a million voices for nature

The RSPB North Staffs Local Group

The Ouzel September 2012

I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.

Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 1712

Please don’t forget, The Ouzel is now available as an attachment to the Group’s website. If you are happy to access it online, please think about whether you really need a paper copy as well, as your action could lead to a reduction in our printing costs.

Hello and welcome to the first edition of The Ouzel for 2012-13 and the Group’s 30th Anniversary season.

What a Wash Out

Despite trying really hard, it’s practically impossible to get this edition of the Ouzel off on a happy note after the devastating effect this summer has had on our birds and other wildlife, with its prolonged rain and wind. We have all probably read about the national increase in barn owl numbers and there are good reasons for believing red kites are becoming more established locally but the current casualty list far outweighs all the success stories in circulation. The shortage of insects over the last four months or so has led to swifts and their broods having a

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particularly wretched time of things, after modern house building practices had already reduced the number of nest sites open to them, but again it’s difficult to think about just one species to the exclusion of all others. At the risk of stating the all too obvious we need to hope the climate starts picking up again soon and our wildlife makes a speedy recovery as it has done in the past.

A Weekend in East Anglia, 4-7 May 2012

For almost 30 years now Jenny Wright has been organising birdwatching weekends for members of the Group as a lot of you will have happily discovered. Here, Nancy Chalmers kindly recalls some of her memories of the latest one:

‘If you have never tried one of Jenny’s weekends you are missing out given that they are so good for everyone who likes birds and the countryside. Food figures a lot too! In May a total of 19 of us made our way to Norfolk and Suffolk, seeing over 120 species between us – and in Mick’s case, locating one of the best bacon butties he’s ever tasted. I can recommend the blueberry and lemon cake too but you’ll need to see Mick for directions.

After setting off early, in order to get a good day’s birding in on the way to Norfolk, we decided to spend a few hours at RSPB Snettisham where our highlights were Mediterranean gull, the first marsh harrier of the weekend and flocks of knot swirling around. Then on to our hotel In Norwich, which was comfortable, warm and clean and kept us well fed over the weekend. Many thanks have to go to Jenny for always finding us good accommodation and coming up with good suggestions about birdwatching locations without ever pushing them.

The first day, Saturday (after a very good breakfast) was spent at RSPB Minsmere, always a favourite, where we saw ring ouzel, whinchat and wryneck to name just a few. My highlight of the day was watching bearded tits in full view, playing amongst the reeds

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for minutes, instead of the more usual fleeting glimpses. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

After a lot of good food and an early night we called in at Weeting Heath on the Sunday for stone curlews and wood larks amongst other species.

Our group were lucky enough to have superb views of a female green woodpecker, which was obliging enough to stay close to the front of the hide for many minutes. After that it was on to RSPB Lakenheath Fen where terns, hobbies and warblers entertained us.

After yet more good food and a good night’s sleep, our group made its way home on the Monday via Frampton Marshes, a newish RSPB reserve on the west side of the Wash. We had a great few hours there and added even further ticks to our weekend’s list including a black winged stilt, which gave us great views in front of the heated hide.

Hopefully there will be another weekend away soon. So thanks again Jenny; the diet will be worth it!’

Stone Curlew – RSPB images

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Female Impersonation

Nancy’s reference to a marsh harrier suddenly reminded me that I have been holding back a piece of information I received in a newspaper cutting about a year ago. Apparently and this is straight up, although that’s almost certainly the last time that particular expression will be used in this item, some male marsh harriers are disguising themselves as females to prevent rival males bullying them during the breeding season. Apparently the imposters tend to take on female characteristics and become much less aggressive in addition to looking like the opposite sex. Whilst other male birds do occasionally pretend to be females, Spanish scientists have reported that permanent female mimicry - where a male looks like a female for its entire life - is rare apart from in the case of the marsh harrier. Other examples of more short term female impersonation have been noted with the ruff and, as some of you will no doubt recall, on the Group’s coach trip to Walney Island on 20 May.

Between

the Storms

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Caught Napping

After all those depressing mornings of waking up and pulling the curtains back just to find it’s raining again we really could do with some form of national pick-me- up. So, as a starter, here’s a photograph of a blue tit fledgling David Stubbs caught napping in his rockery not long after it had successfully left the nest.

Thanks, Dave.

Going by the picture, the new arrival had obviously made its mind up quite quickly about the best way to spend its time this summer (although, please note, I’m only joking).

Photo image – Dave Stubbs

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Peak District Goshawks

It seems that where birds are concerned, bad news is never that far away. In May, the RSPB and Severn Trent Water Authority both expressed their outrage over the ‘wanton destruction’ of another goshawk nest in the Peak District, with the Society offering a reward for information leading to a conviction. The violation, a part of a sickening wave of bird of prey persecution in the area, had led to there being just one active goshawk nest in the Derwent Valley, when there were known to be six breeding pairs of the bird not that long ago. If you’ve read the autumn edition of Birds, you’ll have seen that disgraced, former gamekeeper Glen Brown had to pay an additional £7,000 costs after losing an appeal against his 2011 conviction for seven similar offences but it seems his friends are still, sadly, very much with us.

Stepping Up for Nature

If you’ve begun to wonder what’s happened to the RSPB’s Stepping Up for Nature Marine Pledge campaign don’t worry, it’s still ongoing. The timetable has, however, unfortunately had to be set back a little as a result of a lack of clarity over the timing of the consultation process. As many of you will recall, the Society was planning to submit a petition to the Government in spring 2012 reminding ministers of the need for the UK to start honouring its marine protection responsibilities. It now looks, however, as though the petition - which had 61,287 signatures or pledges at the start of July - won’t be handed in until the end of 2012 at the earliest.

If you want to get behind the marine campaign and haven’t already done so, by the way, there is still time. Simply go online, enter www.rspb.org.uk/marine and simply follow the instructions from then on.

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Out and About

Most of you won’t need reminding that August through to

November is a great time of year for seeing birds so forget the

rain and get out there with your binoculars. Locally, there are

numerous sites where you can see something of the autumn

migration, including Berryhill Fields and the Silverdale Void, and

it’s already underway. Before you do all dash off, however, can I

please ask you to keep me informed about your sightings and,

equally importantly, those birds that suddenly aren’t there any

more as the Group would dearly like to find out what’s been

happening on the local scene recently.

A Trip Down Under

In May, the Group finished its 2011-12 series of indoor meetings with Stephen Lovell’s New Zealand talk, ‘The Kiwi Tour’. Phil Hayward, a fellow Group member, had, in fact, also been out to that part of the world not too long before that and here he looks back at some of his birding experiences along the way:

‘In early April I went on a trip to New Zealand to see the first Speedway Grand Prix held there. Our route was via Malaysia, with the outward leg taking in Kuala Lumpur, the returning one, Penang. The venue was Western Springs, Auckland and we also enjoyed a few days in Rotorua, famed for its spa's mud pools, hot springs and almost overpowering smell of bad eggs! Being interested in bird watching, it gave me the opportunity to have a look for some different species and also indulge another interest of mine as an amateur astronomer under the southern skies. Obviously, being on an organised trip, time for such things was at an absolute premium and the birds I saw were probably the more common ones but nevertheless they were still interesting.

At our first stop, Kuala Lumpur, the two main species on display were the peaceful dove and the myna (or mynah). Bearing in

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mind this is a large city with a lot of traffic, tourists and locals wandering about these birds are as plentiful in the parks and squares as our feral pigeons and starlings - the families to which they are directly related. Interestingly, the mynas we came across here were far less gregarious than the ones we were to see later on in the tour.

Next stop Auckland and, given our hectic schedule, we decided to take the 10 minute ferry ride across the bay to Devonport within hours of arriving. It is well worth a visit; more surburbia by the sea in contrast to the big city over the water.

It was here that I saw what I now know to be the white-faced heron which is apparently far more common than the white heron in New Zealand. Anyway, he was pretty much oblivious to my creeping up on him - he was too busy getting his supper - so I managed to get a decent shot of him.

The oystercatchers were a different matter as they hid behind rocks at every opportunity. Also in attendance were the mynas again, hopping and running across the roads and footpaths like

Photo image – Phil Hayward

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cartoon roadrunners. In New Zealand they are considered an invasive species and seen in a pretty dim light for taking other birds eggs as well as being more successful than other birds in locating alternative food sources.

So - on to Rotorua! On the lake itself there were large numbers of scaup, black swans and a number of black-billed gulls. This was the New Zealand autumn so I would imagine that bird numbers would be swelled by the migrants during the summer months. Looking on the internet it appears that the black-billed gull is listed as being endangered so I may have been lucky in capturing photos of one of their number at the lake.

Walking around the mud pools and swampy areas near to the lake we came across a large bird with large feet bearing a lot of similarities to our moorhen. It seems it is in fact the swamp hen, an apt name describing it exactly.

On the final leg of the tour, we arrived at Penang where the main species on display was the myna again with not much else getting a look in. They clearly know where the rich pickings are in the garden of the hotel restaurant where clearly they have the first call on everyone’s leftovers. Photo image – Phil Hayward

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Garden Battlefield

Dunnocks skulking in hedge litter, Keep their heads down as they feed. Wrens avoiding open spaces, Bloodied robin in the weeds. Victor - Robin on the wall Sings out, ‘Winner takes it all!’

----oOo----

Rush-back visits to the feeders, Coal tits vie with ‘blue’ and ‘great’, None a match for dashing nuthatch, Or woodpeckers who don’t wait. Magpies looking darkly on, Is that ailing greenfinch done?

----oOo----

Starlings bicker over breadcrumbs, Clacking blackbirds chase through trees. A sparrowhawk approaches swiftly, Looming danger no one sees. Evade her shadow, dash away, Live to fight another day! Roger Birch

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An Urgent Appeal

In closing the various editions of the Ouzel I’ve produced over the last twelve months, I’ve always routinely added a short message inviting your contributions. Although a small number of you have put pen to paper or gone online over the year, I don’t think my message has ever told you how desperately short of material I’ve been when producing each issue. I need to urgently address this.

At the start of the Group’s summer break, I had a total of just two articles from fellow members for inclusion in this edition. Sadly, with the exceptions of the cartoon and poem kindly forwarded to me by Sandy McLauchlan and Roger Birch respectively, nothing else has arrived through the letter box since then and, as I’ve now used the articles from Nancy and Phil, it means the Ouzel is running on empty!

Normally in this situation one would be tempted to shut up shop but, as I’ve said before, I just know there is a wealth of birding knowledge and experience, not to mention humour, out there in the Group that everyone else would love to read about and share with you, if you’ll only let them. So, if you’ve ever thought about sending me something and haven’t, please start writing. Or, of course, drawing if it’s a cartoon! If you’re short of ideas by the way you might want to think about writing up details of that local birding patch you keep going back to or that rare bird you saw not all that long ago when you weren’t expecting to but those are just suggestions. The floor is quite literally yours.

Alternatively, if you don’t have time to put something on paper yourself or aren’t sure about the merits of a particular idea, please talk to me. My contact details are in your membership card or I can be found at the Group’s indoor meetings. It would be a shame to see the Ouzel disappear now we’ve nearly found out what it is. Alan Cartwright

a million voices for nature

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Programme Change

Regrettably, our presentation on 14 November, ‘The Biggest Twitch’, has had to be cancelled for reasons outside the Group’s control and a new speaker will be announced in the near future.

Volunteers needed for RSPB Together for Trees Campaign

Finally, it would be great if those of you with a little spare time could help the Group with a conservation display it will be mounting at Tesco in Trent Vale on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 September. Please note, however, that you will have to speak to either John Booth or Val Lucking very quickly if you can offer an hour or two’s assistance as a volunteer over the two days.

The display will form a part of the ‘Together for Trees’ campaign the RSPB is currently running throughout the country in partnership with the supermarket chain. As you may well have read, the Society is hoping to raise £1 million for its rainforest work during the first year of the campaign, which is also intended to give the public a better understanding of its role in international conservation.

As the event, which should include a rainforest video as well as display boards and information on the Group, presents a unique opportunity for us it will be great to see you there, either as a volunteer or simply to show your support.