HAS THE TIME COME TO RENAME THE EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD?

European honey buzzard - this splendid bird was photographed in Germany by Andreas Trepte (Wikimedia Commons)

SHOULD the European honey buzzard be renamed?

Yes, says leading UK behavioural ornithologist Prof Tim Birkhead.

It is now known that the species is far from being confined to Europe - it breeds across Asia and winters in Africa.

What is more it does not feed on honey. This  was once believed because of the birds' partiality to seeking out  larvae in the nests of wasps which were once confused with bees.

Because it is wrongly named on both counts, Prof Birkhead  has come up with an alternative - Willughby's buzzard.

He claims this would be appropriate because it was Francis Willughby - a pioneering Warwickshire ornithologist of the 17th Century who first identified it as a separate species from the common buzzard.

In his fascinating book, The Wonderful Mr Willughby - The First True Ornithologist (Bloomsbury, £10.99), he writes:

"Changing the common names of birds is not something one should do lightly, but in this case it seems entirely justified.

"The present name is wrong, and Willughby made an outstanding contribution to ornithology.

"He deserves to be remembered by a link to the bird he discovered.

"Let us celebrate Willughby's life and achievements by according him this additional twenty-first-century accolade: Willughby's buzzard."

* Prof Birkhead will be guest speaker at the annual meeting of Lincolnshire Bird Club to be held at The Golf hotel in Woodhall Spa at 7.30pm on Tuesday March 24. His subject will be: Bird Sense - What's It Like to be A Bird.  Admission is free

ROOK THOUGHT IT WAS A KINGFISHER

The item below is taken from an 1846 edition of The Zoologist journal.


Remarkable habit of the rook 

Sir -

In the early part of January, 1845, whilst walking by the Serpentine in London, I saw a rook flying to and fro over the surface of the
water.

It stopped several times close to the stream and at last plunged in, emerging almost immediately, whereupon it flew heavily away towards some high trees.

A boy threw a stone at it, when the rook dropped a fish, and after flying round and round returned to its former occupation. 

The prey proved to be a dace, and was bleeding from the wounds of the rook's talons.

The boy, who was generally watching the cows in the
park, told me he had before observed the rooks fishing, especially in cold weather. 


G. A. Thrupp 
1, Hyde Park Place 
London

November 6th, 1845

BYGONE BIRDING: STRANGE ANTICS OF 'TAMED' SNIPE

Snipe - correspondent's  pet bird made friends with a spaniel

The following letter appeared in an 1847 edition of The Zoologist journal.

A TAME SNIPE

Sir - 

It seems not to be  generally known that the common snipe is capable of being domesticated. 

Bewick, in his  History of British Birds makes no allusion to the subject. 

In Yarrell's work, bearing the same title, it is incidentally mentioned  that "a snipe, slightly wounded in one wing was kept in confinement for some time and would eat nothing but earthworms".

Whether any other naturalist has succeeded in preserving the animal alive I am unable to say. 

On Friday, the 30th of October, while some men were out in the fields in this neighbourhood, amusing themselves with catching small birds with a fly-net, they secured a full-grown snipe which came into my possession on the following day. 

The head was partially denuded of feathers in consequence of the bird having struggled against the bars of a cage, through impatience at being confined. 

However, it made no effort to escape when held in the hand, and would even stand quietly on the knee, drink water out of a glass, and fish up worms from the bottom. 

I have now had this singular pet for more than two months, and, to all appearance, it is perfectly reconciled to its novel mode of life.

During the late continuance of severe frost, there seemed every probability of its dying of hunger as earthworms were not to be procured, and, like the specimen noticed by Mr. Yarrell, it at first refused to take any other kind of nourishment.

However, necessity soon prevailed, insomuch that the raw flesh of the hare and rabbit, together with tripe cut into narrow strips, have been taken into favour, but the ordinary kinds of butchers' meat are rejected. 

Earthworms remain decidedly the favourite article of diet, and of these it consumes a quart in three or four days. 

The habits of this creature are surprisingly familiar, considering its commonly supposed irreclaimable nature. 

During the night, it reposes quietly in a cage, standing on one leg, with the head under the wing.

By day, however, a desire to be enlarged is signified by an incessant striking of the bill and head against its prison wires. 

When released, it flies about the rooms and passages, walks on the table, is pleased at being noticed by those about it, and is on terms of great intimacy with a little spaniel lapdog. 

No situation appears to accord so well with the animal's ideas of comfort as a place on a stool before the fire. 

Thus accommodated to its liking, and especially if at the same time fondled with the voice and hand, or enjoying the close proximity of its canine associate, it emits a subdued whistling note, sometimes, but very rarely, varied with an approach to a twitter. 

The food is usually given to it in a glass of water.

Wherever the vessel is placed, all that is requisite to secure prompt attendance is to scrape against the edge with a metallic substance. 

In feeding, it has great difficulty in seizing a worm, or any substance of similar form, that may happen to be lying on a flat surface.

 After repeated unsuccessful attempts, the morsel is at last got lengthwise between the mandibles, and disappears. 

Strangers are readily distinguished from the people of the house, as shown by an evident difference of manner indicative of alarm, manifested in their presence. 

Should any one be too rude in his advances, the bird, in endeavouring to avoid him, has a peculiar way of erecting the tail feathers and turning them all in the opposite direction. 

It likes to be kept clean, and devotes frequent attention to the smooth and orderly arrangement of the plumage. 

Although, in the opinion, at least, of Milne-Edwards, the visage of the genus Scolopax bears the stamp of stupidity,  some of the foregoing circumstances indicate the possession of as large a share of intelligence on the part of the present convert to civilisation, as most of the feathered race are capable of testifying by their actions to our apprehension. 

The specimen is now in the Earl of Derby's aviary at Knowsley. 

C. Cogswell
Warrington
Lancashire

January 8, 1847.

RELOCATION PROPOSAL FOR 'PALM TREE' ARTWORK IN ORDER TO SAFEGUARD PURPLE SANDPIPER AND OTHER SHORELINE BIRDS

Proposal is for the palm tree-shaped sculpture to be illuminated after dark

PLANS for a synthetic  palm tree to be installed on Cleethorpes North Promenade are set to be determined next week.

A decision on  the controversial artwork - 22 metres tall - is due to  be made by North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee on the morning of Wednesday March 4.

The original location was adjacent to the whale's tail rock armour groyne.

However, Natural England objected because this is an important feeding and roosting habitat for declining wading birds and gulls.

During this winter, the groyne  has also provided a habitat for a rare purple sandpiper - the only recorded 2020 sighting in Lincolnshire.

Purple sandpiper on the sea defence groyne

The proposed new location is a short distance further south opposite the building known as Wonderland.

It is understand there have been no environmental objections to this site.

The council's interim director of economy and growth, Clive Tritton, wants to get cracking on the scheme.

In a letter to his planning department colleagues, he says of the artwork: "It is unlikely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue of factors such as its nature, size or location."

Earlier this month, a Lancashire-based firm, Hart & Sons, was on site after being commissioned to carry out preliminary drilling exploration.

The council hopes that the Las Vegas-type novelty of the sculpture - to be constructed largely from plastics and other materials gathered from the beach - will draw visitors to a neglected part of the resort and generate business.

However, opponents warn that the 'tree' will encourage anti-social behaviour - sometimes dangerous if thrill-seekers attempt to climb it.

There are also some who believe  a real tree would be more greatly cherished by residents and visitors than a fake.

Other palms already flourish elsewhere  on Cleethorpes front as do many native tree species - such as those in the gardens opposite the pier and around the boating lake.

The whale's tail rock armour groyne

Favourite preening habitat for juvenile herring gulls

Occasional roosting haunt for redshank

Two turnstones share rock with winter-plumage black-headed gull

Resting place for a migrating rock pipit

NEW WETLAND BIRD SITE NEAR GRIMSBY SHORTLISTED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AWARD

Cress Marsh - created in order  to provide habitat for waders and wildfowl

A PROJECT aimed at enabling wildlife and industry to flourish  side-by-side  has been shortlisted for a national planning award.

The South Humber Gateway Mitigation Strategy has made the final six in the  Natural Environment category of awards for planning excellence. 

With an aim of encouraging overwintering wading birds and wildfowl displaced by industrial development, North East Lincolnshire Council planners and ecologists worked with Natural England, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and others to create Cress Marsh - an area of wet and grass land along the South Humber Bank, near Stallingborough.

The site is being monitored by members of Lincolnshire Bird Club who have been recording the species for the council which manages the site.

Cress Marsh consists of a large central lagoon, which feeds seven more water-filled ‘cells’ via pipework infrastructure. Overlooking the lagoon is a bird hide.

Star species over the 12 months have included little ringed plover, green sandpiper and spoonbill, but so far it has not proved as effective as hoped in attracting large numbers of curlews, redshank, snipe, golden plover wigeon and teal. However, it is still early doors, and there are hopes that numbers will pick up by the end of the year. 

                                                

Redshank - as yet, few and far between

In his entry submission to the planning competition, senior North East Lincolnshire Council planner Ian King describes the  project as a "shining example of what can be achieved when a true balance of economic, social and environmental objectives is pursued".

Council regeneration head Cllr John Fenty says of Cress Marsh’s awards shortlisting: “This is proof indeed of the innovative approach our teams are taking to support businesses to either develop or expand here.

"In turn, we are recognising the need to  protect the natural environment."

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN SELLING VACUUM CLEANERS - JUST ASK BIRDER ASHLEY GROVE!

Ashley Grove - enterprising birder has made the world his oyster

CAN you make a living out of watching birds, photographing them, giving talks and conducting tours?

Yes, judging by the impressive record of Warwickshire-based Ashley Grove who gave up selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door in order to carve out a new freelance career.

Operating, at first, from his own studio, his focus was on general photography - for instance, weddings and portraits of children, family groups and pets.

But in recent years, his work has been entirely wildlife-based.

He is recently back from his umpteenth guiding tour of Gambia - one of his favourite destinations along with such as other exotic locations as Trinidad and Tobago, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Hungary, Sweden and the Spanish Pyrenees (good for vultures!)

He regularly hosts popular five-days birdwatching breaks at hotels in Devon, the Scottish Highlands and other parts of the UK.

And he reckons to give no fewer than 50  talks - daytime or evening - per year to a wide range of organisations including WIs and RSPB groups (over the past decade he has spoken to no fewer than 56 of the latter - some of them no longer in existence).

Tonight he will be speaking in Gloucester, then on Wednesday in Market Drayton and in Southport on Friday.

Last night, he was a guest of the RSPB Grimsby group where he gave an entertaining illustrated presentation of some favourite birds - common as well as rare - that he has photographed at UK locations ranging from The Shetlands to the Scilly Isles and including patches nearer home in the West Midlands.

On Fetlar in the Shetlands, he never captured the close-up photographs  he had hoped for of breeding red-necked phalaropes - they were too far away - but there was more than ample compensation soon afterward when he secured a cracking shot of a Terek sandpiper - the first record of the species for this part of the UK.

Other scarce birds he has snapped in Britain over the years include American robin, woodchat shrike, and squacco heron.

But, for Ashley, it isn't just about rarities.

He said it is too easy to overlook the captivating beauty in the plumage of everyday species such as blue tits, blackbirds, goldfinches and particularly the irridescence and spotting of breeding-plumage starlings.

Wetland birds have a particular appeal - not just in their own right but also because of the patterns of light, colour, reflection and movement that bounce off the water.

The evidence was provided in his superb shots of wigeon, tufted duck, pintail, pochard, mallard, avocet, turnstone, redshank, little ringed plover, Slavonian grebe, little grebe, kingfisher, glossy ibis, oystercatcher, purple sandpiper  and coot.

He confessed a special spot for grebes. "There are just 27 species in the world," he said. "If I won on the Lottery, I'd go and see them all!"

Ashley described how the sex of goldfinches could be determined by the extent of red on their faces masks and queried whether it was right to describe  blackcaps seen in the UK at this time of year as "overwintering" birds.

"It's more likely they are birds that have come year after having bred in Scandinavia," he maintained.

Having spent so much of his life watching birds, inevitably there have been curious moments.

Once, while photographing a particularly handsome male wheatear, he felt a whoosh past his left year.

A sparrowhawk had made a swoop for the wheatear which made to escape by scuttling down a rabbit hole.

To Ashley's surprise, the fleeing bird was actually followed down the hole by the hawk - but to no avail.

It came out of the hole empty-beaked and flew off to seek new quarry.

What of the wheatear? It emerged unscathed, moments later, and carried on feeding as if nothing had happened.

Ashley was asked if there was any species on the British list that had so far eluded him and that he would particularly like to see.

After reflecting for a few moments, back came the reply: "the corncrake".

However, he hasn't done badly. There are not many British birds he has missed.

When he reached his 50th birthday in 2018, he thought it would be nice to see 500 different birds over the next 12 months.

Did he achieve his target ? 

"I did a lot of overseas travel that year," he replied. "I ended up with 867 - 10 per cent of the world's known species!"

Ashley can be contacted via experiencenaturetours@gmail.com.

His website is www.experiencenature.co.uk

BYGONE BIRDING: SAD DEMISE OF MIGRATING HOOPOE

Nineteenth century study of a hoopoe - a species that has always fascinated birders and non-birders alike

From a 1913 edition of the Scottish Naturalist journal

Hoopoe off the coast of Caithness
 
Sir -

It may interest the readers of the Scottish Naturalist to know that a fine specimen of the hoopoe was on 28th August presented to our museum.

The acquisition  was obtained under somewhat singular circumstances.

While one of our herring fleet was homeward bound, and about 25 miles east of Wick, the attention of the crew was attracted to an unusual commotion among a large flock of flying herring gulls.

The mystery of the incomprehensible behaviour of the gulls was soon solved.

A hoopoe  darted from their midst and flew into the boat for protection. 

Their beautiful visitor was woefully exhausted from its struggle to escape from its screaming enemies.

Although the fishermen placed it in a box, and did their best for its recovery, it died shortly afterwards. 

The specimen was  sent to a taxidermist for setting up. 

George Bain
Wick

BYGONE BIRDING: DURHAM CLERGYMAN IN PURSUIT OF THE HOUBARA BUSTARD

Houbara bustard - when hunted, a bird will eject slimy fluid from both mouth and vent (photo: Jimfbleak via Wikimedia Commons)

As well as being a high-ranking clergymen in his native Durham, the Rev Dr Henry Baker Tristram (1822-1906) was a globetrotting ornithologist, happy to spend long periods away from his wife, their son and his congregation. A favourite destination was North Africa where he spent much of the winter of 1859-60. Here he describes what it was like to ride with sheiks as they pursued their favourite pastime - falconry.

Henry Tristram - bustard-hunting with the sheikhs

I much regret that the extreme value set by the Arabs upon
their falcons prevented me from bringing home a specimen of the Saker Falcon, though, in Tunis, I  purchased a skin.

Still, I had many opportunities of observing the Lanner and Saker in a state of domestication, and occasionally saw a bird haunting
the cliffs which could be none other than the true Lanner. 

As far as I could discover, the Lanner breeds about the Atlas mountains range, chiefly, if not exclusively, on its southern side, while the Saker is a more truly desert habitant. 

The Arab sheiks pursue the sport of falconry with all the zeal, skill, and science of the “ noble mysterie ” of our ancestors. 

No agha or sheik of high degree ever moves for war, business, or pleasure unattended by his falconers who are his confidential lieutenants. 

The care of three falcons is considered sufficient employment for one falconer with an assistant.

On a march, one or two of these important personages follow mounted immediately behind the sheik, with a hooded Falcon on the wrist and one perched on each shoulder. 

The Houbara Bustard is the favourite quarry, but eagles, kites,
sand-grouse (and in the case of the Saker Falcon, the gazelle)
afford equal sport to the huntsman. 

When a bustard is discovered, the whole cavalcade instantly halts.

The hawk on the wrist is transferred to the hand of his master, who, attended by his falconers alone, instantly sets off, and unhooding his bird, throws him from his wrist towards the bustard. 

Much skill is exercised in drawing the attention of the falcon to the bustard before it rises. 

Should it unfortunately take wing before its pursuer has poised herself above it, an ill-trained or impetuous bird is very apt to strike it in the air. 

This, according to the view of your desert connoisseur, is a most unpardonable and unsportsmanlike offence to be punished with death. 

A skilful hawk will at once rise to a considerable height, then, swooping down, make feints until the bustard takes to its legs instead of its wings. 

The falcon then poises herself over it while a second is flung off the wrist, and the two together give chase.

The speed of the Houbara is  such that a fleet Arab can scarcely keep up with the pursuit. 

The poor bird runs along, aiding its speed by a perpetual fanning with its wings, its head stretched forward like a corncrake's, and its conspicuous black and white ruff folded close back over its neck.

What a pitiable contrast to the proud fellow who was lately strutting with head erect, elevated crest, and expanded ruff, challenging allcomers. 

The pursuers hang over him only a few yards above him, and at each effort he makes to take wing, swoop down with a feint. 

It is considered the excellency of a falcon to make these feints at the quarry until it is nearly exhausted, when the fatal swoop is made, and the bird instantly drops, struck dead by the hind claw having pierced its vertebrae. 

This manner of hunting is probably practised both to afford more prolonged excitement to the horsemen, but chiefly from the singular mode of self-defence adopted by the Houbara, and which I have had various opportunities of observing myself. 

As the hawk approaches, the Houbara ejects both from the mouth and vent a slimy fluid  (I have experienced, to my annoyance, a similar mode of defence adopted by the water tortoise).

A well-trained bird eludes this shower by repeated feints until the quarry's supply of moisture is exhausted.

An impatient one rushes in and gets his feathers and whole plumage so bedaubed, that his flight is materially impeded, and his swoop, when made, is irresolute. 

I have known three Houbaras and a sand-grouse or two captured in a day, and the chase was terminated merely on account of the fatigue of the horses.

 I was never actually present at the chase of the gazelle, but it is very commonly practised, and I have seen a gazelle brought into camp that had been so taken. 

This sport requires, however, more birds, and is very dangerous
to the falcons who frequently impale themselves on the horns
of their prey. 

It is not uncommon for both pursuer and victim to fall dead at one mutual stroke. 

In the pursuit of the sand-grouse,  no such dallying is allowed as with the Houbara. 

The covey rise, the hawk is thrown off with a jerk, another and another are thrown in rapid succession, and each singles out his own victim and strikes him in mid-air. 

But the same falcon is seldom trained for  both sports. 

The apparatus of Arab falconers seems to be the same as in the olden time among ourselves - the same hoods and gloves, the same care in feeding, and the same quaint remedies and nostrums. 

I never was able to discover the breeding-places of the Saker, though I have seen the young birds in captivity scarcely fledged. 

The price of a well-trained Saker is from 200 to 300 Spanish dollars (£40 to £60), and I repeatedly, but in vain, offered 200 dollars for one. 

The sheik considers a falcon of the same value as a thoroughbred horse and will exchange one for the other. 

No wonder then that I found it impossible to obtain a specimen for my collection. 

Indeed, it would have been a crime of the blackest dye to have
shot one had I had the opportunity. 

Saker Falcon - highly prized for its hunting prowess (photo: Marek Szczepanek via Wikimedia Commons)