Superb view of black-crowned night heron - but it was in saleroom of North Yorkshire auction house!

That bird! (Photo: Tennants of Leyburn)

AMONG April's multiple British sightings of night heron, one Yorkshire example did not appear on the ornithological radar. 

This was the stuffed bird that was up for grabs at  an auction staged by Tennants at their saleroom in Leyburn earlier this month.

The catalogue states: "A full mount adult male stood upon a short dry tree branch, amidst a natural setting of reeds and grasses, set above a simulated pool of water, enclosed within a modern three-glass table display case, 35cm by 22cm by 47cm."

The pre-sale estimate was that it would fetch between £120 and £180, and the hammer came down at £160.

No details have been released of the vendor, nor the purchaser, nor the provenance of the bird. 

Where swift-bricks are 'appropriate' they should be used, says Britain's largest housebuilder

                                                   

A Persimmon development - the company is aware of its responsibilities to Nature and seems favourable to installing swift-bricks 

THE campaign by Hannah Bourne-Taylor to have swift-bricks installed in new-build houses does not seem to have figured on the radar of the UK's largest housebuilder, Persimmon plc - until now.

Because the campaigner's petition has achieved more than 100,000 signatures, a debate has been triggered in the Commons at a date to be fixed, possibly later next month.

Hannah Bourne-Taylor - campaigner

                                       

In advance of Persimmon's annual meeting, held yesterday at York Racecourse, a question about the swift-brick  campaign was submitted to the board.

Back came the response: "We were not aware of this petition. 

"Our position remains that, where they are appropriate as part of local species mitigation, they should be used."

A question was also asked about the company's policy - if any- on installing artificial grass in amenity spaces in its new developments. 

The reply: "We do not have a policy explicitly ruling out its use.

"However, it is not something shown in our placemaking framework which guides local teams. 

"Further, we would not encourage its use, especially given the requirements within biodiversity net gain".

* See also: Post: Edit (blogger.com)

 

A summer migrant - in this case a swallow - pauses for a rest on the roof of a Persimmon-built house

Devastating forest fires can also have upsides - especially for California's black-backed woodpeckers

                                                                     

Black-backed woodpecker at its nest in burnt tree - photo by Jeremy Roberts for Cornell Lab

IN the short term, forest fires must be devastating for almost wildlife.

However, in the medium or long term, the situation may sometimes be more favourable, at least for some species.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, one bird to benefit from 'pyro-diversity'  is the black-backed woodpecker, a familiar species in forests of California - a state that is no stranger to raging wildfires.

Says a press release issued this week by the Lab: "This woodpecker prefers to build its nest cavities in newly burned areas after high severity fire. 

"But it also likes to be adjacent to an area that burned at low intensity where its young can hide from predators among living trees that still provide cover. 

"The species' unique habitat associations means that it is sensitive to the removal of trees after fire, and forest managers use information on the woodpecker to guide their post-fire planning."

Andrew Stillman, an authority on pyro-diversity, states: "A burned forest is a unique, incredible, and complicated ecosystem that bursts with new life.

"At first you think everything is dead. The ground is ash. The trees are black. 

"But as you start walking around, you find that the place is alive. It’s not dead, just changed." 

Start date set for High Court case in which broadcaster claims damages for defamation over 'hurtful' media output

                                                 

Chris Packham - court hearing could last eight days

CELEBRITY TV  naturalist and environmental campaigner Chris Packham will have his defamation case against the editor and two contributors to Country Squire Magazine heard next month in the High Court in London.

Proceedings, which could last for up to eight days, are due to start at 1.30am on Tuesday May 2.

Mr Packham will argue that the three he is suing have embarked on a campaign of online hatred and abuse which has caused him anguish, anxiety and distress.

The matter relates to nine articles, 10 social media posts and two videos.

The defendants are the editor of Country Squire Magazine, Dominic Wightman, and contributors Nigel Bean and Paul Read.

The broadcaster says that claims made about him have been defamatory and designed to damage his financial interests, credibility, integrity and his personal wellbeing.

All parties face cross-examination.

Waging war on stoats - RSPB determined to eradicate 'invasive' creatures from Orkney to save scarce birds

                                                  

Short-eared owl - its Orkney nest sites are thought by the RSPB to be vulnerable to stoat predation 

A JOB is up for grabs for someone interested in becoming part of an RSPB team dedicated to eradicating stoats from Orkney.

The charity says the creature is an "invasive non-native predator which threatens  many birds including hen harriers, short-eared owls, red-throated divers, waders and seabirds."

For this reason, it is seeking to appoint a Stoat Detection Dog Handler, with an April 30 deadline for applications. 

Says the job description:

"Detection dogs are an integral part of the project. We are looking for an experienced conservation detection dog handler. You will be supplied with one or two trained stoat detection dogs and will be responsible for their welfare, but you will be supported for their care and maintenance.

"The purpose of this role is to support the stoat eradication operation and biosecurity activities across the Orkney Islands and at ports on mainland Scotland, including advocacy/media work as required.  You will work alongside other stoat detection dog handlers in the team, as well as the wider project team.

"Essential skills, knowledge and experience: 

• Experience of handling a working dog, ideally in detection work.

• Strong navigational skills including GPS use and ability to read OS maps.

• Comfortable walking long distances over difficult terrain and working for prolonged periods in the field. Willing to undertake surveys independently on remote islands, including overnight stays.

• Ability to use own initiative to solve day-to-day problems in the field.

• Willing to work flexible hours, be self-motivated and work efficiently within a defined work plan. Able to work positively and collaboratively within a team.

• Skilled use of Microsoft office and ability to accurately collect and manage field data.

• Verbal communication skills to develop and maintain good relations with colleagues, landowners, local communities and members of the public. 

"Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of using GIS software

• Experience working in nature conservation

• Excellent wildlife identification skills

"The contract runs to the end of December next year and the post carries a salary of up to £30,415 per annum with 26 days annual leave."

The RSPB adds: "It is essential to remove stoats from Orkney to prevent significant and long-term negative impacts on native wildlife."

The organisation currently has a range of other vacancies including three for ferret-trappers on Raithlin Island and one for a cafe  assistant at its Titchwell reserve in Norfolk. 

The Wryneck says: The RSPB’s stoat-eradication initiative is a concern. It claims the creature is an ‘invasive’ species but provides no evidence of such. Furthermore, any increased owl population will surely jeopardise the survival prospects of the rare Orkney vole. In recent years, the society has shown itself all to  ready to shape the fortunes of wildlife to suit its own agenda. It is doubtless an admirable agenda, but has it never heard of the Balance of Nature?

                                        

Cricketing legend Ian Botham's message to RSPB: "It's high time for transparency on predator-culling

                                                    

What's to be done about Reynard? 

A NEW row has erupted between former cricketer Ian Botham and the RSPB.

In a comment column for today's edition of The Daily Telegraph, Botham accuses the society of lack of transparency in its initiatives to control predators, especially foxes.

"Secrecy seems to be a top priority at RSPB HQ," he writes.

At times when the public is absent, the charity regularly culls badgers, foxes and carrion crows from its reserves in order to safeguard more highly prized avian species such as nesting black-tailed godwits, avocets, curlews, other wetland birds and certain raptors. 

Indeed, it is currently recruiting for a dog handler to join its stoat eradication team on Orkney and three ferret trappers on Raithlin Island.

Botham has no problem with this but resents being "chastised"  by the society when country folk, such as farmers and gamekeepers, seek to do likewise.

He continues: "Humane fox control is a genuine dilemma, and the RSPB needs to be more upfront about the tough choices on controlling predators.

"We need to debate acceptable ways to kill a fox."

In response, the RSPB says the decision to introduce any form of animal control is always "a last resort."

 

Yours for £300 - study of a curlew as depicted by artist Jim Moir (also known as comedian Vic Reeves)

 

A bird that likes to make  itself heard - Jim's study of a curlew

PRINTS of a painting of a curlew by Jim Moir (also known as comedian Vic Reeves) are now on sale for £300.

The species featured in the first episode of the series, Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir, that is currently running on the Sky Arts TV channel.

The show features the couple as they explore some of Britain’s best beauty spots, joined along the way by a few famous friends. 

Their challenge? Create an original piece of bird art celebrating the unique species native to that region over the course of a weekend.

Says the publicity for the programme: " Accompanied in each episode by local twitchers, artists and conservation experts, Jim, and Nancy are guided through forest and fen as they venture through wild countryside and bird reserves to gather inspiration. 

"They spend meditative weekends sketching and painting their feathery subjects, tackling everything from grouse to goshawks and bitterns to bearded tits."

The bird to be featured on Wednesday April 26 (8pm) is the chough.

Jim' website is at: Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves) Art | Online Shop and Blog | Official Website 

                                                

Bird lovers - Nancy and Jim

Bygone birding: ‘hateful fashion’ that resulted in slaughter of millions of birds

Eliza Brightwen - speaking up for welfare of birds

Aberdeenshire-born Eliza Brightwen was a leader in the campaign to end the slaughter of birds for their feathers to be used as adornments on women’s hats. Regrettably, she gets little more than a mention by contemporary author Tessa Boase in her otherwise excellent commentary* on what, in Victorian times and later, was a lucrative but cruel trade. Married to a banker who pre-deceased her, Brightwen (1830-1906) spent a mostly reclusive life in the spacious grounds of her home in Stanmore, Middlesex. She was 60 before she took to writing but soon won acclaim for her sensitive studies of Nature at a time when the customary practice was either to exploit or destroy it, sometimes (as in the millinery trade) both. Below is an extract from  her  popular (and influential) book, Inmates of My House  and Garden, published in 1895.

THERE is a form of cruelty of which thousands of ladies are guilty and against which I, for one, shall never cease to protest until the hateful fashion has entirely ceased. 

How often I wish I could lead those of my own sex to think of the terrible suffering they are causing to millions of sweet and innocent birds.

Can any one conceive my distress at having them  killed and stuffed, then placed as a trimming on bonnets!

The thought of such birds’ mother-love ought to make such an idea abhorrent to any gentle-minded woman.

Cannot my sisters be brought to reflect that every wing and bird's body they wear on their headgear means the cruel death of a creature of both use and beauty that was enjoying its innocent life and doing us only good by carrying out its appointed duties in God's creation? 

I cannot express the pain it gives me to see aigrettes, wings, and whole birds still so lavishly used in trimming hats and bonnets. 

Loving birds as I do, I cannot help pleading for them from time to time, in the hope that public opinion may have some influence, and ladies may learn at last to be ashamed to be seen decked with an ornament which proclaims them both thoughtless and unfeeling.

* 

Celebrating a special bird - council in Lincolnshire eager to spread the word that today is World Curlew Day

 

Plaudits to North East Lincolnshire Council for celebrating World Curlew Day which is today, April 21. The authority's communications department has gone to the trouble of putting out a press release which highlights the fact that, out of the breeding season, the species is often to be seen feeding in suitable habitat, such as estuarine mud, around Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Immingham

https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/

Book review: The Green Woodpecker - A Natural and Cultural History of Picus viridis

Exotic and wondrous species - Gerard Gorman's superb book 

IT has to be a very good book for its reader to finish it in a single session.

But such is the case with the latest title from Pelagic Publishing: Gerard Gorman’s The Green Woodpecker - a Natural and Cultural History of Picus viridis.

Following  the same format as that of his excellent previous book on the wryneck, the Hungary-based British expert explores everything known about this exotic and wondrous  species.

Partly based on his  own observations and partly on his exhaustive perusal (and interpretation) of an extensive range of academic papers, he supplies  chapters on the bird’s behaviour, communication, distribution, breeding and diet and much else.

Particularly encouraging is that, following its sharp decline in the bitter and prolonged cold of the British winter of 1962-63, its population seems to be increasing, especially in the south but also elsewhere as a result of its range extending north.

According to Gorman. There are now estimated to be 52,00 pairs in Great Britain - "widespread across southern England, patchier in the north"- with research indicating “a long-term trend of increasing numbers”.

This is impressive and encouraging - all the more so given that its favoured green and leafy habitats are possibly diminishing as are ants which make up much of its diet - though, on occasions, certain enterprising (and brave) birds have been known to plunder the hives of bees.

Elsewhere in Europe, the picture is mixed. Germany and France have "common, widespread and stable" populations, while, in Denmark, the species is declining and, in Latvia, it is very rare.

Like other woodpecker species, the greenie seems reluctant to fly over open waters, especially the sea, probably explaining why it currently does not exist in Ireland which only has three records of its occurrence, all dating back to the 19th Century and possibly unreliable.

As the title indicates, the author also explores the multiple references to the species in art and literature, relating back to earliest times.

Understandably, our forebears were as intrigued as we are by - and possibly a little fearful of - this bird of mystery which has often been the subject of superstition, not always to its advantage.

The author also explores the reputation - widespread throughout Europe - of the species’ call as being a reliable sign of rainy weather ahead. “ In parts of France, the bird is still known as pleu-pleu (rain-rain).

The Green Woodpecker is extensively illustrated with captivating photographs and artwork which support Gorman’s narrative which is always authoritative, entertaining and fast-paced.

Published by Pelagic in paperback at £24.99, it is available wherever books are sold.

JW

Bygone birding: John Gould on the beautiful black-winged kite - its range and manner of flight

 

Intrigued by a beetle - Gould's quirky study of  black-winged kites 

Below is how ornithologist and artist John Gould described the species he depicted so exquisitely in the portrait above. Picture and text are in the volume on raptors in masterful Gould's five-volume Birds of Europe, published in 1837. 

When we consider the wide range of this beautiful species, scattered as it is over all the temperate and warmer portions of the Old World, it is a matter of no surprise that its capture has of late years been so frequent in Europe. 

It is abundantly dispersed along the banks of the Nile, and in fact the whole of Africa and India is inhabited by it.

Neither do specimens from Java and New Holland present any specific differences from those taken in Europe. 

In all probability, no part of Europe affords it a permanent residence.

Spain, Italy, and the Grecian Islands are the portions of our quarter of the globe most frequented by the Black-winged Kite.

Instances are, however, on record of its having been captured in the middle of Germany.

It must, therefore, like many other species, be regarded merely as an irregular visitor which has crossed the Mediterranean from the opposite shores of Africa.

 From the great length of its wings, together with its short and feathered tarsi, we are led to infer that it is capable of rapid and powerful flight, and that, like its allies in America, it possesses the power of remaining suspended in the air for a great length of time.

Its food consists principally of insects, chiefly captured in the air, to which are sparingly added hzards, frogs, snakes and birds.

The sexes are very much alike in colour, but the female is said to be rather larger than her mate.

The young of the first autumn may be distinguished from the adults by their having the back strongly tinged with brown, and the end of each feather encircled with huffy white; the sides of the chest brown, and the feathers on the breast streaked down the centre with dark brown.

The adult has the head and the whole of the back of a fine grey; the centre of the wings black; the primaries and secondaries greyish brown, with lighter grey edges; the shoulders of the wings, throat, all the under surface, and tail pure white; cere and toes yellow; bill and claws black; irides orange.

We have figured an adult and a young bird of the natural size.

Research reveals that red-throated divers are being displaced from winter habitat by offshore windfarms

 

Red-throated diver - a bird that dreads wind turbines
(photo Peter Massas/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons) 

A WORRYING note has been sounded on the impact on red-throated divers of offshore windfarms  in the North Sea where many spend winter.

Newly-published research in Scientific Reports has confirmed that the 'scarecrow' effect of turbines is causing the birds to stay outside windfarms by between 10km and 24km.

Says lead author of the report Stefan Garthe: "Reduced availability of prime habitat and the consequently inferior foraging options may represent risks for diver populations through reduced body condition, delayed departure to breeding areas and lower reproductive success.

"The observed decline in numbers from before to after the establishment of the offshore windfarms indicates a strong negative pressure on divers in the south-eastern North Sea."

The research was carried out in German waters but it reflects findings elsewhere in the North Sea including British waters where there are many windfarms.

Mr Garthe believes there needs to be greater cross-border collaboration between research institutions, governments, and developers.

He concludes: "We have no doubt that renewable energies should provide a large share of our future energy demands.

"However, decisions taken at political and societal levels should also take into account the existing biodiversity crisis.

"They should aim to minimize the costs to less-adaptable species, such as red-throated divers, for which the North Sea has long provided a predictable food source."

The research was carried out at five offshore windfarms in German waters

Success of petition means MPs will debate proposal for compulsory installation of swift bricks in new homes

Well done to Hannah Bourne-Taylor who has raised more than 100,000 signatures in her campaign for installation of swift bricks to be made compulsory in new housing projects. By reaching the six-figure mark, the petition has triggered a debate in the House of Commons at a date to be fixed. Some local planning authorities already have this as a condition of development for house builders. These include those in Brighton & Hove, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Hackney, Sutton, Basildon and South Hadden.

                                 

See also: The Feather Speech campaign for swifts - HANNAH BOURNE-TAYLOR (hannahbournetaylor.com)

House sparrow remains top of the tree in RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch 2023 survey for 20th successive year

 

Long-tailed tit - up from 15th to 10th 

THE house sparrow has retained top spot as Britain's most common garden for the 20th year in succession.

So says the RSPB based on its Big Garden Birdwatch 2023 survey conducted in January by some 540,000 observers.

The house sparrow is reckoned to have declined by more than 10 million years since the 1960s, but its population seems to have chirped up over the past couple of decades.

Says the RSPB: "Numbers have remained relatively stable with signs of increases in some parts of the UK.

Rest of the Top Ten:

2 BLUE TIT

This familiar and energetic little entertainer at the feeder has made second spot again for the third year in a row.

3 STARLING

The starling is a non-mover at number three. But like last year, this noisy, vibrant and gregarious garden visitor sadly remains in decline.

4 WOODPIGEON

With their cooing call a familiar part of the urban soundscape, woodpigeon numbers have soared in the past 40 years so unsurprisingly it still sits tight at number four.

5 BLACKBIRD

The blackbird remains at number five and remains one of our most common and striking UK garden birds.

6 ROBIN

The UK’s favourite bird retains sixth place this year. 

7 GOLDFINCH

The vibrant goldfinch is doing well but is static at number seven. 

8 GREAT TIT

The largest UK tit has stayed put at number eight, so that two-note squeaky bike pump song isn’t going away!

9 MAGPIE

Has steadily increased its numbers in urban areas in recent years and is a non-mover at number nine.

10 LONG-TAILED TIT

Up from 15th last year.

Woodpigeons - a species that has thrived over the past four decades

* Photos: RSPB

Perseverance saved the day - but brilliant Collins bird identification guide was almost never published

                                                 

The 3rd Edition - bigger and better than its two predecessors

ONE of the star identification handbooks over the past couple of decades has been Collins Bird Guide - The Most Complete Guide to The Birds of Britain and Europe

It has been published in many languages and, last December, its 3rd Edition in the UK was published.

But curiously, the whole Collins Bird Guide project  nearly never saw light of day.

Its original commissioning editor, Crispin Fisher, sadly died and artist Killian Mullarney had fallen behind the clock.

The project had started in 1983, but after more than six years had elapsed and with no end in sight to the project, Fisher's successor as commissioning editor lost faith.

He had been prepared to give the project another 18 months to complete, but Killian was not even sure it would take a day less less than 18 years!

With the plug pulled by Collins, that could have been the end of the story.

But, "miraculously", as Killian puts it, he and co-authors Peter Grant (also, alas, no longer with us) and Lars Svensson, managed to persuade an alternative publishing house, the Swedish company Bonnier - which previously had been almost unknown outside Scandinavia - to take on the venture.

Part of the agreement was for a second artist, Dan Zetterström, to be engaged in order to lessen the workload on Killian.

Even so, another 10 years passed, but, eventually, in 1999, it was mission accomplished - the 1st Edition of the book was published (in hardback).

The acclaim was immediate. 

Since the day that the first copies arrived on shops' bookshelves, it has been  sold more than 1.3 million copies in 20 different countries.

There was no lingering ill will between the book's creators and Collins, because the latter secured (and retained) the UK publishing rights from Bonnier.

The new 3rd Edition is the biggest and best yet.

More than 50 plates are either new or have been repainted, and  the section with vagrants has been expanded to accommodate more images and longer texts for several species.  

The illustrations depict birds in  all the major plumages (male, female, immature, in flight, at rest and feeding - whatever is important).

One species, previously not included, that makes its debut is Saunders's tern - a bird that had been unverified when the previous two editions had been published.

In his research, Killian analysed hundreds of photographs (most of them in eBird's archive) and came up with an ornithological breakthrough.

Contrary to earlier belief, the species does not overwinter in Oman, the UAE or other parts of the Middle East

All these similar-looking birds are in fact, little terns, which in juveniles, as well as adults, lack the almost white secondaries of Saunders's.

Killian Mullarney - Saunders's tern breakthrough

"That was probably my most exciting research while working on the 3rd Edition,"says Killian.

Inevitably, it is the quality of the illustrations in Collins Bird Guide which will prompt most of the delight for its purchasers, but it is  important not to overlook the concise (and sometimes quirky commentary), plus the distribution maps, that are the contributions of Lars Svensson.

Lars really has had some fun when it comes to describing the calls or songs of some of the birds.

How about this, for instance, with the bluethroat: "Song slowly speeds up and suddenly turns into a cascade of melodious or hard and squeaky notes, often mixed with good imitations of other species (even reindeer bells may be mimicked!"

Or this with the Egyptian nightjar: "Song at distance like an engine (eg old-fashioned 2-stroke engine on fishing sloop)" 

All in all, this is a most engaging book - one of the rare volumes guaranteed to give you a warm and fuzzy sensation every time you open its pages.

The 3rd edition of Collins Bird Guide is published at £30 in hardback, but May 11 has been set for the publication at £19.99 in paperback. 

* An entertaining conversation between Killian Mullarney and David Lindo, the Urban Birder, can be viewed  on the latter's YouTube channel at:

54) In Conservation With… Killian Mullarney - YouTube   

Saunders's tern - conspicuously whitish secondaries

Bygone birding: Exhausted Alpine swift was flown by BA from Birmingham Airport to Faro in Portugal

                                                               

Alpine swift - this bird was seen from afar over the seafront in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, at noon today

Following this spring's exceptional influx of Alpine swifts into Britain, our archivist has been trawling past records and come up with the following:

Hampshire Advertiser, May 26, 1886

On the 28th of April, I saw two specimens of this rare visitant (Cypselus melba) flying over a pond about a mile east of Basingstoke. I first saw them from a distance and was attracted by their enormous expanse of wing. The swallows flying near them looked mere pygmies. Upon going to the edge of the pond I was able to examine their plumage very clearly. They were quite fearless and came near to where I was standing. There could be no doubt about the species. Their flight was very gentle and peculiarly graceful. They were occupied in picking insects off the surface of the water, and this they accomplished by a series of short, slow, curving stoops of a few yards, made very deliberately.

James Salter.

London Evening Standard, June 21, 1893

Those of your readers who are birdlovers and ornithologists may be interested to hear that on Sunday last, the 18th inst., when watching a number of swallows and swifts which were swooping up and down through the air at a great height, I noticed amongst them a swift of unusual size. I watched it closely, and when, in rather a low flight, it came within twenty yards of me. I was also struck by its colour which was of a light mouse-brown. From the description given by Howard Saunders in his British Birds,  I cannot help thinking this must have been the Alpine swift  which, he says, is a rare visitor to this country, its first having been noticed in Ireland in 1829. Since then, about a score of instances are on record of its having been being seen in England, and then generally in the south. I should be very glad to know if this bird has been seen elsewhere this summer, and whether my supposition is likely to have been a correct one. Can any of your readers enlighten me? I am, Sir, your obedient servant.

M. Laws, Easingwold, Yorkshire. 

London Evening Standard, June 22, 1893

It may interest Mr. Laws to know that on the morning of the 17th inst. I noticed two swifts of a very large size. They appeared to be almost as large again as the ordinary swift, and were a peculiar mouse-brown colour. The description of these birds appears to tally with that of Mr. Laws, and 1 should think that they are the Alpine swifts that Mr. Laws names. I am, Sir, your obedient servant.

 W. A. De Mereall, Belvedere, Kent. 

The Scotsman, June 13, 1924

Some of your , many readers will be interested to know that I saw to-day an Alpine swift at Caithness. It was much larger than the common swift,  brown above and white beneath.

A lover of birds.

Western Morning News, Oct 5, 1938

For a few minutes yesterday, an Alpine swift was watched almost over the house. When I first caught sight of the bird not far off, I thought it was a very late common swift. Its general form and manner of holding the long, scythe-shaped wings rigidly outstretched, lifting and hanging in the strong west wind was like the more familiar bird. Its true identity occurred to me almost instantly, however, and hastily I procured field-glasses. With good fortune the bird drifted right back until it was practically overhead, and, in the bright sunlight, afforded a splendid view of the white throat and belly, with the broad dark brown band across the upper breast. Gradually, it glided into the wind, twice half-closing its long wings and diving steeply, the second descent carrying it out of sight. 

R. G. Adams, Lympstone 

Western Morning News, December 3,  1938

While out shooting recently with Dr. T. H. Ward and a party of guns on Weston, about a mile from Totnes, we saw what we took to be an Alpine swift hawking for flies. We watched it for fully five minutes, and it once passed within five yards of Dr. Ward and myself. I was pretty certain at the time it was an Alpine swift, having seen them many years ago in Crete where they were fairly common. Returning to Weston, we looked up the bird in a book by R. Lydekker, and came to the conclusion that it was undoubtedly an Alpine swift. As they only appear in England at apparently rare intervals, perhaps it is worth recording. 

F. J. C. Holdsworth, The Mount, Totnes. 

Liverpool Echo, March 17, 1988

A bird found in a distressed condition after having being blown 1,000 miles off course to Britain is in need of a 'lift' back to its Mediterranean territory. The Alpine swift turned up near Birmingham, exhausted and hungry, and is being cared for at the Sandwell Valley Reserve in the Midlands, where officials hope an airline will offer it a free trip home.

Liverpool Echo, March 18, 1988

 A rare Alpine swift, stranded in Birmingham after being blown off course by gales is guaranteed an easy flight home courtesy of British Airways. The bird will a VIP passenger on a BA flight due to leave Birmingham Airport for Portugal on Sunday.

Sandwell Evening Mail, March 21, 1988

The Alpine swift, which has a 20in wing span and is dark brown with a white chest, has been a popular guest at a sanctuary and was nicknamed 'Edwin' by staff. Yesterday Mr Warren handed over his charge to British Airways Captain Peter Kennet who flew the bird from Birmingham International Airport to Faro in Portugal. 'Edwin' was expected to be released today so that he could continue the journey to his breeding ground.

Daily Mirror, October 15,  1991

Scores of birdwatchers who flocked to see a rare Alpine swift feared the worst when it hit a phone line and plunged to the ground. The twitchers rushed the stricken bird to a local hotel at St Mary's, Isles of Scilly. After an hour's breather in the kitchens, it recovered and flew off.  

Read all about it! Little terns, Eleanora's falcons and Balearic shearwaters making the headlines

Good to see the national Press (in this case The Daily Telegraph) taking an interest in the welfare of birdlife, both home and abroad, twice in one edition (today's).

Swarovski 'scope and carbon fibre tripod stolen from car boot at popular Peak District birding site

Male ring ouzels - target species for many birders in early April 

 

AN alert has been put out via social media after thieves targeted  a site in the Peak District which is regularly visited by ring ouzels.

Over the Bank Holiday, an ace birder-photographer from the Coventry area had a Swarovski 'scope and carbon fibre tripod stolen from the boot of his car.

It is understood the incident occurred at a car park near Hathersage in the Burbage Rocks area in Derbyshire after a lock was forced.

 A nearby car had put its back window put in.

It is thought the equipment might be offered for cash, possibly on an online auction site.

Crowdfunding appeal for wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham's legal action goes through stratosphere

                                             

Chris Packham - thousands of well-wishers

THE fighting fund to pay for a legal action brought by wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham has soared like an eagle - it has now surpassed  six figures.

As of 5pm today, it stood at just over £115,000 from 5,944 donors.

The TV celebrity feels he has had no option but to launch proceedings for defamation in response to allegations by certain fieldsports-supporting media organisations and individuals.

So that he does not end up out-of-pocket, his friend, Ruth Tingay, set up a crowdfunding appeal which has proved hugely successful in attracting money from Chris Packham's thousands of wellwishers.

It was she who, in her blog, provided today’s update.

There are still 12 days to go, but the fund is now inevitably losing momentum.

However, there is likely to be enough to pay a substantial handsome chunk of the legal fees.

Who knows - there could be enough change left over for ice creams all round.

On second thoughts, perhaps not. Top lawyers charge as much as £1,200 an hour

Under an arrangement, which is somewhat 'unusual' (to put it politely), the law firm acting for the broadcaster is understood to have custody of the crowdfunding fees.    

Dr Tingay  has not yet stated how surplus monies (if any) will be re-allocated.

Meanwhile, it is understood that those parties defending the defamation claims are also fundraising, though it has not been revealed how much has been raised.

* For an update from Ruth Tingay, see her informative blog: https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/

The Wryneck says: However strong he believes his claim to be, we adhere to our earlier advice that, having made his grievance abundantly clear, Chris Packham should now let sleeping dogs lie. Even if he were to win, any court case is liable to be ugly - and the ensuing publicity may prove embarrassing (and damaging), not just to the warring parties but also to others involuntarily caught in the crosshairs. Furthermore, the verdict, whoever it favours, will not be the end of the matter. It may bring a temporary truce, but polarities will become more entrenched. Fires - possibly with larger and hotter flames - will almost certainly break out anew.  

70 years ago: 'The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning'

Note the name of the author

NEXT Thursday April 13, 2023, marks the 70th anniversary of a momentous day in the life of a birder who lived in the West Indies.

It saw the publication of his first novel which opens with the sentence: "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning."

Its title was Casino Royale, and its author was Ian Fleming who famously named his hero, 007, after James Bond (1900-1989), writer of the text for one of his favourite books, Birds of The West Indies.

Fleming, an Old Etonian, did not enjoy a long life - he died, aged 56, in 1964.

                                            

He once claimed to have daily smoked 70 cigarettes and drunk a bottle of gin.

In his notebook, he wrote: "Live until you’re dead."

                                      

Ian Fleming - he enjoyed smoking and gin

* A fascinating book about the ornithologist, James Bond, has been written by American birder and author Jim Wright. It is available via online sources.  

World Heritage Site status for English coastal stretch as part of East Atlantic Flyway for migrating shorebirds?

                                 

Waders, such as these knot, at Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire 

LOCATIONS on the East Coast of England are along a bird migration route being proposed as a World Heritage Site.

The East Atlantic Flyway is one of the candidates submitted to Unesco.

The Government says it supports the nomination "in recognition of its vital importance to bird populations and wildlife".

The flyway stretches from North East Canada, where many wetland birds (such as ducks, geese, swans and waders) breed, all the way to warmer climes in South Africa where some spend winter.

En route, many of these birds (such as dunlin, knot and sanderling) take an extended feeding and resting break, on sandflats and mudflats in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the Thames Estuary.

There are already bird sanctuaries - for instance, in  China and Senegal - on the existing Unesco list, but, if approved, this flyway would be the first bird migration route to be recognised.

                                          

How The Daily Telegraph reported the announcement in its edition of April 10

The Wryneck says: On the face of it, the Government’s support for designation of the East Atlantic Flyway as a World Heritage Site seems excellent. But how does it square this with its strategy of encouraging hundreds more offshore wind turbines to be installed along much of the same route? Migrating birds and other wild creatures have not evolved to cope with turbines. They are already being imperilled by these giant ‘scarecrows in the sea’. Over the years the ‘flyway’ risks steadily becoming not a heritage wonder but a corridor emptied of much of its wildlife.

Superb artist who liked to depict birds - especially predatory species - in their natural surroundings

                                                                            

Great skua at nest site - hopefully its own nest!

THE strength of the market for paintings by George Lodge was reflected when this handsome study of a great skua went under the hammer at an auction held in February on the premises of Edinburgh-based Lyon & Turnbull. 

Including the buyer's premium, it sold for £1,134. 

The framed work measures 35.5cm x 55.5cm (14.25in x 21.75in). 

A falconer and taxidermist as well as an artist and ornithologist, Lodge (1860-1954) specialised in raptors and other predatory birds.

He provided many of the illustrations for Pirates and Predators, a book written by his ornithologist-friend, Richard Meinertzhagen.

An exhibition celebrating his life and work opened this week at the Joseph Banks Centre in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, his home county.

Pictured below are the Joseph Banks Centre and some of the hosts and guests who attended Tuesday evening's launch of the Lodge exhibition.