LET THEM EAT RATS! NATURAL ENGLAND'S 'DIVERSIONARY' STRATEGY FOR HEN HARRIERS

Male hen harrier - this bird was detected on the Isle of Man which is not in the licence area

NATURAL England has unveiled its 'diversionary feeding' strategy for reducing grouse chick predation by hen harriers.

It identifies the following as foods that can be provided on suitable 'feeding perches', for instance on moorland shooting estates:

* Poultry chicks

* White rats (preferably weaner rats or young rats)

* Quail

In an advice sheet to landowners and gamekeepers, it states: "You can buy these frozen. 

"Defrost the food the night before use, and prepare (for example cut open) the prey items away from the nest site to minimise disturbance.

"A one day-old poultry chick weighs 40g. A small rat weighs 160g.

"You can also use locally available food, such as rabbit and venison, cut into chunks."

NE insists:

* There must be enough food available for the duration of diversionary feeding.

* Animals killed with lead ammunition must be killed with a single shot to the head (with the head discarded), to avoid any risk of lead poisoning.

* Rodents that have, or may have, been poisoned, or found dead, must not be used to avoid the risk of secondary poisoning

* You must not give the birds live prey.

However, diversionary feeding will only be permitted by licence which neeeds to be approved by NE.

It applies only to moorland estates in the following counties:

* Derbyshire

* North Yorkshire

* South Yorkshire

* West Yorkshire

* County Durham

* Lancashire

* Cumbria

* Northumberland

The advice sheet continues: 

"Diversionary feeding must only continue for a maximum of 60 days from hatching. 

"Do not feed beyond this time because it could cause the young to stay close to the nest for longer than normal."

On perching points, it states:

"These must not be closer to the nest than 20m.

"Standard 5 foot x 4 inch square fence posts are suitable with a 12 inch long cross-piece nailed on top.

" You must construct these off-site, to minimise disturbance. 

"You should ‘bar in’ the posts by inserting a metal bar into the ground or hammer posts into the ground. 

"The installed perch must be stable, and the top of the perch should be approximately 4 feet above the ground. 

"Perches must not be placed in sensitive areas. These sensitive areas are wet, and characterised by a high cover of species such as bog mosses, low growing sedges and rushes, taller sedges and cotton grasses.

"If other nesting birds are present:

* Quickly move away from any ground-nesting birds that take flight, appear agitated or call noisily on your approach.

* Establish suitable buffer zones  around these nests and find an alternative perch site.

"You may install up to two feeding perches for each hen harrier nest to provide space for enough food for a full brood."

NE says: "The purpose of the licence is the conservation of hen harriers. 

"It is intended to increase acceptance that hen harriers and grouse can co-exist."

Photo: Courtesy Isle of Man Government

BOOK REVIEW: THE ROLE OF BIRDS IN WORLD WAR TWO - HOW ORNITHOLOGY HELPED TO WIN THE WAR

Did studying birds really help us to win the 1939-45 war?

It seems a fanciful thought, but author Nicholas Milton makes an excellent proposition for it in a new book, his second, which has just been published.

He looks favourably, for instance, on the theory that R.J. Mitchell's design of the Spitfire fighter aircraft was inspired by his observations of the wings of gulls and gannets and their effortless mode of flight.

Milton also recounts entertainingly - and in considerable  depth - the role of homing pigeons in delivering crucial messages, sometimes from servicemen in life-threateningly dangerous situations.

The book's title is The Role of Birds in World War Two - How Ornithology Helped to Win The War.

It includes a fascinating early chapter in which he assesses the morale-raising significance of certain popular wartime songs, particularly those with the lyrics  There'll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.

In truth, the author does not have sufficient material to stay on message for the whole book, so he supplements his narrative with accounts of prominent wartime ornithologists.

The contributions of some, such as Peter Scott and photographer Eric Hosking, have lived on long after their lives ended, but he 'rescues' the ornithological legacies of many others whose work has largely been forgotten.

Into the latter category falls Viscount Alanbrooke whose brilliant strategic input proved famously invaluable to Winston Churchill throughout the war.

At times  of extreme mental stress, Alanbrooke ensured he retained his mental equilibrium by studying and cine-filming birds such as hobbies, hawfinches and marsh tits whenever the opportunity arose.

As he described birdwatching  in his diary: "It was like rubbing Aladdin's lamp - I was transported to a fairyland and returned infinitely refreshed and recreated."  

A word, too, for the book's excellent illustrations and the superb jacket design by Paul Wilkinson.

The Role of Birds in World War Two is published at £25 by Pen and Sword and is available wherever books are sold.

Jim Wright

FIVE-MINUTE TWITCH: LAZAAT HOTEL, COTTINGHAM, EAST YORKSHIRE

                                                                 

 Location: Lazaat Hotel, Cottingham, East Yorkshire

Date: April 21, 2022

Weather Sunny and warm

Target species: Firecrest

Star species: Blackcap (singing)

Other species recorded: Chiffchaff, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Carrion  Crow, Rook, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Robin, Wren, Blackbird. 

GRIMSBY NEWSPAPER IN BIT OF A TIZZ OVER SIGHTING OF UNEXPECTED 'WILD' DUCK

 From the Grimsby Telegraph (April 21, 2022): Misinformed, perhaps, but at least it reflects the appreciation  of the newspaper and its readers for birds.

DRONE PHOTOGRAPH REVEALS NINE MORE HERON NESTS THAN WERE EXPECTED

                                                         

The bird's-eye-view of the heronry at Belton House in Lincolnshire

The National Trust has issued an impressive drone photograph of the heronry at its Belton House estate near Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Used for the first time and flying 15 metres above the treetops (30 metres above the ground), while adhering to strict guidelines for wildlife monitoring, the drone enabled the team to get a much better picture of how many nests are in Belton’s heronry with minimal disturbance to the birds themselves.

Ecologist Andrew Chick, who conducted the survey, expected to find a couple of active nests but was astonished to discover 11, indicating 22 breeding birds are happily incubating three to four eggs in each. 

Says Andrew: "This statuesque bird is often spotted alongside rivers across the country, where it waits patiently to capture its prey - mainly fish, amphibians, small mammals, insects, and eels.

"They can live up to 20 years, growing to around 1 metre high, with an impressive wingspan of 1.85 meters and can weigh up to 1.5kg. 

"They usually lay their first egg in mid-March, so quite early, and only have one brood per year. 

"These herons have probably chosen to nest in this particular Scots pine tree because of its easy access to Belton’s ornamental ponds and rivers which the National Trust has been actively managing and improving.  

"It is likely the herons have been present at Belton for decades, but thanks to the view from above this year we’ve been able to get a much more accurate record of how many are nesting in the heronry." 

The number of grey herons in the UK has been steadily growing in recent years, but in Lincolnshire there has been an unexpected decline.  

In 2021, only 20 breeding sites for grey heron were recorded in the county, so the 11 nests at Belton are well over the average number recorded. 

While the full 2022 count for Lincolnshire has not yet been compiled, the team hopes the discovery at Belton shows that heron numbers in the county are improving.

A census last year collected data from 796 sites.

In total, almost 9,500 grey heron nests were recorded.

WAS BIRD STRIKE TO BLAME FOR BLADES INCIDENT AT OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE?

 

With 111 turbines, the Anholt windfarm is one of the largest in the world (Photo: Ørsted)

A PROBE is underway after three blades fell from an offshore windfarm operated by Ørsted.

The incident earlier this month did not occur at any of the  company's UK windfarms but at the Anholt wind farm off the Danish coast.

Somehow the blades, plus the nacelle, became dislodged and crashed into the sea.

The Anholt offshore wind farm was commissioned in 2013 and consists of 111 Siemens-Gamesa 3.6 MW wind turbines.

Fortunately, no one was in the vicinity at the time, so there were no injuries.

However, at the request of Ørsted, the authorities imposed temporary no-shipping restrictions - since lifted - around those of its Europe-located offshore windfarms that use the same blades while checks were carried out on the integrity of the structures.

It is understood that preliminary investigations have not revealed a 'systemic cause' to the mishap. 

One theory is that a bird collision may have been involved, but it would have had to have been very large species - perhaps a skein of migrating pink-footed geese or whooper swans. 

* In a separate development, at the AGM last week, Ørsted shareholders approved the company making a humanitarian aid payment to Ukraine.  

HOUSE SPARROW REMAINS MOST COUNTED BIRD IN UK GARDENS ACCORDING TO RSPB SURVEY

                                            

House sparrows bathing in rainwater after a heavy shower

THE 10 birds most seen in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch for 2022 were:

1. House sparrow

2. Blue tit

3. Starling

4. Woodpigeon

5. Blackbird

6. Robin

7. Goldfinch

8. Great tit

9. Magpie

10. Chaffinch

This year almost 700 thousand people across the UK took part, counting more than 11 million birds.

Outside the top 10, the jay moved up nine  places to number 23, an increase of 73 per cent compared with 2021.

Big Garden Birdwatch results also reveal a small increase in greenfinch numbers compared with 2021. 

This gives scientists a glimmer of hope that this might be the first signs of a popuation recovery, but only time will tell. 

In recent years, the species has suffered a population crash (62 per cent since 1993) caused by a severe outbreak of the disease, Trichomonosis.

This infection is spread through contaminated food and drinking water, or by birds feeding one another with regurgitated food during the breeding season. 

Garden owners can help slow transmission rates by temporarily stopping the provision of food if ill birds are seen and by making sure that garden bird feeders are cleaned regularly.

TURTLE DOVE AND NIGHTJAR AMONG 10 SPECIES FEATURED ON NEW ROYAL MAIL STAMPS

 

Ten of the best - the bird stamps designed by Killian Mullarney 

                                                

NEW Royal Mail stamps depicting migratory birds have gone on sale today.

They are the work of Irish artist-ornithologist Killian Mullarney whose studies have also featured in the Collins Bird Guide as well as on stamps issued in the Republic of Ireland.

The species featured are: Arctic skua, Arctic tern, Montagu’s harrier, stone curlew, swallow, swift, turtle dove, nightjar, pied flycatcher and yellow wagtail.

Says David Gold: "The migratory journeys of birds have fascinated and baffled naturalists for centuries.

"We hope that these stamps ignite a new interest in this remarkable phenomenon."

The Queen, whose head is also depicted, will most certainly approve.

SEVEN AMERICAN BIRDS PARTICULARLY AT RISK OF COLLISION WITH BUILDINGS

Black-and-white Warbler

AMERICAN Bird Conservancy has named seven species which it believes to be at particular risk from colliding with tall buildings.

The organisation says up to one billion birds are killed each year after colliding with buildings, especially those that are illuminated after dark.

Artficial light at night is thought to increase the peril. Many migratory species travel under the cover of darkness, guided by stars, and become disorientated if these celestial cues are 'drowned out'.

The seven species on the list are:

* Black-and-white Warbler

* Hermit Thrush

* Brown Creeper

* Dark-eyed Junco

* Common Yellowthroat

* Ovenbird

* White-throated Sparrow

ABC is running a campaign which urges all non-essential lights to be turned off between 11pm and sunrise, especially during migration season.

Photo: William Majoros via Wikimedia

LEILA WALKER NAMED AS NEW CHIEF OFFICER AT BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION

                                                                                  

Leila Walker has been named as chief operations officer of the British Ornithologists' Union in succession to Steve Dudley. Her extensive experience includes a research position at the RSPB's Centre for Conservation  Science. Says she: "I am thrilled to be entrusted with this role. I’m very much looking forward to getting started, working closely with theBOU community and playing my part in keeping this remarkable society, and scientific ornithology, moving forward."

CULL OF THE CURLEWS - MORE THAN 400 LICENCES GRANTED LAST YEAR BY NATURAL ENGLAND

                                           

Woe betide any curlew unfortunate enough to land on a cull-approved airfield

MORE than 400 licences were issued last year for the purpose of killing  curlews or destroying their nests.

Because they are rapidly decreasing in most of Europe, curlews are of red-listed conservation concern.

But that does not safeguard them if they venture to feed on airfields where culling is sometimes adopted as an alternative control method to scaring.

Along with raptors such as buzzards, raptors and geese, the birds have to be cleared because of the risk of collision with aircraft which could have tragic consequences.

However, most airport operators - for instance at Heathrow and Gatwick - seem to manage by using acoustic scarers without resorting to hired marksmen.   

A report  issued this week by Natural England reveals  a total of 438 licences to cull curlews were issued in 2021. 

The precise locations are not given, but the county breakdown is as follows:

* West Yorkshire: 16

* Suffolk: 32

* Norfolk:106 

* Lincolnshire:   226

* Cambridgeshire: 36

* Gloucestershire: 15 

* Greater Manchester: 7 

In the past (2014), there have also been cases  - particularly in Lincolnshire - where curlews have been lawfully shot or had their nests destroyed either "to preserve public health" or "to prevent serious damage either to livestock or foodstuffs for livestock".

The Wryneck says: Was it really necessary to kill these magnificent  birds and/or destroy their nests? This is a species in serious decline. Why did the airfields in these locations not follow the practice at corresponding sites in other parts of the country by simply scaring away the birds to eliminate aircraft collision risk? How rigorous has Natural England been in checking that slaughter was the only option? Has there been any change in policy or guidance for 2022? These are questions that need to be answered.