Book review: Nature Needs You - The Fight to Save Our Swifts by Hannah Bourne-Taylor

                                                  

Lively and controversial - Hannah's new book is published this week

FORMER lingerie model Hannah Bourne-Taylor made headlines on November 5, 2022, when, in a state  of almost total undress, she launched a campaign on behalf of her favourite bird - the Swift.

The run-up to that wet autumn day and what has happened since  are the theme of her absorbing new book, Nature Needs You - The Fight to Save Our Swifts.

It is a cracking story, full of twists and turns, high and lows, with a few tears along the way  and plentiful slices of  political duplicity.

In her fast-paced narrative, Hannah also meanders a network of sideroads which leads her both  to celebrate  the charms of 

* Weevils

* Mayflies

* Seabirds

* Dunnocks

* Natterjack toads

* Skylarks

* Blackbirds

She also takes a swipe at the plumage trade of yesteryear and the current widespread use of poisonous chemicals, such as glyphosate, on farmland and  elsewhere.

But always the author returns to the thrust of her argument  - the need for cavity Swift bricks to be made mandatory in all new housing developments.

How else are  fortunes to be reversed for these wonderful but fast-declining birds - "tiny black anchors in the sky" as she describes them?   

Hannah acknowledges her initial naivety, especially as she pondered the first steps in her crusade.

She recalls: "I was used to assuming someone else with more expertise and authority would do something or, perhaps, that nothing could be done so there was no point in worrying.

"I had no contacts in the building industry and I knew absolutely nothing about politics."

However, she soon leaned plenty of uncomfortable truths - not least that "corporate giants and lobby groups have invisible back-channels with a government".

With the benefit of hindsight,  her entreaties to Michael Gove, the last Government's 'Mr Fixit'  were probably  a  waste of time because it seems he may simply have been  'playing' her for personal publicity and photo-opportunities, with never the slightest intention of mandating Swift bricks. 

In revenge, she planned to stand as an Independent in Gove's parliamentary constituency, Surrey Heath, at last year's General Election, but, to no avail, because he decided not to stand for re-election. 

In understandable despair, Hannah rails against "middle-aged white men", perhaps overlooking that many of her closest allies - not least Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park - fall into that very category.

Uncharacteristically, the author is also a little harsh on one or two women - among them  housing minister, Dehenna Davison.

Of a post-debate hug that she once received from Ms Davison, Hannah suggests it was sparked by "guilt, not sincerity" when, to many readers, it will seem that it was  a well-meant (if ill-judged) gesture of woman-to-woman empathy.

Some of Hannah's writing is delightfully poetic as, for example,  when she refers to "a halo of dancing nightjars".

There are some omissions in the book.

At one stage she holds a crunch meeting with a minister, a senior civil servant  and a group of officers  from the housebuilding sector, but she does not catalogue the identity either of the civil servant or of those companies that were represented.

Also, throughout the text, she omits to give any credit to one major developer, Barratts-Redrow plc, which has blazed a trail in the installation of Swift bricks up and down the country.

Curiously, Hannah cannot bring herself to identify by name one Cabinet minister who gave her short shrift  at a Westminster reception - though it is obvious she is referring to former Environment Secretary Therese Coffey. Did she loathe her that much? 

It would also have been of interest if she had catalogued those councils which stipulate in their Local Plans a planning condition that Swift bricks must be installed in new housing developments.

Even so, this is an intriguing book which is sure to spark plenty of debate, not just in birding circles but also beyond.   

Nature Needs You is published on Thursday May 1 at £16.99 in hardback by Elliott & Thompson.

Was a Houbara Bustard that turned up in Suffolk the first rare bird to be 'twitched' in Britain?

                                    

Jon Gower's book - a personal pilgrimage to encounter some of Britain's most charismatic birds

WHICH was the first rare bird arrival in Britain to spark the phenomenon that came to be known as 'twitching'?

In his fascinating new book, Birdland, Jon Gower comes up with his own very plausible theory.

He writes: "The Houbara Bustard which fetched up in a field of mustard in Suffolk in the early 1960s was protected by the landowner who freely allowed ornithologists to come to see it, in so doing ushering in the age of twitching whereby birdwatchers flock to see a rare bird."

Subtitled A Journey Around Britain on The Wing, this leisurely-written book is full of such conversational gambits.

The author is a most engaging companion as he takes us on a grand tour around England, Scotland and Wales, visiting  birding hotspots and meeting fellow enthusiasts.

Among the  places on his itinerary is Portland Bill in Dorset - possibly the spot where more species have been recorded than any where else in Britain.

One of the most memorable days  in the history of its bird observatory, he reckons, was September 9, 1956, when migrant arrivals  included a quail, 250 Turtle Doves, three Bluethroats, seven Corncrakes, three Tawny Pipits and five Ortolan Buntings.

On a visit to the Hebridean island of Tiree, the author visits John and Janet Bowler whose garden has hosted such rarities as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Dusky Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Collared Flycatcher and Brown Shrike.

At Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire, he meets up with former Inland Revenue officer Phil Espin, "a twitcher on a global scale",  whose tally of sightings, as of going to press, was no fewer than 631 species - the most recent being a Swinhoe's Petrel that he had purposely visited Singapore to see.

On one occasion, Phil was having his hair cut when word came through of a yellow-breasted Bunting.

Halfway through the haircut, Phil leapt from the chair and dashed off with a couple of pals to twitch what he describes as "a fantastic bird".

Like probably all Welsh authors, Gower (who lives in Cardiff) cherishes the richness of language and his narrative is peppered with frequent poetic flourishes.

For instance, he describes the Kittiwake as "a bird of brine and chop, surging swell and far horzons".

The author obviously also has a sense of humour, often at his  own expense, as when he describes his uncomfortable experiences on a borrowed bicycle.

"The wind can turn a fat man on a cycle into a circus act," he jests. "They very antithesis of Lance Armstrong."

Gower also  reveals that, now in his mid-60s, he was once a chain smoker and has had osteo-arthritis for 15 years such that, after walks of more than five or so miles, his legs tend to be "grumbly, creaky and sorely in need of Ibuprofen".

With a handsome cover portrait  of a  Peregrine in flight but mercifully free of other illustrations (which might have been  distracting), Birdland - A Journey Around Britain on The Wing is published by Manchester-based Harper North at £22 in hardback. 

Now is the time to be alert for Dotterel at rest on their journey from the Mediterranean to the Scottish mountains

                                                              

At this time of year, Dotterel can turn up anywhere (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

A TIMELY  paper in the April edition of British Birds journal provides a reminder that this is a highly promising time of the year to watch out for Dotterel.

After spending winter in North Africa and southern Spain, some birds are now likely to be heading for Scotland's Cairngorm and Grampian mountain ranges or Norway to breed.

In the past, birds also bred in parts of England - notably the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and parts of Cumbria - but this is now less reliable, partly because of climate change and partly because of disturbance by off-the-lead dogs, mountain biking and moto-scrambling.

However, birds still certainly stop off in these locations - and other parts of Britain - on their journeys north. 

The historical and current status of the Dotterel in Cumbria is the focus of the very interesting article by  John Callion and Bart Donato in British Birds.

The current edition of British Birds

Says their report: "The main  spring passage occurs between April 22 and May 19 during which period 84 per cent of the birds pass through - with a peak between April 29 and May 5.

"Between 1985 and 2000, more than 100 birds were recorded in each of those years, with 160 in two of them.

"The largest individual 'trips' were of 42 birds on May 5, 1995, and 57 on May 1, 2000, both on a large North Pennine plateau."

However, since 2001, Dotterel visits have reduced "significantly" with an average of only 35 birds per annum in the last two decades.

The year, 2012, was a particularly bad with only three birds seen.  

Birds taking a breather on migration can turn up in many counties of Britain though, typically, they only stay a day or two. 

Fields where pea crops are being grown seem  to be a favoured habitat. 

The in-depth report by John Callion and Bart Donato

                                                                           

Migrating birds are "a beating layer in the atmosphere, a living coat for the planet"

Nicolson's new book - entertaining and full of  fresh and important ideas

"THE migrating impulse gives birds a glamour that we, in our rooted repetitive habits, spending 30 years or more walking the same paths, can never have."

So writes Adam Nicolson in his latest book Bird School - A Beginner in The Wood.  

It is a most absorbing volume, not least the section  on migration where he brings us up-to-date on the latest research on  a phenomenon that sometimes involves as many as 50 billion birds flying from one clime to another - in effect "another beating layer in the atmosphere, a living coat for the planet".

He says birds live "within the grid of a magnetic world - the root of their inherited direction finding ability".

Highly responsive molecules in the retina can detect variations in earth's magnetic field, transmitting the information to their brains via the optic nerve.

Daylight, suggests Nicolson, drowns out subtle magnetic signals which is why many migrants fly after dark.

"They need a small amount of light but not too much for the magnetic compass to work," he writes. "What they need, in effect, is starlight -  blue light."

The author is good in acknowledging the sources of his research except with his assertion that migration mostly occurs "high, often at four thousand feet, sometimes up to thirty thousand feet".

This observation will doubtless be welcomed by the wind energy  industry, but is it not too much of a generalisation?

Depending on other factors, notably the weather, birds fly at various levels - sometimes just over the surface of the sea. 

This excellent book contains fascinating theories about the many facets of birdsong - for instance, a challenge to the long-held belief that one of its purposes is to mark out a territory.

He refers to a paper by the Belgian philosopher Vinciane Despret indicating that song is basically an act of self-expression.

Writes Nicolson: "For her, territory is not a possession but a performance in the theatre of self".

The book includes an interesting table on the exact number of minutes before sunrise at which different birds start to sing.

The earliest tend to be Song Thrush,  Blackbird and Robin, while the latest are often Chaffinch, Blue Tit and Chiffchaff. 

Why so? 

"The bigger a bird's eyes, the earlier it can detect the light and so the earlier it starts to sing," suggests Nicolson.

He further notes: "It may be that pre-sunrise dawn is light enough to sing but not light enough to look for food.

"Dawn gets the necessary singing out of the way before  the daylight of foraging can begin."

Almost inevitably the subject of song draws Nicolson to investigate  ways in which it inspired composers such as Debussy, Ravel and particularly Beethoven who, like him, particularly cherished the "blackcurrant liquid" song of the Blackbird.

This is all fascinating stuff as is the author's foray into how some of the world's greatest poetry has been inspired by birdsong and the ways in which individual poets have mined it to shape their verse.

He particularly admires John Clare's poem about the Nightingale for the ways in which its language and rhythm echo the song of the bird,  but he is less appreciative of the better-known poem about the same species by John Keats.

"It is obvious Keats was no naturalist," he writes. "There is some suggestion he might have been listening not to a Nightingale but to a Song Thrush."

What a putdown! 

Generously illustrated, Bird School - A Beginner in The Wood is published at £22 in hardback by William Collins.

Have a you got a 'snazzy' portfolio? RSPB on hunt for someone to oversee Facebook and Instagram accounts

                                         

WANTED! a Social Media Executive to take charge of the RSPB's Instagram and Facebook pages.

The society is prepared to pay a salary of between £33,027 - £35,259 per annum for the right candidate, with the location flexible in the UK.

Says the recruitment ad:  "We need someone who really gets social content, can hit the ground running, and knows how to stand out. 

"But bear in mind this is more than jumping on the latest trends and memes. 

"We want someone who can plan and produce content based on original ideas, combining their own imagination and skills with the expertise and resources of the RSPB's creative content team.

"You do not have to have worked at a charity or in conservation before (although that can be a plus), but you must be able to demonstrate a strong background in social media work. 

"You will only be considered if you include examples of your work with your application. 

"This could be a snazzy portfolio or a list of links in a spreadsheet, as long as they show off what you can do. 

"Don't be afraid to include the more left-field examples either."

The desirable skills, knowledge and experience are described thus:

* Social media moderation

* Video editing and production

* Presenting and/or interviewing

* Science communication

* Comedy

Those applicants  who make it to the next round will be asked to complete a task, the outcome of which will determine who is to be invited for interview.

For further information, contact: joshua.boyd@rspb.org.uk

Maths teacher had not gone crackers - he genuinely did see a real live Hoopoe through classroom window

 

                                              

Media reports about this spring's unusually high influx of Hoopoes in  Wales, Ireland and southern England have prompted a flurry of correspondence in The Daily Telegraph including these three that were published in yesterday's edition. 

Britain's largest housebuilder says it is "committed to installing Swift bricks" across its developments

                                                         

YORK-based Persimmon Homes - Britain's largest housebuilder - has issued a public assurance that it is on the side of nature.

Ahead of its AGM on May 1, the company has devoted a page of its annual report seeking to spell this out.

In a section headed Connecting People with Nature, it states: Our new developments are increasingly featuring enhanced green spaces including allotments and orchards to enable healthy lifestyles. 

"We are proud to provide opportunities to reconnect with nature."

The section continues: " From the very early stages of a new development, Biodiversity Net Gain  and the natural environment are considered. 

"Our designs consider ways to retain and enhance existing habitats.

"Last year, we planted 146,068 whips and trees  not only to benefit biodiversity but also to cool urban areas.

"In  July, we signed up to the Future Homes Hub Homes for Nature commitment.

"This is a sector-wide initiative aimed at protecting vulnerable and endangered species and providing places where our our wildlife can live." 

The section concludes: "We have committed to install Swift bricks and hedgehog highways across our developments and to provide essential nature-friendly planting to support their establishment. 

"These will be installed along with support and guidance from our ecological consultants, meaning that the right features will be installed in the right locations, suitable to the needs of local wildlife."

                                             

Housebuilders who have signed up to the Homes for Nature commitment 

Swift campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor set to spill beans on tense encounters with frontline politicians

                                                        

Still battling - Swift campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor

THERE could be some discomfort for four former MPs when the book, Nature Needs You, is published at the start of next month.

Subtitled The Fight to Save Our Swifts, it is Hannah Bourne-Taylor's forthright and edgy account of her ongoing campaign for legislation which would require that nesting bricks are  incorporated into new housing developments as is the case in, for example, Gibraltar and Holland.

The author is frank about the sense of frustration she  experienced followed her encounters with two decision-making housing ministers - Lee Rowley and Dehenna Davison.

It seems that the  attitude of  Rowley was one of indifference, while Davison feigned support but was too flaky to act.

As a member of the Cabinet, Michael Gove had many opportunities to grasp the bull by the horns but, according to the author, he consistently "floundered".

In the end, she came to regard him as "a pantomime villain".

But Bourne-Taylor greatest scorn seems to have been for another Cabinet member - one whom she declines to identify but is obviously former Environment Secretary Therese Coffey.

Their encounter at  a Westminster reception could scarcely have been more frosty - not least after the campaigner threw caution to the wind and accused the minister of talking "bullsh**".

To find out what happened next, you have to read the book.

Davison and Gove stepped down before the last General Election, while Rowley and Coffey both lost their seats.

On the plus side, the author was buoyed by the support from many of the last parliament's MPs, plus others (including officers of the RSPB) - and she is effusive in her expressions of gratitude. 

But perhaps her staunchest ally, now as then, has been Zac Goldsmith, Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, himself a former environment minister in a Conservative government.

What next?

The change of Government in July, sparked fresh hopes in  the campaigner that a Labour administration would be more resolute on behalf of the Swift, a species in rapid decline, than its Conservative predecessor.

These hopes were further fuelled by her  meeting with new Environment Secretary Steve Reed  who was complimentary both about her and her campaign, adding that, as far as he was concerned, she was "pushing against an open door".

To her astonishment, he even let slip that  its was only lack of space that had prevented proposed swiftbrick legislation being included in the pre-election Labour Party manifesto.   

But fine words butter no parsnips. . . 

While the Labour administration juggles with its formulation of fresh policies on planning and  building regulations, it seems Bourne-Taylor is still banging her head against what must seem to her like a particularly solid brick wall. 

Will it eventually crack? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, Britain's plummeting population of  Swifts is estimated to have fallen by another several thousand pairs since the campaign began back in November 2022.

* A full review of Nature Needs You will appear following  its publication by Elliott and Thompson in hardback (£16.99) on May 1.  

www.eandtbooks.com 

Stuffed specimen of extinct Slender-billed Curlew finds a deep-pocketed buyer at Yorkshire auction

                                                  

The Slender-billed Curlew - hammer price exceeded expectations

 AFTER frenetic bidding,  a stuffed and mounted specimen of  a Slender-billed Curlew sold this afternoon for a hammer price of £5,000.

This was 10 times the upper tier of the pre-sale guide price of between £300 and £500.

The identity of the buyer is not known but she or he chose to bid within the saleroom in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, rather than by internet or telephone.

The sale was conducted by auction house, Tennants, with taxidermy specialist Robbie Bright starting the bidding at £1,600.

There are believed to have been nine bids before the hammer fell.

Despite many attempts to rediscover it, there has been no verified sighting of a living Slender-billed Curlew since a bird was photographed in Morocco in 1995

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 with other birds, its demise is generally attributed to hunting and loss of habitat.

It was declared officially  extinct in November last year.

The bird auctioned today is of early 20th century origin and was discovered by auctioneer Robbie Bright as it lay tucked in a box amongst a group of Whimbrels and Eurasian Curlews that were due to be sold as a group without reserve. 

Says Mr Bright : "Specimens of extinct species are always much sought after at auction, as highlighted by the world record achieved by Tennants in 2023 for a pair of extinct New Zealand Huia which sold for £220,000. 

"This Slender-billed Curlew is a very nice example, with old record labels to the base from a Belgian museum, confirming the species."

Robbie Bright: "Specimens of extinct species are always much sought after"

   

                                                           

With support from National Trust, RSPB seeks to appoint Recreational Disturbance Programme Manager

The Shelduck and Brent Geese are too far away, so this off-the-lead canine targets a Carrion Crow

THE RSPB and the National Trust have teamed up to create an important new post with a salary of up to £41,856 per annum

The organisations are seeking to appoint a  Recreational Disturbance Programme Manager on a two- year contract.

Says the job description: "The RSPB strongly supports responsible access to nature.

"It has proven physical and mental health benefits. Being immersed in nature is how many people learn to understand, love and want to care for it. 

"However, it is also true that there is some human behaviour which can unintentionally be damaging to wildlife.

"When recreational activity - for example,  dog walking and jet-skiing - causes a change in behaviour or directly damages wildlife or their habitats, the impact can be significant, particularly for sensitive species."

It continues: "As Programme Manager, you will be exceptionally self-motivated, using your initiative to collate information about recreational disturbance impacts and best-practice interventions, maintaining an overview of the big picture without getting lost in the detail. 

"You will need excellent people and networking skills to engage with stakeholders across the conservation sector to determine what work is already happening, collate and share best practice, and identify evidence gaps and opportunities for new projects and support their development. 

"You will lead on communications/advocacy with recreational groups and will act as a single point of contact, helping the sector to share best practice more effectively."

This role is jointly funded by RSPB and the National Trust. 

The role will work across all four UK countries and will be managed by the RSPB, but it will report to a steering group with representatives from different organisations across the conservation sector. 

 Key activities will include:

* Collating and maintaining an overview of who is doing what when it comes to recreational disturbance. This will involve online research and conversations with people from a range of organisations.

* Creating and maintaining an online hub for sharing of recreational disturbance best practice.

* Communicating with land managers, recreational bodies, enforcement agencies and regulators to advocate for recreational disturbance management measures. 

* Identifying gaps in our current evidence base and workplans, then developing ways to fill those gaps. This may include submitting funding bids for additional disturbance-related roles.

* Organising conferences and meetings to support sharing of best practice.

* Line management of externally funded roles/volunteers as required.

* Representing RSPB - or supporting other RSPB representatives - on appropriate forums and groups across the four countries as required.

Experience of project and programme management approaches.

Experience/knowledge of recreational disturbance management interventions.

We expect the post-holder to be home-based with occasional travel to locations across the UK, including overnight stays.

The RSPB says this is a two-year fixed-term full-time role for 37.5 hours per week. 

The closing date for applications is May 5, and more  information is available from meriel.harrison@rspb.org.uk 

                                                 

Watch out, jet-ski about! Panicking shorebirds take to the sky

Magnificent house where William Wordsworth wrote some of his greatest bird poems on market for £2.5-million

 

                                 Living in a house like this, who wouldn't be inspired? 

THE house where poet William Wordsworth (born 1770) studied  and wrote about birds is up for sale at £2.5-million.

A lifelong naturalist, he included references to more than 60 different species in his prodigious output of verse.

His favourite bird was probably the Robin, but he also loved the Skylark - a species that prompted him to write he famous line: "A privacy of glorious light is thine."

Dating back to the 17th Century, Rydal Mount was home to the celebrated poet from 1813 until his death in 1850.

Apart from its literary heritage, the property is set in five acres of magnificently landscaped grounds and has superb views of Rydal Water and Lake Windermere.

April 23 will mark the 175th anniversary of Wordsworth's death, aged 80.

 

More details of the property from estate agents Ashdown Jones at  www.ashdownjones.co.uk

                                                          

Magnificent views and stunning landscaped gardens

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