Apartment overlooking wader-rich Humber Estuary would be just right for birder (with a deep pocket)

 

This is the "Eagle's Nest" - an observatory feature of a three-bedroom luxury penthouse apartment with views across the wader-rich Humber Estuary to the lighthouse Spurn Point. The property in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire,  includes its own sauna. It would be great for the family of any birder with a special interest in shorebirds because these abound, particularly between August and March. Offers in excess of £440,000 are being sought by the agents, BMH (Bettles, Miles and Holland), for the leasehold which is understood to expire on January 1, 2126.  

                                                                

The penthouse is at the summit of  Eastshore on Cleethorpes seafront

                                                    

At times, there are so many flying Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot and Oystercatchers  that the view across to Spurn lighthouse is temporaily  almost obscured 

Who will be winners of 2026 Wainwright Prize awards for nature and conservation writing? The countdown begins

                                                   

Mya-Rose Craig - author of a childhood memoir, Birdgirl - is one of the judges  

                    

THE 2026 shortlist has today been announced for the Wainwright Prize -  the UK’s foremost nature and conservation writing awards.

The range of subjects is extensive from trees as living communities to the migration of whales to the complexity of fungi networks.

And, of course, there are plenty of ornithological titles including The Cuckoo's Lea by Michael Warren and The Return of The Oystercatcher by Scott Weidensaul.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday  September 17, 2026, at the Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent, hosted by Wainwright Prize ambassador and The Times journalist and environmental writer Henry Bird.

In addition to the six individual category winners, two exceptional titles will be honoured as overall winners of t he Wainwright Prize - one for adult writing and one for children’s writing. 

These will be chosen from the respective category winners and will be celebrated as the 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and the 2026 Wainwright Children’s Prize Book of the Year. 

Both overall winners will receive £2,500, with the remaining category winners each awarded £500.

Nature Writing shortlist 

Ancient: Reviving the Woods That Made Britain, Luke Barley (Profile Books)

Ghosts of the Farm: Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land and Community, Nicola Chester (Chelsea Green Publishing)

Craftland, James Fox (The Bodley Head, Vintage)

Love Is A Toad, Lucy Lapwing (Blink)

The Genius of Trees, Harriet Rix (The Bodley Head, Vintage)

Stone Lands, Fiona Robertson, illustrated by Philip Harris (Little, Brown Book Group / Robinson)

The Cuckoo’s Lea, Michael J. Warren (Bloomsbury Publishing / Bloomsbury Wildlife)

Conservation Writing shortlist

The Savage Landscape, Cal Flyn (HarperCollins/William Collins)

Every Last Fish: What Fish Do for Us and What We Do to Them, Rose George (Granta)

Eat the Planet Well: How to Fix Our Toxic Food System - One Meal at a Time, Dave Goulson (Jonathan Cape, Vintage, PRH)

Neurodivergent, by Nature, Joe Harkness (Bloomsbury Publishing / Bloomsbury Wildlife)

Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them, Dr Julia Shaw (Canongate Books)

When the Forest Breathes, Suzanne Simard (Allen Lane, Penguin Press)

The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet, Scott Weidensaul (Picador)

 

Illustrative Books shortlist  

Freshwater: The View from Above and the Life Below, Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Bill François, (Abrams Books)

Waterlands: The Coastal Areas of West Sussex and Hampshire Borders,  David Gilbey, illustrated by Molly Martin with original photography by Roo Lewis, (Buan Press)

Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones, Jackie Morris & Tamsin Abbott, (Chelsea Green Publishing)

The Book of Birds,  Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK)

Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi, Alison Pouliot, (University of Chicago Press)

In Botanical Time: The Extraordinary Lifespans of the World’s Oldest Living Plants, Christopher Woods, (Chelsea Green Publishing)

 

Children’s Fiction shortlist

The Waters and the Wild, Eilish Fisher and David Rooney (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

The Green Kingdom, Cornelia Funke and Tammi Hartung, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (DK flip)

The Lone Husky, Hannah Gold and Levi Pinfold (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Swanfall, Sophie Kirtley (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

The Adventures of Portly the Otter: Untold Tales From the Wind in the Willows, M.G. Leonard, illustrated by and The Danger of Small Things, Caryl Lewis (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Birdlands, Anthony McGowan and Keith Robinson (Rock the Boat, Oneworld Publications)

Tree Thing, Piers Torday and Matthew Taylor (Quercus Children's Books

Children’s Non-fiction shortlist

An Anthology of Remarkable Bugs, Jess French (DK Children’s)

Letters From Wonderland, Josie George, illustrated by Becky Thorns (Faber & Faber)

Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds, Thomas Halliday, illustrated by Gavin Scott (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

Shapes of Nature, Ben Hoare (DK Children’s)

Choose Your Own Evolution, Jules Howard, and Gordy Wright (Nosy Crow)

A Wild Child’s Guide to Nature at Night, Dara McAnulty, illustrated by Barry Falls (Macmillan Children’s Books)

The Cave Explorer, Kate Winter (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

 

Children’s Picture Books shortlist 

A River Running Through You, Amy-Jane Beer and Elin Manon (Magic Cat Publishing)

The Great Bear, Annie Booker (Two Hoots)

Whale Song, Nicola Davies and Britta Teckentrup (Walker Books)

The Sun Thief, Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater (Scholastic)

Firefly, Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker (Magic Cat Publishing)

The Summer Puppy, Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher (Otter-Barry Books)

Isla and the Sky, Greg Stobbs (Oxford University Press)

The Whale That Sings in The Deep, Yuval Zommer (Oxford University Press)

                                  

This excellent title was reviewed in the April 24 edition of The Wryneck. In it, the American author memorably states that staying on the Knepp estate in Sussex was 'like being dropped into an edition of TV's Downton Abbey'

 

Annual salary of up to £94,638 on offer as RSPB seeks new director for its activities in Scotland

                                            

AN annual salary of up to £94,638 - plus other benefits - is up for grabs at the RSPB.

The charity is recruiting for a new director of its operations in Scotland following the departure, after nine years in the post, of Anne McCall who takes up a senior position with the National Trust on August 24.

The job description for the Edinburgh-based RSPB vacancy states: "We are looking for an inspiring and strategic leader to take on the role of Scotland Director. 

"This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of nature recovery, influence policy at the highest levels and to lead a passionate, purpose-driven team delivering real impact across Scotland.

"As Scotland Director, you will play a central role in shaping RSPB’s overall direction while ensuring delivery of ambitious, evidence-based programmes that protect and restore nature.

"Working closely with the RSPB's Chief Operating Officer, James Robinson  (to which this role reports), and to the Management Board to shape RSPB’s vision and translate strategy into impactful action across Scotland, you will:

* Lead the development and delivery of aligned, prioritised programmes that achieve measurable outcomes for nature

* Provide strategic senior leadership within organisational governance structures and contribute to UK-wide strategy and decision-making

* Build and maintain influential relationships with government, partners, funders, and stakeholders

* Represent RSPB at national and on occasion international levels, including media work 

* Ensure effective systems are in place to manage risk, maintain compliance, and support strong organisational performance

* Provide strategic support for the development and delivery of major projects, including at present the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the Cairngorms Connect partnership and the Peatland Programme.

"This is a permanent full-time role. While working flexibly, the successful candidate will be expected to be based in Scotland and there will be a significant element of travel required."

The closing date for applications is September 13 with interviews being conducted in person in Edinburgh on September 30 and  October 1.

                                         

Anne McCall - taking up new post with National Trust

 

First sighting of Yellow-throated Warbler in UK is sure to reignite longstanding British List controversy

Yellow-throated Warbler as depicted by John James Audubon in his Birds of America (1841)

SHOULD American warblers and other New World passerines be included on the British List?

The ongoing controversy has bubbled up anew following the appearance in the Port of Liverpool last week of a Yellow-throated Warbler that was seen hopping from cargo ship to cargo ship, one of them a recent arrival from New Orleans.

It is all but certain that the bird, which is mostly a partial short-distance migrant, had reached our shores on ship. But for the whole journey or just part of it?

And would the warblers claim to acceptance on the British list, potentially making it the 637th, be enhanced if it flies away the port estate and is relocated elsewhere on the mainland.

In due course, the various issues will be considered, behind closed doors, by a rarities panel of  the British Ornithologists' Union.

The strikingly beautiful warbler was reportedly spotted last Thursday (August 13)  by dock workers James Conlan and Ashley Hawkins, with the former able to secure some video footage.

The duo contacted local birders who were able to nail the identification.

While it remains on the port estate, assuming it is still alive, the bird will be out of view of birders.

But if it subsequently reappears beyond the port gates and somewhere in the great British wilds, it will be open house for a mega-twitch that is sure to attract hundreds.

While the world waits, this is what John James Audubon had to say about the species in his Birds of America published in 1841: 

"This beautiful bird absents itself from the state of Louisiana only for two months in the year, December and January. 

"When they return in the beginning of February, they throw themselves by thousands into all the cypress woods and cane-brakes, where they are heard singing from the first of March until late in autumn, sometimes in November.

"In their habits, they move up and down, sidewise and spirally, along the trunks, branches and even twigs of the tallest and largest cypresses or such other trees as are found intermingled with them. 

"They are extremely active. Like the Brown Creeper, they suddenly leave the uppermost branches or higher parts of the trunks, and, diving downwards, alight on the roots and renew their search for  small insects and larvae. 

"I never saw any of them pursue insects on wing."

He continues: "The male and the female are nearly alike in plumage, but the young birds, which hunt for insects in company in the manner of creepers or titmice, do not acquire the yellow on the throat, nor the full brilliancy of their plumage, until their first spring.

"These birds confine themselves to the southern States, seldom moving farther. towards the Middle Districts than North Carolina. 

"They do not even ascend the Mississippi farther than the Walnut Hills. 

"They are abundant in the neighbourhood of the Red River, and probably do not go farther south than Mexico, during their short absence from the United States."

                                      

           Port of Liverpool's most unexpected arrival - a Yellow-throated Warbler                                               (photo: Peel Ports)   

Marmite man! Celebrity naturalist Chris Packham comes clean on 'worst' thing about his childhood

                                               

YOU can't keep broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham out of the news.

The 65-year-old had half a broadsheet newspaper page devoted to his likes and dislikes in last Saturday's edition of The Daily Telegraph.  

Quizzed by journalist Rachel Corcoran, he comes up with nothing too unexpected or spicy, but he does reveal an apparent issue with  Brussels sprouts appearing on his childhood dinner plate.

"My parents tried to get me to eat things that were totally unpalatable," he recalls. "Sitting for hours looking at a plate of sprouts was awful.

"The sprouts symbolise what I don't like which was the lack of control - the fact that I was told what to wear, what to eat what to watch on TV."

He continues: "I do eat sprouts now.

"My partner bakes them with Marmite and they're tasty.

"My mother would cook them to a pulp." 

Mystery of the yellow bird on a branch - it's Chinese and yellow, but what is the species?

Exquisite - but unidentified

CAN anyone identify this bird which is subject of a delicate  painting that is shortly to be sold at auction in Hongkong?

It is the work of  Zhao Shao'ang (1905-1998) and is entitled Yellow Bird on Branch.

By contrast with western artists, their Chinese counterparts, though often fascinated by birdlife, seem unconcerned with species identification.

Christie's expect the  picture, which measures 96cm x 36cm,   to fetch up to 40,000 HK dollars(£3,765) when it goes under the hammer tomorrow, Tuesday August 18.

On the market - dream home for a birder overlooks North Norfolk's Cley coastal marshland

 A LANDMARK property long familiar to hundreds of birders over several generations has some on the market.

Agents Strutt & Parker have released photographs of  Grade II Listed Cley windmill for which the guide price is £2.65-million.

Dating back to about 1819 and trading as a guesthouse, restaurant and wedding venue, it is set within the North Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offers fabulous views across a birding hotspot, Cley Marshes nature reserve.

Over the years, its own 0.6-acre garden must have provided a temporary refuge for thousands of migrant birds, many of them rarities.

It was once the home of the family of the singer, James Blunt, and hosted the fourth wedding of rock legend Rick Wakeman.

More information from Ian Parsons of Strutt & Parker at 7771 947009. 

                                    

         

                                                              

                                                                

Firm selling price at auction for Devon-based artist's study of wayside scene with Buzzards circling overhead

                                                     

Publicity in The Wryneck did no harm to  the selling  performance on Friday of this watercolour, A Wayside Gossip, by Devon-based Wycliffe Egginton (1875-1951). According to Yorkshire-based Tennants auction house, the hammer came down at £200, comfortably higher than the pre-sale estimate of £80-£120. In an era of intensive development, 'wayside' has, alas,  become a vanishing habitat so this painting is a useful reminder of a time gone by.

Whither the Nightjars and Dartford Warblers after the wildfire that devastated Dunwich Heath?

                                                  

Still hot underfoot - the aftermath of the devastating heathland blaze

GUIDED Nightjar walks have been a feature of recent summers at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, but will they resume in future years?

As well as introducing the public to this enigmatic nocturnal bird, the events were useful fundraisers for the National Trust which manages the precious heathland site.

But whether they will resume in future years looks uncertain following the wildfire that devastated the  habitat  earlier this month.

It is not known whence the Nightjars - along with Dartford Warblers and Woodlarks - dispersed  as the flames and smoke took hold, nor whether they will ever return.

Although the fire has now been extinguished, the National  Trust is urging visitors to stay away from the site until a full impact and safety assessment can be carried out.

Coastal winds are stirring up ash and debris, reducing visibility and creating challenging conditions across the site. 

Familiar landmarks and paths have also been lost, making it easy to become disoriented, even for those who know the area well.

New firebreaks and tracks created by machinery to tackle the fire have also created uneven ground.

The fire has also left a number of less visible risks. 

Some trees remain standing but have suffered severe damage below ground where root systems have been burnt away, leaving them vulnerable to collapse.

In addition, unexploded ordnance dating back the Second World War has been exposed by the fire. 

While specialist teams have already made some discoveries safe, further items may be present, which specialists will look to identify as assessments continue.

Rabbit burrows and warrens have retained significant heat, creating hotspots beneath the surface. 

The fire also spread across the clifftops, putting the stability of the fragile cliffs at risk, making the beach below unsafe.

 A spokesperson said: "Staff and volunteers are still coming to terms with the scale of the damage.

"While significant progress has been made by the fire service on dampening down hotspots, there are parts of the fire ground that we have not yet been able to access, map or record hazards within.

"Work is now underway to assess the full site, record the impact, identify ongoing risks and begin planning for the site’s long-term recovery.

"This is likely to take some weeks.

"The fire has left little of the reserve untouched and large areas of the heath have been transformed, leaving parts of the landscape unrecognisable." 

The NT's general manager, Russell Clement, comments: "We are grateful to all 35 of Suffolk’s fire stations, as well as the 18 fire services from around the country, who worked tirelessly to tackle this fire. 

"Our thanks also go to our neighbours, partners, local farmers and a further 29 organisations who have supported with the fire-control effort."

He continues: "We have been overwhelmed by the response from people following this devastating fire.

"Dunwich Heath means a great deal to so many, and we have received hundreds of messages sharing memories of this special corner of Suffolk, alongside generous donations and offers to help with its recovery."

An appeal to help restore Dunwich Heath has raised some £600,000-plus.

Dunwich village and nearby RSPB Minsmere remain open.

* Among those to have visited the site is the chairman of Natural England, Tony Juniper, who today (Saturday August 15) called for the creation of more wetlands to make landscapes less vulnerable to wildfire, to provide habitat for wildlife of various species and to provide water for fire-fighting emergencies.

** Pictures above and below: Justin Minns/ National Trust                                                

A habitat destroyed

                                                               

How Dunwich Heath looked at this time last year (photo: Visit East England)

                                                                         

National Trust map of the heath and its environs

                                                       

Will this most mysterious of birds return?

The Wryneck says: How many pairs of Nightjars and Dartford Warblers have nested on Dunwich Heath over the past three years? Presumably, the National Trust will have the data. Amid the widespread dismay at what has happened, it would be helpful if this information could be published, at the very least as a benchmark for the recovery of the two species in future years - assuming, that is, that they do recover.                          

                                                              
                                                                

Binoculars at the ready for Sam and Ade as second series of popular TV birdwatching gets production green light

                                                

Sam (right) and Ade - resuming British birding safari

A SECOND series of Sam & Ade Go Birding is now well into production.

When screened, it will see actor-pals Samuel West (All Creatures Great & Small) and Adrian Edmondson (A Spy Among Friends)  head out on another birdwatching quest across Britain.

According the producers, Frank Films, the aim is to "capture the natural world at its most dynamic - from spring’s migratory birds and nesting season to the quieter, more contemplative months later in the year.

"Across the series, the duo travel from the rolling hills and towering sea cliffs of Yorkshire and the wilds of West Wales to the remote isles and dramatic coastlines of Scotland, exploring some of Britain’s most spectacular landscapes in search of birds big and small.

"Along the way they encounter Swifts, Swallows, Curlews, Red Kites, Ospreys, a variety of woodland songbirds, Puffins, Guillemots and Gannets."

Gannets skim the ocean wave in search of something to eat

Says Kit Morey, Commissioning Editor, 5: "It is no secret just how much I adore this joyful series or how long I waited to make it, but the wait was so worth it as Sam and Ade have created something truly special - warm, funny, thoughtful and full of wonder.

"I was thrilled at just how much our audience loved the first series which was screened in spring."

Agrees Jamie Balment, Executive Producer, Frank Films: "The first series was such a genuine joy to make that I feel hugely lucky to have the opportunity to spot more of Britain’s birds, with Sam’s knowledge & Ade’s curious eye."

The six hour-long episodes will be screened on the terrestrial channel,m5, at dates to be confirmed.

* Top and bottom pix: Frank Films/ 5 TV

Filming at Bempton on the Yorkshire Coast in June - Sam is keen to point out the Guillemots but Ade seems more interested in topping up his suntan

'Wayside' has almost ceased to exist as a birding habitat, but it figures in this enchanting 1922 watercolour

                               

Buzzard-filled sky over a Devon wayside

'WAYSIDE' used to be a recognised habitat in its own right - evidenced by T.A. Coward's Birds of The Wayside and Woodland which was a popular identification guide in the 1940s and 1950s. 

Now, however, it is a term seldom used except in the phrase "fallen by the wayside".  

Where is wayside to be found? 

Such has been the pace of roadbuilding and other development since the middle of the last century, it is much-shrunken habitat often now renamed 'wasteland'. 

It is good, therefore to see it featured in the 26cm x 35.5cm framed watercolour,  A Wayside Gossip, painted by Devon-based Wycliffe Egginton (1875-1951) in 1922. 

The study is due to go under the hammer at a sale to be conducted by Tennants of Leyburn tomorrow, Friday, August 14. 

In recent years, the artist has slipped from favour, and the pre-sale estimate is that the hammer will fall quite quickly at somewhere between £80 and £120. 

                                                  

Has research been published too late to save a breeding future for Ring Ouzels on the island of Ireland?

                                                           

Climate change and loss of habitat are believed to be driving the decline in Ring Ouzel numbers 

RESEARCHERS in Ireland  believe that  the Ring Ouzel is at "risk of extinction" in Ireland as a result of  climate change and loss of heath moorland, both resulting in declines in its invertebrate prey. 

There are thought to be just a handful of nesting sites, all within Donegal.

Although it has only just been published, the research dates back to 2021, so an update is surely essential.

The  report was compiled by Allan Mee, Robert Vaughan, Daniel Moloney, Tomasz Siekaniec, Laura Kavanagh, Paul Whitelaw and Sinéad Cummins.

They say: "Urgent conservation action is needed to halt further decline to extinction, especially in the few remaining breeding areas."

The  survey was funded by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in the Republic of Ireland.

More at: Decline to near extinction of a mountain passerine: the status of the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus in the Republic of Ireland in 2021: Bird Study: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access

The 2021 Ring Ouzel survey was funded by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in the Republic of Ireland.

                                     

Donegal is shaded dark green in this map of the island of Ireland (image: Wikimedia)

The Wryneck says: No doubt this survey is extremely thorough, but, given that it demands "urgent" conservation action, why have its findings only just been published? With the situation so desperate,  it should surely  have been published by spring of 2022 at the latest. There should also have been updates for the years 2022 to 2026, and it would have been helpful if the authors could have been precise in specifying what conservation measures are required. Research is often a time-sensitive commodity. It loses much of its value if it is out-of-date by the time it is published.

Bee-eaters spotted at nest in Leyburn, North Yorkshire - but, alas, both birds were long dead and stuffed

 

A cased pair of European Bee-eaters (above) has sold for £550 at a specialist taxidermy sale held by Tennants auctioneers in Leyburn. North Yorkshire. This was at the higher end of the pre-sale estimate of  between £400 and £600. The Victorian enthusiasm for stuffed birds is regarded with unease by most birders today - perhaps not least because of misgivings about the means by which some have been acquired - but there is  still a firm interest among a small number of collectors. At the same sale, a stuffed Roller sold for £160 midway between the £120-£180 pre-sale estimate.

Another week, another fire - Dartford Warblers and Nightjars likely to have been lost in New Forest blaze

                               

No smoke without fire - the New Forest blaze (photo: Forestry England) 

There are fears that scarce species such as Nightjars and Dartford Warblers as well as other birds may have perished in the wildfire that ripped through the New Forest yesterday and on Sunday.

Says lead ranger for the New Forest National Park Authority Gillie Molland: "Globally heathland is more rare than rainforest and takes decades to develop - the New Forest has the most has the most extensive area of lowland heath remaining in Europe.

"It is home to many nationally and internationally rare species - including all six of the UK’s reptiles, insects, plants and birds such as Dartford Warbler and Nightjar.

"This particular area is a stronghold for smooth snakes."

She continues: "The New Forest also has important areas of pasture woodland with ancient trees, such as beech and oak, that have international importance for nature conservation. 

"Heathland can eventually be restored, ancient trees are lost forever.

"The loss of rare species and biodiversity is devastating and upsets the delicate ecological balance of the Forest, as well as reducing grazing land available for commoners' animals."

The blaze, which started when a van broke down on the A31 rroad.

Thanks to sterling work by the fire service and other, it is now thought to be under control but is liable to flare up anew without warning.

Are there any British bird species with a special fondness for walnut and cobnut orchards?

Welcome to the walnut trees

WHAT birds, if any, favour walnuts and cobnuts?

The question is prompted by news that an 8.3-acre nut commercial orchard has come on the market in Suffolk.

The agents are Woodlands.co.uk who say Finesteda Wood, at Boxted near Sudbury, is of "of international importance". 

They continue: "The walnuts trees are crop-producing with a harvest of nuts. 

"Also a fenced area has been planted with cobnuts to give a second crop."

"This important woodland environment is protected by a Tree Preservation Order but this does not preclude the process of normal woodland management.

"It simply requires that all proposals are approved in advance by the local authority."

No information is provided about the birds that dwell in the wood, but there is a line in the sales literature which states: "It is amazing how much wildlife uses the woodland as a sanctuary."

The asking price is £159,000.                                          

The site also accommodates a small lake which looks attractive to birds  

                                               

The agents are seeking £159,000 for the woodland

Headline birds - the three species making a splash on front covers of this month's ornithological magaziness

     

White-tailed Eagle, Arctic Warbler and Whinchat are the species featured on the front covers of the August editions of three frontline ornithological titles.

                               

                                                       

Bygone birding: Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint among waders spotted roosting on chemical factory rooves

                                                            

Unfortunately the photograph is not sharp enough to locate the factories, nor their sizes and the materials from which the rooves were built

The report below by J. Robbins appeared in the 1960 edition of Transactions of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union. In later years, another Courtaulds employee and birder, Roger Norman, also noted the phenomenon, not just on the rooves of the two original fibre-making  factories but also (less frequently) on those of two others which had been built more recently. His theory was that the factories had been built on the site of a former ground-roosting site or that the birds were mistaking the rooves (constructed of unknown material) for saltpans. Courtaulds no longer exists, and it is believed the factories have long since been demolished.

During the period August-November, 1959, I was on the staff of the Courtauld’s works at Great Coates, near Grimsby.

This works was completed in 1957 and rayon staple fibre is manufactured there. 

Much of the factory roof is flat and this is covered with a layer of water about 2 ins. in depth. 

This is to assist in maintaining equable conditions inside the buildings throughout the year.

Soon after my arrival, I author noticed that waders were using this roof as a resting place. 

Detailed observations were taken over the period 9th September-9th November inclusive.

The observations may be summarised as follows: 

(i) numbers varied widely (0-3,000); large numbers occurred during daylight only at high tide in the neighbouring River Humber; at night the roof seemed to be used more freely, but it was impossible to assess numbers;

(ii) the roof was used primarily for resting; some birds (mainly Dunlin) washed in the fresh water; a few hunted for food in the sediment that has accumulated; such feeding was not governed by the tide; 

(iii) Dunlin and Redshank were the species which visited the roof most regularly; their numbers and those of irregular visitors are given in the species notes below; these numbers represent only a small portion of those frequenting the Humber estuary.

The species observed were:

Lapwing: 1, bathing, 7/10.

Ringed Plover: 9 recorded on six occasions, max.: 3 on 7/10.

Common Sandpiper: Single birds on 21/9 and 29/9.

Redshank: Recorded on most days, max.: 500 on 14/10 and 4/11. This species was never observed to be feeding and rarely to be bathing.

Knot: 1, 23/9.

Little Stint: 1, 28/9; this bird fed desultorily and was associated with a Curlew Sandpiper and 9 Dunlin.

Dunlin: The commonest species, observed almost daily, max. 2,500 on 4/11, also 2,000 on 8/10. Numbers increased markedly during the first week of October. Bathing was often observed and small numbers (1-9) were observed to be feeding on several occasions in the shallower parts.

Curlew Sandpiper: 1, 28/9; 2, 7/10.

Ruff: A first-winter male fed on the drier part of the roof during the period 4-8/10. Most of this time it was escorted by a solitary Dunlin.

Other species of wader (Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailed Godwit) were observed flying over the factory site but never on the roof. 

Black-headed Gulls, occasionally, and Common and Herring Gulls, more rarely, frequented the roof, but in general these species preferred the factory reservoir. 

Their numbers seemed to be independent of the state of the tide.

One passerine, the Grey Wagtail, used the roof; this species was seen on five occasions, max. 3 on 5/10; these birds were observed to feed.

House Sparrows and Pied Wagtails, both resident species at the factory, occasionally perched on the edge of the roof or, rarely, bathed.

New book will explore true story of how fall-out between two Scottish gamekeepers ended in tragedy

                                             

When it is published next month, there  is likely to be plenty of interest in this book which explores how friction between two Scottish gamekeepers resulted in fatal consequences. Along the way, it looks at  how the activities carried out on some estates  involve the illegal slaughter of birds of prey. Prelude to Murder will be published at £16.99 in paperback by Scottish company, Thirsty Books. 

What am I bid for two Dodo bones reported to have been recovered from a swamp in Mauritius?

                                                           

Colonisation of Mauritius by the Dutch is thought to have lead to the demise of the Dodo

BIDDING has begun at auction for what are said to be two foot bones from the world's most famous extinct bird species - a Dodo.

Both are about 4 cm long.

They are being sold as a single Lot - 50 - by Essex auctioneers  Sworders in their August 18 'Out of the Ordinary' sale.

Says a note in the catalogue: "The foot bones on offer are from a group of Dodo bones discovered in 1885 during the investigation of the Mare aux Songes swamp, Mauritius, by schoolmaster George Clarke. 

"Hearing that a few bones had been found in this area, Clarke hired local servants to wade through a swamp and feel for further bones with their feet.

"The dodo has been extinct since the 1680s. 

"Its story  is particularly important as it demonstrates one of the first occasions that humans realised that man's actions alone caused a species to die out.

"The Dodo was related to the pigeon family and successfully lived on the island of Mauritius. 

"With no natural predators, they became flightless and adapted to happily living life on the ground until the Dutch colonised the island in 1638, at which point they became hunted for sport. 

"With the colonisation came new species to the island, such as rats, dogs, cats and pigs which all contributed to the species' extinction.

The Dodo is one of the birds referred to in the famous fantasy book, Alice in Wonderland. 

Online bidding started at £2,000, but it is thought it may reach up to £4,000. 

                                                       

Them bones

What future Nightjars, Dartford Warblers and other rare birds as wildfire rips through precious Suffolk heathland?

Precious heathland habitat goes up in flames and smoke (photo: Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service)

RARELY-seen birds have been put in dire peril by a blaze that has been raging for more than 24 hours on a Suffolk heathland.

They include:

* Nightjar

* Nightingale

* Dartford Warbler

* Woodlark.

The flames have engulfed the National Trust's Dunwich Heath and threaten the RSPB's flagship Minsmere reserve as well as the Sizewell B nuclear power station.

The RSPB reckons the damage to habitat has been so intense that it could be another quarter of a century before it returns to how it was just 48 hours ago.

In a series of interviews with mainstream media, the society's Suffolk area manager Adam Rowlands has been explaining the gravity of the situation which affects rare reptiles and butterflies as well as birds.

For him, one of the most distressing moments was when he saw a a stricken Nightjar fluttering over scorched heathland in a smoke-filled sky.

He was taking some comfort from the fact that the breeding season is now almost all over and many birds would be able to flee the scene.

But specialist habitat of this sort is scarce and they face many other threats including that of predation as well as of absence of the right kind of food.

Mr Rowlands praised the work of the firefighters, staff at the RSPB and sister conservation organisations for their work to contain the fire which may take at least another 24 hours to bring under control.

There has also been praise for residents of the village of Westleton for their generosity  in helping the many individuals who  have been evacuated during the emergency. 

                                   

Dunwich Heath as it was before the wildfire (photo: National Trust)