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November 30, 2007
Birds count cost of awful summer
Of the 25 bird species monitored by BTO bird ringers, seven had their worst breeding season ever. One of the worst hit was the Blue Tit. During the summer, bird ringers were catching only half the number of juvenile Blue Tits as would have been expected in an average year, the appalling weather of May, June and July having taken its toll.
The seven biggest losers in 2007 (all with their worst ever productivity) were:
Blue Tit (48% below the long-term average)
Great Tit (33% below normal)
Reed Warbler (27% below normal)
Whitethroat (25% below normal)
Willow Warbler (19% below normal)
Treecreepers and Willow Tits were also at their lowest levels (55% and 63% below average) but, as only small numbers are caught, these figures may be unrepresentative.
Blue Tit © John Judge, one of the worst hit, from the surfbirds galleries
There is one positive story though: Long-tailed Tits had their highest ever productivity this year, showing an increase of 48% on the long-term average. They are early nesters – building nests in February and March – and may well have taken full advantage of the great April weather.
The British Trust for Ornithology has been measuring bird productivity for 25 years, using the Constant Effort Sites Scheme, funded under the BTO/JNCC partnership. Trained, volunteer bird ringers around the country put up the same nets in the same sites on twelve occasions every summer. By looking at how many adult and how many juvenile birds are caught, they can get a very good idea of how successful the breeding season has been.
Mark Grantham, who runs the Constant Effort Scheme, said: “For resident birds, such as Blue and Great Tits, it will be interesting to see how they cope with the poor season. Most may well be able to bounce back next year, but it is more serious for the migratory species (Reed Warbler, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler). These are already suffering problems both on migration and in Africa, so a poor breeding season just adds to their plight.”
Some Blue Tits in southern England fledged before the bad weather started but, from stories told to BTO staff by birdwatchers from around the country, it seems as if most Blue Tits were not quite this early and that many died in nest boxes. As Mark explains: “The cold, wet weather over the early summer will have made life incredibly tough for adults that still had hungry youngsters in boxes. Each Blue Tit chick (up to 12 in a box) will need around 100 caterpillars every day, and finding enough caterpillars in the poor weather we’ve seen is no mean feat.”
Newly-fledged, fluffy juveniles experienced problems too:
• Young birds have far fewer* feathers than their parents and get wet and cold much more easily
• In wet weather, caterpillars are washed off leaves, making finding food much harder – especially as youngsters have little idea of how to fend for themselves.
(* important to get out of the nest as quickly as possible, to avoid predation. Youngsters grow extra feathers a few weeks after they leave the nest)
Posted by Surfbirds at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)
Iconic birds soar higher
Scotland's breeding population of white-tailed eagles has risen dramatically to its highest number since the reintroduction programme began more than 30 years ago.
There are now 42 territorial breeding pairs of the UK's biggest raptor, an increase of 6 pairs since 2006. It has also been the most successful year in terms of chicks produced, with 24 successful broods fledging a total of 34 young birds.
White-tailed Sea Eagle, Highland, August 2007 © Steve Round, from the surfbirds galleries
The ongoing monitoring of white tailed eagles is conducted by the Sea Eagle Project team, which includes Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland and the RSPB.
Skye, Mull and the Western Isles remain the core population area since the white-tailed eagle was brought back from extinction by reintroduction programmes, but they are now beginning to significantly expand this range.
There are probably now around 200 sea eagles in Scotland, giving tourists and wildlife watching enthusiasts their best ever chance of witnessing these spectacular and inspiring birds often referred to as ‘flying barn doors’ due to their sheer size.
This latest increase in the white-tailed eagle population coincides with plans to establish a population across Scotland by introducing chicks taken from nests in Norway to the east coast.
Posted by Surfbirds at 8:17 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2007
Action needed to help wildlife weather the storm
The breeding grounds for some of the UK's rarest birds have narrowly escaped the storm surge that swept down the coast of East Anglia this week.
In the wake of the surge, the RSPB has called for urgent Government action to create large areas of important habitat like reedbeds further inland to prepare for the day when the sea claims large areas of the English coast.
Freshwater reedbeds along the coasts and Broads of Norfolk and Suffolk are home to more than 70 per cent of the UK's breeding male bitterns. There were just 51 breeding males recorded this year, with 37 in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Bittern © Steve Round, breeding habitat suffers, from the surfbirds galleries
Several areas have flooded however, including reedbeds at the RSPB's reserve at Dingle Marshes in Suffolk and the neighbouring NNR at Walberswick, both considered prime bittern habitat.
For the first time, the sea has also managed to overtop the wall protecting the large Westwood Marshes reedbed on the site.
Saltwater is still pouring into the reedbeds at the Society's Strumpshaw Fen reserve, killing large numbers of fish in the second major flood in as many years. No bitterns are likely to breed there next spring, while other birds and otters are likely to be short of food.
It is estimated more than 1,000 hectares of freshwater reedbeds and grazing marsh will be lost to flooding and erosion along the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex in the near future.
Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's director of conservation, said: 'This has been a close run thing, but sea levels are rising and storms are only going to become more frequent as our climate warms.
'This whole coast is of huge value for wildlife, covered in sites of international importance and it is imperative the Government acts now to create the habitat plants and animals are going to need if they are to survive in a changing world.
'Starting from scratch, it can take 15 years to get somewhere up and running as a breeding site for bittern. It can be done but Government needs to get on and do it. They have been talking about this for years while the threat has grown. Every winter now, there is some flooding.'
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:30 AM | Comments (0)
Tough old bird weathers the storm
A rare bird species in Hampshire is going strong – despite atrocious conditions this summer.
The RSPB recorded 121 pairs of Stone-curlew across Hampshire and neighbouring counties this year, four times higher than when work with the bird began in the 1980s.
RSPB Stone-curlew project manager Phil Sheldrake said: 'While we witnessed other species having a hard time this summer, the Stone-curlews proved their toughness. They made the most of the softer soil, feasting on normally hard-to-reach food which had down-pours had brought to the surface.'
Stone Curlew © William Bowell, from the surfbirds galleries
He added: 'It's a heartening sight watching stone-curlew chicks making short work of earthworms which were often longer than the birds themselves! Some of the chicks gained weight as much as 25% faster than normal – all thanks to the poor summer we had.'
Despite the good news, conditions are becoming increasingly grim for Stone-curlews and fellow migrants such as whitethroats and reed warblers.
A shift in EU policy means land designated as 'set aside' – on which crops cannot be grown – will be scrapped next year. Ten per cent of the region's Stone-curlews currently nest on such areas and, with no plans to find an alternative, these already threatened birds could face a bleak future.
Bruce Fowkes, the RSPB's South East England's farm conservation advisor, said: 'In previous years, farmers had to create a certain amount of set-aside on their farms. From 2008, this will no longer be the case, and could have adverse affects on all the fantastic efforts of Hampshire Downs farmers to provide safe nesting plots for this amazing bird.
'This is potentially a huge blow to the great progress made to date, and the RSPB is working closely with these farmers to find alternative ways of creating suitable stone-curlew habitat.'
Projects, such as that run with the MoD on Salisbury Plain and Porton Down are helping to counteract the threat to birds over set-aside, with the SITA Trust granting some £110,239 – through the Government's Landfill Communities Fund – towards stone-curlew nest and chick protection.
Mr Fowkes added: 'The majority of the RSPB's work is funded by membership subscriptions, but a boost like this one from SITA Trust is most welcome. Especially as, despite their productive summer, the shadow of the loss of set-aside is hanging over the birds.'
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:24 AM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2007
Thousands of birds die in Black Sea Oil spill
Thousands of birds and fish have been killed as oil spills from a stricken tanker in the northern Black Sea.
At least 30,000 birds have died, and thousands more are covered in oil and face death in the coming days. The main species reported to be affected are Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Common Coot Fulica atra, Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus and Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis.
Black-necked Grebe © Rich Andrews, from the surfbirds galleries
So far, 50km of Russian coastline is affected by the oil spills. Two Important Bird Areas (IBAs), nearby, the Kiziltash Bay and the Tamanski and Dinskiy Bays, are under threat. Both are designated primarily for migrating and wintering birds. Up to 50,000 migratory waterfowl and other birds are known to use the sites during migration. Among these are Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus, listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla.
On Saturday night November 10th, a heavy storm brought severe damage to vessels stuck in the Kerch Strait between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
One vessel broke in two, leaking at least 2,000 tonnes of oil in the Black Sea. At least three more vessels that sank carried potentially hazardous sulphur. Twelve ships in total were reported to have been affected by the storms, killing at least six sailors.
Due to the weather circumstances which are still difficult at the moment, information about the current situation in the area is sparse. BirdLife’s network representatives are therefore relying on local sources to receive updates. Weather services have announced more storms for tonight which make it impossible to undertake large-scale rescue operations at sea or to start cleaning oil-covered birds.
Posted by Surfbirds at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
World Cup airport will look out for Swallows
As five million Barn Swallows migrate from across Europe to roost in South Africa’s Mt Moreland Reedland, they will be greeted by more than just birdwatchers. In future air traffic controllers at La Mercy Airport will be among those watching the birds come in, if necessary informing pilots of the swallow flocks when coming into land so that collisions can be avoided.
The plan to protect the birds will be announced on November 11th at a special ceremony at the reedbed, attended by BirdLife South Africa.
The decision – one of a number of key mitigation actions announced – was made in response to global outcry last November, when BirdLife outlined its concern about the expansion of La Mercy Airport, in preparation for South Africa’s hosting of World Cup 2010.
Swallow © Steve Nuttall, from the surfbirds galleries
The threat that planes would pose to the adjacent roost – arguably Africa’s largest – was put across by conservationists and BirdLife Partners throughout Europe, most notably by the RSPB, BirdLife’s Partner in the UK, a country in which a number of the Barn Swallows breed.
The campaign was led by BirdLife South Africa: “This has been a fantastic result, and we’re delighted to report on this outcome after a year of negotiations and meetings. The support of so many people – via letters and petitions – has played an important part.” said Neil Smith, Conservation Manager at BirdLife South Africa.
“Since our campaign started, the Airports Company of South Africa [the organisation behind La Mercy] has really come on board, quickly realising the importance of this site as a reedbed of international significance.”
Following BirdLife’s complaint, consultants were brought in to examine the roosting and flocking behaviour of the swallows, using advanced radar imagery. Their results confirmed that constant monitoring of the swallow movements during take-off and landing of aircraft would be required.
The Airports Company of South Africa has now listed a number of measures that it will take to ensure that the roost and the airport can coexist. These include employing environmental management staff to make sure that suitable management of the reedbed continues.
Perhaps most significantly, the same advanced radar technology used to study the movement of the swallows will also be installed in the airport control tower. This will mean that planes can take the option of circling or approaching from another angle when large flocks of swallows form over the reedbed site in the late evening.
“Losing such a valuable site could have affected breeding swallow populations across Europe”, said Dr Ian Burfield, Birdlife’s European Research and Database Manager. “Conserving migratory birds is about more than ensuring one site is protected or well managed. It takes global effort: at breeding sites, at stopover sites during migration, and at important non-breeding sites like this, where large numbers of birds roost.”
The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica undertakes one of the world’s most remarkable migrations, with many individuals flying thousands of miles in spring to breed in Europe and then repeating the feat in the autumn, to spend the boreal winter in southern Africa. Numbers of Barn Swallows have declined across many European countries, largely as a result of agricultural intensification and simplification.
Posted by Surfbirds at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
Too early to tell on Black Sea oil spill
The full environmental impacts of this week's oil spill in the Black Sea would not be known for some time, the global conservation organization WWF has said.
At least four ships sank, including one tanker believed to be carrying about 1200 tonnes of oil, and four others were in danger of breaking up after a severe storm hit the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea on Sunday.
“This is a tragic incident because lives have been lost, and there are some people who are still missing,” said Guillermo Castilleja, Programme Director of WWF International. “WWF deeply regrets this loss of life, and, beyond that, all we can say at the moment is it is too early to say for sure what the environmental impacts will be.
Cormorant © Jon Hall, at risk, from the surfbirds galleries
“The eco-system in this area has been degraded in the past by other spills and pollutants, and this latest spill will be a further setback.”
However, three experts from WWF-Russia, highlighted the need for a greater focus on safety.
WWF-Russia’s Director of Conservation Policy, Dr Evgeny Shvarts, said: “WWF hopes that the accident will lead to the adoption of a law guaranteeing safety of oil operations in seas and rivers, similar to the Oil Pollution Act adopted in the US after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.”
Alexey Knizhnikov, head of WWF-Russia’s oil and gas programme, said: “The accident is a natural consequence of the situation when ships constructed for rivers sail in the sea. In the Strait of Kerch, river vessels and sea vessels change cargos, as sea vessels cannot enter the Don and Volga rivers because of small water draft. But vessels constructed for rivers cannot stand strong sea storms."
Oleg Tsaruk, head of WWF-Russia Caucasus branch: “To minimize the consequences of oil spills in the sea, it is important to create a permanent Russian-Ukranian group capable of coordinating emergency services of the two countries. This agency should not only be responsible for cleaning up oil spills. Its main function should be preventing potential accidents. Everyone had been warned about the coming storm before November 11, but there hadn’t been any strict command to take ships with poisonous cargos to safe places.”
Posted by Surfbirds at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
November 4, 2007
Fair Isle Bird Report 2006 - now available
Less than ten months after the end of the year, the 2006 Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report landed on my desk this week - one of only a few 2006 bird reports thus far published.
Once again, it is a bumper edition, at 160 pages long. A total of 204 species were recorded on the 'Magic Isle' in 2006 including one addition - North American Black Duck, whilst other highlights included Eurasian Scops Owl and Blyth's Pipit. As ever, the daily log recorded the numbers and dates of all migrants, continuing the island's invaluable 60 year database. The Fair Isle seabirds had a much better year than of late, with a record population of Great Skuas as well as more than 800 pairs of Arctic Terns.
Scop's Owl, Fair Isle, Shetland. 16th May 2006. The second record
for Fair Isle © Rebecca Nason, from the surfbirds galleries
Mark Warren and Deryk Shaw provide a very detailed monthly summary of sightings on pages 37-51 and this is followed by the First and Last Dates for Summer Migrants 2006 and a typically detailed and highly informative Systematic List (pages 53-101). As usual, this is enhanced by the inclusion of some wonderful full colour plates, featuring the impressive works of Rebecca Nason, Paul Baxter and Deryk Shaw. Highlights include the October White-rumped Sandpiper (4th record), May Scops Owl, September Woodchat Shrike, a page-full of rare pipits including Pechora, Olive-backed and Blyth's, September Aquatic Warbler, August Melodious and Greenish Warblers, Lanceolated Warbler, October Scandinavian Arctic Redpoll, May Ortolan Bunting and April Hawfinch.
The Ringing Report by Paul Baxter provides details of the 6,599 birds of 112 species trapped and ringed on the island during 2006 including a 26 year old Fulmar, a 21 year old Shag, 17 year old Storm Petrel, 15 year old Arctic Skua, 29 year old Guillemot, 27 year old Razorbill and a Swedish 'Northern' Bullfinch that had moved 1,283 kms in 26 days.
At the back of the report, there are scientific papers on the Fair Isle Starling and Wren populations, along with the fully detailed Lepidoptera report (pages 133-142), Mammal Report (143-145) and complete checklist.
This latest report can be obtained (priced GBP 7.00 including p & p) from Deryk Shaw at
Fair Isle Bird Observatory
Fair Isle
Shetland ZE2 9JU
See also - _http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/index.htm_
(http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/index.htm)
Lee G R Evans
Posted by Surfbirds at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)
Olive-tree Warbler admitted to Category A of the British List
First-winter, Boddam, Shetland, 16 August 2006
The British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) has accepted the record of a first-winter Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum at Boddam, Shetland on 16 August 2006, as the first British record.
The bird was originally identified in the field as Icterine Warbler H. icterina and then Eastern Olivaceous Warbler H. pallida, but was finally identified from the excellent series of photographs taken by Hugh Harrop (Birding World 19: 378-387).
For an image of this bird click here
This record was unanimously accepted onto Category A of the British List following a single circulation.
There are two previous claims of this species, from Isles of Scilly in September 1972 and St Kilda in August 1999 which were rejected on the basis of inadequate documentation.
Olive-tree Warbler is the sister species of Upcher’s Warbler H. languida, this sister-species pair is fairly closely related to the sister-species pair formed by Melodious Warbler H polyglotta and Icterine Warbler.
The species breeds, mostly near coasts, from Croatia south to Greece and from extreme south-eastern Romania and eastern Bulgaria south to western and southern Turkey, also N Israel. It departs from its breeding grounds mid-Jul to early September, main passage occurs through Israel mid-July to mid-August; and passage noted through eastern Africa October-December, reaching South Africa in December.
This species is not known in captivity.
The date of the record fits both the species’ normal autumn migration period and the arrival dates of some other species from south-east Europe. Remarkably, it was found in the same garden as Britain's first Rüppell's Warbler Sylvia rueppelli (August 1977).
Bob McGowan, Chairman of BOURC, commented “It was not surprising, given the rather brief views of the bird, that field identification was not straightforward. Clearly a Hippolais sp., initial indications towards Icterine Warbler were overturned in favour of Eastern Olivaceous. Subsequent detailed examination of photographs, however, indicated it was a first-winter Olive-tree Warbler and this was accepted by BBRC and BOURC. It seems that the identification of vagrant Hippolais warblers in Britain has suddenly got more complicated.”
Olive-tree Warbler should be inserted after Sykes's Warbler H. rama on the British List as follows.
Olive-tree Warbler A
Hippolais olivetorum (Strickland)
One record: First-winter, Boddam, Shetland, 16 August 2006.
V monotypic.
The British List stands at 576 species
(Category A = 556; Category B = 10; Category C = 10).
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:38 PM | Comments (0)
Judgement day for Africa’s flamingos
The enormous clouds of pink flamingos that grace the skies of East Africa and ring the edges of some of its most scenic lakes with a bright band of living colour may soon be a thing of the past if the path is cleared on November 2nd 2007 for a major industrial development on a remote and isolated lake in Africa’s Great Rift Valley.
Officials in Tanzania are to assess plans for a soda ash plant on Lake Natron, the world's single most important breeding site for the Near Threatened Lesser Flamingo, where more than a million of these beautiful birds nest.
Lesser Flamingo © Tar János, from the surfbirds galleries
They will advise Environment Minister Mark Mwandosya on whether to allow Lake Natron Resources, jointly owned by the Tanzanian Government and the Indian company TATA Chemicals, to pump more than 100,000 litres of freshwater and 550,000 litres of brine (saltwater) from the area every hour, for the production of soda ash, a material used in glass and dye production.
The lake is the only reliable breeding site in East Africa for the Lesser Flamingo. All the 1.5 - 2.5 million Lesser Flamingos alive in East Africa today were probably hatched at Lake Natron - Africa's "flamingo factory".
A coal-fired power station, road and rail links and housing for 1,200 construction workers would be built at the site. The development would seriously harm tourism in three countries, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, and could cause Lake Natron’s international wetland designation to be withdrawn.
The leaders of conservation groups in 23 African countries have signed a petition urging the Tanzanian government to turn down the proposal and their campaign has been backed by naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
Sir David said: “Lake Natron’s vast flocks of shimmering pink flamingos are one of the world’s greatest wildlife attractions. These spectacular birds deserve the strongest protection we can offer them.
“Any threat to their future would not only be an ecological disaster, it would deal a huge blow to tourism in East Africa which helps ensure the survival of the region’s spectacular wildlife and wild places.”
As well, there are questions why International protocols such as Ramsar, Convention on Migratory Species, and closer home, the Protocol on Environment of the East African Community, were not considered during the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process.
The ESIA report states that “it must be recognised that the limited knowledge available on the functioning of the Lake Natron ecosystem as it relates to the Lesser Flamingo strongly suggests that the project will entail a significant degree of risk for this species in the longer term that is not capable of direct mitigation”. Other serious impacts the report cites as significant are "the increase of HIV/AIDS in existing resident population and increased pressure on the grazing land of the Masai community".
Proponents of the scheme cite its economic benefits in terms of profit, tax revenues and jobs. However, the report indicates that "no casual labour recruitment of any sort except from major towns outside the Ramsar site" - including during construction phase. They also ignore the potential negative effects on the environment and tourism, one of the major sources of foreign exchange in both Tanzania and Kenya. The tourist industry in Tanzania employs over 200,000 people directly, and provides many more jobs indirectly.
Ato Mengistu Wondafrash, of BirdLife International’s Africa Partnership, said: “Lake Natron secures a way of life for nomadic communities and the flamingos produce a thriving tourist economy. To jeopardize Africa's "flamingo factory" for an ill-considered development would be economic, and moral, suicide.”
Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson, Head of BirdLife’s Africa Division, said: “Africa is making great strides towards conserving its immense biodiversity and Tanzania must think clearly of what this decision on Lake Natron will say of its environmental credentials.
“This is a clear opportunity for the Tanzanian government to continue showing moral and environmental responsibility in Africa by taking a decision not to proceed with the soda ash development.”
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)