This curious watercolour-and-ink work of art, fetched £420 at an auction in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The hammer came down well above the pre-sale estimate of £100-200. In line with common practice, the name of the successful bidder has not been divulged by the auctioneers, Tennants. The bird featured is a chough - a species more commonly associated with Cornwall and never known to have been recorded in Grimsby or any part of Lincolnshire.
 |
| A squawk of terror, then the end - beach-running dogs finish off a stricken herring gull on Cleethorpes beach |
A SENIOR member of North East Lincolnshire Council has pleaded with dog-owners not to let their pets chase birds feeding on Cleethorpes Beach.
In winter, the East Coast resort is home to many waders and gulls that arrive in late summer and autumn having bred in Scandinavia or further north.
However, their welfare is perpetually imperilled by canine disturbance.
Says the authority's environment portfolio holder, Cllr Stewart Swinburn: "Wintering birds need our help to make their stay here as restful as possible.
"Anything that disturbs the birds, such as a dog running loose or a speeding jet ski, causes them to take flight and waste valuable energy reserves.
"This means they might not make it back to the Arctic in the spring and puts their populations, which are already declining, at even greater risk."
 |
| Cllr Swinburn - birds need our help |
The alert came on the same day that the council issued a press release highlighting the importance both of the beach (for traditional bucket-and-spade tourism) and, in particular, of the saltmarsh.
It states: "Like the Amazon rainforest, Cleethorpes saltmarsh is a spectacular landscape that supports a rich variety of plants, birds and other creatures.
"It also captures and stores polluting carbon dioxide - more so than an area of rainforest the same size."
NELC has also published a fascinating "immersive story-map":
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b83954a7cc8d4a118831058e38cdd2e1
"It is vital that we look after the beach, the saltmarsh and our wildlife," adds Cllr Swinburn.
 |
| Scavenging for dead birds could prove perilous for foxes |
This is a new fear after it emerged that cases have now been detected in such species as red fox, otter, grey seal, harbour seal and harbour porpoise.
In the United States, cases have also been reported in juvenile grizzly bears and ferrets.
The likelihood is that the route of infection for these cases was contact with infected birds.
Few details have been released by the Animal and Plant Health Agency except to say that the four UK otter cases were all in Scotland - one in Shetland, one on Skye and two in Fife.
The fox cases, meanwhile, were all in England though the locations have not been identified.
There are concerns that this H5N1 virus could mutate into new forms and spready quickly - possibly to dogs and cats, thence to humans.
In a case in Galicia, North-west Spain, 52,000 infected mink on a farm were humanely destroyed last autumn according to a report in Eurosurveillance - a journal that focuses on infectious disease surveillance, epidemiology, prevention and control.
The minks had been fed with raw fish and poultry by-products, cereals and blood meal, but the infection has been attributed to herring gulls because the mink were being farmed in semi-open premises.
Of the farm's 12 staff, 11 who had been in contact with the animals were subjected to two days of naso-pharyngeal swabs which all tested negative for avian influenza virus, but, to be on the safe side, they were still put in semi-quarantine for 10 days.
H5N1 was first detected at a goose farm in China in 1996 and, around 2005, it spilled into migratory birds, since when it has spready globally in huge waves.
A new variant that emerged in 2020 has spread faster and farther than any predecessor, hammering the poultry industry in Europe and the Americas.
According to the BTO, it has been confirmed in no fewer than 61 wild bird species.
So far there are understood to have been just six confirmed human infections, including one death, but there are worries among some scientists that the virus might be spreading under the radar.
 |
| Avian influenza victim? A poorly-looking oystercatcher |
 |
The striking image (above) of various European thrush species in flight is included in the impressive photo-ID manual, Handboek Europese vogels, that was published in May last year in The Netherlands. It was a labour of love for the editorial and photographic team behind the venture, taking six years to complete - four years longer than initially estimated. There are no distribution maps, nor information about song or behaviour - the focus is entirely on plumage and its variations according to age of bird as well as season. The handbook is currently only available in its Dutch-language version, but it is currently being translated into English in readiness for publication by Princeton University Press later this year. In due course, there will also be an app. A fascinating interview with ace photographer Marc Guyt, a leading light in the project, is hosted by Urban Birder David Lindo on his YouTube channel: (650) In Conservation With… Marc Guyt - YouTube |
.JPG)
 |
| Lucy McRobert - controversial or what! |
 |
| Joy (at foot of steps) outside the new hide with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust president Prof Sir John Lawton (top of stairs) and other project supporters |
Joy Croot came to the rescue when, after some three decades, the existing Xerox hide at Blacktoft Sands, in Yorkshire, came to the end of its useful life.
The new ‘Reedling Hide’has been named such by Joy because one of her favourite birds is the reedling, also known as the bearded tit.
It was officially opened last Friday morning.
Joy has lived in Healing, near Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, with her husband, John, also a retired dentist, for 25 years.
She been attending RSPB Blacktoft Sands as a volunteer warden since retiring, in 2018, from dental surgery in Cleethorpes and lecturing part-time at Sheffield University.
Many birders will have met her when they came calling to glimpse a white-tailed lapwing that put in a longstaying appearance in autumn 2021.
.JPG) |
| The reserve's famous white-tailed lapwing |
"I have been going birdwatching at Blacktoft for as many years as I can remember,"says Joy. "It’s a beautiful reserve and so peaceful, with superb birds and very friendly and knowledgeable staff.
"There’s always something to see - not least a dozen pairs of marsh harriers in spring and summer.
"I have learned so much here and just wanted to give something back.
"The RSPB team here, particularly reserve manger Pete Short, has done the hard graft while specialist Garthorpe-based hide manufacturers Gilleard have done a similarly great job."
Reedling Hide stands higher than the one it replaced and offers spectacular unrestricted views across the reserve.
Says RSPB philanthropy manager Sarah Standing, said: "It has been such a pleasure to keep in touch with Joy and see the hide project come to fruition thanks to her decision to support the RSPB in this special way."
The new dual-level hide was designed with accessibility in mind, so everyone can enjoy the sights and scenery.
The building features an accessible lower deck served by two doors, allowing easy access for people with reduced mobility, and has the potential for a ‘pandemic-proof’ one-way system.
A stairway leads to the upper floor with a viewing gallery which runs the whole length of the structure.
RSPB community engagement officer, Darren Johnson, comments: "We want people to access nature, and this new hide helps us achieve that."
The new hide is expected to last for 30 years but work to maintain the hides and improve Blacktoft Sands for visitors does not stop.
The RSPB has a five-year plan for the other hides at the reserve which hosts a wide variety of wetland birds, including marsh harrier, bittern, reedling (of course!) and avocet.
 |
| Preparing to cut the ribbon - Joy with the president of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Prof Sir John Lawton, who did the honours |
 |
Wildlife campaigner and former RSPB executive Mark Avery has released this image of the attractive cover of his next book which is due to be published (at £14.99) by Pelagic Publishing in July this year. No prizes for the title, which is unimaginative, but, based on the author's past form, the content is likely to be lively. |
 |
| Can you spot the barn owl? Artist's impresson of one of the arenas |
IT'S well done to Lancaster City Council for securing £50-million funding from Whitehall towards its Eden Project Morecambe.
Not only will its tropical plants create an exotic experience, but the venture will create hundreds of jobs.
Says the promotional material: "Eden Project Morecambe will focus on re-imagining health and wellbeing, wonder and entertainment.
"It will be an environment filled with plants and art exhibits, showcasing natural abundance and the rhythms of life linked to the sun.
"There will also be an immersive series of theatrical experiences that bring to life lunar rhythms and tides.
"Within every space, visitors will be encouraged to be curious about the natural world.
"Art, science, adventure, play and performance will all play a role."
It will provide a reminder of Morecambe’s motto during its tourism heyday: "Beauty Surrounds and Health Abounds."
Total cost of the project is estimated at £100-million, and the council had bid for £70-million.
However, with such superb support from Whitehall, raising a further £50-million should not prove too much of a challenge.
 |
| The proposed structure will link coast and town |
 |
| On alert - something in a bush has caught the footballer's eye |
 |
| Feral pigeons in a Saudi street square |
 |
| Good Shepherd IV has done valiant service but is nearing end of life (photo: Shetland Islands Council) |
BIRDING fans of Fair Isle will welcome news that it is set to benefit from a new roll on-roll off ferry service.
This will make it easier to catch up with rare species.
It has been announced this week that Whitehall has approved £26.7-million of Levelling Up Fund monies to finance the project.
Shetland Islands Council, which submitted the bid, has welcomed the announcement.
At present Fair isle is reached by a modest ferry, Good Shepherd IV which is almost 40 years old, does not meet current accessibility standards, is slow, small, unreliable in poor weather and not climate-friendly.
This has a tangible impact on Fair Isle's ability to sustain itself and its people.
For example:
* The import of fresh produce and export of goods is affected
* The ability to provide healthcare and access to school is jeopardised
* The ability to facilitate personal travel out, and to welcome visitors in, is compromised
Says Emma Macdonald, leader of Shetland Islands Council: "The Good Shepherd is less than five years from the end of her life.
"The impact of the loss of the ferry service from mainland Shetland to Fair Isle would be deeply profound, and, without a new vessel, the long-term sustainability of the island would be in doubt."
She continues: "It is no exaggeration to say that this funding from the UK Government has saved Fair Isle as an inhabited island.
"There would have been no other way for us to fund such a project.
She adds: "This is a truly great day for Fair Isle, and for Shetland!
"We are grateful for the honest, open and productive dialogue we have had both with the Scotland Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities throughout the process."
 |
| Looking for a new home - the bird statue |
A DE-CLUTTERING exercise at the San Francisco HQ of Twitter has resulted in two of its logo-related bird artefacts being put up for sale.
They are the statue (above) and a neon light electric display (below).
The sale has been authorised by Elon Musk following his takeover of the social media giant.
Also up for grabs are projectors, refrigerators, TVs , a bicyce-powered USB charging station and much else - 631 items in all.
The sale is being conducted on line by auctioner Heritage Global Partners - Heritage Global Partners | Twitter: Online Auction Sale Featuring Surplus Corporate Office Assets of Twitter! (hgpauction.com)
As of today, bidding had already passed $20,000 dollars for both bird items.
 |
| Quirky - the neon light display |
 |
| Zoe - passionate about public engagement |
ZOE Davies has this month been named as new chairperson of the BTO.
Zoe is a professor of biodiversity conservation at the University of Kent where she has a special interest in "human-biodiversity relationships".
She is said to to be "passionate" about widening public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths.
The extent of Zoe's interest in ornithology and birding has not been revealed but it is stated that she is on the committee of several other ecology-related organisations.
See: Announcing new Board members for BTO | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology
No details have been released about her family background or any hobbies she might have.
The Wryneck says: Zoe Davies is doubtless an excellent appointment - and a very engaging personality - but you would never know this from the press release issued by the BTO. This is so drably written that it has the regrettable and totally unfair effect of portraying her as the dullest of academics. The document should be re-written and re-issued by the BTO without delay. Members want to be told that the board is headed not by a stuffy boffin but by a vivacious and inspirational livewire with both a million and one ideas and the energy to bring them to fruition.
Rare avian visitor to Yorkshire butchered the local bees
From the August 1885 edition of The Naturalist magazine: Occurrence of great grey shrike near Leeds, June 27, 1885.
It gives me pleasure to record the occurrence in this neighbourhood of the great grey shrike, especially as it is so rare during summer.
The bird, when first seen, was perched on the topmost branch of a hawthorn bush on the confines of a moor at Adel, near Leeds.
I approached it cautiously, wishing to get a good view, and be able to pronounce as to its identity without doubt.
To my delight the bird proved not to be so shy as I had anticipated, but allowed me to get quite close before taking flight.
Even then, it only removed a few yards away and alighted on another hawthorn.
In this way, I pursued it from bush and tree for some distance when it flew across the fields out of my way.
While continuing this chase, I had an excellent opportunity of noticing the ashy-grey back and white patches of the wings and tail which characterise this species.
The bird appears, when on the wing, to be about the size of a song thrush, and, in plumage not unlike the pied wagtail.
After the pursuit, I retraced my steps to the starting point, and, on examining the bush I found that it had commenced its butchering process, for, impaled on the thorns, were three bees, all still alive.
I noticed that the bird has no particular method of impaling them.
One was pierced through the thorax and another through the abdomen.
I examined the bushes and whins to see if by any chance it was nesting here, but found no clue.
I give this in detail as I do not know whether the species has often been observed in Yorkshire during the breeding season or not.
Thomas Raine
Leeds
July l0, 1885.
Editor's note: As the species has not hitherto been recorded as occurring in Britain during the breeding season, Mr. Raine's circumstantial account is of very great interest.
 |
| Inspirational - a tale of courage and determination |
IF your beloved partner appears to be wasting away before your eyes, what should you do?
Specifically, his condition is corticobasal degeneration (CBD) - a rare and progressive neuro-degenerative disorder likely to cause problems with movement, speech, cognition and swallowing, plus a raft of subsidiary symptoms.
How author Raynor Winn and her rapidly-ailing husband, Moth, respond to this challenge provides the content for her highly inspirational book, Landlines.
Instead of choosing to become as comfortable as possible at their home in Cornwall, Moth agrees to her suggestion that they should undertake an expedition - not to some exotic sunshine island but a gruelling hike through Scottish mountains, starting in the Highlands.
And, off they go, rucksacks heavily laden with camping equipment on their backs.
One thing leads to another. That brutally arduous journey having been completed, they embark on the Pennine Way, then Offa's Dyke Path, then Chepstow to Plymouth.
Thence to their home in Cornwall along the South West Coast Path from Plymouth to Polruan.
How can that possibly have been achieved given that, before they started, 60-year-old Moth could scarcely walk from one room to another - the dreadful neuro-degenerative disease having left him "lost in the shell of a body that can no longer function"?
Medically and scientifically, there is no explanation. By what amounts to some sort of miracle, Moth, incredibly, was in far better physical and mental shape after they returned home than before they left.
This is confirmed by brain scan results provided by his consultant at the local hospital.
In the conclusion to her book, Raynor can only speculate about how extreme physical exertion, accompanied by determination of spirit, can seemingly overcome insurmountable odds.
She writes: "We do know that areas of the brain can grow in response to physical activity and that neuroplasticity exists although we know very little about it."
What about the birds they encountered as they walked?
Neither the author nor her husband are particularly knowledgeable about individual species, but their spirits seem to have been recharged every time they saw or heard wheatears, cuckoos, skylarks, dippers or raptors of whatever species.
However, they had a slight downer on golden plovers because, in Scotland, their calls kept them awake at night.
This is a captivating briskly-paced book, but not without shortcomings - for instance, the absence of underlying humour and author's readiness to take a pop at anything that doesn’t meet with her approval, from beach donkey rides to cricket.
Worst of all, she never misses an opportunity to commend her earlier book, The Salt Path, putting the praise into the words of those they meet on their travels.
This self-adulation serves to seep away some of the admiration for the courage, enterprise and resilience that are impressive characteristics both of her own make-up and that of her valiant husband.
After all, no one warms to someone who blows his/her on trumpet.
To end on a positive note, it is hard not to be reminded of lines in a poem about death by Dylan Thomas.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Landlines is published by Michael Joseph at £20.
Date: January 7, 2023
Weather: Mild, sunny intervals
Target species: Lesser grey shrike (no point in being unambitious)
Star species: Siskin
Other species seen: Heron, hooded crow, jackdaw, rook, greenfinch, goldfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, robin, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, heron, mallard, grey lag goose, pheasant
 |
| Splendour of the Cromarty Firth as seen from Swordale |
Date: January 9, 2023
Weather: mild, clear sky
Target species: Golden eagle
Star species seen: Red kite
Other species seen: Great spotted woodpecker, mistle thrush, fieldfare, redwing, goldfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, starling, blackbird, common gull, black-headed gull, herring gull, jackdaw, carrion crow, hooded crow, yellowhammer, sparrowhawk, buzzard, heron, dunnock, robin
.JPG)
.JPG) |
| Detail of the map indicating location of Covenham Reservoir |
A POPULAR site in Lincolnshire remains open for birders despite being close to a poultry farm where bird flu was identified on December 29.
At this time of year, Covenham Reservoir, between Cleethorpes and Louth, is home to at least seven duck species, with the chance of great northern diver and rarer grebes.
However, it is within a 3km avian flu control zone restricting access to certain 'premises' that lie within it.
The poultry farm has not been identified but is believed to be at Fulstow.
It seems that the reservoir is not deemed a 'premises' by Defra, so no limitations have been placed on access.
Anglian Water, which operates the reservoir, today stated: "There are no current access restrictions at Covenham Reservoir.
"However, we do, though, ask that if members of the public do see a dead or dying bird that they do not touch it and report it to us."
Meanwhile, it is understood that the birds at the poultry farm have now all been humanely culled.
Not many birds when this snap was taken 
But, before long, two pintail float into view
.JPG) |
| Waltham Windmill Golf Course - neighbours are divided over netting plan |
A PROPOSAL to install netting to safeguard neighbours' properties from errant golf balls has sparked fears that bats and birds will be put at collision risk.
The Windmill Golf Club in Waltham, North East Lincolnshire, is concerned that, sooner or later, a poorly-directed ball will cause injury or worse to an occupant of one of the neighbouring properties.
Over the years, there have been many near-misses and some residents are enthusiastic about the plan even though the net - 6.5 metres tall and 10 metres wide - will do nothing to improve the outlook from their windows.
However, others are strongly opposed, fearing that that birds such as swifts, swallows, tits and robins could be fatally injured if they fly into the netting.
Says one: "Nets have longstanding issues with flying animals getting trapped and injured within the structures causing unnecessary suffering.
" A structure of this magnitude would have an adverse environmental impact on the wildlife in the neighbouring hedgerows."
Comments another: "One of the many reasons you buy a house next to a golf course is the space around you, the green open views and natural landscape.
"The obvious downside is the potential golf balls in your garden, but that is something you know when you buy such a house - a choice you make.
"If nets were put up before purchase - again a choice you make before buying such a property.
"Netting will massively change the view that was very much the reason why we bought these houses.
"It also introduces a synthetic material to this area, essentially polluting this natural environment - something we are all trying to avoid on a daily basis.
"The golf course brings a lot of wildlife to this area and a lot of us try and encourage them to keep coming back. The hedgerow area is extremely important for nesting and shelter.
"Plastic nets would cause a significant danger to the very wildlife that the golf course has attracted over the years."
The golf club hopes that the net will be a temporary measure while trees are planted to provide a more long-term screening solution.
The application will be determined at Wednesday's meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council planning committee with a recommendation by the case officer that it should be approved.
Says he in his report: "Concerns have been raised in regard to the potential impact on ecology due to the net catching birds and bats.
"The application has been considered by the council ecologist and no objections have been raised on the basis the proposal would not cause ecological issues.
"The proposed netting is a temporary measure and of a modest scale. It is positioned in an open area away from flight paths for birds and bats.
"In conclusion, it is considered that the proposed netting would not cause undue harm to the visual character of the area, neighbours amenities or ecology.
"It is a temporary measure to resolve a health and safety issue and is recommended for approval."
.JPG) |
| Cleethorpes architects Hodsons have supplied this image of the proposed fencing |
 |
| Netting, along with fencing (as here at a school in Cleethorpes), is sometimes perilous to birds and bats |
