« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »
August 30, 2007
Red kite found shot dead in Wicklow - from the Irish Times website
Efforts to revive Ireland's once extinct red kite population have been dealt a blow after a bird released in the Wicklow mountains was found shot dead, it was revealed today.
The bird, set free six weeks ago with 29 other kites, had been hit with shotgun pellets and was found on farmland north of Arklow yesterday.
Garda are investigating the killing which is believed to have happened between Sunday and yesterday.
Kites are protected under the Wildlife Act and have also been awarded the highest level of protection under European law.
Red Kite © Steve Round
The Golden Eagle Trust (GET), which is managing the project with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust, said the loss was a major blow.
"Obviously, after all the hard work and support for the project in Wicklow, nationally and in Wales, it is very worrying to recover a shot kite so soon after they have been released," GET project manager Damian Clarke said. "But I must stress that the level of support from all the local farmers, landowners and local gun clubs and shooting syndicates has been excellent."
Red kites were driven to extinction in Ireland from shooting, trapping and poisoning even though they pose no threat to either game birds or livestock. Kites have a wingspan of up to 1.8m but with weak beaks and claws they are not powerful predators and feed mostly on carrion in the winter and small mammals, crows, insects and worms.
"We hope that all landowners can advise people shooting on their property that red kites must be left unmolested. These species are fully protected by the law and it is illegal to shoot red kites, by mistake or otherwise," Mr Clarke said. "It is very unfortunate that we should recover a shot kite during National Heritage week - it once again highlights the importance that everyone needs to play a role in protecting Ireland's natural and cultural Heritage."
The red kite programme is one of three schemes to return previously extinct birds of prey to the Irish skies. Pairs of golden eagles have been released in Donegal and one set have bred successfully while in Co Kerry sea eagles have been returned to parkland around Killarney.
Posted by Surfbirds at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)
Greenish Warbler deluge - by Lee Evans
Last week's GREENISH WARBLER deluge involved a minimum 33 individuals, the vast majority of them in Norfolk. All had been displaced by fresh ENE winds and were grounded by heavy rain or overcast skies.
The first appeared on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 20th August, followed shortly by a wonderfully confiding individual at Skaw, Unst (Shetland) on 21st-22nd. That same day, a further juvenile reached the Farne Islands, showing well on Inner Farne (Northumberland) throughout the 21st.
Greenish Warbler, Shetland, Skaw, Unst 22/08/07 © Dougie Preston
The first to make landfall in Norfolk was on Blakeney Point, where before darkness fell on 21st, some FIVE birds had been located (with singles at Far Point, the Plantation and 3 in the vicinity of the Watch House). All five remained in attrocious conditions on 22nd, with none showing for more than a few seconds in the near gale force northerly winds. In fact, there was no real improvement in the weather until the Saturday, so it was not surprising to find that all 5 birds were still being located on 24th, with three congregating and occasionally showing well in the Plantation and an additional bird being seen at The Hood, with two remaining in sueda by the Watch House. In all, an absolute bare minimum of 6 birds occurred on the Point between 21st and 25th.
On 22nd August, one was discovered midway along the Straight Lonnen on Holy Island (Northumberland), whilst in better weather conditions on 23rd, a further three were discovered in Norfolk: at the west end of Holkham Pines, trapped and ringed in Martin Preston's garden at Denmark House, Weybourne and in the vicinity of the middle track at Warham Greens.
Further discoveries were made on 24th August, with singles in Norfolk at Wells Woods Drinking Pool, Holme NWT, Stiffkey Fen, Thornham Point at Titchwell, Sidestrand Hall School and Castle Farm at Sea Palling. Further south, one reached East Kent, visiting a clifftop garden at Cliff House, Kingsdown, whilst another showed intermittently at Warrenhouse Wood, Gunton (Suffolk). Further north, one was identified near Old Fall Hedgerow at Flamborough Head (East Yorkshire).
By far the most obliging individual was that in the bushes at Thornham Point, 800 yards west of Titchwell boardwalk. This bird performed at regular intervals for upwards of 450 visitors in the warm sunshine of 25th and was still present at dusk. Much more elusive were the 16 other birds located along the Norfolk coast that day, including 'new' birds at Stiffkey Campsite Wood, Horsey Bramble Hill, near California Campsite, Happisburgh, Cley Marshes NWT car park, Walsey Hills NOA, Muckleburgh Hill, Caister-on-Sea Second Avenue and Waxham Pipe Dump and remaining birds at Stiffkey Fen, Warham Greens (with an additional bird), Holme NWT and at least 3 on Blakeney Point.
Greenish Warbler, Blakeney Point, Norfolk, August 2007 © Glyn Sellors
With clear, calm and moonlit skies overnight on 25th, just two birds remained in Norfolk on 26th - singles at Walsey Hills NOA and in the hedgerow north of Second Avenue, Caister. Both birds showed occasionally throughout the day.
The final bird of the influx to be found was that at Rockland Broad (Norfolk) on 27th August, showing in scrub beyond the first gate until 0805 hours only. The Walsey Hills bird remained in Sallows at the SW end of the reserve until 27th, interestingly one of four birds during the influx to partake in subsinging.
Of 33 birds, just 7 were discovered outside of Norfolk!
Lee G R Evans
British Birding Association
UK400 Club, Rare Birds Magazine, Ornithological Consultant and Conservationist Discussion Forum/Email Group: _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/_
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/)
Email Address: LGREUK400@aol.com
Website Address: _www.uk400clubonline.co.uk_
(http://www.uk400clubonline.co.uk/)
Posted by Surfbirds at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)
List of birds needing UK conservation action grows
The 28th August 2007 sees the publication of the updated list of priority species and habitats that will guide future conservation action across the UK.
Teams of experts from a range of organisations, including the RSPB, have compiled the list, which comprises 1,149 species and 65 habitats. The list will be the basis for conservation action under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
The updated list now includes 59 birds, up from 26 when the first Biodiversity Action Plan list was published in 1995.
Making it to the new list are familiar garden birds, including the house sparrow and starling, whose populations have declined by more than half over the last 25 years. Other additions include rapidly-declining woodland birds, like the lesser spotted woodpecker, and declining long-distance migratory birds, including the cuckoo and yellow wagtail.
Yellow Wagtail, the UK population has dropped by more than 50% in the past 25 years.
Cambridgeshire, April 2007 © Peter Beesley
Welcoming the publication of the new list, the RSPB's conservation director, Dr Mark Avery, said: 'Over the last 12 years, the BAP system has helped everyone focus attention on priority species. To its credit, we have seen dramatic increases in key species, like bittern, stone-curlew, corncrake, nightjar, cirl bunting and woodlark.
'However, the fact that the bird list now includes more than a fifth of all of the UK's regularly occurring birds is a cause of alarm, especially as the list now includes a number of woodland birds and summer visiting birds like the cuckoo.
'The purpose of the list is to provide a framework for recovery and joint action from governments and conservation organisations alike. Before we can celebrate the widespread removal of species from the list, we will have to tackle some general environmental problems, including further reforms of agriculture, a faster rate of habitat creation and the need to tackle climate change.
'We will have to act fast if we are to meet obligations of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.'
Action needed
Out of the 59 birds included on the new BAP list, 32 have qualified because of declines of more than 50 per cent in the UK over the last 25 years; this compares with 24 birds from the 1995 list. Of the two dozen, from 1995, the populations of 13 are still declining and therefore still qualify for inclusion on the new list.
The new birds on the BAP list which have declined by more than 50 per cent in the last 25 years are: European white-fronted goose (winter visitor only), lapwing, Arctic skua, herring gull, cuckoo, lesser spotted woodpecker, tree pipit, yellow wagtail, ring ouzel, grasshopper warbler, Savi's warbler, wood warbler, willow tit, starling, house sparrow, lesser redpoll, hawfinch, yellowhammer.
The birds which have remained on the BAP list because of declines of more than 50 per cent are: Common scoter, black grouse, capercaillie, grey partridge, roseate tern, turtle dove, wryneck, skylark, marsh warbler, spotted flycatcher, red-backed shrike, tree sparrow, corn bunting.
The number of UK records of aquatic warbler has also declined by more than 50 per cent. This bird, which only occurs in the UK as a migrant, and remains on the BAP list because of the fall in the number of UK records and because it is also considered to be facing the threat of global extinction. The Balearic shearwater (a type of seabird which visits the UK regularly during the autumn) has been included on the new list because it is facing an extreme threat of global extinction.
A number of birds have qualified because of their extinction threat within Europe. These are: Bewick's swan (winter visitor only), Greenland white-fronted goose (winter visitor only), dark-bellied brent goose (winter visitor only), scaup (winter visitor only), black-throated diver, black-tailed godwit (one race only), wren (Fair Isle and St Kilda races only, which are confined to these two locations), and song thrush (Hebridean race only).
Four birds have been included on the BAP list because their UK populations (which must also amount to more than a quarter of the European population) have declined by more than a quarter in the UK during the past 25 years. The dunnock, marsh tit and red grouse have unique British races not found in Europe, while the curlew has an important nesting population in the UK.
Eleven birds which were listed in 1995 due to their rapidly-declining populations no longer qualify against this criteria because their populations have stabilized or improved through targeted conservation action. However, these species are retained on the new BAP list because they have yet to recover safe, sustainable populations. These birds are: bittern, corncrake, stone-curlew, red-necked phalarope, nightjar, woodlark, song thrush, linnet, bullfinch, cirl bunting and reed bunting.
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)
Globally threatened birds pay for their sex
A new study published in the leading ornithological journal Ibis has uncovered that for the vast majority of bird species, there are more males than females. The discovery suggests that populations of many of the world’s threatened birds could therefore be overestimated, because scientists often base population estimates on counts of males.
Males are usually more brightly plumaged than females and the males of many species sing to attract mates and defend territories making them easier to hear and therefore count. Researchers then take this as an estimate of the number of breeding pairs, critically assuming an equal number of males and females in the population. But is this assumption a valid one? This study suggests not.
Stitchbird, one of the threatened species known to have a male-biased sex ratio.
New Zealand, Tiritiri Matangi Island 12th Nov 2005 © Ray Wilson
After carrying out a comprehensive review of hundreds of scientific papers, Dr Paul Donald of the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) concluded that in the majority of bird species studied, there are more males than females.
“Most species have male-skewed sex ratios, but a wholly unexpected finding was that the rarer the species, the more highly skewed towards males the population sex ratio becomes,” says Dr Donald. “This means that many of the world’s rarest species may be much closer to extinction than we previously thought, because the number of females is lower than the number of males . It is much easier to save a population with an excess of females than one with an excess of males.”
But why does this happen?
“It’s not that females are producing more sons than daughters, because at hatching the sex ratio is generally equal. The only possible explanation is that females do not live as long as males”, Dr Donald adds. “As generations grow older, they become increasingly dominated by males as more females die off.”
One possible explanation for this higher female mortality is that females may experience higher physiological stress. In many bird species females are the dispersing sex while the males stay closer to home and in migratory species it is often the females that fly the furthest despite being smaller in size.
But why do more threatened species have such strongly skewed sex ratios?
“One possible explanation is that many threatened species are endangered because of introduced predators, which have been shown to kill females when they are incubating eggs in the nest.”
Backing up Dr Donald’s argument, some studies have found that populations of threatened species in New Zealand have reverted back to a more balanced sex ratio after predators were removed.
Because most bird population estimates are likely to be overestimates, it is crucial that researchers take the sex ratio into account when devising strategies for saving globally threatened species.
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:50 AM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2007
Satellite tracking reveals threats to Borneo pygmy elephants
A new WWF study tracking pygmy elephants by satellite shows that the remaining herds of these endangered elephants, which live only on the island of Borneo, are under threat from forest fragmentation and loss of habitat.
Borneo pygmy elephants depend for their survival on forests situated on flat, low lands and in river valleys, the study found. Unfortunately, it is also the type of terrain preferred for commercial plantations.
Over the past four decades, 40 percent of the forest cover of the Malaysian State of Sabah, on the northeast of Borneo – where most of pygmy elephants are – has been lost to logging, conversion for plantations and human settlement.
“The areas that these elephants need to survive are the same forests where the most intensive logging in Sabah has taken place, because flat lands and valleys incur the lowest costs when extracting timber,” said Raymond Alfred, Head of WWF-Malaysia’s Borneo Species Programme.
“However, the Malaysian government’s commitment to retain extensive forest habitat throughout central Sabah, under the “Heart of Borneo” agreement, should ensure that the majority of the herds have a home in the long term,” Alfred added.
This study, the largest using satellite collars ever attempted on Asian elephants, suggests that pygmy elephants prefer lowland forests because there is more food of better quality on fertile lowland soils.
But the study also shows that elephants’ movements are noticeably affected by human activities and forest disturbance. Data gathered so far reveals there are probably not more than 1,000 pygmy elephants left in Sabah – less than the 1,600 or so estimated previously.
And, one important area for the elephants, the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, may be too small and too fragmented to support a viable population for the long term, according to the report.
Five pygmy elephants were darted and outfitted with collars two years ago by the Sabah Wildlife Department with WWF assistance, after tracking the elephants on foot through the dense jungle was found too difficult over long periods.
The collars sent GPS locations to a WWF computer via satellite as often as once a day. This was the first long-term study done of Borneo pygmy elephants.
“Satellite tracking is clearly one of the most effective ways of obtaining information on wild elephants in Sabah because they spend so much time inside the forest,” said Mahedi Andau, Director of the Sabah Wildlife Department. “We now have a good idea of the home range, size and location of some individual elephant herds.”
The information provided by the research might also help predict locations where elephants and farms may come into future conflict.
While pygmy elephants can live in logged and secondary forests, it is crucial that their remaining habitat is managed sustainably and not converted into plantations, WWF says. Logging in elephant habitat should only take place if there is a long-term forest management plan in place, and oil palm plantations should be established on degraded, non-forested land devoid of elephants and orang-utans, according to the conservation organization.
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:16 AM | Comments (0)
Asian rare bird first to benefit from world's largest bird conservation programme
The Bengal Florican, one of the world’s most threatened birds, will be first to benefit from a new conservation approach that aims to save all 189 of the world’s Critically Endangered birds from extinction.
With less than 1,000 individual birds remaining, Bengal Florican had been given just five years before disappearing forever from its stronghold, the floodplain of the Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia.
Bengal Florican, Cambodia, Kompong Thom 27 March 2005 © Vincent van der Spek
The florican will benefit from the groundbreaking new ‘BirdLife Species Champions’ approach; whereby ‘Champions’ are being sought for Critically Endangered birds, to fund identified conservation programmes that will pull each species back from the brink of extinction.
The ‘Species Champion’ for Bengal Florican will be the British Birdwatching Fair 2007, contributing toward conservation works being undertaken by ‘Species Guardians’ working in Cambodia. Three other Critically Endangered birds will also benefit: Belding’s Yellowthroat (Mexico), Djibouti Francolin (Djibouti), Restinga Antwren (Brazil).
Since being re-discovered in Cambodia in 1999, Bengal Florican numbers have plummeted due to unregulated land conversion for intensive agriculture.
The BirdLife Species Champions funding will contribute toward the government-approved ‘Integrated Farming and Biodiversity Areas’ programme in Cambodia, encouraging communities to favour ‘low-impact’ traditional farming techniques over intensive non-sustainable dry-season rice production.
“It is a fantastic privilege that Birdfair can act as Species Champion for the Bengal Florican,” said Martin Davies, co-organiser of the British Birdwatching Fair. "Visitors to the fair can take heart in knowing that their contributions will directly help the survival prospects of birds that otherwise would certainly disappear from the planet forever.”
“Critically Endangered birds can be saved from extinction through this innovative approach,” said Dr Mike Rands, Chief Executive of BirdLife International, on the BirdLife Species Champion initiative.
“We know the priority conservation actions needed for each species – what we need now is the support of companies, organisations or even individuals –Species Champions.” he added.
“This is an enormous challenge, but one we are fully committed to achieving in our efforts to save the world’s birds from extinction.”
The BirdLife Species Champion initiative will be launched officially at this year's British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water (August 19-21), co-organised by the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:08 AM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2007
Royal Mail Endangered Bird Stamps issue and Bletchley Park First Day cover
The tiny post office at Bletchley Park is usually associated with the undercover mail of World War Two code breakers. But for the Royal Mail “Birds” stamp issue on 4th September it is issuing a limited edition first day cover. Only 250 will be released.
The cover design by Clare Pollitt provides a beautiful backdrop to the ten Royal Mail stamps featuring endangered species. The raptor on the cover is also a link to when coded messages where sent by pigeon. Special enemy falconry units were formed to capture them. A new exhibit at Bletchley Park tells that and other stories of “pigeon post”.
The first day cover can be previewed and ordered through the web site at www.bletchleycovers.com
or by contacting:
Bletchley Park Post Office,
The Mansion,
Bletchley Park,
Milton Keynes,
MK3 6EB.
Tel: 01908 631797/272690.
Issue price is £12.50 plus £1.50 post and packing.
Posted by Surfbirds at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 6, 2007
Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) declares first national park
After just five years as an independent nation, Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) has declared its first national park, a move which will protect a number of threatened species found nowhere else on Earth.
The declaration has been applauded by BirdLife International, one of a number of organisations involved in the site designation process.
“This is an incredibly forward-thinking decision, made all the more spectacular by the fact that this is such a young nation,” said Dr Mike Rands, BirdLife’s Chief Executive. “We wholeheartedly congratulate the Timor-Leste government on this declaration, and their commitment to conservation in line with sustaining the livelihoods and heritage of local people.”
Timor-Leste became independent in 2002 and despite rich deposits of oil and gas it remains one of the world's poorest nations.
The newly designated Nino Konis Santana National Park –at over 123,600 hectares- links together three of the island’s sixteen BirdLife-designated Important Bird Areas: Lore; Monte Paitchau and Lake Iralalara; and Jaco Island.
Yellow-crested Cockatoo, copyright Craig Robson, Birdquest
“This is great progress by the government and communities of Timor-Leste. After five years work our first national park is born. It will help our nation to protect its national heritage, culture and history,” said Manuel Mendes, Director of the Department of Protected Areas and National Parks, Timor-Leste. “The national park will protect globally significant biodiversity and the culture and socioeconomic livelihoods of communities living there.”
The National Park will also include over 55,600 hectares of the ‘Coral Triangle’, a marine area with the greatest biodiversity of coral and reef fish in the world.
The National Park includes 25 bird species restricted to Timor and neighbouring islands, and also the Critically Endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea, whose populations have been devastated worldwide by unsustainable exploitation for trade. In addition the Park is home to the endemic Timor Green-pigeon Treron psittaceus, listed as Endangered due to loss of monsoon-forest habitat on Timor island.
BirdLife has worked with the Timor-Leste government (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, MAFF) since shortly after the country's formal independence. Site designation work began with a programme of biological surveys, resulting in the identification of the country's Important Bird Areas (IBAs) (soon to be published in book form).
In doing this BirdLife joined forces with the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC), whose participation allowed the programme to be widened towards establishment of a new national protected areas network. Additional support to the programme was provided by Australian Volunteers International.
“Now we must plan further and work hard to manage well, not only the government of Timor-Leste but international partners who want to collaborate and work with us, help us to build our capacity so that we can manage for ourselves,” finished Mendes.
The National Park is named in honour of Nino Konis Santana, national hero and former Commander of FALANTIL (Forças Armadas da Libertação Nacional de Timor-Leste), the armed wing of the resistance movement in the struggle for independence who was born in the village of Tutuala within the National Park.
Posted by Surfbirds at 8:44 PM | Comments (0)