Well what a few weeks it has been with Exams and a Field Trip, however I am now back in my flat with 1st year officially done and dusted and looking forward to starting my placement tonight. In the time since I last wrote my blog I have spent time at home visiting both Rainham Marshes and also both the Totteridge and Dollis Valleys, however I want to focus on the last week or so. This start with a post exam trip to Hengistbury Head on the 24th May. I knew that I needed to go out and de-stress so I decided the best thing to do would be to walk from the bus stop in Southbourne all the way down to the end of the Sandspit and back. The day started well, as soon as I reached the coast path a flock of Med Gulls flew past heading East. Sand Martins were also about and squabbling over mates and nesting holes, while Sandwich Tern fed offshore in one large flock. Above: Adult Med Gull Below: Sand Martins Continuing along the dunes and they were actually quite quiet with very few Whitethroat actually deciding to show themselves. The Stonechat on the other hand were obliging to say the least and sat out in the open for all to see. Above: Pair of Stonechat Above: Male Stonechat Below: Female Stonechat Walking along the top of the headland with Rock Pipit and Sand Martins whizzing around me as I went along the headland. I paused briefly to count the Swan in the Harbour and the count has now reached a staggering 195 individuals. The Ponds up on the headland are also now full of Natterjack Toad Tadpoles and a rather late Willow Warbler is still singing from the woodland hoping to attract a mate. Above: Natterjack Tadpoles Next I headed along to the Sandspit where at first it looked as though it would be quite dull. However I picked up several Gannet fishing out in the Solent along with the regular Cormorants and Sandwich Tern. A Flock of Waders then flew past and kept circling the beach near where I was. It was a flock which consisted of 18 Summer Plumaged Dunlin and 2 Sanderling were mixed in. These are presumably high arctic breeders awaiting for the thaw further north before attempting to head up and breed. Further along the headland once the Dunlin flock had disappeared there was another flock of 8 Sanderling together with a mix of plumages. These birders were for some reason particularly tame and were running up and down the beach ignore both me and someone's dogs to continue to find their food in the sand. Above: Summer Plumaged Dunlin and a Sanderling Below: Sanderling I then decided to call it a day and just before I left I was treated to hearing not one but 2 Cuckoos singing and hoping to attract a mate, as well as a stunning display from the local House Martins and Swifts over the roof tops whilst waiting for the bus to head for home. On Monday I headed up to uni with my bags packed ready for a 5 day field trip to the Isle of Purbeck. I have to admit that none of us knew what to expect, but spending 5 days does have its advantages especially if you are into bird watching. We arrived at Norden Park and Ride at just after 10am and we were immediately surrounded by Swallows and House Sparrows as we got off the bus. Blackcap and Chiffchaff were singing from the bushes around the car park and Greenfinch and Linnet flew overhead along with an interesting bird which I am still not really convinced about. It sounded somewhere halfway between a Bunting and a Finch, but then again I was trying to listen to the lecturers at the time so it could have been anything unfortunately. Our first Survey that we carried out was in an improved grassland. While we were here a few Buzzards were in the air along with 6 species of Corvid (Jay, Rook, Raven, Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie), and a Female Peregrine graced us with her presence briefly. Black-headed Gulls were quite numerous and there were also quite a few Swift about. We then moved on into the ancient woodland that bordered the field and found Green Woodpeckers, Goldcrests, Chaffinch, and some Thrushes, but nothing else particularly of interest. We surveyed another few Grasslands and Meadows finding 3 Species of Buttercup in the process with Bulbus, Meadow, and Creeping all being found. A 7-spot Ladybird was also a nice find by one of my friends. Above: 7-spot Ladybird We then headed down to a Myer where House Martin and Swift were hawking insects, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen well by all in the trees behind. We also learnt how the Myers would have been used to feed livestock in the past by allowing them to feed on the Purple Moor Grass, however since grazing has ceased they are now being lost in succession to woodland full of Willow. Next up was the Dry Heathland bordering the Myer. This was dominated by both Ling and some Bell Heather. Although we didn't see a lot a Lesser Whitethroat could be heard in the distance along with Meadow Pipit and Linnet. We then carried on through the ancient farmland finding a Collared Dove in one of the paddocks and in the end choosing to rest in the sun on a hill overlooking Corfe Castle. While having lunch Meadow Grasshoppers could be seen everywhere along with Holly Blue, Small White, and Common Blue Butterflies. A Hobby was hawking insects over head and a Kestrel was seen off by one of the local Ravens. Above: Meadow Grasshopper After lunch we headed out to continue to do our surveys heading down into the meadows in the valley adding a Brown Argus Butterfly to the trip list. The final meadow was the best one in terms of species of Plants, Butterflies, and the first Dragonfly's of the trips. The field was full of Southern Marsh Orchids as well as Ragged Robin which are both good indicators of unimproved meadows. Some newly emerged Scarce Chasers were sunning themselves on the nearby bushes and Common Blue and Orange-tip Butterflies were seen fluttering around the meadow. There were still plenty of Meadow Grasshoppers around as well and just gently pushing through the grass resulted in hundreds of them jumping off in all directions. Bird wise though it was a little quiet with only a Chiffchaff singing from a large Oak for company. Above: Southern Marsh Orchid Below: Common Blue Butterfly Above: Meadow Grasshopper Below: Scarce Chaser Above: Southern Marsh Orchid with a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Photo taken by Thea Romer Sonne) Below: Picture of a Dandelion and a beetle sp. (Photo by Georgia Vincent) Once we had surveyed this field we headed to the coach in order to get to the place we were staying in time for dinner. After dinner the majority of us had fallen asleep before 8pm as we looked forward to what the rest of the week had in store. Tuesday morning came rather to quickly for my liking and I was woken up at 6am by the sound of Rooks begging for food outside the open window. Showers and Breakfast was had before we headed out and onto the coach for a 9am start. Today was the day I had been looking forward to the most. It was to be my first long over due visit to Durleston in order to look at Birds and Butterflies. My group set off in search of Birds first which and to be honest they were lucky to have me as I helped to point out some of the local species. The first field we stopped in I was already distracted when a pair of Bullfinch flew over our heads calling and landed in a nearby tree. Chiffchaff and Blackcap were singing from the nearby coppice while House Martin, Swallow, and Swift were hawking insects low over our heads. A smart Male Greenfinch was sat on a nearby bush while Crows, and Jackdaws flew over head. Then all of a sudden a Peregrine appeared and shot right over the field in all of our eye line while the lecturer carried on talking oblivious to the oooos and aaahhs of the students. We then carried on and stopped over looking the sea and so I decided to take a chance to have a quick look at what was out on the water. Too my surprise I picked up quite a few Guillemot heading East along the coast as well as the odd Razorbill mixed in. A Fulmar also moved through which was a nice addition to the trip list. We then ventured further finding a few Whitethroat still performing song flights in the hedgerows while a few Linnet also appeared. The fields were now also full of Skylark and the odd Meadow Pipit as well as a lone Sika Deer. Butterflies were also everywhere with Small Heath, Common Blue, Brown Argus, and my first ever Small Blues encountered. An early Meadow Brown was also on the wing as well which was somewhat unexpected. Above: Small Heath Below: Small Blue Above: Skylark (Photo taken by Thea Romer Sonne) Below: Caterpillar (Photo taken by Thea Romer Sonne) After lunch we headed back out onto the cliffs and this time in search of more Butterflies and also a chance to do some survey work looking for Butterfly eggs. While doing this survey we found some more Butterflies of which 3 were lifers for me. The new species included some Adonis Bues, Dingy Skippers, a Lulworth Skipper. We also saw some Speckled Wood as well as a Wall Brown and plenty of Common and Small Blues. Offshore Sandwich Tern and Gannet could be seen and a Lesser Whitethroat sang from a nearby bush. We Were looking for Small Blue Eggs. Small blue are a Monophagous species meaning in this case that the larva species specialise on one food pant in this case Kidney Vetch. The Adonis Blue is also Monophagous using Horseshoe Vetch and to some extent the Common Blue is as well as their preferred plant is Birdsfoot Trefoil. Above: Probably a female Common Blue Below: Probably a very worn Adonis Blue Above: Dingy Skipper Below: Probably an early Lulworth Skipper given the size compared to a Dingy Skipper. After this we then headed back to the coach and just in time as a heavy squall moved through the area. We then headed back to the place we were staying for dinner. After dinner we were given a talk on the legislations behind SSSI's which was actually quite interesting, but also worrying that there are so many lope holes in the way the laws are put in place. At around 8pm I decided to head out with some of my friends down to Dancing ledge as I knew that there was a good chance of adding something onto my bird year list there. We headed down through the village until we reached the National Trust footpaths and headed through the meadows with Skylarks singing all around us and Swallows, House Martins, and Swifts zipping through over head trying to catch as many insects as possible before the sun went down. We then started the final decent towards The bottom of the cliff and a message from EE welcoming me to France was interesting given that I was still on British soil. Near the base of the cliff Rock Pipit were displaying and Swifts were abundant and flying through at head height. At times you could hear their wings beating as they passed through. A quick scan of the sea below in the fading light revealed a raft of Guillemot and Razorbill. Eventually I picked up the species we had come to see as a Puffin flew through. This was followed by several others and eventually I found 4 Puffins settled together on the sea. It was truly magical and with no one else around but us it was peaceful and relaxing and much needed after a days field work. The scenery was stunning as well in the fading light which helped. We didn't stay for long but just as we were leaving a Peregrine shot through heading East along the coast and a Bee-orchid was found under torch light. Above: The Essence of Puffins Above: Bee-orchid We started the long climb back up the steep hill and eventually we made it to the top. The night wasn't quite finished yet as earlier I had mentioned how I thought the landscape was perfect for a Barn Owl and sure enough at 2152 a Barn Owl flew right in front of us at the exact point at which I had mentioned it on the way up. We watched as its ghostly figure drifted across the field and then up and over a wall and then it vanished. We then headed through the village and an interesting bird was flying low over the roof tops which I managed to glimpse a few times. I wasn't convinced but it could well have been a Nightjar (More on those coming soon). We then headed back to the field centre and called it a night. The next morning I arose early again disturbed by the Rook family's outside the window. I wasn't best pleased when I noticed that there was a steady persistent drizzle that had set in over night for the day. After Breakfast we set out for RSPB Arne and spent the morning looking at the different habitats and the species living in them. This included insects, Birds, and Plants. The first woodland area we came too was full of life and bird wise was quite good with a Male Firecrest singing away in the bushes with what sounded like a group of fledge young, but unfortunately the youngsters stayed hidden. A Mistle Thrush was also about along with Singing Chiffchaff, Blackcap, and Goldcrest. We then continued along to the farmland where we picked up the first Green Woodpecker of the day feeding on Wood Ants. Swallows were also numerous hawking insects from the sky around the heard of Jersey Cows. We also found a Blue Tit nest with almost fully fledge young and with the parents attending it was hard not to watch as the gapping mouths of the chicks appeared every now and then peeping into the world for the 1st time. Above: Adult Blue Tit Below: Blue Tit Fledgling almost ready to fledge. Above: Fox Glove (Photo taken by Ethan Donovan) We then continued down to the Salt Marsh where a flock of Canada Geese fed alongside a few Mallard and Shelduck. Black-headed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls were about. 2 Curlew flew past and I picked up a flock of Oystercatcher on the opposite bank where a few Cormorant sat on the no fishing sign. Next up was the Dry Heathland at Shipstal. Here we moved into the middle of the heath and set about surveying the species. A Dartford Warbler started to sing from the right hand side and did the correct thing and perched in view for everyone to see right in front of us. Unfortunately my camera decided not to play ball and refused to work, but at least the group had managed to see one. This is actually the first time I have seen one in this part of the reserve, previously I had only seen them on Coombe Heath. Moving on we headed down to an area of Wet Heathland. Here we found a patch full of Southern Marsh Orchids. The first Siskin of the day flew over head and a Coal Tit family moved through the Scotts Pines. We also found a Dragonfly newly emerging however I can't decided whether it is a Hairy Dragonfly or an Emperor. Above: Southern Marsh Orchid Below: Emerging Dragonfly Sp After a quick stop at the hide adding Little Egret and Grey Heron to the trip list I decided to head back to the welcome hut and out onto Coombe Heath. Meadow Pipit and Stonechat were seen on a very quick visit to the heathland however the wind picked up and sent a nasty squall my way so I decided to retreat to the café and watch the actions on the bird feeders alongside my friends. Above: Greenfinch and Siskin Below: Siskin Above: Great Spotted Woodpecker After lunch we headed back to the centre in order to have a debrief and also too look at some microscopic pond life in the classroom. We found Flagella, Algae, Hydra, and Ciliates. The Hydra were interesting to see as they are effectively microscopic sea anemones. Dinner was had and then off to the pub for the footie which I have to admit from my point of view was dismal. The next morning a lie in was had as I had managed to sleep through my natural alarm clock and given my self an extra, much needed, hour in bed. Today we headed out to Kimmeridge Bay. We were heading there to look at how differences in the amount of exposure lead to the colonisation of different species. Areas that are sheltered contained Sea Weed, where as those that were exposed contained Barnacles and also plenty of Limpets. Kimmeridge Bay has the biggest variant in fetches in the UK. With some parts Sheltered by France, others by Portland and the centre of the bay if you were to head in a straight line heading South West you would reach Brazil. This is also a part of the Jurassic Coast and therefore there are plenty of Fossils around the bay to be found. The Rock Pools were also interesting and a mix of Fry and Gobies were found as well as Shrimps and Crabs. Rock Pipit were the most numerous species while Cormorants, Gannets, and Fulmars passed offshore. Above: Fossils Below: Limpets Above: Interesting Blue Seaweed Below: Fish We then headed back to the field centre in order to work on our Individual Projects. My group was looking into plant species diversity between 4 different sites and seeing if external factors had an affect on the species that were there. After dinner I decided that since it was such a nice day and there was still quite a lot of day light left we would give the Puffins another go. We decided to head out the back entrance of the field study centre to save time, however the footpath wasn't well labelled and we soon found our self lost in some random field in the middle of nowhere. Eventually after climbing over a few walls we found our way back to the main public footpath. Skylarks were singing all around us as Swallows, Swifts, and House Martins zipped past catching insects. Once we had finally reached Dancing Ledge the scenery was truly stunning with Guillemot and Razorbill forming large rafts below the cliffs. It wasn't long before I picked up the first Puffin which was soon followed by at least 3 more. Fulmars were much more noticeable with quite a gathering off the coast and there were also plenty of Gannet moving through. 5 Manx Shearwater in a tightly nit flock was a surprise and was quite unexpected. Otherwise I have to admit the Puffins stole the show again for me as they performed well and could even be heard calling. 4 Bee-orchids were also an add on land bonus and Swifts and Rock pipits were both numerous. Above: Puffin Below: Gannet Above: Swift Below: Fulmar Above and Below: Ethan Donovan's fabulous photo's of the Bee Orchid. Once the sun disappeared behind the cliff it was time to head back and reflect on what has been amazing trip. I have not only learnt so much about the wildlife but I have also been able to enjoy it with my friends as well. And so after 4 New Butterfly species, a new Dragonfly and 2 new species for my year list which now sits on 175. I will leave you with an image that Ethan took. Here's to first year. Above: Panorama's that Ethan Donovan took. (oh and yes that's me...) Here is a link to Ethan's Instagram account if you should wish to follow him:
0 Comments
It has been an interesting week in terms of birding with a visit to both my uni patches and a visit to a new site for me. This started off with a visit to Poole and Baiter Park on Monday. The first interesting sighting of the day was literally just as I was getting my binoculars out of my rucksack. I looked up in the tree above to find 6 Juvenile Long-tailed Tits huddled together trying to keep warm in the chilly northerly wind. I have to admit I absolutely adore young Long-tailed Tits with their bandit like facemasks. They weren't the only youngsters about as I headed just a bit further along I came across 2 broods of Mallard ducklings with a combined total of 10 ducklings. Otherwise the visit was actually quite poor with the lake main lake now refilled it is pretty much ecologically dead. The only good news is the fact that the Tufted Duck are back with 14 birds present and a Sand Martin was feeding over the lake, however I suspect that this bird was infact a migrant rather than a local. Even Baiter Park was quiet with a few Med Gull around, Sandwich Tern and 5 almost summer plumaged Turnstone to round off the day. Above: Juv Long-tailed Tits Below: ad Med Gull Above and Below: Turnstone in almost full summer plumage On Wednesday I decided to head out to Baiter Park again however the extremely poor weather meant that very little was seen except a new colour ringed Mute Swan which I believe will come back as either ringed in Weymouth or on Portland and if so would be an interesting recovery. Otherwise the only notable thing was a steady trickle of Swallow coming in off the harbour and heading quickly in land and also 3 Great Crested Grebe were back out in Parkstone Bay which is the first since the beginning of April I believe. Above: Mute Swan DUB. Hopefully it will provide some interesting life history. Moving on to Thursday and a trip to Hengistbury head was on offer. Again the weather was extremely poor with a strong Westerly and also some rather potent showers in the vicinity. Swallow coming in off the sea was interesting especially since the weather was so poor, but it seemed as though they must just be making up for already lost time and taking their chances. The first fledged Stonechat of the year were at Whitepits and an interesting Goose fly over the same area which I am not fully convinced isn't a White-fronted Goose yet. The flowers were out in full bloom in places although I am not to sure what they all are they sure made a dull day slightly brighter. Above: Juv Stonechat Below: Either Greylag or White Front still can't decide Above: Male Stonechat Moving on to the Sandspit where another Little Tern was found, however not the hoped for Black Tern. Brown Tail Moth caterpillars were however literally everywhere and munching away on the brambles near the beach huts. Holloways dock was next up and a decent sized flock of 92 Black-tailed Godwit was found feeding at close range. Otherwise there wasn't a lot to report apart from the usual stuff. Reed Warblers showed well at Wick and rather oddly a Common Sandpiper was found bobbing up and down on a parked Boat which was a nice surprising year tick. A few more Swallow moved through over head, but I decided to call it a day and headed for home. Above: Brown Tail Moth Caterpillar Below: Black-tailed Godwits Above: Reed Warbler And so now onto Saturdays trip to Longham Lakes. It was a rather last minute decision, however I decided that I would make the most of a glorious day and take the 13 up to Parley Cross which has the added bonus of being included on the Uni bus pass. I have to admit that I didn't really know where I was going and so I decided to follow the Stour Valley footpath towards Longham. As soon as I got onto the footpath and away from the main road I was transformed into this absolutely stunning landscape. Treecreeper and Blackcap sang from the neighbouring woodland and down towards the river Reed and Sedge Warblers could be heard as well as the odd Common Whitethroat. I headed down towards the river Stour and as I did the unmistakable sound of a Kingfisher could be heard and I picked up the bullet shaped bird flying up the middle of the river. I moved further on and it was clear that the heat of the day was encouraging some of the local Butterflies and also the first Damselflies of the season out of hiding. Peacock Butterflies were most numerous at this stage with one Red Admiral. Both Small Red and Large Red Damselflies were on the wing and I very briefly had a Male Banded Demoiselle which has to be one of my favourite. Mayfly's were also everywhere and this was the first time I have experience one of there mass emergence's. It was quite a sight to see and there honestly must have been 1,000s of them. To think that they have less than 24 hours to find a mate and trust me from what I could see the competition was tough. This was made even tougher by the bird life that was taking advantage of this fast food service. Swift and House Martin were hawking low over the river enjoying the feast and they were soon joined by my first Hobby of the year. A Group of Drake Mallards were enjoying the bounty as well as the local fish which were waiting for the Mayfly to venture just a little to close to the water and then 'splash' and they were gone. 2 Little Egret and a Grey Heron were feeding on the little waterfalls as well, but I think they were taking advantage of the fish that had been drawn to the surface. Above: Peacock Butterfly Below: Small Red Damselfly I think Above: Mayfly's Below: Large Red Damselfly I think Above: Not entirely sure what this is but it is either Common Blue or Azure (I think) Next I headed to Longham Lakes, however I had absolutely no clue where I was going and so ended up wondering up and down the main road that I had been dumped at by the footpath I took. Eventually I found an entrance down a little gravel road which brought me out onto the North Lake. This was my first time on site and honestly it was interesting experience. The first lake had just under 100 Tufted Duck out in the middle just generally dozing, and drifting about not really doing anything in particular. There were plenty of Mallard Ducklings about including one that was very well grown and also a group of 11. A proud Canada Goose emerged from the reeds with 7 Goslings following close behind. Reed Warblers were literally in every reed bed while Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcaps, and Cetti's Warbler sang from the hedges surrounding the lakes. The odd few Reed Bunting were also around as well. Above: Canada Geese Goslings Below: Mallard Ducklings Above: The well grown Mallard duckling Below: Reed Warbler I decided to take a quick detour and have look in the fields that surround the lake. This meant walking along an extremely over grown track. The place was alive with more Small Red and Large Red Damselflies as well as the first Hairy Dragonfly of the year. Then all of a sudden a Rabbit bounded across the track in front of me and I realised that it wasn't alone as I could see a pair of ears sticking up from the lower bar of the gate ahead. Moving on further I found a field that had a flock of Canada Geese and Greylag, but not the hoped for Cattle Egret. Chaffinch were busying feeding young in the bush next to me and I assume the same thing goes for the Long-tailed Tits that I could hear. Above: Rabbit With not much else and the sounds of a distant rave I decided to retrace my steps and head back to the lakes. Next I decided to have a look around the south lake. Reed Warblers were still singing from every little small patch of reeds around the lake with Blackcap and Common Whitethroat singing from the borders. Almost 200 Tufted Duck were out in the middle of the lake along with a few Coot, a couple of Mute Swan and a Great Crested Grebe. A pair of Oystercatchers flew around the lake calling nosily and a pair of Greylag appeared with 3 goslings in tow which is apparently the first sight record of breeding for this species. Not for the first time in recent weeks there were literally 100s of Swift hawking above the lake with the odd Swallow and House Martin mixed in. It was a sight to see especially as the vast majority this time were flying around at head height. A pair of Med Gull also flew over mewing as they went and a tiny little fluffy black Moorhen chick was running about in one of the reed beds. Above: Mute Swan Above: Male Reed Bunting Below: Med Gull Above: Greylag and Goslings Below: Swifts There were however other highlights from the South Lake including another Hairy Dragonfly. It was infact the butterflies that stole the show. There were still plenty of Brimstone on the wing. Orange-tip were also numerous. However it was the small butterflies around the lakes edge that took my interest. This was in the shape of some stunning Common Blue's and also the slightly smaller Brown Argus. Just after having seen these I accidently bumped into the Dorset dragonfly recorder and he had told me about a Scarce Chaser which he had seen emerging along the Stour so I decided that I would head back that way to see what could be found. Above: Common Blue Below: Brown Argus I somehow found my self along an extremely over grown footpath to head back towards the Stour and then eventually re-found the main road and the path I was on before. The evening light was simply stunning and to make things better a pair of Kingfisher appeared from down river and spent the next couple of minutes chasing each other round the field next to me. I have to admit seeing a Kingfisher always brightens the day. Mayfly's were now even more abundant as the cooler weather now meant they weren't flying as high. More fish casualties were however evident. Moving on it was again the Dragonflies and Damselflies which took centre stage. This included freshly emerged Blue-tailed Damselflies, Common Blue and another Hairy Dragonfly. Bird wise it was relatively quite until an Egyptian Goose fly over and landed on the golf course next to me. I then realised that I need to move much quicker otherwise I would miss the last bus back to Bournemouth and so I paced the next mile back to Parley Cross passing Dudsbury Rings which is an old Iron age camp. The scenery was simply stunning though and the occasional stop to take in my surroundings and also to brush off Mayfly's almost cost me as I literally made it to the bus stop with seconds to spare. What a day. I am definitely going to head back over the summer for more Dragonfly and Damselfly hunting. And so I will leave you with some more photo's. My year list is now up to 170 only 22 more to go! Above: Hairy Dragonfly (I think)
Below: An unlucky Mayfly Now I have to admit one thing and that is the fact that I had no clue that International Dawn Chorus Day was a thing until last week and therefore I have decided to look into the history behind the day and infact it is quite interesting. The first Dawn Chorus Day was held in 1980s by Chris Baines when he held his birthday party at 4am so that all his guests could listen to the dawn chorus together. This started as a small annual event in Birmingham, but this tradition has now spread to countries around the world. Apparently some 80 countries now participate in Dawn Chorus Day activities. I thought that was quite a nice interesting fact before I get into the unfortunate reality. The reality is that now days the dawn chorus is not as it used to be in fact Conservationists such as Chris Packham reckon that we are heading towards a silent Spring and this is noticeable. Head out in to the heart of your local town and city at the crack of dawn and listen... The chances are that you will hear Robins and Blackbirds, but where are the other species that would normally inhabit Woodlands and Hedges out in the natural environment such as Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Nightingale. The chances are that you would have to go to a local park or Nature reserve to see these species. But even so the decline in Nightingale in the UK now means that they are only breeding in a handful of locations. Walking in farmland near where I live in North London and the sound of Lapwings displaying is brilliant, but they nest in one out of a possible 20 fields and there are only 4 pairs. In some years the Lapwing don't return and therefore the Farmland often has a quite spring since there are no breeding Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Yellowhammer, or Warblers. Why may you ask well it is unfortunately to do with the intensification of farming in this particular case. What's left of the hedgerows are destroyed over winter by the farmers trying to use every inch of space possible to grow crops. Pesticides and Herbicides are sprayed on the crops and the margins of the field are often left to whither and die. Ground nesting birds have very little chance at success since as soon as the grass is long enough to turn into Hay it is cut in order for the farmers to try and get a double crop. This in turn not only affects the local ground nesting birds but also reduces the amount of Wildflowers available to Butterflies, Bees, and insects. And this knock on affect means that there is now a limited food source for those species that do remain in the area and because of this Skylark and Meadow Pipit were lost as a breeding species in the 1980's the last record of a Yellowhammer was in 2006 and a whole host of other species have gone including Marsh Tit, Grasshopper Warbler, Tree Sparrow and Willow Tit and unfortunately these declines are mirrored nationally. If we aren't careful then the local populations of Lapwing and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker will disappear along with some of the other local specialities, and unfortunately for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this year is the first spring in the valleys history that not one bird has been seen or heard which means that there is the potential that 2 pairs have been lost in the space of a year including the young that they manged to rear between them. The national statistics seem equally as bleak with around an estimated 44million birds lost from the UK since 1966 which is roughly the same amount of birds as the population of England and Wales combined. When you put that into perspective it is simply heart breaking and the chances are the numbers are only going to become bleaker unless something is done to try and reverse these numbers. 56% of the wildlife species in the UK are in decline which is another heartbreak statistic. It is worth at this point that the are other reasons for these declines and this can include Britain's changing climate which means spring is on average 15 days earlier. This means that migratory birds are returning to the country earlier and also nesting earlier in the season which can lead to them becoming prone to being effected by extreme weather in our changing climate. Climate change is also pushing species further North and whilst this means that our resident birds are suffering it is also allowing species such as Black-winged Stilts, Egrets, Night Herons, Cetti's Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Bearded Tit, Med Gulls, Collard Dove, Garganey, Little Bittern, Bee-eater to expand their ranges into the UK as our climate becomes more like their usual continental range and in the future other species will follow in their foot steps. Migratory birds also have to tackle obstacles along their migration such as illegal hunting across the Mediterranean for human consumption. Although this is now beginning to be tackled this still takes place not just in Europe but also along other major migratory highways. And of course potentially the biggest problem is habitat loss full stop which is unfortunately only going to grow as the demand for housing continues to increase. Of course there is also the problem of Litter and the degradation of the habitat that is still available. There are so many things that are going wrong for our wildlife that I just don't have space to put in this blog post. Especially since as I write something down another pops into my head. I guess what I am trying to say is that before everywhere falls silent we must think about what we are doing to our planet. We must take action and responsibility for what we as human beings are doing to the world. Anyway enough on this for now as I have some work to do. Read on below to find out how I spent International Dawn Chorus Day. My alarm went off at 3am yesterday morning which from what I could hear was just about the same time that everyone was returning from the local pubs and clubs. 4 and a bit hours of sleep was going to be enough. By the time I had left the building it was eerily quite and so I headed down to the bus stop. The first Herring Gulls of the day were already up and using the street lights to commute between roof tops and also to find food. After an anxious wait the Night Bus finally turned up late which is impossible to understand since there was one person on board. The journey was smooth and I arrived on Stour Road in Christchurch at just after 430am. The first rays of light were just starting the appear on the horizon and a rather chilly breeze was blowing from the North keeping things well below freezing. One of the local Fox's ran across the road in front of me. Eventually I made it to the River Stour at Tuckton community gardens and although it was still dark the place was alive with sound. Dunnocks, Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, and Song Thrushes were singing from all around it was like a wall of sound. I have to admit that I just stood and listened for a while closing my eyes as I did so taking all the stress away. It was awesome, but just a shame that there was no one to share this moment with since everyone else appeared to be tucked up in bed (possibly the more sensible thing to be doing). I continued along the river finding the first Mallards of the day just starting the get their voices in on the action and I guess bringing me back to reality. Herring Gulls also called over head as they moved up the valley from their over night roost. I continued onto wick where the first warblers of the day were heard with Sedge, Reed, and Willow Warblers, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroat all singing. In fact Blackbirds were more numerous here to such an extent that at one point I had 6 singing males visibly singing their hearts out. There was one in a bush to my left, two on an small tree to my right, and then one on each of the visible roof tops. The whole concoction of song from the species combining was magical. The days first Little Egret flew past calling and as it did so the first Cetti's Warbler burst into life from the reed beds. (I did have some videos to post but I can't seem to be able to get them off Instagram) Moving further into Wick the sun was just starting to appear over the horizon as the days first Long-tailed Tits fed young in the bushes next to me. Blue and Great Tit were vocal but hard to see and a Sandwich Tern passed over head along with the days first Swift. As the sun rose a little further it was starting to become apparent just how cold it was as for the second dawn chorus walk I have done the sun revealed a completely frozen landscape with frost covering everything insight. Moving further along wick towards Hengistbury head it was more of the same really. The days first Chaffinch were seen as well as plenty of Greenfinch. Then as I neared the end of wick a bird with a white rump was flushed from the bushes next to the path and landed within a meter of my head on the bush next to me. A Male Bullfinch. I am not too sure who was more surprised whether it was me or him, but he seemed comfortable in my presence and started to feed on the buds of the tree he was now sitting on. After a while he gave a little 'peep' call and flew off towards the Visitor Centre only to be joined by a second in flight. Above: Male Bullfinch After this incredibly close encounter I headed to Barn Field to see if there were any Wheatear about. I hadn't gone more than a few feet when I noticed that there were actually two Wheatear on the path ahead of me along with a few Skylark and Meadow Pipit. Eventually a third Wheatear gave itself up as well. The beauty of being the first one out. A few Stonechat were also about and a Dartford Warbler called from the cover of the Gorse as 8 Med Gulls passed over heading East. Above: Meadow Pipit Next onto Barn Bight where a flock of 96 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding as it was low tide. A Little Egret was also about along with 77 Mute Swan which is a staggering count. Ducks wise the only species I could see were Mallards which makes a change to my last visit where I had 6 or 7 species. Common Whitethroat were singing in the bushes surrounding me and a Lesser Whitethroat was also present, but as I headed through the woodland to my surprise there were no Crests singing but given how cold it was I guess they were probably concentrating on keeping warm. Above: Black-tailed Godwits Below: Common Whitethroat Above: Male Reed Bunting and Male Greenfinch I then moved onto Holloways dock where another 9 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding along with a Shelduck and the days first Whimbrel. In the bushes on the right handside of the Dock a Willow Warbler sang and a Coal Tit appeared from the depths of the bush which was a welcome patch tick and the days first House Sparrows and Starlings could be seen and heard flying around the beach huts. Above: Whimbrel I then headed down along the Sandspit which in the hour or so that I spent down there produced the days best birding. Sandwich Tern were literally everywhere with around 60 feeding offshore in the Solent along with at least 10 Common Tern, and 3 Gannet. 13 Mute Swan were in the Solent as well with a lone Canada Goose sitting with them looking rather lost. The days first Oystercatcher few past calling while 4 Turnstone flew past in the opposite direction. 3 Bar-tailed Godwit randomly came into view over the sandspit circling me before heading back into the harbour as 2 Swift and 2 Swallow flew through heading North. I decided to have another scan of the Tern flock off shore and too my surprise I could now see some remarkably small Terns fishing with them. They were of course Little Terns and while 3 remained offshore another two came into the harbour over the sandspit. It was actually quite good to see the size different between the Sarnies and the Littles and lets just say its noticeable to say the least. Finally a Wheatear appeared on the rocks near where I was sitting and continued to fly catch as if no one was watching despite me sitting right next to it. Above: Sandwich Tern Above: Wheatear I then headed up to the top of the headland to check out the heathland here. Stonechat were numerous along with plenty more Common Whitethroat bring the day total to around 56 individuals. Sand Martin were everywhere with well over 80 individuals zipping through at various heights. However most of the time they were zipping through barely above the gorse and heather heading to and from the cliffs with plenty of insects about for them to gather. Above: Sand Martins and the Chat Below: Male Stonechat with grub for the growing youngsters I continued along the headland to the view point which was truly magical. Whilst I was up at the view point I picked up a Siskin circling over head. It was a nice Male and passed to the east as it flew over calling. A rather bazar late record if you ask me. 2 Rock Pipit flew in calling and briefly alighted on the fence, but I have to admit that the scenery stole the show again as I just love the view from this part of the headland. Next I headed back past Barn Field where the Wheatear were still showing well, but the area was now full of people so they were quite flighty. Yet more Sandwich Tern were fishing offshore, but with nothing else on the sea I headed slightly inland and into the dunes at Whitepits. A Reed Warbler was bizarrely singing from one of the bushes here so must have been new in. This stop to listen to the Reed Warbler was interesting as I noticed a few skulking Warblers in the bushes near it. More Whitethroat were in the bushes as well as a Chiffchaff and eventually the final warbler in the bush showed itself and I was pleased to be looking at my first Garden Warbler of the year, before it went back down to the bottom of the bush in typical skulking fashion. And so with my grandparents down to visit this brought an end to my morning however the birding wasn't done yet as the restaurant we went to looked out over the harbour and to my surprise at 12:45 an Osprey entered the harbour carrying a fish being mobbed by around 20 large gulls. It circled the area for 5 or so minutes while still being pestered and eventually gave up and proceeded inland over the restaurant and vanished. This brought and end to a great National Dawn Chorus Day walk and I have to admit I am already looking forward to next year. And with my year list now up to 168 it leaves me in a very decent position to reach my goal. I wonder what the next species to end up on my list will be....? Above: Male Wheatear Below: Sandwich Tern Above: Common Whitethroat I would also just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who reads my blogs and for the continued support it means a lot to me.
I am tempted to start to write more conservation minded blogs in the future and also I am working on trying to upgrade my equipment so that I can make some short films and perhaps even mini documentary's so stay tuned.... Also any feedback on blog post would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you again for your continued support! The Return Of The Swift - Hilfield Park Reservoir, Aldenham CP, Totteridge Valley - 2nd May 20192/5/2019 A chilly, but muggy morning saw the 1st returning Swift over the garden along with 2 Swallow flying through heading North so upon finding that my mum was going to be driving past one of the local reservoirs I decided to take a chance and head up since I guessed there would be some decent Hirundine passage and the chance of a year tick or two. Upon arrival at Hilfield Park Reservoir I looked up to see a Red Kite circling above the car with 2 Swift close by. Moving on into the grassland I could now see that the sky was full of Common Buzzard, Swift, along with a Sparrowhawk and a few Swallow mixed in for good measure. There must have been close to 100 Swift already just feeding on the insects that were already starting to annoy me. Above: Common Buzzard Below: Common Buzzard and Lesser Black-backed Gull I headed through the field listening to singing Blackcap, Chiffchaff, and Whitethroat as I went. I then headed through the little gate and through a massive swarm of flies before finally arriving at the viewing platform looking over the main Reservoir. The 1st noticeable thing was the swarms of Swift feeding at varying heights over the reservoir. With some extremely low over the water, to those at extreme altitudes and barely a dot in the sky. It felt like the place was being over run with swifts but it was an amazing sight to see. A one point the lower birds grouped together screaming as a Red Kite fly low over the lake. There must have been some 2-300 Birds present it was utter madness. (The Video below gives an idea of how many swift there were, but they are merely specs shooting across the screen) Above: one of the many Swift Below: Screen grab from the video showing Swallow, House Martin and Swift To be honest I was quite surprised that there were no Hobby about, however the flock of Swifts did contain around 30+ Swallow, 6 House Martin and 4 Sand Martin so it wasn't bad going. The rest of the birdlife on the resi was actually quite quiet with Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, and Coot all present. 3 Grebe Species were seen including the incredible Black-necked Grebe. I have to admit that I love seeing them at this time of year with their little red tufts on the side of their heads. They are truly stunning. An Arctic Tern was fishing with a Common Tern showing a nice comparison in the two species, however after a while I noticed that the Arctic had vanished and so presumably it had only briefly stopped of on its journey North. Eventually after having a bite to eat I decided to head to Aldenham Country Park since it was starting to get unbearable with the shear amount of insects swarming the viewing platform. Above: Black-necked Grebe Below: Common Buzzard being mobbed by a Carrion Crow As I left the field and headed out onto Hogg Lane I could just make out the faint sound of singing Skylark coming from the general direction of the Elstree Airport, which is interesting considering how busy the airport is. Along the way to the Country Park Blackcap, Whitethroat, and Chiffchaff were singing, along with a few Goldfinch in the hedges of the country lane. There was one particular hair raising moment when a lorry was coming down towards me and just like last year resulted in me throwing myself into a hedge to avoid the wing mirrors. This year I was unlucky since I throw myself into a Black Thorn and lets just say it wasn't pretty. Anyways moving on I finally made it to the Country Park and headed towards the Reservoir. A Pair of Grey Wagtail fed under the first tree that I came to along with the usual Mallards and Canada Geese. 3 Greylag were my first for the sight and a pair of Mute Swan were good to see. Tufted Duck, Coot, and Great Crested Grebe were present along with an Aylesbury, an Indian Runner and a Muscovy duck which had all probably at some point in their life escaped from the local farm. A flock of around 20+ Swallow hawked insects above the lake, however even though hilfield is barely a few hundred metres away there were no Swifts, which was rather odd. One of the Great Crested Grebes was fishing close by or at least that's what I thought it was doing. It turns out that what it came up with in its beak looks like a dead bird. Either way it proceeded to swallow it whole. Finally to round things off over by the boat club I found a family of Canada Geese that had 4 newly emerged Goslings. Above: Great Crested Grebe Below: Mallard Above: Pied Wagtail Below: Coots Territorial Dispute Above: Canada Goose and Gosling After this I headed up to Elstree with a Red Kite circling the road and a few Swallow passing through. I decided that I would head up to Totteridge to see what was about. Although as luck would have it no sooner had I gotten of the bus the heavens opened and the first of the days hail storms passed through. I have to admit that I wasn't properly dressed for this sort of weather and it was obvious that this wasn't going to be the last. So rather than doing the full circuit I decided to head down to Folly Farm where 2 Male Pheasant were squaring up to each other in one of the Horse Fields. Now I am sure that if the Horse hadn't intervened then this battle could have ended differently. 8 Lapwing were still in the field so hopefully they will have another good breeding season this year. I decided to head back home via Oakfields however the Firecrest of recent weeks wasn't singing, however I don't blame it since the heavens had opened once again. 2 Muntjac were some compensation for the lack of birds, however after a complete soaking I was now ready to head for home. And so this rounded off another great day of London Birding. To be honest now that I am birding in 2 parts of the country I have to admit that I have missed being in and around London and so I am very much looking forward to the summer. With 164 Species on my year list now the target becomes ever closer. Below: Male Pheasants |
AuthorI have been a birder since I was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 18. ArchivesCategories |