage suffered at Cley, Wells Harbour, Titchwell and Snettisham. Steve explained that the most vital habitats to protect are freshwater marshes within these areas. Any incursion of sea water would kill species like rudd. Respite areas are needed for areas where sea levels keep changing. Cultivation of plants such as sea buckthorn is a useful means of protecting sea dunes. Protection is a two-way thing and we learned of the need to help shell fisherman in the Wash who are suffering from the Eider Duck population. reserve has recorded a dramatic increase in Reed Warbler and is a good place to spot Hobby; Steve mentioned that Golden Oriole and Common Crane have been seen there. Then on to the Ouse and Nene Washes where Corncrake has been re-introduced. Farmland Birds have not been forgotten; the RSPB purchased Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire and has managed it so that Skylark numbers have rocketed and Grey Partridge are doing well. One unwelcome side effect is that the number of brown hares has led to incidents of hare-coursing. Finally, Steve considered the future and what he thought would be the species that would become more common due to climate change and the management work at all the East Anglian sites. Species that could increase in number include Bittern, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Egret, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis and Little Bittern. Let’s hope so. John Laskey Corncrake Steve showed us scenes from boat trips down the river systems from Boston, good photos of Curlew Sandpiper, Red-throated Diver and common seal. Then on to Frampton Marsh with an impressive management plan that involves careful flooding of various areas within the reserve. He mentioned some impressive statistics; the Wash has a wintering bird population of over 350,000 birds. He compared current numbers of different species with times gone by, such as 270 roosting Little Egrets. We then moved inland to the Great Ryburgh Raptor viewpoint, a good place for Honey Buzzard; and then to Breckland where volunteers are advising farmers in order to protect Stone Curlew. Lakenheath Fen RSPB George Shentall I am deeply saddened to report that George Shentall lost his battle with leukaemia in January after a short illness resulting from his condition. A tribute from Ken is reproduced below and I’m sure that everyone who knew George will relate to the sentiments within. George was a rare breed. He was everyone’s best friend mostly due to his gregarious nature and his talent for always seeing not just both sides of the argument but also the wider picture. His analytical skills enabled him to pick out detail that everyone else often missed and his enthusiasm for wildlife, his family and everything else he cared about had a positive effect on everyone around him. I feel privileged to have known him and holidayed with him in Lesbos, Romania and Spain. A perfect example of his ability to see the good in every situation occurred in Extremadura Spain after 2 days of torrential rain prevented us leaving our vehicle or seeing any birds, butterflies or other wildlife. Parked up at the side of the road with the rain thrashing down on the car George was singing ‘The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain’ He had the ability to lift the spirits in any situation. Shortly after this, we saw a row of 20 Black Kites sitting along a fence 9 and a Little Bustard feeding on washed up crickets on the road in front of us. George reminded us that even in a bad situation there is hope and this attitude remained throughout his illness which he bore with great stoicism. I am proud to count George as a true friend and RDOS is a better Society for all the wonderful work he did both as a Committee member for 20 years and as an influential and well-loved individual. With so many happy memories associated with him there will always be a little part of George Shentall left in everywhere he went and every life he touched along the way. Ben Keywood history but he relished the discussions he had on the technical side of the photography. Indeed he was the unofficial Society photographer. He was also a regular presence at field meetings when his van acted as a beacon for members to locate the meeting point. George was a trustee of the charity and although his baking skills were nil, he was an avid helper at the Society cake and tombola stall at the Rotherham Show. His main contribution to charity fund was the sale of bird food with Irene. This started from humble beginnings - £12.45 was donated in 1989. But since then they have raised over £5,000. George also made numerous nest boxes and contributed whenever his handyman skills were needed. He loved to travel to see birds. In Norfolk his van was the famous "chuck wagon "-used to feed the hungry troops after a morning's birdwatching. George and Irene travelled widely overseas - but his great love was Lesbos, which he visited most years. Typically he wished to share his love of the island with his friends and in 2005 when George organised a trip there over 20 members and families invaded the village of Anaxos. We all enjoyed seeing many new birds thanks to his local knowledge. Over the years George has done numerous BTO surveys and conscientiously dragged Irene out to the hinterland of Sprotborough to be there at the crack of dawn and counted the wildfowl at Langold. I have been a friend of George for fifteen years and in this time I have never heard him have a bad word for anyone nor has anyone ever had a bad word for him. George Shentall George was a founder member of the Society and in his forty years of membership has played an important role in its prosperity and vitality. He was for many years a member of the Committee and until he resigned a year ago had been the Programme Secretary. I know George enjoyed the talks not only for the natural It is often said that no one is irreplaceable but as far as our Society is concerned this is certainly not the case with George as meetings will never be the same without his friendly and cheerful character. This is a summary of the tribute I paid to George at our February indoor meeting. Ken Tupholme 10 BIRD BRAIN CROSSWORD 112 compiled by John Laskey 1 2 3 4 7 5 6 15 16 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 17 19 22 24 18 20 21 23 25 All clues are birds or parts thereof. Clues across 7. A genus of Parrot sharing the name of the largest South American river (6) 8. The name of the Rooster in the BBC series “Big Barn Farm” (6) 10. Rufous-bellied -------, a Flycatcher of the Tropical regions of India and China (7) 11. Birds of the genus Aegithina (5) 12. Could be Common--- or Arctic--- (4) 13. Also known as the Roseate Cockatoo (5) 17 Could be Great Northern----- or Red-throated -----(6) 18. ---- Sparrow, like a House Sparrow but with a chestnut head (4) 22. Britain’s rarest breeding Duck (5) 23. Large game birds with a fleshy wattle hanging from their beaks (7) 24. Genus of American passerines, includes Black-Tailed------ and Masked------ (6) 25. ------ Condor, national bird of Bolivia and Chile (6) Clues down 1. Large seabirds that dive steeply into the sea (6) 2. Duck that gave its name to the fastest steam locomotive (7) 3. Crimson -----, South American Hummingbird (5) 4. Brown -------, State bird of Louisiana (7) 5. ------- - Cock, another name for a Mistle Thrush (5) 6. Bird’s head feature used in display (5) 9. Golden --------- are the national birds of Brazil (9) 14. The national birds of Norway (7) 15. Brown -------, Certhia Americana (7) 16. ------- Viridis, the Swallow Tanager (7) 19. Velvet-----, a small passerine endemic to Madagascar (5) 20. ----- Mike, a Parrot in the TV series “Squirrel Boy” (5) 21. ----- Goose, has an all-black head (5) Answers to Chat 111 Across: 7. Aviary 8. Linnet 10. Cotinga 11.Preen 12. Nene 13. Stork 17. Flame 18. Olor 22. Azure 23. Reeves’s 24. Fulmar 25. Stripe Down: 1. Falcons 2. Zitting 3. Brant 4. Dippers 5. Anser 6. Stint 9. Baltimore 14. Blue Jay 15. Blue Tit 16. Crested 19. Daffy 20. Gulls 21. Netta 11