Autumn conference in London will seek to establish what lessons can be learned from avian specimens

Skins in a museum - rich repositories of data? (photo: Trustees of Natural History Museum, London)

    

THERE are thought to be many hundreds of thousands, maybe millions,  of avian specimens in museums and private collections all over the world.

Whether stuffed birds, skins, eggs or just single feathers, do they carry any real scientific value?

The subject will be explored at a conference to be held at London's Natural History Museum on November 18 this year.

The event is being organised by the British Ornithologists' Union which states: "Each specimen is a rich repository of data about the individual  and the environment it experienced while it was alive. 

"Many of these environments no longer exist, making museum specimens unique and irreplaceable archives of a changing world. 

"How are researchers unlocking these data, and what exciting questions are they using them to answer?"

The statement continues: "This is not, however, just about the past. 

"We also need to think about what avian material we might want to collect now and into the future, so we can track the impacts of future environmental changes on wild birds. 

"We need to help shape the museums of the future.

"Ultimately collections past, present and future are made to facilitate research on wild birds in a changing world. 

"To unlock existing collections and plan future ones, therefore, we need to understand better the art of the possible. 

"In other words, what are the current and future directions in collections-based ornithological research, and how do we unlock collections and plan future collecting to support these?

"Addressing this question will be the primary aim of the conference. 

"We will bring together researchers to explore the frontiers of collections-based ornithological research, including innovative approaches being developed to unlock the data in collections and exciting new directions in environmental change research. 

"The conference will also include a discussion session on the future of ornithological collecting -  what should we be collecting and why, and how do we support collections to ensure they are both safe and accessible to the research community now and into the future?"  

* More details from: https://bou.org.uk/

                                                        

What can they teach us? This mounted pair of Shorelarks is set to go under the hammer at an auction in Leyburn, North Yorkshire on April 16 . Photo: Tennants of Leyburn

 

Labour MP Barry Gardiner keen to fly the flag for endangered Swifts and seven other cavity-nesting birds

                                

Barry Gardiner - speaking up for Swifts

SWIFTS could be back in the parliamentary spotlight after a Labour MP  this week tabled an Early Day Motion which seeks to halt their declining UK population.

Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent West, is keen to highlight this and other cavity-nesting species  and to create new habitats.

The EDM states: "This House notes with concern the dramatic decline in the breeding population of Swifts whose numbers have dropped by 60 per cent since 1995.

"It recognises that the loss of natural nesting habitat for swifts and other cavity-nesting birds has meant that four species are now on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

"It welcomes the fact that Barratt Homes, Vistry and other members of the Home Builders Federation have stated they have no objection to legislation that would require the incorporation into all new domestic buildings of Swift bricks which  would provide nesting habitat for eight species of small bird.

"These bricks would not delay or increase the costs of the Government's housebuilding plans.

"This House therefore urges the Government to introduce such regulations at the earliest opportunity so as to prevent the extinction of one of our most loved species."

Five other MPs have signed the EDM, namely: Neil Duncan-Jordan, (Lab, Poole), Jim Shannon (DUP, Stranford), Adam Shockat (Ind, Leicester South), Dr Simon Opher (Lab, Stroud) and Jon Trickett (Lab, Normanton and Hemsworth).

Because of pressure on parliamentary time, EDMs are seldom debated, but they provide an opportunity to generate publicity for issues which they regard as important.

A similar proposal was considered in the final days of the last Conservative Government, but it failed to secure backing lest it should add another legislative burden to housebuilders. 

The Wryneck says: This initiative is welcome, but the EDM's wording needs to be amended.  There is a reference to "eight species of small bird" - four of them said to be "endangered" - that favour cavities for their nesting activities. Presumably, they have not been identified because they are less iconic than Swifts, but it is only right that we know in full to which additional species the EDM refers. 

  

First again! House Sparrow remains most numerous bird in British gardens according to RSPB survey

  

There are no great surprises in the results of the annual Garden Birdwatch organised by the RSPB. The only change from 2024 is that the Woodpigeon has replaced the Starling in third place. A total of more than nine million birds were counted by the 592,265 people who took part in the survey which was conducted in January.  

Shutdown imposed on French windfarm thought to be responsible for deaths of rare Lesser Kestrels

 

Male Lesser Kestrel - many are feared to have perished after colliding with rotating turbine blades 

A TEMPORARY shutdown has been imposed on a windfarm in France after its turbines were blamed for killing rare raptors.

Evidence indicates that the 31turbines at  the Aumelas wind farm near Montpelier.have been responsible  over the past decade for the deaths of  up to 150 highly-protected Lesser Kestrels, many of  whose corpses have been found under the blades.

Following a case brought by conservationists, a court  has imposed a four-month shutdown on operations, reminding the operator, EDF, and its subsidiaries that  the destruction of a single individual of a protected species by a wind turbine is prohibited by law.

The court also imposed fines on the companies involved and a six-month suspended prison sentence, plus  100,000-Euro fine, on the former boss  of EDF Renouvelables, Bruno Bensasson.

EDF says it will lodge an appeal. If it is unsuccessful, it may have to dismantle the windfarm and relocate the turbines to a less environmentally sensitive site.

It is thought this judicial ruling decision could set a precedent for environmental accountability among wind energy operators not just in France but also beyond.

In the UK, birds are also killed in collisions with turbines, whether the blades are rotating or still.

However, under British law, it is only an offence if birds are killed "intentionally" - with certain exceptions, alas, for species such as  partridges, grouse and feral pigeons.

* Photo: Sumeet Moghe via Wikimedia Commons 

Firm market for collection of 59 volumes in New Naturalist series at North Yorkshire saleroom

Although several collections of books in the New Naturalist series have come up for auction in recent months, the market remains firm. At yesterday's sale in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, staged by Tennants, bidding reached £180 before the hammer fell on a broken run of 59 volumes, some not in particularly good condition. This was at the upper end of the guide price of  £100-£200.                                           

What do humans have in common with Great Auks? Let the good Sheffield University professor explain . . .

                                      

WHAT do humans have in common with Great Auks? 

The answer is revealed by Sheffield University academic Prof Tim Birkhead in his informative, entertaining and fast-paced new book about  a bird that has been extinct since 1844.

In his spicy cameo on how male and female are likely to have engaged, he writes: "Stepping forward, he wraps his head and neck around her's, and together they rumble and purr in an ecstatic tactile embrace.

"They inhale each other's deep musky odour much as humans do . . "

What happens next? Well you will just have to buy the book to find out (and be assured,  it will be money well spent!)  

There have been plenty of other volumes about the demise of the Great Auk, including a novel by best-selling children's author Enid Blyton - see previous blog).

But, as an acclaimed scientist as well as an historian, Prof Birkhead brings a  new dimension of understanding to the subject and its tragic demise.

Through his long research into those auk species, such as the Razorbill and the Guillemot, that have survived (at least  to 2025), he understands what must have made the Great Auk tick - its courtship, breeding, feeding, distribution and much else, not least its vulnerability to the motivations and destructive activities of  man.

Other birds whose extinction has been brought about by man include the Dodo and the Passenger Pigeon.

But that of the Great Auk is particularly poignant in our islands because it probably once flourished off the coast of the Scotland, most definitely in The Orkneys where the last British survivors were brutally killed,

In piecing together his narrative, the author's journey of exploration also led him to investigate the motivations and trading activities of those - it is a huge male-dominated cast - who once collected the eggs and skins of this wondrous bird.

Despite his high standing in the academic and ornithological world, there is nothing in the slightest that is pompous about the literary style of Prof Birkhead (who, incidentally, is a world authority on avian promiscuity).

He writes in a most engaging way, occasionally digressing, as, for instance, when he makes one statement that, despite being completely obvious, somehow manages to resonate:  "People can be clever in different ways."

How very reassuring to read such words for those of us who have not managed to scale the same intellectual heights as the author.

Lavishly illustrated, The Great Auk is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Sigma at £25.

Enid Blyton and the Great Auk - how children's author sought to bring extinct bird back to life in 1944 novel

 

Great Auk has starring role in Enid Blyton's 1944 novel

OVER the years, most birders have simultaneously been captivated and horrified by the demise of that most fantastical of birds, the Great Auk.

There have been at least 10 books chronicling the catalogue of follies that finally did for the species  - notably the strangling, in 1844, of the last breeding adults on the island of Eldey, off Iceland. 

Four years earlier, the last British bird - an inhabitant of St Kilda - was caught, tied up and kept alive for three days, then beaten to death with a stick because its captors believed it was a 'witch' that had caused a raging storm.

But what if there might yet be a few surviving Great Auks in some remote undiscovered outpost - possibly as close to home as an island off the British coast?

This the theory explored in a novel - published on the centenary of the bird's extinction -  that has probably never been on the ornithological radar even though it was written by one of the most  successful British authors of the late 20th Century.

Her name? Enid Blyton - yes, the prolific author of children's books who created the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, Noddy, Big Ears and Mallory Towers.

However, it is in a yarn entitled The Island of  Adventure that the Great Auk features.

It is the target species of the book's main character, Jack, a schoolboy who struggles in lessons but is described as "mad on birds" - the main focus of his life being to keep discovering newbies to add to his life list. 

A "twitcher" in the making if ever there was one!

On holiday, Jack his sister, Lucy-Ann, and two of their pals meet an "ornithologist", Bill Suggs, who introduces them to the prospect that, despite the Great Auk having officially been deemed extinct, there could be one or two left  somewhere - "and think what a scoop it would be to discover them".

This observation prompts Jack to "go brick-red with excitement", and he persuades Bill to take them out on an expedition in his sailing boat, The Albatross, to a remote island which, as they get closer, reveals itself as "ugly and bare, with a few stunted trees growing here and there and an extraordinary air of forlornness about it".

The trip proves disagreeable for the other children, especially one of the girls whose face turns green as she succumbs to seasickness. But Jack is thrilled at the experience. He is almost frantic.

"There are heaps and heaps of birds there," he exclaims. "Oh do, do let's land on the island. Find a way through this ring of rocks somehow. Please, please do."

Although not what today might be called a hard-core birder, Miss Blyton, his novelist-creator was obviously able to identify with the excitement experienced - by children as well as adults - in pursuit of rare or unfamiliar species.

And, like many children's novelists, she loved islands, not least because they offered mystery and thus were great locations to set plots and action. 

As a girl, growing up in Beckenham, Kent, one of her favourite novels had been The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne. 

Childhood holidays introduced her to Brownlea off the Dorset coast, and, as an adult, she may have been familiar with the Hebrides.

She rarely identified real-life names of locations where her stories are set, so there is no clue in  The Island of  Adventure  where Jack had his big adrenaline rush, and the author's inspiration is most likely to have been one or more accounts of the Great Auk's demise, perhaps in one of her favourite books, Arthur Mee's, Children's Encyclopaedia.

Of this title, she once wrote: "I read it from end to end, then I read it all over again. It gave me my thirst for knowledge of all kinds and taught me as much as ever I learnt at school."

Yet Miss Blyton's interest in birds and nature extended well beyond the Great Auk and its fate. Almost throughout her writing career, birds of various species occur not just in her novels but also in her numerous non-fiction books, including The Bird Book (1926) and regular articles for magazines such as The Nature Lover.

But, to return to Island of Adventure , with Jack and Co scouring near and far for a glimpse of an "extinct" sea bird. Suddenly . . 

"'A Great Auk," yelled Jack, the field-glasses glued to his eyes. 

“It is, it is! An enormous bird with small wings close to its sides and a big razor-like bill. It's a great auk! 

"'Imagine it what will the world say when they know I've found a Great Auk, a bird that has been extinct for years.'"

Replies the adult Bill Smugs, with a cynicism doubtless born of experience: "The world wouldn't care much - only a few people keen on birds would be excited."

What happens next? Spoiler alert. Anyone interested will just have to get hold of a copy of Island of Treasure to see how the narrative unfolds.

* The Bird Woman from Beckenham - The Ornithological Writings of Enid Blyton is available, price £2, as an-book from Kindle  

Amazon.co.uk : the bird woman from beckenham

Will Cuckoos, Wheatears and other migrants be put at risk by proposed new English Channel windfarm?

                                                          

Will migration route windfarm put Wheatears in peril? 

WILL migrating Cuckoos, Wheatears and Nightjars fall victim to a proposed new windfarm in the English Channel?

That is the fear of some birders after the planning go-ahead was announced on Friday for a 90-turbine development off the coast of West Sussex? 

The project, known as Rampion 2, will sit alongside the 116-turbine Rampion 1 windfarm which was commissioned in 2018 at a cost of £1.3billion.

To the tip of the blade, the turbines will each be 325-metre high - the same (if its TV antenna is included) as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The  initiative, which  is headed by German renewables company RWE, has been signed off after a two-year inquiry which prompted more than 300 objections, most from residents worried about impact on landscape, seascape, tourism, fish stocks and ecological impact.

Because birds have not evolved to adapt to turbines on their migration flightpath, there were also several expressions of concern about potential passerine collision.

However, the developer's eco-consultants, Wood Group, believes the concerns are misplaced and that any impact on migration will be "negligible".

In their report, they say: "The English Channel is approximately 560km long, and therefore only a small proportion of birds crossing it are likely to encounter Rampion 2 if at all. 

"If birds were distributed evenly, approximately seven per cent might be expected to encounter Rampion 2. 

"Birds that are most sensitive to  constraints are more likely to cross at the narrowest point (the straits of Dover), which will avoid Rampion 2 entirely. 

"However, it should also be noted that most migratory non-seabirds fly at heights well above the maximum blade height and are therefore likely to fly over the offshore wind farm rather than around it." 

A couple of objectors  also claimed that onshore works to lay cables and install infrastructure threatens habitats where Nightingales and Turtle Doves breed, but they supplied no further evidence.

The English Channel is also home to many seabird species such as Gannets, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Guillemots and Red-throated Divers and various tern and gull species.

Wood Group acknowledges that there may be some collision fatalities, especially among Gannets and Kittiwakes, but it believes the number will be relatively few.

For Razorbills and Guillemots, it believes any displacement from feeding waters will be insignificant and possibly short-term only if they "habituate" to the presence of turbines. 

 The RSPB has four reserves in  this part of Sussex.

The closest to the development site is Pagham Harbour, which is 16km away, and the other three are at - Medmerry, Pulborough Brooks and Fore Wood.

However, the RSPB is not believed to one of the objectors, and the charity is thought to be supportive of the proposed windfarm.

The project was signed off by Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband who said: "The UK has a boundless supply of wind that cannot be turned on and off at the whims of dictators and petrostates. 

"It is time to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, roll out clean power, protect our energy security and bring down bills for good." 

The windfarm will be relatively close to the shore - about 16km - so as not to obstruct shipping in the deeper waters beyond.

                                             

The proposed new windfarm will be clearly visible from Bognor Regis,  Brighton and Worthing

The Wryneck says: The agents for RWE have almost certainly underestimated the collision threat to migratory landbirds, most of which migrate during darkness. Unfortunately, the turbines will be laid out east to west, rather than south to north, thereby creating a 'barrier' through which the birds will have to navigate - not an easy manoeuvre at dead of night, particularly in conditions of mist or drizzle. The agents' claim that migratory "non-seabirds fly at heights well above the maximum blade height" is almost certainly wrong. Research has shown that the height at which they fly depends on a range of factors - for instance, air pressure and cloud cover plus wind speed and direction. At times, their flight is only a matter of feet above the surface of the water.    

Pressure group Wild Justice's directors miffed at advertisement snub by Private Eye magazine

The current edition of Private Eye magazine

A SPAT has blown up between three high-profile naturalists and the satirical magazine, Private Eye.

Ruth Tingay, Chris Packham and Mark Avery are directors of the pressure group, Wild  Justice, which campaigns relentlessly against game shooting, not least because some landowners  seem to turn a blind eye to the killing on their estates of raptors such as Hen Harriers.

Earlier in the year, Wild Justice took out a full-page colour advert condemning, in cartoon form, the import of captive-bred gamebird chicks into the countryside.

Private Eye published this advert but, reportedly without giving a reason, refused to publish two follow-ups.

Earlier today, the Wild Justice three all took to social media to protest about the snub.

Wrote Dr Avery: "We were surprised when Private Eye said that it would not run our second and third adverts, especially as they gave no reason at all for this. 

"They abruptly changed their minds. 

"How odd! It's as though they were got at. 

"It's as though they gave in to pressure from the shooting industry or some other vested interest. 

"It seems that Wild Justice is too edgy for Private Eye. That's a great disappointment, but also somewhat amusing." 

So far, there has been no response to the protests from the magazine  but this may come in its next edition.

However, its website does clearly detail the reasons why, in certain circumstances, it  chooses not to accept advertising.

Meanwhile, Wild Justice says it will now seek to place the adverts in another publication.

The Wryneck says: Without sight of the 'offending' adverts, it is impossible to judge what all the fuss is about. The likelihood is that Private Eye chooses not to compromise its independence by taking advertisement monies from any political parties, pressure groups or special interest lobbies. That is, surely, to be commended.  But the tiff does prompt another question. Is spending money on doubtless very expensive advertising campaigns, really the most prudent way for Wild Justice to spend the money it receives from its donors?

Nightjars and Dartford Warblers at risk as random fires sweep through southern counties heathland

                                                   

Precious feeding and nesting  habitat for Dartford Warblers, Nightjars, Stonechats and other heathland-specialising birds has this week been put at risk by random fires. As a result of recent dry weather, there have already been several blazes in Dorset and Hampshire. One of these occurred last night at Upton Heath (pictured) , near Poole, which is all home to all six native reptiles along with other specialist butterflies, beetles and flowers. Photo: Andy Fale, Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Review: The Birdman of Auschwitz - The life of Gunther Niethammer, the Ornithologist Seduced by The Nazis

                                                         

IT sounds like it must have been some kind of paradise, especially for birders. . .

"The ponds were surrounded by extensive reedbeds which teemed with great Great Reed Warblers and Aquatic Warblers.

"Bitterns boomed from deep inside the reeds, and, on the open water, Black-necked Grebes nested.

"Nearby, Kingfishers, terns and plover bred.

"Along the margins were dense willow beds, home to Marsh Warblers and the enigmatic Nightingale."

Yet this birding hotspot in Poland was to become a hell on earth, for it was here, during the 1939-45 war,  that the Nazis chose to build the prison and extermination centre known as Auschwitz.

In his extraordinarily-researched new book, The Birdman  of Auschwitz, Nicholas Milton explores both  the birdlife in and around this place of a million atrocities and the part it played in the life of Günther Niethammer, one of the most diligent and enthusiastic birders of his generation who also happened to be a prison guard.  

It seems incredible that, amid every day human suffering, Niethammer should have used some his spare time to go birding or to put up nestboxes within the grounds for Starlings, Black Redstarts and other species, notably corvids, that bred on or around the site.

He was scrupulous in his avian record-keeping and wrote a paper entitled Observations on The Birdlife of Auschwitz, Eastern Upper Silesia.

He noted, for instance, that Sand Martins nested in the banks created by construction of the prison, and Swallows nested in the roof of the guards' barracks.

Noted avian  absentees included Corn Bunting, Red-breasted Merganser, Wren, Pied Flycatcher, Dipper, Long-tailed Tit, Buzzard and Chaffinch.

Meanwhile, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Crested Lark and Grey Wagtail were scarce.

Writes Nicholas Milton: "Niethammer was not just surveying birds, he was using them to turn a blind eye to the horrors going on in the camp."

However, to his credit, Milton does not turn a same 'blind eye' - nor does he skimp on the details of some of the atrocities that occurred .

To have done so would have been insensitive in the extreme not just to the memory of those  who died but also to their descendants.

Writing with restraint, Milton has little sympathy for his subject but does not condemn him outright.  He acknowledges that, though aware of what was going on, Niethammer was not an instigator of the suffering.

Indeed, he engaged one of the Polish inmates to help him in some of his ornithological activities.

Furthermore, he would have been under intense pressure to obey the orders of his Nazi superiors - or to face the consequences.

And, importantly,  he also had family to support.

In a foreword to the book, broadcaster Chris Packham takes a different tack - he is unforgiving of Niethammer.

"For my part, I found no compassion for him," he writes. "I came to despise not just him but also those who shielded and protected  him from his past.

"This enormously challenging story will undoubtedly trouble me for the rest of my life."

The Birdman  of Auschwitz is published by Pen & Sword Books at £25 in hardback

www.pen-and-sword.co.uk  

Colourfully-plumaged birds could be introduced to shopping centre to enhance customer experience

 

The shopping arcade in Grimsby offers plenty of natural light and the roof is high

FREE-flying exotic birds such as parrots, macaws, tanagers and hummingbirds  could  be introduced to a shopping arcade as a visitor attraction.

It is believed the initiative proposed for Freshney Place in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, could encourage more footfall - to the potential trading benefit of those shops which have a presence within the premises.

The proposal would ‘dovetail with the local council's aspiration to extend the arcade's  traditional role as  a retail centre to one offering leisure, entertainment and even a medical facility.

However, it is not the council which  has come up with the brainchild but  the Institute of Applied Ornithology which has links not just with international avian organisations but also with zoos all over the world.

Says chief executive Robin Finch: “In effect, the aracde would become a giant indoor aviary.

"Because, it is so blessed with natural daylight and a high atrium, we think it is ideal for such a venture.

"If successful, we think it could be adopted at Meadowhall in Sheffield, the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Brent Cross in London and other UK shopping centres.

"As yet, we have not identified our preferred species, but we would obviously favour those with bright plumage - the whole purpose is to provide shoppers with  a sense of magic and wonder with splashes of fast-moving colour.

"As well as creating a vibrant shopping experience, we think this concept will encourage greater interest in birds and the natural environment."

From where might our feathered friends be sourced? 

There is no question of using British species in this venture because it is against the law  to capture wild birds.

Though there is an extensive global black market in trapped wildlife, the institute deems it unethical as well illegal to import wild caught birds, and insists it would shun any offers from unscrupulous rogue traders.

Instead, it would take advantage of its long-established links with zoos all over the world to buy or borrow  birds that derive from long-established aviary-bred bloodlines.

Assuming the project proceeds, Some adjustments would need to be made to the entrance and exit points of the arcade to prevent the birds from escaping.

In order to provide perching, roosting and foraging habitat, natural foliage, including some tall trees and shrubs, will also be required.

These would be located along the whole length of the centre of the walkway.

Up to four jobs would be created. 

The main responsibilities of those engaged would be to ensure the welfare of the birds and the plants and to ensure the centre is kept clean (because some birds, such as mynahs,  can be messy).

However, ‘educational engagement’ with the public is also likely to be part of the job description.

As far as is known, shopkeepers welcome the proposal, though management at clothing retailers have cautioned about birds flying into their premises and potentially soiling stock.

It is understood one birdfood supplier with strong links to the area has been approached to sponsor the venture. 

It would not set a Grimsby  precedent if birds were free-flying within Freshney Place aracade. In October, 2022, there was a Sparrowhawk (above) in the main Asda store in Grimsby. However, it proved such a distraction to shoppers (below) and staff that it was released after just a few days.

                                 

Rare opportunity to bid for Slender-billed Curlew - a bird now deemed to have gone way of Dodo and Great Auk

Sadness in the eye? The bird that will go under the hammer at Yorkshire auction on April 16

                                                               

THE Slender-billed Curlew is not alive and well and is reckoned by 'experts' almost certainly to be extinct.

Which is why a stuffed specimen is likely to be of special interest to birders when it goes under the hammer at a taxidermy auction in Yorkshire later this week.

According to Leyburn-based auction house Tennants, the bird, which is mounted on a mahogany base,  is of early 20th Century origin. Its overall height is 33.5cm.

How it came to be on the market in Britain is something of a mystery given that it was once in a museum in Belgium - as denoted by a label purporting the identification on the underside of the base.

The last officially verified  record of the species was in Morocco in 1995.

Reports in subsequent years - including at Druridge Pools  in Northumberland (1998) and Minsmere in Suffolk (2014) as well as in the Danube Estuary  - were temporarily given credence, only to be dismissed (not necessarily without acrimony)  on closer scrutiny of the evidence.

In 1998, multinational chemical company Bayer co-sponsored an expedition to Kazakhstan in a quest for breeding grounds of the bird, but it had no success.

Compared to the  Eurasian Curlew  which, though declining  is still widespread, its Slender-billed cousin is - or was -  whiter on the breast and tail with a shorter, more slender bill,  slightly straighter at the base. 

But similarity to its juvenile Eurasian counterpart has always made identification a challenge.

Historically its breeding grounds were in bogs in Russia and Kazakhstan with winters spent on coastal mudflats in the Mediterranean  and Arabia.

As has so often been  the case, its demise is generally attributed to hunting and loss of habitat.

It was declared globally extinct in November last year.

But back to the stuffed bird now residing in a salesroom in North Yorkshire.

According to Tennants, the pre-sale estimate is that the hammer will come down at between £300 and £500  at the auction which is scheduled for April 16.

* Photographs: Tennants of Leyburn www.tennants.co.uk

Whiter plumage than the Eurasian Curlew

Identification label on base of mahogany mount 

To be or not to be? Scientist Tim Birkhead's new book sounds cautionary note on "de-extincting" Great Auk

Sheffield University academic Tim Birkhead poses many important questions in his intriguing new book

                                           

IF scientific advances allow it, should we encourage "de-extinction" projects for long-gone creature such as the Dodo and the Mammoth?

The question is explored by scientist Tim Birkhead in a new book about a species close to his heart - the Great Auk.

It is an alluring prospect," he writes. "Initially, I was enthusiastic about the possibility.

"The possibility that, through molecular wizardry, we could recreate the Great Auk and once again enjoy the sight, sound and smell of it I find almost irresistible.

"But then, as I thought about it, my enthusiasm was supplanted by some, cold hard facts."

After enumerating the myriad threats to today's seabird species - for instance, pollution, over-fishing, hunting and climate change - Prof Birkhead reaches a sad conclusion.

"Even if we could create the Great Auk, would it be fair to spend all that time and effort doing so for a bird for which there is probably no safe home?" he asks.

"Would it not be wiser to spend those funds saving one or more endangered species not yet extinct and whose habitat could be made safe?"

The Great Auk - Its Extraordinary Life , Hideous Death and Mysterious Afterlife is published by Bloomsbury at £20 in hardback.

 * A review of the book will appear in a later edition of this blog.

Whatever you do, don't mention the word 'liar'! Oh dear, veteran RSPB staffer Alasdair McKee just did

Magical place - Foulshaw Moss (photo: Ian Alexander-Waite, Cumbria Wildlife Trust)

THERE is a word for birders who claim they can distinguish by plumage between Meadow Pipits and Tree Pipits . . .

And, according to long-time RSPB staffer Alasdair McKee, that word is: "Liar!"

Considering the hot water the society got into two years ago when one of its executives used this abrasive term in social media to describe three frontline UK politicians, it came as a surprise to hear it used again.

But Alasdair, who was giving an illustrated talk to the March meeting of the RSPB's Grimsby group, is nothing if not an edgy presenter.

Over two hours, he  took his audience on a fast-paced  whistlestop tour of the extensive range of species to be found on Foulshaw Moss, a truly vibrant Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve.

He started by exploring features of some of the bog plants, notably Sphagnum moss, and went on to cover the mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths and birds (including Stonechat, Tree Sparrow,  Reed Bunting, Redpoll and, yes, Tree Pipit).

                                                        

Which is it - Meadow Pipit or Tree Pipit?

                                                                   (Answer below)

Among the stars of the reserve are the raptors, sometimes as many a seven different species (including both Hen and Marsh Harrier) on a single day.

A particular attraction in spring and summer are the nesting Ospreys, especially the one known as "Blue 35" on account of its leg ring.

Since its arrival in 2013, this female has laid no fewer than 35 eggs from which 29 chicks have hatched and fledged.

Alasdair described a hare fleeing at 45 mph as "the sports car of the mammal world" and, more prosaically, likened a flying Hobby feeding on a dragonfly  to a workman " munching on a sandwich". 

He obviously has a soft spot for the Emperor dragonfly which he likened  to a hero of Hollywood westerns.

"When one of these turns up at a pond, everything goes quiet," quipped Alasdair. "Just like when Clint Eastwood steps into the bar!"

Staying in light-hearted mode, the speaker insisted that birders are part of the 'circle of life'.

"It is well known that Nightjars attract birders," he declared. "And birders, especially those with bald heads, attract mosquitoes - which, in turn, attract Nightjars."

Lively but not always politically correct - the irrepressible Alasdair McKee

                                                                   (photo via Facebook)

Alasdair, who had come with his wife from his home in Lancaster to give the talk, regularly carries out guiding duties at Foulshaw Moss, giving him the opportunity to share his enthusiasm and knowledge with many groups from the north-west of England.

From time to time, he finds himself fielding some singularly offbeat questions such as: "do you get other birds here as well as birds of prey?" and "as a volunteer, do you get paid?"

Shaking his head, Alasdair told his amused audience: "I think those questions came from a party from the Stockport Home for Bewildered Birders".

A bit naughty, that! But quite nice, too (unless you're a birder from Stockport).

Following his talk, the speaker was thanked by Grimsby Local Group leader Martin Francis and applauded by his audience which totalled about 50.

* Answer: it's a Meadow Pipit

Don't beat yourself up if you can't pick out the juvenile Caspian Gull among a flock of Herring Gulls!

                                                                

Colourful and controversial - Ian's Carter's new book

"IF identifying and recording is not your thing, then don't feel bad about."

That is one of the messages from Ian Carter, a former staffer at Natural England, in his exhilarating new book, Wild Galloway.

He explains: "I don't take the identification process too far.

"An autumn Wheatear is just that. 

"Unless it looks obviously different, I'm not going to work studiously through every feature just to make sure it is not one of the rarer species.

"The subtleties of size, shape and plumage that leads some birders to Caspian Gulls mostly elude me."

This is a refreshingly different perspective that would probably irk some birders - and possibly the whole of the BTO establishment which has a relentlessly scientific and, some would say, soulless approach.

"Too much counting, recording and form-filling eats away at the therapeutic benefit I get away from the house," continues Carter.

"The joy of being outside comes from escaping the myriad plans and  schemes that consume so much of our lives."

The book, subtitled From The Hilltops to The Solway, A Portrait of A Glen, is in large part an exquisitely-written account of the habitats and wildlife around his adoptive home in this part of South-west Scotland. (He is particularly good on sea ducks and butterflies.)

But, though often elegiac, the content is never soft, nor 'soppy'. Many of the author's reflections carry a sharp edge. Along the way, he does not shirk from treading on toes - not infrequently his own.

For instance, he acknowledges a sense of guilt in filling his car with fuel, then motoring off on a non-essential birding trip.

"We have all, it seems, become experts at making allowances for our own excesses while simultaneously objecting to those of others.

"There is so often, it seems a good reason why you are the exception and everyone else is the rule."

This challenging and highly readable book is  published in paperback at £17.99 by Caithness-based Whittles Publishing ( www.whittlespublishing.com ).

                                              

Ian Carter - happy times in Galloway

Was ever there a more classic case of virtue-signalling? BTO’s holier-than-thou snub for 2025 Global Birdfair

                                                                    

Peep show? This frightened Great Tit was trapped and ringed for display by BTO staff at a previous Global Birdfair

ONE of Britain's leading ornithological groups has announced its decision not to take stand space at this year's Global Birdfair on commercial and ethical grounds.

Because  it is a high-status organisation - it was founded in 1930 and enjoys Royal patronage -  the snub will dismay Global Birdfair organisers, especially as it might encourage other organisations to do likewise.

The British Trust for Ornithology, as it was formerly known, made its announcement on  social media on Friday evening.

The statement reads as follows: "BTO has taken the difficult decision to not return to Global Birdfair as an exhibitor this year. 

"While we recognise that Birdfair provides an important opportunity to meet members and volunteers face to face, our continued investment in other ways to engage with supporters is proving to be a much more effective use of resources.

"With its emphasis on high carbon wildlife tourism, today’s Birdfair has a different focus and feel from earlier years, and there has been a significant decline in the numbers of people attending. 

"Given the extent to which BTO work has highlighted the impacts of climate change on birds, and because of our commitment to working sustainably, we no longer feel it is appropriate to take a stand at the event.

"We do recognise the significant contribution the event has made to conservation over so many years and are very grateful for the opportunities that it has provided us over the years."

The Wryneck says: The  BTO is entitled not to attend Global Birdfair, but many of its members and supporters will surely be dismayed, not just by the decision but also by the pious and self-righteous way it has been proclaimed to the birding world. With this  statement, it has effectively  sought not just to shame organiser Tim Appleton and his small and hardworking Global Birdfair team but also all those seeking to participate in the event whether as sponsors, exhibitors or visitors. Which individual at BTO has ownership of this decision? How many of its staff and members were consulted? Someone needs to put her/his head above the parapet. And let it be acknowledged that, in its short life, the Birdfair event has probably done more for bird and wildlife conversation than the BTO has done in almost a century.

Well, there's a turn-up for the books - Government gives go-ahead for GCSE in natural history

                                                    

Catherine McKinnell - moving ahead

THE Government has today given the green light for a new GCSE subject - natural history. 

In a statement issued in the ' Commons, education minister Catherine McKinnell said: "This Government recognises the importance of providing all children and young people with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to understand and develop a connection to the natural world, access green careers and thrive in life and work in a world with a changing climate.

"We are, therefore, pleased to confirm that we will be moving ahead with a new GCSE in natural history. 

"This GCSE will enable more young people to benefit from the opportunity to learn about the natural world in more depth at key stage 4. 

"It will equip them to understand and respect the natural world and to contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally.

"The content of the new natural history GCSE will need to build on the curriculum content that pupils learn earlier in their schooling related to the natural world in subjects such as science, geography and citizenship. 

"We therefore plan to finalise and consult on proposed subject content for the new GCSE after the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review has concluded. 

"The Review Group is expecting to publish its final report with recommendations in autumn 2025."

The decision follows a long campaign by wildlife author Mary Colwell who has expressed delight at the announcement.

Up into the sky! Bird paintings take flight at Yorkshire-held auction of British, European and Sporting Art

                                                

Bullfinch - in demand

BIRD paintings were strong performers at a sale last Saturday of  British, European & Sporting Art.

For instance, a study of a male Bullfinch by the Scottish artist Edwin John Alexander (1870-1926) achieved a hammer price of £1,200 against a pre-sale estimate of £300 and £500.

Another strong performer was the painting by Lincolnshire artist George Edward Lodge (1860-1954) of a family of Red-legged Partridges originally commissioned for H.F. Witherby's Handbook of British Birds.

This fetched £1,800 - more than three times higher than the pre-sale guide price of £400-£600.

On the downside, a work, entitled Frozen Out, by Robert W Milliken (1920-2014) fared less well.

It is an intriguing study not least because it depicts two Redpolls perched alongside a quartet of Grey Partridges.

Milliken  was president of the Northern Ireland Ornithology Society and a member of the Northern Ireland Birds Record Committee. 

His painting was expected to fetch between £250 and £400, but, after lacklustre bidding, the hammer came down at £220.

The sale was conducted by auction house Tennants at their saleroom in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. 

High price for Red-legged Partridges

Redpolls hunkering down with Grey Partridges

A man with a mission! Conor Jameson explores life of enigmatic writer-naturalist W.H. Hudson

 

Conor Jameson - entertaining and informative

IN the second half of the Victorian age, many men (and some women) of wealth and enterprise ventured far beyond Britain's shores to explore little-known jungles and icecaps in faraway places.

But for one man, the bold step into the unknown took a different form.

Nature enthusiast W.H. Hudson had been brought up by his late parents in rural Argentina, so, for him, it was coming to England, the land of his forebears, that was the Big Adventure.

Aged 32 on the day he left The Pampas, he had never attended a day of school, but he was far from being an uneducated man.

Among his parents’ collection of books had been one that  particularly fascinated him - Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne.

On arrival at Southampton aboard a steam packet from Buenos Aires, Hudson's top priority, therefore,  was to see and hear as many as possible of the birds so vividly described by White.

Over the next 45-plus years, Hudson's  own colourful descriptions of his wanderings throughout southern England, especially in Hampshire and Wiltshire, were to provide the bedrock of his career both as a writer-naturalist and as an effective campaigner for bird protection.

It is 103 years since this enigmatic figure died, aged 81, of heart failure but at the 2025 annual meeting of Lincolnshire Bird Club, he was brought to life in an absorbing illustrated talk by Norfolk-based Glaswegian Conor Jameson, formerly an RSPB staffer for 27 years but now a full-time speaker, writer and author of  Finding W.H. Hudson - The Man Who Came to Britain To Save The Birds.

Conor's  presentation was excellent - conversational, amusing and sometimes mischievous in his choice of illustrations, with a photograph of Clint Eastwood (as he appeared in the western, Pale Rider), making a couple of guest appearances!

Evidently, like the character played by Eastwood in the Hollywood movie, Hudson was a man with a mission.

He was determined to do whatever he could to halt the widespread practice pursued by 'collector naturalists', many of them eminent ornithologists, of shooting brightly-plumaged birds for the purpose of having them stuffed and displayed behind glass as drawing room 'trophies'.

During his talk, the speaker also touched on Hudson's somewhat unorthodox relationship with women. He was married to Emily Wingrave, an opera singer 15 years his senior, but seemed to spend much of his time with other women - in particular, the group who went on to found the organisation that was to become the RSPB.

He was not an activist and is never known to have addressed a public meeting. But his effectiveness derived from his stinging letters to The Times and other publications which tweaked the conscience of many of those who might otherwise have disregarded the callousness not just of taxidermy but also of the killing of birds so that their feathers could be used as adornments to the hats of 'fashionable' women. 

Inevitably, Hudson trod on the toes of many establishment figures (among them, the artist and writer John Gould) because he exposed the cruelty, snobbery and arrogance that characterised their activities which were all-too-often disguised as scientific research.

For much of his life, he and Emily lived in poverty, but, as his many books became increasingly popular, his circumstances became comfortable - particularly with the success of one of his novels, Green Mansions, which proved to be a runaway success in the US and was later made into a film, starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins (of Psycho fame).

Following his engaging talk, Conor was thanked by LBC chairman Phil Espin and warmly applauded by his audience which numbered about 50. 

* Finding W.H. Hudson is published in paperback at £17.99 by Pelagic Publishing: pelagicpublishing.com/

                                                    

Page-turner - Conor James' absorbing biography of a remarkable individual