Why wildlife campaigner Mark Avery 'will never forgive' UK's conservation groups' 'feeble' leadership

                                                 

Dr Avery: Leadership 'hid away'

AUTHOR and blogger Mark Avery has rapped  Britain's leading wildlife conservation organisations for their 'timid' approach to the big environmental issues of the day.

In particular, he slams them - with the exception of the Wildlife Trusts - for remaining 'eerily silent' in the run-up to the referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

In a book to be published next month, Dr Avery writes: "There is no doubt that the  debate was of huge importance to wildlife conservation because so much of our wildlife legislation had been formed during our years of EU membership.

"And the writing  was on the wall that Brexit would lead to watering down of protection for species and habitats."

The author, a former Director of Conservation at the RSPB, said he will "never forgive" the leadership of these  organisations for being so 'feeble' during the long-running debate.

He continues: "They hid away on the biggest environmental issue of their lives - when leadership was needed, it was absent."

Nor the does the Northamptonshire-based author stop with Brexit.

In a chapter headed Why are we failing so badly?, he accuses conservation group leaders of "thinking that they can solve all wildlife's problems by strutting through the corridors of power in Whitehall, Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh.

"They look as if they are part of the Establishment rather than trying to change the world.

"We have a conservation movement that is too timid in its criticism of governments across the UK for their inaction and failure. Such timidity reduces the movements ability to have any leverage with political events.

“Too much energy is spent commenting on what government is  doing rather than telling government what it ought to be doing.

“Our wildlife organisations used to set the agenda for government action. They were once leaders but now, too often, they are mere followers.”

Dr Avery's controversial comments come in a 256-page paperback, Reflections, to be published at £20 on July 4 by Pelagic Publishing.

* A review of Reflections will appear in The Wryneck post publication of the title.

Speculation that egg-predation by stoats may be cause of failed breeding attempt by Norfolk bee-eaters

                                            

Still hoping . .  . the Norfolk quarry bee-eaters  (photo: RSPB)

IF at first you don't succeed  . .  .

Unfortunately this month's initial attempt by bee-eaters to nest in a disused quarry near Cromer in North Norfolk appears to have  failed - possibly because of egg- predation by stoats.

However, RSPB staff wardening the site have not given  up hope.

The birds are still present and have resumed courtship feeding, so another breeding attempt could be imminent.

But the question remains - what, if anything, to do about those pesky stoats? 

  

Amid the clamour and cacophony of calling seabirds, a mother-of-two collapsed and almost died

                                           

Frightening experience for Donna who has since been helping to promote the work of Yorkshire Ambulance Service which supplied this photo  

 

A MUM who almost died while birding on the Yorkshire Coast, near Bempton,  has expressed renewed gratitude to those who saved her life.

It was a year and a day ago that Donna Bates  became unable to breathe and  collapsed on the cliff walk between the RSPB-managed site and nearby Flamborough.

At the time, she had been with two of her children, admiring the gannets, puffins and other seabirds that breed on the cliff edges.

Luckily, two other people, a man and a woman, saw her distress - she had suffered a cardiac arrest - and immediately administered first aid in the form of Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation.

It was the combination of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth artificial ventilation, that kept Donna (40) alive.

Says Donna of Bubwith, near Selby, in Yorkshire: "Through CPR, they  saved my life until coastguards, paramedics and the air ambulance arrived.

"They also looked after my two children - Kian (13) and Isabella (7) - who would have been left alone in a frightening  situation with no help. 

"There was less than a one per cent chance that I would have made it off that cliff top."

Continues Donna: "One year on, and I am no closer to knowing who my saviours were, but I am hoping that - through the various media I have done - they know what they have done for my family. 

"Thanks to them, I survived and beat all the odds.

"That evening, my children had been  told that I might not make it but happily I did, and  I am here to hold my children." 

Concludes Donna: "Please please please, let something good come from my story!

"Those of you unfamiliar with CPR please spend a few minutes learning.

"Without these amazing strangers it would have been a very different story for me and my children that fateful day." 

                                       

Seabirds dot the cliffs of Flamborough near where Donna fell ill

RSPB names its new Director of England

                                                              

Michael  Copleston has been named by the RSPB as its new Director for England. His 20 years' experience with the charity have include conservation activities from places as far apart as the tip of Cornwall to the Hebrides. He will answer to Chief Executive Beccy Speight.

British Birds editor: 'Some birders display attitudes that should by now have been relegated to history books'

                                             

Stephen Menzie - rap for outdated attitudes

THE  editor of British Birds magazine has hit out at  those birders -  a minority - who think the hobby should remain the domain of  "middle-aged white blokes".

The comments by Stephen Menzie will strike a chord with the many enthusiasts who do not fall into this category and, to a greater or lesser extent, may have sometimes felt ostracised.

In an evidently heart-felt message readers, he writes: "June was Pride month.

 

"Pride means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. 

"For me, Pride is a celebration of inclusion - not just for members of the LGBTQ+ community but also for people of colour, people of every gender and people from all backgrounds. 

"Inclusion is not, of course, a quality that should be restricted to the month of June; nor should it only be on display at Pride events. 

"Birding, at its core, ought to be one of the most inclusive hobbies around - a love of watching birds is not something that needs to be defined by any physical characteristics of the individual. 

"The number of women and people of colour involved in birding is growing - but the fact remains that the archetypal birder in Britain is still a middle-aged white bloke. 

"That, in itself, is not a barrier to the hobby becoming diverse but, unfortunately, even in 2023, a minority of the majority - in line, sadly, with a similar minority in society at large - continue to display an attitude that should by now have been relegated to the history books. 

"Perhaps, starting this Pride month, we can all make an extra effort to extend a smile rather than a suspicious eye to those we meet in the field who don’t fit the typical mould of a birder, and to welcome and to celebrate the increasing diversity in our hobby." 

Take flight with this enchanting new study of bird migration by Mya-Rose Craig and Lynn Scurfield

 

Inspirational - the delightful new book by Mya-Rose Craig and Lynn Scurfield

HATS off to Mya-Rose Craig and Lynn Scurfield on a collaboration which has led to publication of the book, Flight - an enchanting introduction to the adventure and romance of bird migration.

The duo direct their attention  to seven particularly special species - Arctic tern, white stork, swallow, black-and-white warbler, rufous hummingbird, bar-headed goose and spoon-billed sandpiper.

The target market is obviously pre-teenage children (in every continent), but it would be a hard-hearted adult who is not also touched by the sparkle and good humour with which the material is presented.

The author has a colourful turn of phrase - for instance, storks "playing statues", terns "dancing in the sky" - while the illustrator sweeps you into the sky with her gloriously uplifting artwork.

Published in hardback at £14.99 by Puffin, this is a joyous book that serves as a reminder that being captivated by avian migration is not just a prerogative for a certain sector of society - watching birds is an a pursuit for all to enjoy whatever their age, nationality or background.   

justice

 

A CHANCE is being offered to meet celebrity naturalist Chris Packham . . . on board a boat.

He, RuthTingay and Mark Avery will be hosting a chartered birding trip around Poole Harbour between 9am and 12pm on Saturday September 16.

Says Dr Avery: "You might well see some lingering ospreys, fishing white-tailed eagles, spoonbills, waders and more. 

"We can't guarantee the weather or the wildlife but we promise it will be fun."

The trio are co-founders of  the group, Wild Justice, which takes up legal cudgels where it feels wildlife is getting a raw deal from the powers that be - including organisations such as Defra and Natural England.       

Tickets, which are likely to sell out quickly, cost £45.

Registration details at: https://tinyurl.com/5yjjp6rz

All the fun of the fair! Global Birdfair unveils its wide-ranging talks programme for July 2023

                                      

WITH Global Birdfair 2023 fast approaching, the programme of talks and presentations has now almost been completed.

There just a few details to be confirmed and a few time-slots to be filled. 

Then it will be all-systems-go for the biggest event in birding's social calendar.

This is what is in store over the weekend July 14-16 at the showground outside Oakham in Rutland. 

OSPREY STAGE

Friday 

1000 Jonathan and Angie Scott: What price wildlife tourism - striking a balance 

1100 BirdLife International & Cornell Lab: Citizen science and how it helps conservation globally 

1200 Simon King: The making of Wildlife Isles 

1300 Wildlife Crime Debate: Dominic Dyer, Jenna Jones, Craig Fellowes & more 

1400 Nigel Marven: Hair-raising and hilarious moments while filming with Wildlife and Dinosaurs 

1430 Mike Dilger: Discover Enchanted Ecuador 

1500 Global Birdfair: Official Opening & Project Launch. BirdLife International presents the Global Birdfair Project with Aves y Conservacion, Ecuador 

1600 Yoav Perlman: BirdLife Israel 

1800 The Birders Lecture: Arjan Dwarshuis -The Big Year that flew by 

1930 Ajay Tegala & Anthony Harris: A Year In Birdsong - tap your feet and join in a musical evening  

 

Saturday 

1000 Mike Dilger: My Covid Lockdown with Plants 

1100 Mark Carwardine:  On the Trail of the Whale 

1200 Jonathan and Angie Scott: Big Cat Diary and Beyond (1977 to 2023)

1300 Simon King: The Making of Wildlife Isles 

1400 Bird ID Quiz: Stephen Menzie v Merlin 

1500 The Wild's Nature Room 101: Ryan Dalton with Lucy Lapwing, Hannah Bourne Taylor & Stephen Moss 

1600  Birds v Bugs:Quizmaster Dominic Couzens & panellists: Mya Bambrick, Alan Davies & Mike Dilger v  Gail Ashton, Nick Baker & Tim Sexton 

1645 Zeiss Young Birders Awards 

1800 This is Your Life: Stephen Moss presents…..

1930 The Making of Wild Isles: Insight from some of the contributors to the recent BBC TV series 

 

Sunday 

1000 Nigel Marven: Highlights of Latin America 

1100 Wildlife Gardeners Question Time:  Stephen Moss with Adrian Thomas, Gail Ashton, Mike Dilger, Joel Ashton 

1200 Mark Carwardine: On the Trail of the Whale 

1300 David Oakes with Samuel West: In conversation

1345 Tim Mackrill:  Rutland Ospreys 

1400 Dean Lomax & Joe Davis; The Rutland Ichthyosaur 

1500 Birdhouse of Games:  Mark Maddox host a quiz

AVOCET STAGE

Friday

1000 Mark Nowers: Operation Turtle Dove Project 

1030 Richard Peters (Nikon): Back Garden Safari 

1100 Wenceslas Gatarabirwa: Updates from the East Atlantic Flyway 

1130 Ivan de Klee (Nattergal): The business case for nature recovery - Boothby Wildland, a case study 

1200 David Lindo: Birding Tobago 

1230 Alick Simmons: Wildlife Persecution in Britain

1300 Hannah Bourne-Taylor: The Feather Speech 

1330 Manya Russo: Seabirds of the Maltese islands - threats and conservation 

1400 Jeff Knott (RSPB): Why policy matters 

1430 Rob Williams: Birds and people of Peru 

1500 Mary Davies (RSPB): The Triumphs and trials of translocations 

1530 Ian Andrews: Fair Isle Bird Observatory 

1600 Dr Lee Raye:  Early bird records from the Atlas of Early Modern Life 

1630 Ryan Chenery: Birds of the Lesser Antilles 

1700 Balazs Szigeti: Mammal safari in Europe - up to 40 species of  mammals in Hungary and Slovakia from the pygmy shrew to the brown bear (and numerous bat species) 

Saturday 

0930 Dominic Couzens: Trials and tribulations of a Nature Writer - some personal insights into wildlife journalism 

1000 Grant Reed: Birding in Botwana 

1030 Rebecca Nason (Shetland Seabird Tours): Seabirds, cetaceans and photography

1100 Laura Bambini (RSPB): Safeguarding the UK’s internationally important seabird islands 

1130 Kieran Lawrence: Scientific projects at Spurn Bird Observatory 

1200 Lucy Haskell (BirdLife International):  State of the World's Birds 

1230 Mike Dilger: The very best of British wildlife 

1300 Ian Cole (RSPB):  Curlews in crisis 

1330 Tony Thorne: Sustainable travel and birds in Guyana 

1400 Alice Tribe: Investigating bird killing in Malta 

1430 Jari Peltomaki (Finnature): 30 years of Finnish Nature 

1500 James Bray (RSPB): Hope for Hen Harriers? 

1530 Finches Friend: Disease transfer in garden feeders 

1600 Holly Page: Birding in the Scottish Highlands in Autumn 

1630 Tris Allinson (BirdLife International): Energy infrastructure built with birds in mind 

1700 Robin Fisher: Kingfisher film 

Sunday 

0930 Xavier Amigo: Ecuador 

1000  To be announced

1030 Peep Rooks: Looking for lynx in Estonia  

1100 Rhoda Ludford / Will Bevan:How RSPB volunteers are helping save some of our most threatened species across the UK 

1130 Dan Brown: Shetlands 

1200 Vivek Menon 

1230 Jenna Jones: Operation Seabird 

1300 Jenny Weston: Egyptian Vulture Flyway Conservation 

1330 Joel Ashton: Gardening for Wildlife 

1400 Beltran de Ceballos: What's Going On in Doñana - are there solutions for recovery? 

1430 Dr Pam Taylor: The changing fortunes of our dragonfly species 

1500 Richard Winspear : Six steps to guarantee more nature on farmland 

CURLEW STAGE

Friday 

1000 Beltran de Ceballos: Doñana is at the worst moment in its history - are there solutions for recovery? 

1030 Marek Borkowski: What to see in Poland and help its wildlife at the same time? 

1100 Wildlife Kate: Creating your own Springwatch: Set-ups and filming tips for your garden 

1130 Mary Colwell: Curlew Action 

1200 Nigel Redman: Birds and Mammals of Malaysia and Borneo 

1230 Juan Benito: Birds of the Mesozoic 

1300 Richard Parsons: Bellavista Cloud Forest in NorthWestern Ecuador 

1330 Kaisa Peltomaki: Evoke emotions to protect nature  

1400 Lloyd Scott: Committee Against Bird Slaughter 

1430 David Horwell: Galapogos - the New Edition 

1500 Rob Williams: Conservation challenges and successes in northern Peru 

1530 Amano Tracy: Birding Uttarakhand  

1600 Chris Collins: West Pacific Odyssey - New Zealand to Japan 

1630 Luis Segura: Wildlife of North-eastern Argentina

1700 Xavier Amigo: Birds of the Andean Choco region and the forthcoming South American Birdfair 

Saturday

0930 Attila Steiner; Azerbaijan - the hidden gem of the Caucasus 

1000 Arjan Dwarshuis: Biodiversity conservation through land acquisition 

1030 Fran Tattersall: Wildlife acoustics in action 

1100 Lucy Lapwing: Bird ID using birdsong 

1130 Dan Brown: Islay 

1200 Keith Valentine: Indonesia - Remote West Papuan Islands Cruise 

1230 Mary Colwell: Curlew Action 

1300 Mrs. Noa González: Brown bear conservation in Asturias 

1330 Nigel Moorhouse: Japan: North to South and Back Again 

1400 Rick Simpson: Waders; myths, legends and faux pas. 

1430 Miranda Krestinoff: Low impact bird watching around the UK 

1500 Adam Riley: Birds of South Africa 

1530 Peter Lobo: North East India 

1600 Vivek Menon  

1630 Chris Bell: Birding in Colombia 

1700 Mya Bambrick: Skyward award-winning film 

Sunday 

1000 Gary Albert: Birding in Sabah Malaysian Borneo 

1030 Arjun Sinsinwar: Voyage across The Sundarbans, crown of the Bay of Bengal. 

1100 Martin Kelsey: Extremadura’s Top Ten Birds 

1130 Steve Stansfield: Bird Observatories and their work 

1200 Adam Riley: Spectacular Birds of the World 

1230 Mya Bambrick: 21 Wildlife Walks 

1300 Speyside and Wider Highlands Wildlife 

1330 Cat Davidson: Tasmania Wildlife

1400 Alfredo Carrasco: Andalucía Bird Festival - Serranía de Ronda (April 2024) 

1430 Adam Riley: Birds of South Africa 

1500 To be confirmed 

PLOVER STAGE

Friday   

1000 Tom Mason: Take your long lens wildlife photography up a notch 

1030 Charles Anderson: The Solomon Islands: endemic birds & extraordinary marine life  

1100 Andy Tucker: Naturetrek Colombia   

1130 Yoav Perlman: Champions of the Flyway  

1200 Bluetail Birding: Papua New Guinea  

1230 Mohit Aggarwal:  Earth Walks   

1300 Serge Arias: The Remote Cocos Islands 

1330 Tatianna Pongiluppi: Birding in Brazil   

1400 Alison Steel: Naturetrek Japan   

1430  To be announced 

1500 Oriental Bird Club    

1530 Quentin Phillipps: Figs and wildlife in Borneo 

1600 Mark Holling: From the Archives of Rare Breeding Birds Panel 

1630 Alicia Boyer: Falklands Conservation, New Island 

1700 Aigas    

     

Saturday     

1000 Vaughan Ashby: Texas - Cranes, migration and the solar eclipse 

1030 Michael Potts: Snow Leopards

1100 Paul Stanbury: Naturetrek Western Canada   

1130 Xavi Bou: Ornithographies - the hidden beauty of bird flightpaths 

1200 Zolani Frank: Tobago   

1230 Jon Mason: Habitats for humans - rewilding the space around us 

1300 Emma Headley: Brazil   

1330 Serge Arias: Costa Rica - Birding the Hotspots 

1400 Georgia Head: Naturetrek Uganda   

1430 Andy Rouse: Avian jewels of Ecuador  

1500 Luis Frechilla: Birding Asturias, Spain’s Natural Paradise 

1530 Eleni Galinou: Birding on Lesvos island, Greece  

1600 Hilda Caprice: St Lucia   

1630 Boris Belchev: Wildlife photography 

1700 Chris Breen Zambia – The Ultimate Safari Destination   

  

Sunday    

1000 Dick Newell: Action for Swifts   

1030 Amelia Almeida: Birds and Conservation in Portugal 

1100 David Philips: Naturetrek Iceland   

1130   To be announced  

1200 Jeremy Purseglove: Rockingham Forest Vision   

1230 Nick Penny: Call of the Kingfisher, Call of the Nightingale  

1300 Chris Breen: Galapagos   

1330 Oliver Smart: Images Uncovered   

1400 Andy Tucker: Naturetrek Birding the Andes in Ecuador   

1430 Yorkshire Coast Nature: Birding in North and East Yorkshire 

1500 Birda Birda   

1530 Bellbird Australia   

OWL WORKSHOP

Friday 

1100 Craig Jones: Ethical photography in the field - how to achieve great photographs with minimal impact 

1200 Paul Hackett: Phonescoping

 

1300 David Chandler: Dragonflies - identifying species 

1400 Clare Harvey-May: Pro capture   

1500 eBird and Merlin: How to make the most of these amazing tools for your birding at home and while travelling 

1600 To be announced 

1730 Cornell Lab Team -how to use eBird to support tourism, bird guides and tour companies 

   

Saturday

1000 Andy Rouse: Putting the X factor into your bird photography 

1100 Stephen Moss: Nature Writing 

1200 Gail Ashton: Discover more about insect life around you

 

1300 Jeff Bouton/Paul Hackett: Kowa phonescoping workshop (bring your own scope and fully charged mobile phone) 

1400 OM Panel Discussion: Claire Harvey May chairs a discussion panel on the future of bird photography 

1500 Owl Pellet Dissection: Jimmi Hill explains owl behaviour through their diet 

1600 Craig Jones: Ethical Photography in the field.  

   

   

Sunday   

0930 Dan Rouse & Nick Baker: Moth trap session.  

1100 David Chandler: Beginner's guide to Binoculars 

1200 Hugh Warwick: Hedgehogs 

 

1300 eBird and Merlin: Workshop

 

1400 David Smith: Macro photography with OM System 

1500 Jimmi Hill:  Owl Pellet Dissection  

1600 Harry Munt; How to build nest boxes  

*    More details of the event at: Global BirdFair

**  Rewind to Global Birdfair 2022:  Post: Edit (blogger.com) 

                                           

Plenty of space - the showground outside Oakham in Rutland

Bygone birding: Brave clergyman fought off aggressive 'great bustards' with stick, then fled to safety

 

                                       

News report from the Illustrated Police News (July 16, 1910)

RSPB threatens to call in police over alleged 'disturbance' to Norfolk quarry bee-eaters

 

What's all the fuss about? The Norfolk quarry bee-eaters  (photo: RSPB)

THE RSPB has threatened to call in police over alleged disturbance to bee-eaters nesting not far from the seaside town of Cromer in Norfolk.

In conjunction with a landowner and the North East Norfolk Bird Club, the charity has established a car park and viewing area at an abandoned quarry in Trimingham which, for the second consecutive year, is providing a breeding habitat for the colourful  visitors  from the Mediterranean.

But there are claims that some photographers have been seeking access to a no-go area behind the quarry - either to secure a different photo-perspective or to elude paying the £5-per-visitor fee.

In response, the RSPB has issued this statement:  "There is strictly no access around the back of the quarry near the allotments.

"This is private land. 

"Birds have been disturbed from here by photographers this afternoon.

"Police will be called as they are Schedule 1 species. 

"View only from the viewpoint!"

The announcement has prompted a robust response since having been posted on Twitter.

                                        

It is not known if the police have been alerted, but as of 8am today, no statement about the birds' welfare had been issued by Norfolk Constabulary.

See also:

Buzz as rare ‘rainbow birds’ set up summer home in Norfolk | RSPB

Continuing ban on taking sandeels from North Sea should help puffins, razorbills and other marine wildlife

Kittiwake - one of the birds that will benefit from continued sandeel-fishing ban 

FOR  the third consecutive year, the Government has decided to ban UK fishermen from taking sandeels from the North Sea.

This is to safeguard the wider marine ecosystem - such as seabirds and marine mammals - that feed on these fish.

UK fishermen will not be allowed to catch - or swap - any of the pre-agreed quota, totalling 5,773 tonnes.

Sandeels are an important forage fish and dietary source for vulnerable seabirds, marine mammals and commercially valuable fish. 

Industrial fishing of sandeels is shown to have an impact on the health of these other species within the marine ecosystem.

Without effective fisheries management measures, loss of sandeels through commercial fishing could be detrimental to the breeding success and population resilience of certain UK seabirds which, as well as puffins, also include kittiwakes and razorbills.

Says Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer: "Sandeels are an important component in the food chain for some of our most treasured species, such as puffins, and the decision not to allow sandeel fishing for a third year running will help benefit our seabird populations and allow wildlife to thrive."

                                          

Puffin with bill stuffed with sandeels

Book review: An Eye for Birds by Bruce Kendrick

BRUCE Kendrick may not be the most adventurous of birders, but he is perhaps one of the most appreciative.

In An Eye for Birds, he delights in sharing with the reader his love of nature in all its precise detail - for instance, a moorhen jerking across the surface of a pond or the canary colours of a yellow wagtail matching the gilded buttercups of a meadow.

The rapture all seems to stem from his lonely six-month spell  as a 10-year-old TB patient in a sanatorium where he used to watch an array of woodland birds through the window of a veranda.

"It was like sitting alone in the private box of a small theatre," he writes. "One where the set is a pastoral scene from an old master."

On his bedside table were two gifts from his father - Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers, which remained unread,  and a  copy of The Observer Book of Birds which became increasingly well-thumbed.

As he grew older (and now restored to health), he and three Wallasey birder-schoolfriends - Mac, Bob and Roy - spent whatever free time was available to record the species they watched in some of the birding hotspots of Lancashire and Cheshire until adulthood took them on different routes routes through life.

Occasionally during their ornithological sorties, they ventured further afield - for instance to the observatories at Hillbre, in the Dee Estuary, or on Bardsey, off the Llyn Peninsula - but there is no indication in this book that they ever ventured too far from home.

Interspersed with Kendrick's loving descriptions of his experiences with wildlife are  recollections of his support for Everton FC (his first home match was in 1960 when he was 13) and of weekend nights spent in a nightclub in New Brighton at a time when The Beatles were in their prime and he had an eye for girls.

On a more serious note, the author also supplies authoritative commentary on  contemporary issues - for instance, the devastating impact on birds and other wildlife of  pesticides and the unhappy fate of many raptor species on  Britain's grouse-shooting estates.

This  unusual but highly readable and lavishly-illustrated  book is published in paperback at £18.99 by Whittles Publishing (www.whittlespublishing.com) 

I shall not be moved! Plucky seafront housemartin continues to incubate in just half-a-nest

Prospects look bleak for this housemartin on the seafront  in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. She is determinedly continuing to incubate in what remains of her nest which has been part destroyed by who knows what or whom? Even if the eggs hatch, a new threat looms   - next w/e's Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend will see extensive military aircraft activity, possibly including a flypast by the Red Arrows. When it happened last year, the parents were so spooked by the noise that they deserted.

Can no one at The Sun newspaper find a kind word to write about our much-maligned gulls?

 

From today's edition of The Sun newspaper. Does every tabloid journalist in Britain have a downer on gulls? 

How about that! Lincolnshire records first breeding success for black-winged stilts at RSPB Frampton Marsh

                                                         

How the RSPB reported the breeding  success on Twitter this afternoon

A PAIR of black-winged stilts have made history by becoming the first known example of the species to breed in Lincolnshire.

The happy news was announced this afternoon by the team at the RSPB nature reserve at Frampton Marsh, near Boston.

The hen laid four eggs all of which have hatched, with the chicks already running free from the nest.

Staff spotted that the birds were nesting last month, but asked reserve visitors to keep the news under wraps for fear that egg-collectors might swoop.

The chicks are at a very vulnerable stage in their lives - at risk of adverse weather or predation from other creatures, birds included.

But each day that they survive increases the prospect that they will reach adulthood.

Once word gets out via news media, the reserve is likely to see a significant increase in visitors.

Admission for adults is just £3 or free for RSPB members.

However, be aware that, at least for the time being, close-up views are not guaranteed.

The stilt family have made their home in long grass and reeds some distance from the visitor centre, and sometimes they are invisible from view.    

* Last year, Yorkshire recorded its first stilt-breeding success, and there could be more news from other parts of Britain later this month given that, so far this year, there have already more than 80 sightings from up and down the land.

   

Top secret! Frampton's notice board (above) with its special pre-today message (below)

Book review: The Corncrake - An Ecology of An Enigma by Frank Rennie

                                                                      

A bird of 'wonderful intrigue' - Alice Macmillan's cover illustration of Frank Rennie's fascinating book

MIDWAY through his absorbing book on the corncrake, Frank Rennie makes a particularly arresting statement: "Many observers in different countries have commented that the bird was apparently common everywhere  until, suddenly, it was not."

The evidence certainly seems to bear this out, with declines recorded not just in Britain but throughout most of the Europe continent.

For instance, in Norway, where once common, there were reckoned to be no more than five singing males during 1995-97, though the number has risen in recent years and is currently probably stable at between 50 and 70 calling males.

The land rail, to use one of its other names, is typically a bird of farmland, and the author confirms that changes in agricultural practice - for instance, mechanical mowing - are likely to have been a significant factor in its struggles.

But decline had already set in before the agricultural revolution gathered momentum, so what was going on?

To his credit, Prof Rennie does not claim to have all the answers. How could he given that this shy species, particularly the female, has revealed so few of its secrets, hence the subtitle - An Ecology of An Enigma?

The word 'enigma' brings to mind Sir Winston Churchill's famous description of  Russia - " a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma".

That could also sum up the life and times of a migratory bird whose crew crex call is as much a harbinger of summer to crofting communities in Hebridean islands as the call of the cuckoo or the sight of a swallow are in most of the rest of Britain.

But though many have heard - and even been kept awake  at night by  the corncrake - few have seen the bird, such is its secretive and timid nature.

What else ails it? In his wide-ranging study, the author has a very interesting chapter entitled 'Predators, Parasites and Problems'.

Although it can be hard to pinpoint the precise location of a calling male, it does advertises its presence to one and all - including any passing cat, whether domestic or feral

Other reported predators in Europe, especially of young or eggs,  include buzzard, red kite, barn owl, hooded crow and other corvids plus otter, mink and possibly hedgehog. 

Notes the author: "Chicks have been eaten by white storks in Lithuania and also in Latvia where a colleague has informed that they regularly prey on chicks and appear quite capable of killing an adult bird."

In Africa, during our winter months (when, incidentally, it is largely silent) birds may occasionally be taken by leopards. 

On its migration, "often flying in mixed flocks with common quail", many are likely to come a cropper while crossing the Mediterranean from Europe. 

"They are frequently shot or caught in the nets of trappers who collectively erect nets along the entire Mediterranean coastline of Egypt and, to a lesser extent, in other African countries."

The author, it should be stated, is perfectly positioned to write about the corncrake. As Professor of Sustainable Rural Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands, he lives and works in the species' only remaining British stronghold.

This authoritative and highly readable study also explores the myth and legends around the corncrake, its plumage, favoured habitats,  migration routes, diet, breeding and much else.

The book is beautifully produced and printed as well as being comprehensively  illustrated with excellent  photographs and  enchanting cover artwork by Alice Macmillan.

A word, too, for Whittles, the Scottish publishers, who are building a most impressive portfolio of ornithological titles which also includes well-received and sometimes award-winning works on, for instance, the common sandpiper, the white-tailed eagle, the natural history of lighthouses and the ring ouzel.

The Corncrake - An Ecology of An Enigma is published in paperback at £18.99 and can be obtained direct from the publishers at www.whittlespublishing.com