DOUBTS EMERGE OVER PROPOSED NEW WADER AND WILDFOWL RESERVE ON OUTSKIRTS OF GRIMSBY

                          

Shoveler - a species  that might be attracted to the proposed reserve

THERE has been a setback to ambitious plans for a dedicated Special Protection Area to be created for wader and wildfowl  on the outskirts of Grimsby.

National Grid has submitted  a holding objection to the Cress Marsh project because the proposed wetland is crossed by  both an underground  high-pressure gas pipeline and a high-voltage transmission overhead line.

This has created a potential hazard, particularly during all-important preliminary earthworks to  the application site which is adjacent to  Poplar Farm off South Marsh Road in Stallingborough.

The scheme has also been jeopardised by concerns expressed by neighbours that their property or land might be adversely affected by flooding  or drainage issues.

One of the objectors is the agent for  Sir Richard Sutton Ltd, a company whose substantial interests are understood to include not just adjacent  land but also part of the  site proposed for the reserve (which would also accommodate a hide for birds to be watched and recorded).

These glitches are not insurmountable, but they are likely both to delay the project and to add to its cost.

On the plus side, there has been no objection from Humberside Airport which is located at Kirmington.

The site falls just within its 13km airport “bird zone", and its aerodrome safeguarding officer  has requested to be consulted on wildlife-monitoring processes  to reduce the  birdstrike risk.

The applicants, North East Lincolnshire Council, are particularly anxious that the wetland scheme should progress because it represents the  wildlife mitigation required for proposed development of the wider area for industry.

More discussions will be held between NELC planners and objectors.

GOLDEN YEAR FOR THE GOLDFINCH

                                                                    

                                                      

RSPB's 2018  Big Garden Birdwatch results have revealed a golden year for goldfinches (pictured above)..

Says the charity:

• Favourable conditions lead to a surge in sightings of goldfinch, blue tit and coal tit, along with many other smaller garden birds.
• The results revealed a dip in sightings of our more solitary species like blackbird and robin as the mild winter meant they spent more time foraging for food away from our gardens.
• Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK spent an hour watching the birds that visit their garden or outdoor space as a part of the Big Garden Birdwatch.
• An impressive 6.7 million birds were counted nationally.

The event held over the last weekend in January revealed an increase in sightings of smaller birds, such as goldfinch, long-tailed tit and coal tit that can usually be seen visiting gardens and outside spaces in mixed flocks. 

In Lincolnshire, for instance, recorded sightings of goldies  rose by 14 per cent on 2017 and its bright red face was seen almost 40 per cent of the county’s gardens.

Other small birds that are thought to have benefited from the mild January weather include coal tit and blue tit.

It also proved to be a good year for the greenfinch which seems to be making a welcome recovery following its 60 per cent decline in UK sightings since the first survey in 1979.

The influx of these species to our gardens is thought to be linked to the favourable conditions during their successful breeding season in 2017. 

This, combined with the kind autumn and winter weather in the run up to the Birdwatch, will have contributed to the rise in sightings. 

Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, comments “Our garden birds are a part of our everyday life, whether it’s the robin perched on the garden fence or the flock of starlings you see on your way to work. 

"To have hundreds of thousands of people spend an hour watching the wildlife in their garden isn’t only great to see, but it also helps us build up a picture of how our garden birds are doing, which is really helpful.

“Last summer was a really good year for many breeding birds with warm weather creating great conditions for many smaller birds to raise their young to adulthood. 

"The rise in sightings of goldfinch, long-tailed tit and coal tit, along with chaffinches and greenfinches, goes to show that in the absence of cold weather they can survive the winter months in good numbers.

"It is likely that the warmer temperatures during the autumn and winter will have made it easier for these birds to find food, like insects, in our gardens, which in previous colder winters would have been harder to come by because of frosts and snow.

A  dip in the number of recorded sightings of blackbirds, robins and wren may have been  because, with more food  available in the wider countryside, these species were less inclined to visit gardens.

However, unlike finches and tits, robins and wrens did not have a good breeding season in 2017 and data from other surveys indicate that their numbers may be down overall this year.

Just over 420,000 people are understood to have taken part in the Big Garden Birdwatch.

• All photos courtesy of RSPB.

     

Robin

Blackbird

Starling

Long-tailed tit

Greenfinch

House sparrow

Chaffinch

ICY SNAP BRINGS FIELDFARES TO GARDENS

                                                 

LAST week's  blast of  cold weather from the east brought an influx of fieldfares (such as the one above) to many gardens - especially if there were any berries left on shrubs and bushes or, better still, if apples or pears lay on the snowy lawns. By the start of this week, the winds had become southerlies and many of these handsome members of the thrush family will have taken full advantage of the changed conditions to migrate overnight back to Iceland and other Nordic countries where they breed.

TRUST WARDEN 'APPALLED' AFTER DRIVER DAMAGES PRECIOUS SHINGLE BEACH

Ringed plover - fuel spill threat to  nesting habitat

A MOTORIST who jeopardised fragile habitat by unlawfully testing  his  Land-Rover on a nature reserve got his come-uppance.

His vehicle got stuck in the in the sands off the South Walney Nature Reserve and will have to be retrieved (if that is possible). He  may also face prosecution.

The incident last Sunday prompted the Cumbria Wildlife Trust to issue a plea for  such individuals " to have more respect for our natural wild places".

Evidently the motorist, who has not been named, drove on to the nature reserve, across the protected beach and on to the sand in an area that is populated with seals and wading birds.

In doing so, he ignored ‘no entry’ signs and removed a log barrier to gain access. 

The reserve is protected under several conservation designations: it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area.

Said South Walney warden Sarah Dalrymple “It is illegal, dangerous and damaging to take cars on to the sands.

"There is damage to the vegetated shingle from the vehicle itself. Then there will be further damage from the vehicles that are going down to remove it.

"If it cannot be removed, there is serious risk of pollution from the petrol tank and oil as it rusts away - and the vehicle will potentially remain as eyesore for years."

She continued: I am appalled that some people think this is acceptable behaviour. The police are now dealing with the matter.”

The shingle beaches represent an unusual wildlife habitat and where an individual community of striking plants has developed over hundreds of years. Yellow horned-poppy, sea campion and biting stonecrop all grow here.

In spring and summer, oystercatchers and ringed plover nest, but they could be deterred by any leaking oil  or  petrol.                                                            

Sarah Dalrymple took this snap of the stranded vehicle