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Bird and Mammal Species reported as seen in the Churnet Valley by Churnet Valley Wildlife volunteers in January and February 2014 (1 indicates the species was present - though usually in numbers greater than one. The notes are points of interest).
| 2014 | January | February |
| Barn owl | ||
| Black-headed gull | 1 | 1 |
| Blackbird | 1 | 1 |
| Blackcap | ||
| Blue tit | 1 | 1 |
| Brambling | 1 | |
| Bullfinch | 1 | 1 |
| Buzzard | 1 | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 1 | 1 |
| Carrion Crow | 1 | 1 |
| Chaffinch | 1 | 1 |
| Chiff Chaff | ||
| Coal Tit | 1 | 1 |
| Collared Dove | 1 | 1 |
| Common Gull | 1 | Tittesworth |
| Common Sandpiper | ||
| Coot | 1 | 1 |
| Cormorant | 1 | |
| Crossbill | ||
| Cuckoo | ||
| Curlew | 6 at Tittesworth | |
| Dipper | ||
| Dunlin | ||
| Dunnock | 1 | 1 |
| Fieldfare | 1 | 1 |
| Gadwall | ||
| Garden Warbler | ||
| Garganey | ||
| Goldcrest | 1 | 1 |
| Goldeneye | ||
| Goldfinch | 1 | 1 |
| Goosander | 1 | 1 |
| Goshawk | ||
| Grasshopper Warbler | ||
| Great black backed Gull | ||
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 | |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | 1 |
| Great Tit | 1 | 1 |
| Green Woodpecker | 1 | |
| Greenfinch | 1 | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 1 | 1 |
| Grey Partridge | kingsley | |
| Grey Wagtail | 1 | |
| Greylag Goose | 6 at Tittesworth | |
| Herring Gull | 1 | |
| Hobby | ||
| House Martin | ||
| House Sparrow | 1 | 1 |
| Jackdaw | 1 | Numerous reported inc. flock of 50 over Morrison's Car Park, Cheadle |
| Jay | 1 | 1 |
| Kestrel | 1 | |
| Kingfisher | ||
| Lapwing | 1 | Tittesworth, |
| Lesser black backed Gull | 1 | 1 |
| Lesser Redpoll | kingsley | Tittesworth |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | ||
| Lesser Whitethroat | ||
| Linnet | Tittesworth | |
| Little Grebe | 1 | 1 |
| Little Owl | kingsley | Coombes Valley NR and Crowgutter Wood NR |
| Long-eared Owl | ||
| Long-tailed Tit | 1 | 1 |
| Magpie | 1 | 1 |
| Mallard | 1 | 1 |
| Mandarin Duck | ||
| Marsh Tit | kingsley | Tittesworth |
| Meadow Pipit | ||
| Merlin | East Wall Fm. | 1 |
| Mistle thrush | 1 | 1 |
| Moorhen | 1 | 1 |
| Mute swan | 1 Brough park | |
| Nuthatch | 1 | 1 |
| Oyster Catcher | ||
| Peregrine | Endon/Denford | |
| Pheasant | 1 | 1 |
| Pied Flycatcher | ||
| Pied Wagtail | 1 | |
| Pochard | Tittesworth | 1 |
| Raven | 1 | 1 |
| Red Grouse | ||
| Red Kite | Oakamoor/Alton | |
| Red-legged Partridge | ||
| Redshank | ||
| Redstart | ||
| Redwing | 1 | 1 |
| Reed Bunting | 1 | 1 |
| Reed Warbler | ||
| Ringed Plover | ||
| Ring Ouzel | ||
| Robin | 1 | 1 |
| Rock dove/feral pigeon | 1 | |
| Rook | 1 | |
| Sand Martin | ||
| Sedge Warbler | ||
| Short-eared Owl | ||
| Shoveler | ||
| Siskin | Brough park and Tittesworth Res. | |
| Skylark | Weaver Hills | |
| Snipe | 1 | 1 |
| Song Thrush | 1 | 1 |
| Sparrowhawk | 1 | 1 Brough park |
| Spotted Flycatcher | ||
| Starling | 1 | 1 |
| Stock Dove | ||
| Stonechat | ||
| Swallow | ||
| Swift | ||
| Tawny Owl | kingsley | |
| Teal | 1 | 1 |
| Tree Creeper | 1 | 1 |
| Tree Pipit | ||
| Tree Sparrow | kingsley | Kingsley |
| Tufted Duck | 1 | 1 |
| Water Rail | ||
| Waxwing | ||
| Wheatear | ||
| Whitethroat | ||
| Wigeon | 1 | |
| Willow Tit | 1 | |
| Willow Warbler | ||
| Woodpigeon | 1 | 1 |
| Wood Warbler | ||
| Woodcock | East Wall Fm. | |
| Wren | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow Wagtail | ||
| Yellowhammer | ||
| Little Egret | Brough Park Field NR | |
| Greater Scaup | tittesworth | |
| Lesser Scaup | tittesworth | |
| Hedgehog | ||
| Mole | 1 | 1 |
| Water Shrew | ||
| Lesser Horseshoe Bat | ||
| Natterer's Bat | ||
| Daubenton's Bat | ||
| Leisler's Bat | ||
| Common Pipistrelle | ||
| Rabbit | 1 | 1 |
| Brown Hare | 1 | 1 |
| Mountain Hare | ||
| Red Squirrel | ||
| Grey Squirrel | 1 | 1 |
| Bank Vole | 1 | |
| Short-tailed Vole | 1 | |
| Water Vole | ||
| Wood Mouse | 1 | |
| Yellow-necked Mouse | ||
| Harvest Mouse | ||
| House Mouse | ||
| Brown Rat | 1 | |
| Dormouse | ||
| Fox | 1 | |
| Pine Marten | ||
| Stoat | ||
| Weasel | ||
| Polecat | ||
| American Mink | ||
| Badger | sett rocester | |
| Otter | ||
| Red Deer | ||
| Fallow Deer | kingsley | 1 |
| Roe Deer | ||
| Muntjac | ||
| Red Necked Wallaby |
LIST OF BIRD SPECIES REPORTED BY WFYD VOLUNTEERS 2013 in alphabetical order. 1 indicates which species were spotted.
| March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| Barn owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Black-headed gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Blackbird | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Blackcap | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Blue tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brambling | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Bullfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Buzzard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Carrion Crow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Chaffinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Chiff Chaff | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Coal Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Collared Dove | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Common Gull | 1 | |||||||||
| Common Sandpiper | ||||||||||
| Coot | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Cormorant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Crossbill | ||||||||||
| Cuckoo | ||||||||||
| Curlew | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Dipper | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Dunlin | ||||||||||
| Dunnock | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fieldfare | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Gadwall | 1 | |||||||||
| Garden Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Garganey | ||||||||||
| Goldcrest | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Goldeneye | 1 | |||||||||
| Goldfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Goosander | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Goshawk | ||||||||||
| Grasshopper Warbler | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Great black backed Gull | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Great Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Green Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Greenfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Grey Heron | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Grey Partridge | 1 | |||||||||
| Grey Wagtail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Greylag Goose | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Hobby | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| House Martin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| House Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jackdaw | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jay | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Lapwing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Lesser black backed Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Lesser Redpoll | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | ||||||||||
| Lesser Whitethroat | ||||||||||
| Linnet | 1 | |||||||||
| Little Grebe | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Little Owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Long-eared Owl | ||||||||||
| Long-tailed Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Magpie | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mallard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mandarin Duck | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Marsh Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Meadow Pipit | ||||||||||
| Merlin | ||||||||||
| Mistle thrush | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Moorhen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mute swan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Nuthatch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Oyster Catcher | ||||||||||
| Peregrine | ||||||||||
| Pheasant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Pied Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Pied Wagtail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Pochard | 1 | |||||||||
| Raven | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Red Grouse | ||||||||||
| Red Kite | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Red-legged Partridge | ||||||||||
| Redshank | ||||||||||
| Redstart | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Redwing | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Reed Bunting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Reed Warbler | ||||||||||
| Ringed Plover | ||||||||||
| Ringed Ouzel | ||||||||||
| Robin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rock dove/feral pigeon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Rook | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Sand Martin | 1 | |||||||||
| Sedge Warbler | 1 | |||||||||
| Short-eared Owl | ||||||||||
| Shoveler | ||||||||||
| Siskin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Skylark | 1 | |||||||||
| Snipe | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Song Thrush | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sparrowhawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Spotted Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Starling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Stock Dove | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Stonechat | ||||||||||
| Swallow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Swift | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Tawny Owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Teal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Tree Creeper | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Tree Pipit | ||||||||||
| Tree Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Tufted Duck | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Water Rail | ||||||||||
| Waxwing | ||||||||||
| Wheatear | ||||||||||
| Whitethroat | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Wigeon | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Willow Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Willow Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Woodpigeon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Wood Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Woodcock | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Wren | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow Wagtail | ||||||||||
| Yellowhammer | ||||||||||
| Hoopoe | cheadle | |||||||||
| Ring-necked Parakeet | Cheddleton water works | |||||||||
| 40 | 71 | 70 | 45 | 43 | 43 | 52 | 63 | 58 | 63 |
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 13
SNIPPETS
Did
you see the Starling murmuration?
Towards
the end of November and start of December 2013 a flock of, perhaps,
2,000 Starlings were spending time in the Churnet Valley. There were
reports of this on the Staffordshire Bird News website and then on
6th December John Higgins, who lives in Oakamoor, phoned me to tell
me that a huge flock of Starlings that “turned the sky almost black
for five minutes” had passed overhead and travelled on towards
Threapwood. I wish I had seen it! If you didn't and want to get an
idea of what a murmuration of Starlings looks like, here is a short
clip from the RSPB
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/starling/roosting.aspx
Red
Kite seen in Churnet Valley again.
On the morning of 8th
December Mr Burton, who lives at East Wall Farm, Oakamoor saw a Red
Kite flying over his farm. This is the possibly second time he has
seen a Red Kite near his home, the first time he was not absolutely
sure it was a kite. Other recent reports have come from Mary Blunt
who watched what she thought may be a Red Kite sitting on a fence
post in the fields at the back of her house in Cheadle, and Mike
Tunnicliffe had a positive sighting of a single bird flying over the
Alton area last summer.
The (then) legal persecution by gamekeepers and farmers of Red Kites in the 18th and 19th almost caused the extinction of Red Kites by the mid 20th Century. Recent successful reintroduction programmes in Wales, the S. of England and other areas have lead to the natural spread of this impressive bird of prey.
Owls
in the Churnet Valley.
In
October 2013 Meriel, a “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” volunteer,
reported seeing (or perhaps hearing) three owl species in the Churnet
Valley area. These were the Barn
Owl,
the Tawny
Owl
and the Little
Owl.
That's three out of the five owl species that we are likely to see in
out area. The other two are the Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, both
of which have been reported in the Churnet Valley/Staffordshire
Moorlands area, though they are not as commonly seen as the first
three species.
Little Owl. This photo
was taken of a Little Owl sitting on a fence post in the fields at
the back of my garden. This habit is characteristic of Little Owls
which are often seen during the day watching out for small mammals,
beetles etc. on which to feed.
Wildlife
From Your Doorstep Challenge January 2014
How
many bird and animal species can you see on foot from your home in
January? The Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership's “Wildlife
From Your Doorstep” project is challenging people who live in and
around the Churnet Valley and Weaver Hills area to spot as many
species of bird, mammal (not farm or domestic animals) by walking
from their own house or place of work during the month of January
2014.
January
is a month when people often feel they should start a new fitness
regime, so our competition combines exercise with the reward of
seeing wildlife.
There
are no prizes for this competition, however, the efforts of people
who take part should be rewarding and will add to the understanding
of what wildlife is living in the valley.
This
would be great project for families who want to get into the fresh
air and, hopefully learn about what wildlife lives near their home
(the map on the blog (see below) shows the Churnet Valley area though
surveying up to two miles outside the boundary is fine).
The
rules are that your only mode of transport can be yourself (use
mobility aids if necessary), and you must start from your house, or,
if you want to do this in your lunch break, from your place of work .
Keep a record of what birds or animals you see, and where you saw
them. Send these to us along with your name and postcode to
wendy.birks@gmail.com.
You can also use this email address for questions and help with
identifying species. We will produce a league table of results on this
blog.
Here
is another piece about a favourite bird.
Wendy,
A
male Blackbird.
My
favourite bird is the Blackbird. Everything about it I find
fascinating. I love the way they spurt across the lawn… one moment
dashing, the next remaining still with their heads cocked to one side
looking for worms. I love the way the male of the species dashes out
of the hedges with a loud call to distract predators from its mate’s
nest. I love its jet-black colour and its contrasting yellow beak.
Most of all I love its song at dusk. Its song is loud and clear and
pierces the airwaves with such a resonant reverberating sound. High
on a chimney top, on an aerial or branch of a tree you can see it
singing its heart out, as if it was the last ever evening that Earth
would see. My favourite bird by far!
Andrew,
Endon.
BIRDS SEEN AT RUDYARD LAKE BY WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP
DURING NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2013 | ||||||||
Black-headed Gull
|
300+ birds in flocks
|
Lapwing
|
c140
| |||||
Blackbirds
|
c6 birds
|
Lesser Black-backed Gull
|
c20
| |||||
Blue Tit
|
c10
|
Long-Tailed Tit
|
c16
| |||||
Brambling
|
flocks of 20+ birds amongst Beech trees
|
Magpie
|
3
| |||||
Bullfinch
|
2 pairs
|
Mallard
|
c70 birds (ducks and drakes)
| |||||
Buzzard
|
1
|
Mandarin Duck
|
pair
| |||||
Canada Geese
|
flock of about 60 birds
|
Mute Swan
|
3 juvenile birds
| |||||
Carrion Crow
|
c12
|
Nuthatch
|
c8 birds
| |||||
Chaffinch
|
c7 birds
|
Pheasant
|
1
| |||||
Coal Tit
|
c8 birds
|
Pied Wagtail
|
1
| |||||
Cormorant
|
c6 birds
|
Redwing
|
c5 with Fieldfares
| |||||
Dunnock
|
1
|
Robin
|
c6 birds
| |||||
Fieldfare
|
small flock with Redwings
|
Rook
|
c10
| |||||
Goldeneye
|
1 solitary drake
|
Siskin
|
3
| |||||
Goldfinch
|
flock of c 20
|
Snipe
|
2
| |||||
Goosander
|
3+ pairs
|
Starling
|
flock of c 30
| |||||
Great Crested Grebe
|
c6 birds
|
Teal
|
c20 (ducks and drakes)
| |||||
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
1
|
Tree Creeper
|
2
| |||||
Great Tit
|
c20
|
Wigeon
|
c10 (ducks and drakes)
| |||||
Grey Heron
|
2
|
Willow or Marsh Tits
|
3
| |||||
Grey Wagtail
|
Woodpigeon
|
in trees and flocks flying over
| ||||||
House Sparrow
|
c8 birds
|
Wren
|
3
| |||||
Jackdaw
|
c14
|
TOTAL
|
46 Species
| |||||
Jay
|
c4
|
Grey Squirrel
|
3
|
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 12
“WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
Corrections.
Sometimes I look back at these newsletters to see what I wrote last time. Then I see spelling mistakes – and really there is no excuse for those these days, with spell checkers available. Anyway – apologies for any spelling errors. However since writing the last newsletter I have also realised I have made another mistake. I said that Crossbills are eruptive species. Well actually the word is irruptive though apparently eruptive is sometimes mistakenly used in scientific literature – so I'm in good company anyway!
Mallards clearly like the pool in Brough Park. The WFYD volunteer who monitors the bird life in the park has counted up to 52 birds in one session. I expect they are benefiting from bread and other titbits supplied by Leek people.
Song Thrushes Some of our local breeders may move south for winter, while others from Scandinavia or more northern parts of Britain may join us for awhile.
Two black-headed Gulls on
fence post perches by the Caldon Canal between Endon and Stockton
Brook. Black-headed Gulls have been regular visitors to this patch
every one of (at least) the past five winters. They could be the same
individuals as these birds are known to live to 30 years or more in
the wild.
Favourite
Birds.
In
the last newsletter I asked if anyone has a favourite species of
bird. Personally, I find it difficult to decide. I love the warbler
family for their varied songs though, they generally don't have an
remarkable appearance. For aesthetics I suppose you can't beat
something like a Bullfinch or Common Redstart; though they do sing
Bullfinches are not particularly noted for singing and I have only
ever heard their call, while Common Redstarts do have a lovely song.
Then, on the other hand, I enjoy seeing large flocks of other birds
such as gulls and geese (who also don't sing). If you don't think
gulls are very glamorous watch a flock of them flying against a dark
cloud with the sunlight reflecting alternately off the upper and
underside of their wings. And for intelligence I am fascinated by
members of the crow family (again - non-singers). So, all in all I
can't decide. As one of the people at the Tittesworth event said,
“All birds are wonderful!” I think I agree.
This
is what Keith Tomkins, Manager of the Churnet Valley Living Landscape
Partnership says,
|
“Me.
I like the house sparrow. I was brought up in South London, and
later in North Surrey and sparrows were more common then than
they are now. They are part of our urban and suburban ecology and
perfectly happy coexisting around a busy garden. Cheeky chappies
and more like a juvenile gang than a flock. We have a gang of
sparrows who spend most of their time between the hawthorn and
holly bushes (and the feeder in between) in our garden, when they
are not eating they are getting into scraps or shouting matches,
but will disappear in an instant at first sight of a corvid or
bird of prey”.
Female House Sparrow.
Lapwings in the Churnet Valley.
I
live in Endon, which is just outside the Churnet valley Living
Landscape area. Even so I feel I share many of my bird sightings with
the Churnet Valley area as I am sure many of the birds I see whilst I
am out and about near my home spend at least some time in the Churnet
Valley.
The
higher ground around Endon feeds the Endon Brook which in turn flows
into the Churnet at Cheddleton. During heavy or extended periods of
rainfall the valley becomes flooded, often for several weeks. In
addition to this there are certain low lying fields (between Endon
and Longsdon) that contain shallow pools that persist all winter.
I
have lived here for ten years. During each one of these years a few
pairs of Lapwings have attempted to or have bred in at least one of
the fields. This June I spotted four adult and three chick Lapwings
in an arable field in Endon valley. This is a pleasing sight as
Lapwings are in real trouble – since 1960 their numbers in England
and Wales have dropped by 80%, this is believed to be due to changes
in agricultural practice since WW2. This year the Lapwings had chosen
to nest in an undulating, low-lying field that supports depressions
in which water gathers. This feature can be important for rearing
Lapwing chicks as the damp depressions provide soft areas where adult
and chick lapwings (which are precocial i.e. relatively mobile from
hatching) can probe for invertebrates. The field is also relatively
large so that the nests can be located away from hedges and trees
that harbour egg and chick predators such as corvids and foxes. I
hope those lapwing chick survive into adulthood and go on to become
parents themselves.
In
winter the flooded fields and seasonal pools attract a number of
ground feeding birds including ducks, waders and gulls. So, after
heavy rains, I usually walk out to see what is around. And so, just
as it was going dark one evening in October I was pleased to see a
large flock of at least 140 Lapwings settling down for the night on
the flooded fields. I can't be sure, but given the relatively large
number of birds, I expect some of these are Lapwings that have moved
from further north in the UK or eastern Europe and Russia.
Lapwings, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls in flooded fields, Endon valley.
Fungi
seen near Froghall Warf during the last WFYD event.
Hidden
amongst the autumn leaves I spotted these earthstar fungi. You can
see how they get their name. This one is the Collared Earthstar
Geastrum
triplex.
The spore, which are the
equivalent of seeds in plants, are very small, are contained in the
round spore sac which you can see in the photograph. When the rain,
or another objects, hits the sac the spore come out in a puff looking
like brown talcum powder.
Earth Star fungi near Froghall Warf, Churnet Valley.
WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP EVENT.
WINTER
BIRDS ON AND AROUND RUDYARD LAKE.
In
December we are going for a bird walk around Rudyard Lake during
which we will be looking for winter birds and other wildlife.
The
walk starts at 9am on
Sunday15th December, is
about 5.5miles long and will last about three hours, though you are
not obliged to stay for the whole walk. The
walk is easy but may be muddy in places, so wear suitable footwear
and outdoor clothing. People
wanting to join the walk should meet at the
County Council Car Park (next to steam railway station), Rudyard at
9am. Look out for the
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust pickup truck . Bring binoculars if you
have them.
For
more information email Wendy Birks at
w.birks@staffs-wildlife.org.uk
|
“WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER NUMBER 11.
WFYD VOLUNTEERS TELL US ABOUT WATCHING BIRDS FROM THEIR GARDENS
JOHN'S
GARDEN
Here is how John,
who lives in Kingsely, attracts birds to his garden. He wrote:
Hi Wendy,
You asked
what we do to encourage birds?
I have a
number of feeders, even with the same food as there are bullies who
will chase other birds away. Have a range of feed. I've placed mine
close enough to a hedge to allow the birds to dart back in when the
sparrow hawk arrives :-( We have a lot of goldfinches and although we
give them niger seed they still prefer to eat the sunflower hearts. I
have also placed a large 6ft branch that I drilled holes in, I place
lard in the holes for the woodpeckers and the Nuthatches will land on
the branch before moving off onto the feeders.
This week
we received our first Long Tailed Tits since the end of last winter.
We seem
to have lost our Bullfinch family over August/September and also our
Marsh Tit pair, I hope they will return before winter sets in.
Regards
Here
is a photo of John's bird feeding area.
John's
mention of Sparrowhawks prompted me to write the piece below. But
before you look at that read the article about another WFYD
volunteer.
MARY'S
BIRDWATCHING.
I
went to see Mary Blunt at her house where I recorded an interview for
Moorlands Radio with Mary which forms the basis of this item. Mary
lives on the outskirts of Cheadle. Her garden backs on to rushy
pastures, and beyond these fields is Huntley Woods.
Mary
watches birds from her back room windows, and when the weather is
nice from the garden. She is very organised. She keeps notes of which
birds she sees on paper, then enters these sightings on to the
spreadsheet. She sends the spreadsheet to me about once a month.
After a bit of practice Mary found the spreadsheets easy to use and
email to me (she also found some of my mistakes – so apologies to
all for these – more on this below too).
Mary
first got interested in bird watching in 1989 when she was on holiday
in NW Scotland. Her holiday cottage was next to a beach where she
noticed Grey Herons. She wanted to see the birds
properly
so she bought some binoculars. When she looked at the beach through
the binoculars she was amazed that, in addition to the herons, there
were hundreds of other smaller birds amongst the pebbles. So then she
just had to get a bird ID book! The birds turned out include
Redshanks, Ringed Plovers and Dunlins (all of which visit Tittesworth
Reservoir from time to time).
Mary
enjoys taking part in the WFYD project because she is helping the
Churnet Valley Living Landscape Project and it is encouraging her to
identify more birds. In particular she finds the RSPB Bird Identifier
website useful. She also enjoys reading what birds have been seen by
other volunteers in other areas of the Churnet Valley.
Finally,
I asked Mary if she has a favourite species of bird. She didn't have
to think long, her very quick answer is that it is the Grey Heron.
She “loves” herons; she even has a figurine of heron at the end
of her garden. Mary had her best experience of watching herons
during one of her holidays to Scotland when she visited the Lochinver
Heronry where the RSPB have set up cameras near the nests so that
visitors can watch events such as eggs hatching and young being fed.
I was also glad to hear that Mary gets to see her favourite bird from
home as she sometimes sees
herons fly over the fields at the back of her houses sees herons fly
over the fields at the back of her house.
ANYBODY
ELSE GOT A FAVORITE BIRD? PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
BIRDS
SEEN AT TITTESWORTH RESERVOIR on WFYD event 19th
October, 2013
Weather: misty at first
then then brightening; calm; short light shower.
About
5
Cormorants
|
Grey
Heron
|
20+
Wigeon
– males and females
|
Carrion
Crows
|
30+
Black-headed
Gulls
|
Robins
several
singing heard but not seen
|
1
Collared
Dove
|
Wren
– one singing but not seen
|
2
Song
Thrush
|
Long
Tailed Tit 2
flocks seen
|
20+
Mallards
–
males and females
|
2
Great
Spotted Woodpeckers
|
1
possible Rock
Pipit
|
Coal
Tit
|
2
pairs Tufted
Duck
|
Great
Tits
|
20+
Teal
male
and female
|
Blue
Tits
|
2
Pied
Wagtails -flying
over
|
Flocks
of Goldfinches
|
Approx.
20 Canada
Geese
|
2
Mistle
Thrushes
|
Black
Bird
|
A
brief glimpse of a Merlin
most of us missed :(
|
PLANTS WE SAW AT TITTESWORTH
While
we were wandering around Tittesworth Reservoir we saw more than
birds. Here are a few interesting facts about three of the plants we
saw.
Guelder
Rose.
Its scientific name is Viburnum
opulus. It
isn't a member of the rose family, it is actually related to
Elderberry and Honeysuckle. Like Elderberry it has white flowers
during may and June. The berries of both shrubs are eaten by birds.
This is a good plant for a wildlife garden, very attractive too.
Guelder Rose berries.
Butterbur.
These
are the emergent flowers of Butterbur which is in the daisy plant
family. In spring, which is when this photo was taken, the flower
spikes and heart-shaped leaves emerge from bare ground. Eventually
the flowers go to seed, sometimes forming seed heads a metre high.
The leaves get large too, they can reach a metre across – as big as
an umbrella! It grows in damp places and can form extensive patches.
The flowers are a good source of pollen and nectar for insects.
Butterbur flower spike and leaves in early spring.
Broad-leaved
Helleborine. We
found a large Broad-leaved Helleborine growing amongst the Butterbur
leaves. Along with other British orchid species, helleborines are
thought to form a relationship with fungi. In the case of
helleborines the relationships is with ectomycorrhizal fungi. These
fungi have a mutualistic relationship with trees – the tree
photosynthesises carbohydrates, some of which are passed on to the
fungi in exchange for plant nutrients that the fungi scavenge from
the soil. It is thought that the helleborine orchids also form an
underground relationship with the ectomycorrhizal fungi and are able
to benefit from some of the carbohydrates that originate in the tree.
It looks like the orchid may be getting a free lunch! These ones grow
beside the wall bordering Bolton's Copper Works at Froghall.
Broad-leaved Helleborine growing alongside a concrete wall on the boundary of Bolton's Copperworks, Froghall, Churnet Valley.
DO
SPARROWHAWKS HARM GARDEN BIRD POPULATIONS?
Now here's a controversial subject.
Some people really don't like Sparrowhawks, they get very upset when
they see them take one of “their” garden birds. While others,
myself included, consider that Sparrowhawks are part of nature and we
just have to accept that some birds make their living by hunting
other birds. So what are the facts?
Well, clearly Sparrowhawks do kill a
lot of garden and countryside birds in order to feed themselves and
their offspring; however, the scientific literature suggests that
this predation does not ultimately depress the breeding density of
song bird populations. So what is the evidence?
Firstly birds of prey (raptors)
evolved around 35 million years ago and have predated upon other
birds for much of that time. So, if raptors were going to cause the
extinction of our favourite song birds, they surely would have done
so by now! With regard to modern day Sparrowhawks, they are
generalist hunters; that means they don't concentrate on feeding on
specific bird species, hence they are unlikely to have a significant
effect on any prey in particular.
Secondly, due to the thoughtless use
of organochlorine pesticides 1950s and 60s Sparrowhawks became
extinct in large areas of the British countryside. Once the harm was
recognised organochlorine pesticides were banned and since then
numbers of Sparrowhawks (and other raptors) have increased. Due to
this unintended “experiment” scientists can compare numbers of
bird counted whilst Sparrowhawks were absent, with those conducted
while Sparrowhawks were present; these show no discernible difference
in numbers of potential Sparrowhawk prey species. In other words,
there were just as many song birds around when the Sparrowhawks were
present as there were when they were extinct.
The third form of evidence is the
numerous experiments specially designed to test the effect of raptor
predation on bird populations (though not all of these involve
Sparrowhawks). One particular long-term study was carried out in a
wood in which the researchers had installed many Blue and Great Tit
boxes, and in which in some years there were several pairs of
breeding Sparrowhawks. It was found that, though the numbers of
breeding pairs of tits fluctuated over the years there were always
spare tit nest boxes available; this was irrespective of how many
pairs of Sparrowhawks were present and also occurred during years
when they were absent altogether. The presence of spare nest boxes,
even when breeding Sparrowhawks were present, implies that
Sparrowhawk predation did not limit the tit population (nor did
availability of nest sites), something else did (this turned out to
be food supply – see below). However, the researchers did find that
Sparrowhawks have a marked effect on tit nests situated near their
own nest, killing more of the adults and young in these areas. Where
this had happened, in subsequent years these territories were filled
by fresh pairs either from other parts of the study wood or areas
outside the wood; and if there were no Sparrowhawks nests nearby,
these birds would often proceed to have greater breeding success that
their predecessors (Sparrowhawk breeding pairs did not always choose
the same nest sites in successive years).
Further research has shown that it is
deaths due to winter starvation that regulates tit populations.
Sparrowhawk predation results in a smaller overwintering population
of tits, which in turn leads to reduced competition between the
remaining individual tits for the scarce food supply. In this way
each tit that has survived predation has access to more food that it
would otherwise have done. Had all the tits reached the start of
winter, more some would eventually succumb to starvation. In reality
annual Sparrowhawk predation probably doesn't exactly match the
number of tits that would have starved – but you can see how the
principles work (I hope). Also, clearly, if we feed tits in our
gardens, we help to reduce the likelihood of starvation. In this case
the availability of breeding territories will become the limiting
factor, there will be a surplus of non-breeding birds. In these
circumstances if one or both of an established pair dies during the
season, a non-breeding pair will move into their territory.
Finally, other long-term studies both
here in the UK and Europe generally support these findings. Amongst
them is a 50 year study by the British Trust for Ornithology who have
documented the decline in many or our native bird species since the
1960s. Though this is decline correlates with the revival of the
Sparrowhawk population (and other avian predators such as Magpies)
the BTO believe that these declines are primarily the result of
changes in agricultural practice since WW2 which have led to reduced
the amounts of natural food and farming residues being available to
wild bird populations. However, the BTO's research suggests that the
decline of Tree Sparrows, Bullfinches and Reed Buntings may be linked
to Sparrowhawk predation in certain circumstances. In the case of one
population of Bullfinches, food shortages forced these birds to feed
out on open heaths where they were very vulnerable to predation
(Bullfinches generally feed in the cover of trees and shrubs).
Whether this is occurrence is widespread and is likely to result in
long-term population declines in Bullfinches I do not know. I believe
that research is ongoing to discover exactly what is happening
between Sparrowhawks and these particular species.
So it seems that Sparrowhawks are not
baddies. In hunting for song birds they are merely acting out their
inherited instincts and feeding themselves and their young on birds
that may otherwise die of some other cause. Even if it were possible
to eliminate them all to appease certain bird lovers, it would be
unethical and would create entirely artificial ecosystems. I think we
should value Sparrowhawks and other predatory birds for their role in
our complex and rich natural world - even if they have just eaten the
House Sparrow you have been feeding all year!
I have based this item
mainly on information in the recently published “Bird Populations”
by Ian Newton (published by Collins New Naturalist Library in 2013).
It is a very good read and, for what it is worth, I highly recommend
it.
Corrections.
Sometimes I look back at these newsletters to see what I wrote last time. Then I see spelling mistakes – and really there is no excuse for those these days, with spell checkers available. Anyway – apologies for any spelling errors. However since writing the last newsletter I have also realised I have made another mistake. I said that Crossbills are eruptive species. Well actually the word is irruptive though apparently eruptive is sometimes mistakenly used in scientific literature – so I'm in good company anyway!
Just
to remind you irruptive means “a sudden, dramatic and rapid
increase in a bird population. Bird species will irrupt for different
reasons and factors include the availability of food, suitability of
climate and amount of predatory activity. Irruptions can be of two
types; the first is caused by a dramatic increase in breeding
activity that results in a larger bird population, while the second
and more common irruption is caused by mass migrations, typically to
follow food sources during winter months”. Other British bird
species that exhibit this behaviour are Waxwings, Short Eared Owls
and Siskins.
JACKDAW
PAIRS
Jackdaws
live in loose colonies in which Jackdaw pairs are monogamous and bond
for life. During the breeding season, while pairs are preoccupied
with raising their family, Jackdaws fly around independently,
gathering food and tending to their fledglings. Then, as soon as
their young become independent, and the flocks reform you will you
may notice that they fly around in pairs. You can see this behaviour
at this time of year. The photo shows a Jackdaw pair building a nest
in my neighbour's chimney. I watched these birds plucking fur from
cattle in lying in a nearby field which they then carried to their
nests. The cattle were completely unperturbed by this they just lay
on the grass chewing the cud. Perhaps it was assisting them with
their spring moult?
UPCOMING
CHURNET VALLEY LIVING LANDSCAPE EVENT
Keith
Tomkins, who is the manager of the Churnet Valley Living Landscape
project, is going to lead a four mile walk during which he will talk
to us about the Living Landscape project and explain how the Churnet
Valley's built heritage and natural assets make the area such a
special place to live, work and visit. The
walk will start at 1pm from Froghall Warf car park SK029483 on
Saturday 16th November and will last about two-and-a-half hours.
The walk is muddy in places, includes one gentle but long climb.
Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required.
The Caldon Canal - illustrates a still-visible feature of the industrial heritage of the Churnet Valley
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 10.
SNIPPETS
According
to
the
Staffordshire Bird News website
http://staffordshirebirding.blogspot.co.uk/
(click on link or right hand side) Crossbills were
seen in Dimmingsdale 14th
Sept 2013. So look out for these. Individuals within the flock are
constantly using contact calls so if you hear a “chip, chip, chip”
conifer trees it is worth taking time to see what bird is making the
call. Crossbills are what is termed an eruptive species. They travel
about the country looking for a good supply of conifer seeds,
especially spruce. If they find a plentiful source they may stay in
the vicinity whilst they breed or moult.
Mallards clearly like the pool in Brough Park. The WFYD volunteer who monitors the bird life in the park has counted up to 52 birds in one session. I expect they are benefiting from bread and other titbits supplied by Leek people.
If
you walk in woodland or have trees near your garden you may hear the
characteristic “tuit,tuit,tuit,tuit” call of the Nuthatch.
This is used to indicate the nuthatch's territory and may be heard at
any time of the year, so you can hear them in winter.
This
is the second year of the British Trust for Ornithology's Winter
Thrushes Survey.
The survey involves walking a set route of about 2km one or more
times between September and May recording what winter thrushes,
Waxwings and Starlings you see and what they eat. You can pick your
own route or choose one of the BTO's “core squares” If you enjoy
autumn and winter walks and watching birds this is a very easy survey
to do.
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/winter-thrushes
WINTER
THRUSHES IN THE CHURNET VALLEY
It isn't quite winter yet
but nevertheless we will see some winter visitors soon. These are
bird species that have bred in more northerly areas of the globe
(perhaps Scandinavia or Greenland) to the spend the winter in the
milder climate of the British Isles.
Some
Redwings
breed
in the north of Scotland, and these then move south to overwinter.
These are joined by post-breeding birds from Iceland. Southern
Britain hosts Redwings from Scandinavia.
Song Thrushes Some of our local breeders may move south for winter, while others from Scandinavia or more northern parts of Britain may join us for awhile.
Fieldfares
breed in northern Europe and parts of Asia but not in Britain, so we
are pleased to see them during autumn and winter.
Blackbirds
are
familiar to us all, though the females could be confused with a Ring
Ouzel. Our local birds are joined by winter visitors from northern
and eastern Europe. And in harsh weather, such as we experienced last
year, there may be a southward shift of Blackbird populations.
Ring
Ouzels don't
overwinter in the UK, however a WFYD volunteer, who lives in
Bottomhouse, had one visiting his garden feeders last spring. This
was probably one of the birds that arrived from North Africa to breed
here in the UK. It must have had a shock when it saw the snow! Ring
Ouzels are sometimes seen on the Roaches in spring.
FEEDING
GARDEN BIRDS
Many of our British bird
species are “in decline”. This means that their populations have
reduced, sometimes drastically, since the end of WW2. Most of the
decline is linked to habitat loss and changes in farming practice.
Though,
recently, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have reported some
improvement in the outlook for the familiar House
Sparrow.
Their numbers have fallen from around 12 million British pairs in the
1970s to between six and seven million pairs currently, with a
greater reduction in population size in urban and rural areas, than
in suburban ones.
The
BTO's report says, “Given
that gardens are thought to be a particularly valuable habitat for
our House Sparrows, it is encouraging that the latest BTO Garden
BirdWatch data indicate that numbers are stabilizing, which is also
reflected in data from the wider countryside. The
reasons behind the decline very much depend on population location,
as House Sparrows are fairly sedentary birds. Populations across
Britain were affected by loss of nesting sites and food sources,
especially the lack of invertebrates to feed their young. However, in
rural areas, changes in farming practices are thought to have had a
large effect but in urban and suburban populations causes were more
complex and may have included increased competition with other birds
and increased pesticide use in gardens. We
are a nation of wildlife lovers and more people are now managing
their gardens for wildlife, which will be benefitting our House
Sparrows. There is also a greater awareness of clean feeding stations
and in reducing garden pesticide use. The combination of these
factors could be helping the House Sparrow to maintain its
population."
Here
are five simple things you can do in your gardens to encourage House
Sparrows and other garden birds.
- Let an area of your garden go wild to encourage insects.
- Plant species such as hawthorn and Ivy which provide thick vegetation for House Sparrows to hide in.
- Provide your birds with a home, using either a House Sparrow terrace or a group of nest boxes (with 32mm entrance holes) near the eaves of your house.
- If you feed your birds, provide them with a suitable seed mix that includes large grains.
- Regularly clean your feeding stations to prevent disease."
Another
WFYD volunteer has been managing her garden for birds, here is what
she wrote “ Lots
of young jays, magpies and woodpeckers in the garden - and finally
spotted a goldfinch on a teasel! Filled the garden with teasels
for years with no success despite whole charms of goldfinches on the
feeders and feasting on thistles in the adjoining field.
The photo below shows Goldfinches feeding on Evening Primrose in my garden.
How
do you garden for birds and other wildlife? Please let me know.
IDENTIFYING
BIRDS BY THEIR SONG
I
love to hear birds sing, and being able to match the bird with its
song not only helps with doing bird surveys (when the bird is hidden
by vegetation) but it also enhances countryside walks. I have just
discovered this website http://www.xeno-canto.org/about.php
which has recordings of many species of bird's song which are you can
listen to for free (click on link on right hand side).
CHURNET
VALLEY LIVING LANDSCAPE FUNGI WALK
On
September 29th
Richard Whiting, CVLLP Practical Projects Officer led a fungi walk
around Tittesworth Reservoir. I and other WFYD volunteers joined the
walk. We benefited from the lovely weather that we experienced this
September. Hence it was a very pleasant few hours spent examining
fungi by smelling, peeling and even tasting (but not eating!) various
species. I think my favourite was the Beefsteak fungus which lives
on oak and Sweet Chestnut trees. It is a bracket fungus whose mature
fruiting bodies are look a bit like a slab of beef, it drips
blood-like red liquid too. But to me, and the others, the younger
fruiting bodies looked like jaffa cakes, including the jelly.
Here
is a photo of Richard demonstrating some of the techniques used to
identify fungi.
AUTUMN
BIRD STROLL EVENT AT TITTESWORTH RESERVOIR.
The
WFYD Autumn
Bird Stroll
will take place on Saturday
October 19th
between 10:30am and 12:30pm.
Tittesworth
Reservoir is a great place to do this as it provides a good range of
habitats and has accessible bird hides and paths.
We
are hoping that we will see some of the winter thrushes mentioned
above plus water birds and waders in and around the lake.
Tittesworth
Reservoir has an accessible bird hide. It is suitable for wheelchair
users and the visitor centre has mobility scooters to hire. The
tarmac path between the car parks and the hide makes very easy
walking/wheeling so if
you have a mobility problem – this is the event for you.
We
should have two birding scopes available and will split into two
parties if required; one for the most agile and one for the less
sprightly.
No
booking is required to join us for this event. Meet a the entrance to
the visitor centre just before 10:30am, wearing appropriate clothing
and footwear. Bring
binoculars if you have them.
The usual parking charges apply.
People
with mobility problems can contact me for further information on
accessibility of the site and hire of mobility scooters.
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 9.
Now
summer has come to an end (though I am sure there are still some
sunny days left this year!) it is all change in the bird world. Many
of the summer migrants have left to spend the winter in warmer
climes, and we will soon see some of the winter visitors coming to
the Churnet Valley. Some of these birds will be species that breed in
Northern Europe and come to the British Isles to take advantage of
our milder climate (for example Redwings
and Fieldfares),
and others will be birds that breed on uplands, such as the Leek
Moorlands and who find the lower ground more hospitable during winter
(e.g. Merlins
and Grey Wagtails).
And, you never know, you might just be lucky enough to see passage
migrants such as Pink Footed Geese or Ospreys as they fly overhead.
In fact during September (and perhaps into October/November) there is
global movement of birds there could be almost anything could visit
our area – so keep your eyes peeled!
I
have already noticed that Black-headed
Gulls are back from their
summer breeding quarters. From July onwards I tend to see them in
the mornings flying along the Endon valley towards Leek, perhaps to
spend the day feeding in the fields in the Staffordshire Moorlands,
or roosting on Tittesworth or Rudyard lakes. Then, in the evening,
they fly back again. They may spend their nigh time roost in the
safety of the large, and relatively warm, roofs of industrial
buildings in the Stoke on Trent area. In February 2010 a flock of
around 400 Black-headed Gulls was seen at the Britannia Stadium.
Other birds species that you should start to see back in your gardens are Siskins and Lesser Redpolls; today (07/09/2013) I have seen a flock of 100 + Siskins in Deep Hayes Country Park. These two species are becoming increasingly common as both a winter visitor to gardens and a resident breeder over much of the British Isles, though, so far, they are not particularly noted for breeding in Staffordshire. Volunteers of The British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Breeding Bird Survey have showed that between 2011 and 2012 nationwide counts of Lesser Redpolls increased by 28% and Siskins by 25%. The Breeding Bird Survey takes place between April and July – if you are interested in volunteering in this important study, let me know.
Adult
male Siskin photographed by Jrproudfoot licensed under the Creative
Common Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 from Wikimedia Commons.
If
you want to find out about what birds are migrating where this autumn
have a look at the BTO's Migration Blog at
http://btomigrationblog.blogspot.co.uk
The
Results so far.
| 2013 | March | April | May | June | July | August | March | April | May | June | July | August | |
| Barn owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | Mandarin Duck | 1 | ||||||||
| Black-headed gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | Marsh Tit | 1 | ||||||||
| Blackbird | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Meadow Pipit | ||||||
| Blackcap | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Merlin | ||||||||
| Blue tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Mistle thrush | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Brambling | 1 | 1 | Moorhen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Bullfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Mute swan | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Buzzard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Nuthatch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 1 | 1 | 1 | Oyster Catcher | |||||||||
| Carrion Crow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Peregrine | ||||||
| Chaffinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pheasant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Chiff Chaff | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pied Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Coal Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pied Wagtail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Collared Dove | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pochard | 1 | ||||||
| Common Gull | Raven | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Common Sandpiper | Red Grouse | ||||||||||||
| Coot | 1 | 1 | 1 | Red Kite | 1 | ||||||||
| Cormorant | 1 | Red-legged Partridge | |||||||||||
| Crossbill | Redshank | ||||||||||||
| Cuckoo | Redstart | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Curlew | 1 | 1 | 1 | Redwing | |||||||||
| Dipper | 1 | 1 | Reed Bunting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Dunlin | Reed Warbler | ||||||||||||
| Dunnock | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ringed Plover | ||||||
| Fieldfare | 1 | 1 | Ringed Ouzel | ||||||||||
| Gadwall | Robin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Garden Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rock dove/feral pigeon | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Garganey | Rook | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Goldcrest | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Sand Martin | 1 | ||||||
| Goldfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Sedge Warbler | ||||||
| Goosander | 1 | Short-eared Owl | |||||||||||
| Goshawk | Shoveler | ||||||||||||
| Grasshopper Warbler | 1 | 1 | Siskin | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Great black backed Gull | 1 | 1 | Skylark | ||||||||||
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | Snipe | |||||||||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Song Thrush | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Great Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Sparrowhawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Green Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Spotted Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Greenfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Starling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Grey Heron | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Stock Dove | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Grey Partridge | Stonechat | ||||||||||||
| Grey Wagtail | 1 | 1 | Swallow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Greylag Goose | 1 | Swift | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Herring Gull | 1 | Tawny Owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Hobby | 1 | Teal | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| House Martin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tree Creeper | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| House Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tree Pipit | ||||||
| Jackdaw | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tree Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Jay | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tufted Duck | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Water Rail | ||||||||
| Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | Waxwing | ||||||||||
| Lapwing | 1 | 1 | Wheatear | ||||||||||
| Lesser black backed Gull | 1 | Whitethroat | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Lesser Redpoll | 1 | 1 | Wigeon | ||||||||||
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Willow Tit | ||||||||||||
| Lesser Whitethroat | Willow Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Linnet | 1 | Woodpigeon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Little Grebe | Wood Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Little Owl | 1 | 1 | Woodcock | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Long-eared Owl | Wren | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Long-tailed Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Yellow Wagtail | |||||||
| Magpie | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Yellowhammer | ||||||
| Mallard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Hoopoe | 1 | |||||
| Ring-necked Parakeet | 1 |
You
can see from the table on the previous page that “Wildlife From
Your Doorstep” volunteers have been busy watching birds and
reporting their observations back to me – and I thank you all for
this. Each number one (1) indicates that that particular species was
seen during that month, irrespective of how many birds were seen an
how many people saw them. You can see from the table some of the
features I mentioned on the first page, for instance the absence of
Black-headed Gulls, Siskins and Redpolls during the summer. Once we
have accumulated a whole year of data the annual patterns of
appearances and disappearances of different species should become
obvious, and I hope that this information enhances your own bird
watching experience.
By
the time of the next newsletter the table of results should show that
winter migrants have arrived, and I for one will be interested to see
which species arrive first and where they visit. Last December I was
fortunate enough to see a small flock of
Crossbills on the Roaches
(though this species may be seen any any time of year) but I had to
wait until the following April to see Waxwings
as
I walked home from work.
Tittesworth
Reservoir.
I
am in the process of organising a visit to Tittesworth Reservoir so
that anyone who wants to can join me for a look for wetland and
woodland species. Tittesworth Reservior is a very accessible site and
has the advantage of bird hides at the northern end and a cafe in the
visitor centre. In September the lake is noted for hosting Wigeon,
Shoveler, Goldeneye Pochard, Gooseander and Common Gull along with
many other species. I will let you know the details of the event in
the next newsletter. In the meantime here is a picture of
Tittesworth Reservoir taken on a lovely, calm, late winter day.
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 8.
JUNE
RESULTS
Here
is the list of birds that were seen by “Wildlife From Your
Doorstep” volunteers in June.
Barn Owl
|
Jay
|
Blackcap
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
Blue Tit
|
Magpie
|
Bullfinch
|
Mallard
|
Buzzard
|
Moorhen
|
Carrion Crow
|
Nuthatch
|
Chaffinch
|
Pied Wagtail
|
Chiffchaff
|
Redstart
(Kingsley area)
|
Coal tit
|
Robin
|
Collared Dove
|
Song Thrush
|
Curlew (Kingsley
area)
|
Spotted
Flycatcher (Kingsley area)
|
Dunnock
|
Starling
|
Garden Warbler
|
Swallow
|
Goldfinch
|
Swift
|
Grasshopper
Warbler (Oakamoor)
|
Treecreeper
|
Great Spotted
Woodpecker
|
Whitethroat
|
Great Tit
|
Willow Warbler
|
Green Woodpecker
|
Woodpigeon
|
Greenfinch
|
Wood Warbler
(Oakamoor and Kingsley areas)
|
House Martin
|
Woodcock
(Consall Nature Park)
|
House Sparrow
|
Wren
|
Jackdaw
|
Kestrel
|
Total of 43
species
SNIPPETS
A
Ring-necked Parakeet which
was spotted at Cheddleton Water Works on 1st
July had probably escaped from captivity. These birds not native but
are established in the UK. They were first recorded breeding in the
wild in 1969, and the population has increased since then. Currently
they are restricted to the SE of England, around London, where fruit
growers are concerned that they may become an orchard pest, as has
occurred in their native areas of Asia. The RSPB is also concerned.
They suggest that these birds may present an indirect threat to some
of our indigenous cavity nesting species, as there is evidence that
they compete for nest holes.
Some
volunteers spotted Long-tailed
Tits during June, but
people whose bird watching is restricted to their gardens did not
report have seen them. This might be because these little birds tend
not to visit garden bird feeders during the breeding season; though
you may be lucky enough to have a pair nest in your garden. However,
once the newly fledged young birds gain their confidence (around
July time), you will start to see family flocks of Long- tailed Tits
far from their breeding territory, flying from tree to tree (or
shrub); hence you are more likely to see these charming birds in
your garden in autumn and winter.
I
took this photo of a flock of Long-tailed Tits in my garden on
04.07.13
- Following my request of sightings of Swifts in the Cheadle and Leek areas several volunteers reported to me that they do nest in those two towns, although by the time you receive this newsletter, they may have begun their journey home to Africa. At time of writing (04.08.2012) they seem to have gone from Endon. Young Swifts that left the nest this year will not stop flying for three to four years! They will feed and sleep on the wing until they reach breeding age in their fourth year, and even then they are only able to access nest sites which are more that 5 metres off the ground. They need this clearance to allow them swoop, and then scrabble, into suitable nest cavities. The natural selection which led these birds to evolve into supreme flyers has left them almost unable to support themselves on their legs.
- BBC Radio 4 have recently broadcast a delightful and informative series of programmes about wildlife in gardens. If you missed these they are still available to listen to as podcasts. Find them here http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/nathistory along with other excellent nature/environmentally themed programmes.
Gulls
in the Churnet Valley.
Since
the start of this project volunteers have noted the presence of four
species of gull in the Churnet Valley. All these sightings were
during the early part of the year:
Black-headed Gulls were
seen in March and April, Greater
Black-backed Gulls
were seen in April and May, a Herring
Gull was
seen in May and Lesser
Black-backed Gulls
were seen in April. None have been seen since. This is to be expected
as, up until recent years, none of these gull species have been
confirmed as breeding in Staffordshire. Then, in the 1980s, it was
noticed that Black-headed Gulls were breeding in the West Midlands
region; it is significant to those of us who watch birds in the
Churnet Valley area that they breed at Tittesworth, Uttoxeter Quarry
and Westport Lake (Longport, S-O-T). This pattern fits with what I
see for myself. I don't see gulls around my area (Endon) which is
just outside the Churnet Valley, during summer, but I have now
started to see them feeding in the recently cut silage fields. The
most frequently seen species is the Black-headed Gull, whose black
head is reduced to a black ear-like marking during the non-breeding
season. In addition to silage fields, you may also see all four of
these gull species feeding on school playing fields and near lakes
such as Tittesworth, Uttoxeter Quarry and Hales Hall pool (Cheadle).
Also look for them roosting on town centre and business park roofs,
or even flying over your garden.
Coming
soon – winter migrants.
It
hardly seems possible that the summer is coming to an end, I don't
know where the time goes! Anyway, as I have noted above, the Swifts
seem to have left already, as I suspect, have the Grasshopper
Warblers,
Garden Warblers,
Wood Warblers and
Pied Flycatchers that were
seen in the Churnet Valley by Wildlife From Your Doorstep volunteers;
they are all on their way back to Africa. Meanwhile species which
overwinter with us have finished their breeding seasons in Europe and
will be arriving here soon. So from September you can start to look
out for Redwings and
then in October Fieldfares.
Other birds that might be seen are species (like the gulls mentioned
above) that breed in Britain but outside the Churnet Valley as they
move to overwinter in our area.
For
instance you may see Teal
(a
small duck that nests in upland areas) on pools in the Churnet
Valley; I usually see them at Deep Hayes Country Park. Likewise
numbers of Goosander
and
Tufted Duck increase
in our area outside the breeding season. You may see either on the
Churnet (or tributaries) and pools in the Churnet Valley. So keep
your eyes open and please keep on sending your observations to me.
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1. Leucistic blackbirds are birds which have patches of plumage in which the pigment is missing, and therefore the patches appear as white.
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Redwing in snow by nottsexminer licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution – Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence
NEWSLETTER NUMBER 1
One of our volunteers has already decided to do this. Keith has decided that he will walk around Brough Park in Leek during his work lunch hour. At the time of writing he has been out two times during which he has noticed a total of 15 different bird species, including the diminutive Goldcrest (pictured above), flitting amongst the conifer foliage of trees in the park. Now, in winter, birdwatchers are often alerted to the presence of flocks these tiny birds by their high-pitched contact calls from within thick trees and bushes. Then from February onwards, males begin to use their, also high-pitched, “tee-lee-de, tee-lee-de ”song. Keith has decided to set himself the challenge of learning this song, so that, in future, if he can't actually see the birds, he will know what species is there from their vocalisations. I will let you know how he gets on.
FIRST RESULTS FROM BROUGH PARK, LEEK.
Here (below) is a checklist of bird species that have been seen at Brough Park in Leek during March 2013. The site was visited four times during the month. The numbers in the white column on the right hand side of the species name indicate the maximum number of individual birds seen on any of the four visits that month. Where there are no numbers that species was not seen.
For people who don't know Brough Park, it is an urban park on the outskirts of the market town of Leek. It a sloping site with large areas of mown grass, a lake, mature trees and shrubs, tarmacked paths and a bandstand; and, of course it is usually busy with people.
Judging by these results the lake was an important resource for water-dependent birds during March 2013. As we all know, March was unseasonably cold. According to my weather records we had twenty days which started with frost, and on many of these days pools and lakes were frozen completely or partly for most of the day. The volunteer who recorded these observations said that the lake at Brough Park retained areas of open water - at least on the days he visited. This, plus the inclination of the public to feed ducks etc. in parks, probably resulted in Brough Park being an attractive site for Mallards and Black-Headed Gulls during the inclement weather. You will see from this table that on one day 50 gulls were at Brough Park and on another day 41 Mallards were present (on the two other survey days there 16 and 20 Black-Headed Gulls and 36 and 40 Mallards - the first survey day only species were ticked as present, numbers were not counted).
The next most frequent species was Wood Pigeon at a maximum of 13 individuals counted on one day. And, if we add to the Wood Pigeons the (maximum count of) 7 for the closely related Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove, we have 20 pigeons in total. No one will be surprised that there are a lot of pigeons in an urban park. Wood and Feral Pigeons, along with the previously mentioned Black-Headed Gulls, will eat pretty much anything, and they are especially adept at scavenging for scraps left behind by humans.
Just for the record, in a recent paper published in British Birds journal, Wood Pigeon is the fourth most abundant bird species during the breeding season in the UK. There are estimated to be 5,400,000 Wood Pigeons resident in the UK at any one time. There are about 231 breeding bird species in the UK. The most abundant species is thought to be the Wren at 8,6000,000.
Look at the table below and you will see that there was a total of 23 species recorded in March in Brough Park.
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 7.
QUIET
TIME FOR BIRDS AND BIRDERS.
The
months of July and August can be a quiet time for both birds and
people who enjoy watching them. This partly because the seasonal
abundance of vegetation often means that birds are hard to see, and
also because many bird species are coming to the end of their
breeding season and entering their post-breeding moult. In addition
to the parent birds, many of the fledglings also moult at this time.
During
this time birds may be less active and more skulking at this time,as,
having lost some of their feathers, they are less able to fly.
In
particular you may notice members of two of the common bird families
moulting at this time of year. For example if you watch birds in the
crow family (e.g. Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and Rooks) you can
sometimes see that their tail or wing feathers are missing. And you
may also notice that ducks and geese do not fly during their moult.
The photo below shows a Mallard quietly sitting on the canal side in
what is called its “eclipse plumage”.
British
resident birds such as Chaffinch and House Sparrow obviously complete
their whole moult here in the UK. While summer migrants, such as the
warblers have a range of different strategies depending on the
distance to their wintering quarters. For example the Chiffchaff has
the shortest distance to travel and so is usually the earliest
warbler to arrive in spring. Ciffchaffs have enough time to breed and
complete a full moult before they return to their Southern European
or Western African wintering grounds (Chiffchaffs also overwinter in
the milder, therefore more southerly, parts of Britain). The Willow
Warbler has a longer distance to fly back to its central and southern
African winter home. They go through two short moults, one here and
the other in Africa, each one just prior to the migration flight; it
is thought that one moult per year would not be sufficient withstand
the demands of their exacting life cycle. Garden Warblers have one of
the furthest migrations and one of the shortest breeding periods of
all the British warblers. They come to the UK (and other parts of
Europe) from south of the Sahara then undertake a relatively short
breeding season. Once this is over they start to fly the long
distance home, hence they delay their moult until they get to their
overwintering grounds, which where they spend the majority of their
year. All three of these warblers breed in the Churnet Valley during
spring and summer.
BIRD
NEWS SNIPPETS
Keep
your eyes open and looking upwards for Red
Kites.
There have been several reports of birds seen in the Churnet Valley
area, particularly around Cheadle
(where one is said to be roosting) and Oakamoor. A little further
out from the Churnet Valley, one was seen near Longnor and I saw one
fly over Endon, while I was sitting in my house eating my lunch!
A
further species has been added to the list of birds seen at East Wall
Farm. On 1st
June a
Grasshopper Warbler was
heard singing its song (which sounds like an persistent insect or
angler's reel) in the scrubby vegetation at the side of the railway.
So
far, bird check lists that have been sent to me, suggest that Swifts
are
seen over Leek, but not seen over Cheadle. In Britain Swifts
primarily nest in buildings and so I would expect to see them over
Cheadle as well as Leek. I wonder if this is right, or is it that
no-one has been looking? Please let me know if you see Swifts over
your area.
According
the to the British Trust for Ornithology, the
peak months for seeing Siskins
in
gardens are March and April. This observation matches what “Wildlife
From Your Doorstep” volunteers have reported to me. Siskins do
breed in Staffordshire, but it is considered to be a rare event. In
their most recent report (2010), the West Midlands Bird Club note
that they are only known to breed in Hanchurch woods (near Keele),
where they are seen in their hundreds during winter. Presumably
Siskins prevalence there is due to the extensive conifer plantation
in those woods; Siskins favour stands of Spruce as feeding and
breeding habitat. So, if you enjoy seeing Siskins on your garden
feeders you will have to wait, perhaps until October, before you see
them again!
MAY
RESULTS
A
total of 67 bird species have been recorded across the Churnet Valley
during May – the two tables below summarise some of the results. If
you want to see all the species that have been recorded during the
study since March the list is available on the blog at
http://wildlifefromyourdoorstep.blogspot.co.uk/
go to the results page.
BIRD
SPECIES SEEN ACROSS ALL AREAS OF CHURNET VALLEY SURVEYED BY
WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP VOLUNTEERS DURING MAY 2013
|
||||
Blackbird
|
Great
Tit
|
|||
Blackcap
|
House
Martin
|
|||
Blue
Tit
|
Jay
|
|||
Chaffinch
|
Long
Tailed Tit
|
|||
Chiffchaff
|
Magpie
|
|||
Dunnock
|
Mallard
|
|||
Goldfinch
|
Woodpigeon
|
|||
Great
Spotted Woodpecker
|
Wren
TOTAL
16
|
|||
BIRD SPECIES
SEEN IN LIMITED AREAS OF CHURNET VALLEY BY “WILDLIFE FROM YOUR
DOORSTEP” VOLUNTEERS DURING MAY 2013
|
||||
Brambling
|
Freehay
|
|||
Curlew
|
Longsdon/Endon
area
|
|||
Dipper
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Great Crested
Grebe
|
Hales Hall Pool
|
|||
Green
Woodpecker
|
Between Leek
and Deep Hayes Country Park (often seen on disused railway line)
|
|||
Hobby
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Kingfisher
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Lesser Redpoll
|
Leek area
|
|||
Marsh Tit
|
Kingsley
|
|||
Pochard
|
Rudyard Lake
|
|||
Raven
|
Deep Hayes
Country Park area
|
|||
Redstart
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Sand Martin
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Sedge Warbler
(probably two pairs)
|
Brough Park
Nature Reserve (there is also a pair breeding beside the Endon
Brook at Longsdon)
|
|||
Siskin
|
Kingsley
|
|||
Spotted
Flycatcher
|
Oakamoor
|
|||
Woodcock
|
Consall Nature
Park (seen by myself during BTO survey)
|
|||
Spotted Flycatcher
photographed in the Churnet Valley by John – a Wildlife from Your
Doorstep Volunteer.
OWLS
IN THE CHURNET VALLEY
Owls
are usually associated with the hours of darkness, however that are
frequently seen during the day by observant bird watchers. So far
three species of owl have been reported as being seen the the Churnet
Valley area by “Wildlife from Your Doorstep” volunteers.
The
most frequently reported species is the Tawny
Owl, it has been seen in
Freehay, Ladderedge Country Park and Kingsley. This species is more
likely to be heard at night than seen during the day – everyone
knows the characteristic “hooo hooo hoo” call of the male –
even if only from childhood stories! It is probably the least likely
owl species to be seen during the day, as they are not particularly
noted for hunting during the daylight hours. If a birdwatcher does
spot one it is most likely because the owl has been disturbed from
its daytime roost, which is usually within the leafy shelter of a
tree, or because daytime birds have spotted it and have flushed it
out of its roosting spot. However, during the breeding season, young
Tawny Owls may occasionally be seen during the day whilst sitting in
a row on a tree branch that is close to their nest site.
Little
Owls are often seen in
daylight. They spend extended periods sitting on posts or tree
branches staring at the ground, presumably patiently waiting to spot
something to eat – they eat small mammals, birds and invertebrates
such as worms and beetles. They are the smallest of the British
resident owls, though they are not a native species – they were
introduced from Europe in the 19th
century. This year they have been seen by volunteers along the Caldon
Canal (near Leek) and are also known to occur in the Kingsley area.
And
finally, I photographed this Barn
Owl on 22nd
June near Longsdon. It was out hunting during the day. I spotted it
as I had stopped walking so that I could put on my rain coat. It too
was sheltering from a summer shower. I did not want to disturb it so
I did not get too close nor spend too long taking the photo. Barn
Owls are often forced to hunt during the day when times are hard, for
instance when harsh winter weather deters their small mammal prey
from being active at night, or during the breeding season when they
need to extend their hunting hours in order to find enough food
for their fledglings.
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 6.
UNSUNG HEROS OF
CONSERVATION
Last
month the UK's wildlife conservation organisations got together to
publish a report called “The State of Nature”. It makes a
depressing read as it documents how much of our well-loved wildlife
is in decline; skylarks, hedgehogs, wild flower meadows and common
butterflies and more – all are disappearing from our countryside at
unprecedented rates. But the good side of the story is that the
report would not have been produced without the enormous efforts of
people like you, the people whom the report refers to as “unsung
heros of conservation”; they mean the people who take the trouble
to record birds (and other wildlife) that they see and then send
their results to a conservation organisation. You can download the
report from http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/stateofnature/index.aspx
Here we all are at East
Wall Farm (well nearly all of us – a few were round the back
watching Redstarts taking food to their nest in a nest box round the
back of the farm house).
It was a beautiful spring
morning. Below is a list of birds we heard or saw. It isn't a huge
list, but then we all spent much of our time experiencing extended,
close-up, views of birds, such as Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers
which most of us do not see on a daily basis.
Thanks to Margaret and
Geoff for hosting our visit. Anyone who wants to visit this area for
themselves can do so as there is a public right of way (The
Staffordshire Way) going through the farm. This part of the footpath
takes walkers along part of the Churnet valley and through Hawksmoor
Nature Reserve; plenty of opportunities to watch birds and a range of
other wildlife.
LIST OF BIRD SPECIES SEEN/HEARD AT EAST WALL
FARM VISIT 31ST MAY 2013
It was a calm sunny and dry morning.
|
Chaffinch
|
Blue Tit
|
Goldcrest
|
Blackcap
|
Robin
|
Woodpigeon
|
Pied Flycatcher (one pair are using a nestbox
that is fixed to a barn wall)
|
Redstart (one pair are using a nest box within
3m of farm house)
|
Spotted Flycatcher
|
Grey Wagtail ( the nest was among the farm
buildings, we watched both parents feeding two fledglings on River
Churnet)
|
Buzzard
|
Swallows (there are approx. 12 nests on the
farm buildings)
|
House Martin (nesting on the farm)
|
Pied Wagtail (there is a nest built within the
workings of a tractor that the farmer continues to use)
|
THE
BIG PULL.
Himalayan
Balsam was introduced to Britain in the mid 19th
Century by Victorian gardeners. It is the tallest annual plant in
the UK, growing to a height of over three metres. This invasive
plant crowds out native plants and can take over whole areas of river
and canal bank. The seeds, up to 800 per plant, are released
explosively from the seed pods and can travel for up to seven metres
from the plant. If the seeds land in a stream, river or canal they
will be taken downstream where they will start a new colony, one of
the reasons this plant is so difficult to control.
In
the spring the hollow stems are pinky red with green shiny leaves.
The flowers appear in June and continue until October. These are
purplish pink to very pale pink (almost white) and are slipper shaped
on long stalks.
Over
the last ten years this plant has become established on many of our
waterways, including the Churnet Valley. As an annual plant,
however, it can be controlled by pulling it up before the seeds
develop. If you see it growing when you are out and about on the
towpath this summer, please pull up the plants (if it is safe for you
to do so) and put them on the side of the towpath to rot down. If
this can be done before the seed pods have developed, we will have a
few less plants next year.
On
certain waterways volunteering events are being organised by branches
of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) and other local groups to
tackle the problem, either by cutting the plants back to ground level
or by pulling up the plants from the ground and creating compost
piles, before the flowering stage.
WHAT
BOATERS AND WALKERS CAN DO
If
you don't want to join in an event and you are out and about on the
waterways this summer, there a couple of things you can do to help
prevent the spread of this plant.
- If you see any Himalayan Balsam plants growing, before the seed pods have developed, please pull up the plants (if you can do so safely) and leave them on the side of the towpath to rot down.
- Report any locations of Himalayan Balsam to your local waterway office.
- Ensure you don’t accidentally carry the seeds to a new area (eg on the bottom of your shoes or on the deck of a boat.
If you are interested in
getting involved in one of these events I have included a list of
himalayan pulling events with the newsletter.
Here is another
event that “Wildlife from Your Doorstep” volunteers might be
interested in.
Churnet
Valley Conservation Society Heritage Walk.
I
will be helping to identify birds and other wildlife on the upcoming
Churnet Valley Conservation Society Heritage Walk on Saturday
June 29th
starting
at
10:30am.
Local
history expert John Higgins will be leading this walk along the new
heritage trail "Plateway Paths". This is a good
opportunity to enjoy the countryside and lean about the fascinating
remnants of the Churnet Valley's industrial heritage. Keith and
Wendy will be along to include some information on the natural
history. The walk is about 8 miles but is quite easy countryside,
outdoor clothing and stout footwear essential. we will stop at a
public house for refreshments (buy your own).
Booking Essential - Ring John on 01538 703331
Booking Essential - Ring John on 01538 703331
COMPETITION
There
is a prize for anyone who can work out what object the parents of
these nestling Great Tits chose as their nest site – the object is
in a public place in the Churnet Valley that it is 18 miles from
Uttoxeter and 19 miles to Etruria.
The
photo was taken by Richard Whiting Practical Projects Officer of the
Churnet Valley Living landscape Partnership.
Phone
01782 502297 or email wendy.birks@gmail.com
your answer by 12 noon by July 12th.
Should there be more than one correct answer I will draw the winner
out of a hat. The prize will be £10 towards a bird or wildlife book,
CD or similar, of your choice.
BREEDING
WOODCOCK SURVEY 2013.
I
thought “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” volunteers might be
interested in reading about a survey which I am doing for the British
Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
According
to their website the BTO is “an
independent charitable research institute combining professional and
citizen science aimed at using evidence of change in wildlife
populations, particularly birds, to inform the public,
opinion-formers and environmental policy- and decision-makers. Our
impartiality enables our data and information to be used both by
Government and NGO campaigners”.
Their
volunteers have been doing this work for many years, and so the BTO
hold an extremely important record of changes in bird distribution
and species abundance in the British Isles.
For
the past four years as part of the BTO's breeding Bird Survey (BBS),
I have been surveying a kilometre square of Oakamoor plus two
kilometre squares of Hen Cloud/Upper Hulme area (near The Roaches).
These surveys involve two visits to each site between April and the
end of June. The BBS surveys involve an early start as they must be
completed before 10am. Thus, this survey usually misses recording the
activity of nocturnal and crepuscular bird species, of which the
Woodcock is one.
So,
having not been put off by doing bird surveys which involve getting
up and going out at times when everyone else (apart from farmers) is
having a weekend lie-in, I have also been staying up at night to
survey Woodcocks. In truth I don't have to stay up too late as this
survey only lasts until an hour after darkness descends. This survey
involves standing in a woodland clearing, whilst listening and
watching for Woodcock. I have been getting to my study site, which is
Consall Nature Park, by about 9pm and surveying until about 10:30pm.
I have to do this three times during the months of May and June. The
BTO also want to know what type of woodland is being used by breeding
Woodcock and so a vegetation survey forms part of the data that I
record and send back to them.
Just
for the record, I do see and hear Woodcock “roding”, as their
courtship display is termed. For example on 5th
May I heard or saw 15 instances of activity within the 75minute
survey.
Photo
of Woodcock eating a worm courtesy of Ronald Sl. from Wikimedia
Himalayan Balsam - Big Pull events 2013
Himalayan Balsam is an
invasive non-native species that crowds out other plants. It pulls
up very easily and is completely non-toxic. Please wear sturdy shoes
and appropriate clothing and bring a packed lunch.
Thursday,
27 June, 2013 - 10:00 to 15:00hrs
IWA
and the Caldon &
Uttoxeter Canals Trust. Meet at Consall Lime Kilns. Nearest Parking
is at Consall Visitor Centre, Consall Nature Park, Consall Forge,
Wetley Rocks, Staffs, ST9 0AF.For
further details please contact Bob Luscombe on 07710 054848 or
email bobluscombe@btinternet.com
Wednesday, 3 July,
2013 - 10:30 to 15:30
Event organiser:
Richard Whiting -
Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership
Event Description:
The Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership
is carrying out a Big Pull of Himalayan Balsam.
10.30am - 3.30pm. Meet at the Ramblers Retreat to
work at Lords Bridge, Alton.
For further information please contact Richard
Whiting on 07960 875157 or email r.whiting@staffs-wildlife.org.uk
Thursday, 4 July,
2013 - 10:00 to 15:00
Event organiser:
Tom Freeland - The
Canal and River Trust
Event Description:
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) is carrying out a
Big Pull of Himalayan Balsam. Meet at the Pumping Station east of
Denford.
For further information and to let us know you
will be attending please contact Tom Freeland on 07789 033435
Event organiser:
IWA North
Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon &
Uttoxeter Canals Trust
Event Description:
IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire
Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust - Himalayan
Balsam pulling work party on the Caldon Canal.
10am to 3pm. Meet at the western portal of
Froghall Tunnel, Foxt Road (B5053), Froghall, Staffs.
For further information please contact Bob
Luscombe on 07710 054848 or email bobluscombe@btinternet.com
Himalayan Balsam is an
invasive non-native species that crowds out other plants. It pulls
up very easily and is completely non-toxic. Please wear sturdy shoes
and appropriate clothing and bring a packed lunch.
Thursday,
27 June, 2013 - 10:00 to 15:00hrs
IWA
and the Caldon &
Uttoxeter Canals Trust. Meet at Consall Lime Kilns. Nearest Parking
is at Consall Visitor Centre, Consall Nature Park, Consall Forge,
Wetley Rocks, Staffs, ST9 0AF.For
further details please contact Bob Luscombe on 07710 054848 or
email bobluscombe@btinternet.com
Wednesday, 3 July,
2013 - 10:30 to 15:30
Event organiser:
Richard Whiting -
Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership
Event Description:
The Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership
is carrying out a Big Pull of Himalayan Balsam.
10.30am - 3.30pm. Meet at the Ramblers Retreat to
work at Lords Bridge, Alton.
For further information please contact Richard
Whiting on 07960 875157 or email r.whiting@staffs-wildlife.org.uk
Thursday, 4 July,
2013 - 10:00 to 15:00
Event organiser:
Tom Freeland - The
Canal and River Trust
Event Description:
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) is carrying out a
Big Pull of Himalayan Balsam. Meet at the Pumping Station east of
Denford.
For further information and to let us know you
will be attending please contact Tom Freeland on 07789 033435
Event organiser:
IWA North
Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon &
Uttoxeter Canals Trust
Event Description:
IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire
Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust - Himalayan
Balsam pulling work party on the Caldon Canal.
10am to 3pm. Meet at the western portal of
Froghall Tunnel, Foxt Road (B5053), Froghall, Staffs.
For further information please contact Bob
Luscombe on 07710 054848 or email bobluscombe@btinternet.com
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP”
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 5
Volunteers'
Reports from April 2013.
I have received quite a few check
lists of birds that volunteers have seen during the month of April
(if you have not sent yours to me I can still add your data when you
do). So far these results have been very interesting, and I, for one,
have learned more about which bird species live in particular areas
of the Churnet Valley. For the sake of simplicity I have combined
individual's checklists to produce lists of species that are found in
the areas of: 1. Leek (including Brough Park and Ladderdge), 2.
Cheadle (including Freehay), Kingsley, 3. Oakamoor and 4. the area
between Leek and Endon/Cheddleton.
So what have volunteers reported?
First of all, a total of 70 species
have been spotted by volunteers, and 16 of these have been seen in
all areas. They are: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch,
Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie,
Mallard, Nuthatch, Robin, Siskin, Song Thrush and Woodpigeon. This
list does not reflect the numbers of individual birds seen, for
instance birdwatchers generally see only one or two Jay's during
each birdwatching session, whereas they may see tens of Woodpigeons –
one volunteer spotted 65 on an afternoon's walk along the Caldon
Canal between Endon and Longsdon!
Secondly, twelve “gold”
species have been seen. These are: Brambling, Curlew, Grey Wagtail,
Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Redstart, Linnet, Mandarin Duck, Tawny Owl,
Teal, Tree Sparrow and Yellowhammer. Four of these species have been
seen in one relatively small area, and that is Freehay near Cheadle.
In fact, the person who saw all four of these (Lesser Redpoll,
Linnet, Yellowhammer and Brambling) had also seen 25 Chaffinches
during a single bird watching stint! All these birds have something
in common; they are resident birds (this means they live here all
year) that feed on tree, grass and herb seeds in winter and insects
and other invertebrates in spring and summer. Now, I am not familiar
with the area of Freehay, but I see from Google Earth that there is
rough farmland, small woods, residential areas and sand quarries in
the vicinity. It seems that these habitats, plus bird lovers
supplying lots of wild bird seed during winter, provide just what
Yellowhammers, Linnets, Lesser Redpolls and Bramblings need.
And, for your information; the
Mardarin Ducks were seen at Oakamoor and Tawny Owls were seen/heard
at Ladderedge and Oakamoor, the Tree Sparrows and Redstart in the
Endon/Longsdon area and the Lapwing and Curlew have been seen
displaying just outside Cheadle.
Lapwing.
EAST WALL FARM
VISIT 31ST MAY 2013
“wow,
had my best ever view of hobby today, at guess where... eastwall
farm- not only that a pair hunting close by in good light, ace. if
its a nice day when you have your visit there at the end of the month
it will be brilliant. Springwatch should go. there are pied flies in
a box on the outside of the woodshed, redstart at the end of the
house and pied wags nesting above the pto on geoffs working
tractor.Thats just the highlights.”
This is part
of an email that was sent to me by someone who had just visited East
Wall Farm.
If
you want to come along to our visit on 31st
May, phone on 01782 502297or email wendy.birks@gmail.com
for further details.
RESULTS
FROM VISIT TO BROUGH PARK.
On
16th May “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” visited Brough Park in
Leek. Fortunately in was a lovely morning and so we had a good couple
of hours watching and listening to birds. There is a complete list of
what species we heard and saw in the Nature Reserve below. However I
think that the people who came along for the walk mostly enjoyed
seeing three species that were new to them. They were the: Willow
Warblers; of which we only caught a glimpse, but their song
accompanied much of our walk; a male Reed Bunting perched in full
view on a reed stem; and at least two Sedge Warblers singing exactly
as described in the guide book – you might almost think they had
read it in preparation for our visit!
BIRD SPECIES SEEN/HEARD DURING “WILDLIFE FROM
YOUR DOORSTEP” VISIT TO BROUGH PARK NATURE RESERVE 16/05/2013
|
|
Blue Tit
|
3
|
Carrion Crow
|
2
|
Chiffchaff
|
1
|
Common Whitethroat
|
2
|
Coot
|
1
|
Dunnock
|
3
|
Great Tit
|
3
|
House Martin
|
4
|
Jackdaw
|
3
|
Jay
|
1
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
2
|
Magpie
|
1
|
Mallard
|
4
|
Moorhen
|
1
|
Mute Swan
|
1
|
Reed Bunting
|
2
|
Robin
|
3
|
Sedge Warbler
|
4
|
Swallow
|
3
|
Tufted Duck
|
5
|
Willow Warbler
|
2
|
Woodpigeon
|
14
|
Wren
|
1
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES
|
23
|
THE STORY OF THE
THREE SPARROWS.
Many
people think sparrows and just sparrows. Indeed only this week I
heard that well-respected, and knowledgeable naturalist David
Attenborough refer to “sparrows”. But in fact there are two
species of “sparrow” that live in the British Isles, and, in a
way there used to be three. Let me explain.
The
most common “sparrow” species that lives in the British Isles is
most usually called the House Sparrow and its scientific name is
Passer
domesticus. Passer
is the Latin word for sparrow and domesticus is self-explanatory.
There is a picture of a male House Sparrow below and a female House
Sparrow below it.
Notice they both have chunky,
finch-like bills primarily adapted for eating seeds but they are also
suited for gathering and eating invertebrates. Watch carefully and
you will see both House and Tree Sparrows use their specialised bills
to dehusk seeds that they take out of your garden feeders. You will
often find the piles of discarded husks under the feeder.
The
Tree Sparrow is closely related to the slightly larger House Sparrow,
their scientific name reflects this. It is Passer
montanus. The
“passer”
part of their names indicates that both House and Tree Sparrows are
in the same genus.
Here is a picture of a Tree Sparrow.
If you look carefully at the pictures
you can see that the House and Tree Sparrows are different. The male
House Sparrow has a grey crown and no dark cheek patches, whilst the
Tree Sparrow has a chocolate brown cap and dark sports on its cheeks.
The female House Sparrow is different from the male, having a pale
brown crown and straw-coloured stripe running from the eye. In the
Tree Sparrow both sexes are alike. Like Hose Sparrows, Tree Sparrows
also have chunky bills.
The third “sparrow” was called the
Hedge Sparrow when I was a kid (40 years ago) and is also sometimes
called the Hedge Accentor. This is a fairly old name for what is now
more usually know by the common name of Dunnock. Its scientific name
is Prunella modularis, and, according to Wikipedia “dunnock”
is Ancient British for “little brown one”, which is an apt
description. From its scientific name you can see that is not as
closely related to the House and Tree Sparrows as they are to each
other.
Dunnocks are about the same size as
House Sparrows but with a thin pointed bill and pinkish legs. They
have a brown crown and a brown patch close to each eye. This is
surrounded by grey plumage which spreads to the throat and down
chest. Unlike either the House or Tree Sparrows they have streaky
back, wings and flanks. Dunnocks favour invertebrate food such as
spiders, snails and beetles and its pointed bill helps it to grab
these titbits out of corners and crevices. There is a picture of a
Dunnock below.
Dunnock - photo courtesy of
Smalljim
from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Unported license.
Dunnock on wall - photo by John Coe "Wildlife From Your Doorstep" volunteer.
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 4
RING
OUZEL IN STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS
An
interesting local birder's observation has come to light as a result
of The Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership's “Wildlife From
Your Doorstep” project. Russell Brooks, who is one of the project's
volunteers and who lives in Bottomhouse (near Leek), had an unusual visitor to
his garden feeders during the time of the persistent snow drifts at
the end of last March. At first Mr Brooks though that the bird was a
leucistic1 blackbird but, after checking his bird guide he
realised it was a Ring Ouzel.
 |
| A photograph of the Ring Ouzel taken by Mr Brooks. |
Ring
Ouzels overwinter in south and north Africa and the Middle East. They
breed on moorlands and mountains, around hill farms, forestry fringes
and abandoned quarries. According to the West Midlands Bird Club
Annual Report 2010 Ring Ouzels are, “Scarce and declining, summer
resident in the North Staffs Moors, uncommon passage migrant and vary
rare in winter”.
Mr
Brooks says that the bird appeared very hungry and, while it was
present, it dominated his feeding area, chasing off other bird
rivals.
Mr
Brooks enjoys many hours of pleasure watching the birds that visit
his garden every day. He is so keen he has even gone to the expense
of having a specially low window fitted so that he can see the birds
whilst he is sitting in his easy chair. He said, “Over the past few
years I have spent about a thousand pounds on my hobby, but, as I
cannot walk very far these days it is worth it for the reward of
seeing the birds from my home”.
Many
other birds visit Mr Boooks's Garden, among them are: Lesser Redpoll,
Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker,
Sparrowhawk and Pheasant.
Wendy
Birks, local naturalist and project coordinator said, “the Ring
Ouzel had probably stopped off for a feed during its spring
migrations and, when it couldn't find food due to the snow drifts, it
was attracted to Mr Brook's garden by the presence of the other
birds”.
The
next upcoming “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” event is
a bird walk in Brough Park, Leek between 9.390 – 11.30am on 16th
May 2013.
Wendy
said, “We will start from the Brough
Park Leisure Centre, Fowlchurch
Road car park at 9.30am (look out for the Staffordshire Wildlife
Trust pickup truck). We will walk around the park looking at the
varied habitats that are available to birds within the area. If you
have them, bring a pair of binoculars. A note book and pencil, and
bird guide may also be useful. We may have time to go into the wild
are adjacent to the park and so footwear and clothing appropriate to
the weather conditions that day is also advisable.”
The
walk is free and will last about two hours, though you are not
obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the
Leisure Centre.
1. Leucistic blackbirds are birds which have patches of plumage in which the pigment is missing, and therefore the patches appear as white.
EAST WALL FARM, OAKAMOOR.
On
27th April I went to meet “Wildlife From Your Doorstep”
volunteers Margaret and Geoffrey Burton who live on East Wall Farm
near Oakamoor.
 |
| East Wall Farm.
|
Mr
and Mrs Burton have lived on the farm for many years, indeed the farm
has been managed by Mr Burton's family for 99 years. Mr Burton is
very
knowledgeable about the birds that live in and around his farmyard,
and I very much enjoyed my visit there.
You
can see from the photograph that the farm is surrounded by pastures
and mixed woodland; and there is a pool hidden behind the building.
These habitats provide ideal conditions for three of the Churnet
Valley's rarer summer migrants; Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher
and Redstart. These, largely insectivorous birds all overwinter in
Africa and come to Britain to breed. On the day that I went to the
farm Mr Burton told me that the Pied Flycatchers
had
arrived about a week before my visit.
In
2009 expert ornithologists redesignated Pied
Flycatchers
from Green to Amber Species of Conservation Concern, which means
that there has been population decline over the past couple of
decades. Mr Burton is assisting the local Pied Flycatcher population
by providing suitable nestboxes, which they have used many times. He
is also inadvertently helping by having a herd of cattle, which of
course, produce plenty of manure – and manure means there will be
plenty of insects on which the flycatchers can feed! The Burtons farm
also supplies nest sites for another flycatcher, the Spotted
Flycatcher which
usually nest on the air holes in the barn walls (Spotted Flycatcher
is a Red Species of Conservation Concern). And, Redstarts
(Amber
Species of Conservation Concern) feed in the surrounding fields and
wood
Redstart.
Many
other bird species benefit from the Burton's farm and in particular
this year he has Chaffinch, Mallard, Dunnock, Wren, Blackbird and
Pied Wagtail nesting in and around the farm buildings.
Mr
Burton has invited other volunteers to come to see the birds on his
farm, and so I have arranged a visit for Friday 31st
May. It is essential that I know who wants to join in the visit so
please let me know by 17th
May if you want to come along.
VOLUNTEER REPORTS
The last newsletter, in which we reported on the list of birds that w saw during the visit to Cecilly Brook and Hales Hall, volunteers who could not attend that event have been in touch top add more species to the lists. Annette has reported that here friend regularly sees a Kingfisher at hales Hall Pool. And, Dave tells me that there are a pair of Treecreepers (seen feeding in crevices on tree bark) also at Cecilly Brook.
Dave also told me he know of where that Curlew and Lapwing are currently nesting in the Cheadle area. These two wetland bird species need soft ground in order that they may probe with their bills to find invertebrate prey and presumably find appropriate conditions in farms near to Cheadle. Lets hope we get some rain this spring, so that the soils do not become hard and dry, as this will be detrimental to these birds.
Dave has also said that a friend has seen a Hoopoe near Cheadle. These birds mainly live in North Africa, Southern Europe and parts of Asia. But they sometimes seen in the south of England (e.g. Dorset) when they fly in with other summer migrants. When they do occur in Britain they are particularly remarkable due to the large crest on top of their head, which I always think looks like an American Indian headdress.
 |
| Hoopoe taken by Prabhatgupta licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licensed |
“WILDLIFE FROM YOUR DOORSTEP” EVENT
Meanwhile I have arranged an event that will take place at Brough Park, Leek between 9.390 – 11.30am on 16th May 2013.
Brough Park, Leek.
The walk will last about two hours, though you are not obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the Leisure Centre.
We will start from the Brough Park Leisure Centre, Fowlchurch Road car park at 9.30am (look out for the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust pickup truck). We will walk around the park looking at the varied habitats that are available to birds within the area. If you have them, bring binoculars. A note book and pencil, and bird guide may also be useful. We may have time to go into the wild are adjacent to the park and so footwear and clothing appropriate to the weather conditions that day is also advisable.
The walk will last about two hours, though you are not obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the Leisure Centre.
NEWSLETTER
NUMBER 3
Below are
checklists of birds that were seen during the recent "Wildlife
From Your Doorstep" events at Consall Nature Park and Cecilly
Brook/Hales Hall Nature Reserves on 14th and 18th
April.
You will see that
more species were seen at Cecilly Brook, which is a great urban
birdwatching site. We were particularly pleased to see and hear both
Chiff Chaffs
and Willow Warblers,
both summer migrants that had only recently arrived after their long
journey from Africa. We stood and watched a small group of these
extremely active little birds as they flitted about feeding on
insects which they were finding in a hedge of large conifer and
deciduous trees that bounded a private garden.
We were also
pleased to see and hear a Reed
Bunting proclaiming
his territory in amongst the wetland vegetation at the northern end
of Hales Hall pool. Other notable sightings were a Great
Crested Grebe on the
water, a Mallard with
fifteen ducklings, a
Lesser Redpoll
taking advantage of garden feeders and a Siskin in the top of a tree.
Perhaps rather
surprising was the low number of species seen during the visit to
Consall Nature Park. This does not really reflect the wide range of
species that is typically seen and heard in and around this park, but
rather the fact that the weather was very gusty, and, in order
that I could be on hand to talk to visitors the birdwatching was
mainly restricted to looking through a birding telescope from near
the centre.
Birds
species seen or heard at Consall Nature Park 14th April
2013.
|
Bird
species seen and/or heard at Cecilly Brook and Hales Hall Nature
Reserves on 18th April 2013.
|
Blackbird
Blue
Tit
Buzzard
Canada
Goose
Carrion
Crow
Chaffinch
Coal
Tit
Goldcrest
Great
Tit
Jay
Lesser
Black Backed Gull
Mallard
Nuthatch
Pheasant
Robin
Swallow
Wood
pigeon
Wren
18
SPECIES
|
Blackbird
Blue
Tit
Canada
Goose
Carrion
Crow
Chaffinch
Coal
Tit
Coot
Dunnock
Great
Crested Grebe
Great
Tit
Greenfinch
House
Sparrow
Jay
Lesser
Black Backed Gull
Redpoll
Mallard
Pied
Wagtail
Robin
Reed
Bunting
Rook
Song
Thrush
Starling
Swallow
Tufted
Duck
Willow
Warbler
Wood
pigeon
Wren
27
SPECIES
|
PIED
FLYCATCHERS
And, the other news
of great interest is that the Pied
Flycatchers are back
in the Churnet Valley. Mr Burton, who manages East Wall Farm near
Hawksmoor spotted them on Thursday 18th April.They have also arrived
at the RSPB Coombes Valley Nature reserve.
Pied Flycatcher
|
Mr
Burton has invited other "Wildlife From Your Doorstep"
volunteers to go to see the birds on his farm. I will be arranging a
visit and will let you know as soon as I have the full details. He
has also kindly sent in a photograph of a Mallard who has raised her
brood of ducklings in the shelter of his barn. This Mallard chose a
particularly good spot to make her nest this year as she was sitting
on her eggs during the hash and unseasonably wintery weather that we
were subjected to during March.
Mallard and her ducklings at East Wall Farm, nr Oakamoor.
“WILDLIFE
FROM YOUR DOORSTEP” EVENT
Meanwhile
I have arranged an event that will take place at Brough Park, Leek
between 9.390 – 11.30am on 16th May 2013.
Brough Park, Leek.
The walk will last about two hours, though you are not obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the Leisure Centre.
We will start from the Brough
Park Leisure Centre, Fowlchurch
Road car park at 9.30am (look out for the Staffordshire Wildlife
Trust pickup truck). We will walk around the park looking at the
varied habitats that are available to birds within the area. If you
have them, bring binoculars. A note book and pencil, and bird
guide may also be useful. We may have time to go into the wild are
adjacent to the park and so footwear and clothing appropriate to the
weather conditions that day is also advisable.
The walk will last about two hours, though you are not obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the Leisure Centre.
Scroll down to read older newsletters.
NEWSLETTER NUMBER 2
Hello, and welcome to the second of the “Wildlife from Your Doorstep” newsletters.
Since this project started, just one month ago, about twenty people who live or visit the Churnet Valley and its surrounding area have contacted me to say they want to get involved with surveying birds. More volunteers are needed, so if you know of anyone who might want to get involved ask them to contact me via email as wendy.birks@gmail.com the back page.
If you have a look at the blog at the map page you can see where volunteers are located.
I have started to receive results form some volunteers and I am hoping to put these on to the blog within the next few days, so if you get chance have a look at the “results” page of the blog. If you do not have access to the internet the next newsletter will include these results and I will post this out to you in about one month. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying doing your surveying and that you can come along to one or both of the free outdoor events that I have organised for “Wildlife from Your Doorstep” .
The first will take place as part of the Churnet Valley Spring Wildlife and Heritage Fayre. on Sunday 14th April at Consall Nature Park (ST9 0AG) between 10am and 4pm, where she will be offering visitors a chance to see wild birds and possibly learn some new species. Bring binoculars if you have them.
The second event is a bird walk for people who are already volunteering for “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” and people who might want to join. The event will take place on Thursday 18th April 2013 at 09:30am. It will start from the South Moorlands Leisure Centre car park, Allen Street, Cheadle (look out for the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust pickup truck) and will include a walk along Cecilly Brook and around Hales Hale Nature Reserve. If you have them, bring a pair of binoculars. A note book and pencil, and bird guide may also be useful. Footwear and clothing appropriate to the weather conditions that day is also advisable.
The walk will last about two hours though you are not obliged to stay for the whole walk. Toilets are available in the Leisure Centre.
Hales Hall Pool near Cheadle
WHERE ARE ALL THE SUMMER MIGRANTS?
By this time of the spring, and I am writing this on 6th April, we have heard and seen some of the first summer migrants as the arrive from their European or African winter quarters. For instance last year I heard the first Chiff Chaffs of spring on 22nd March, and I also saw Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies flying that day. OK, last spring was exceptionally warm for the time of year and we had droughts in the south of England, but this year spring has been exceptionally cold and the winds have predominantly been from the east.
According to the British Trust for Ornithology, the Churnet Valley and the north of Staffordshire are not alone. In many areas of England the summer migrants are later than usual, and some of the winter visitors, such as Fieldfares and Redwings are reluctant to leave for their European breeding grounds. It seems that the strong and cold easterly winds are deterring the birds from crossing the channel between southern Europe and likewise the are discouraging winter migrants from returning across the North Sea.
Redwing in snow by nottsexminer licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution – Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence
Hello and welcome to the first newsletter of the “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” project.
As you know this project is intended to encourage local people to get out and learn more about what wildlife, and in particular birds, they see in and around the Churnet Valley, and report their findings back to us. With this in mind we would also like volunteers to challenge themselves to learn more. Personally, I believe that a reasonable depth of knowledge about the countryside in which you work and live, enhances your enjoyment of every trip you take outside, whether that is simply going out to put some rubbish in your bin, or spending a whole day on a walking expedition.
I will give you an example from my personal experience. It just so happens that my wheelie bins, like so many other people's are at the side of my house, hidden away from view, in the shady and draughty side passage. Not a particularly inspiring place. And yet, three years ago, whilst making my regular trips to my bin, I began to notice a little bird was often singing almost above my head whilst sitting on the telephone cable that extends from the pole in our street to my neighbour's roof. It was a male Coal Tit singing its characteristic high-pitched “pea-chew, pea,chew” song as it proclaimed its territory. It turned out that there was a pair of Coal Tits nesting below the roof tiles of my neighbour's house. I remember watching them go to the nest hole and come out with a bill full of cavity wall insulation, which they held while they flew to my neighbour's cherry tree. Then, whilst perched in the tree, they dropped the insulation then flew back to the wall cavity. I assume they were making space for their nest and its future family of chicks before they started to build it.
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| Goldcrest. |
I hope that volunteers of the “Wildlife From Your Doorstep” project will also gain from similar experiences, and share them with others through this blog and the printed newsletter. Please get your stories to me so that I can include them.
HERE IS OUR FIRST VOLUNTEER REPORT
The first volunteer to report to "Wildlife From Your Doorstep" is Andrew. This is what he says
FIRST RESULTS FROM BROUGH PARK, LEEK.
Here (below) is a checklist of bird species that have been seen at Brough Park in Leek during March 2013. The site was visited four times during the month. The numbers in the white column on the right hand side of the species name indicate the maximum number of individual birds seen on any of the four visits that month. Where there are no numbers that species was not seen.
For people who don't know Brough Park, it is an urban park on the outskirts of the market town of Leek. It a sloping site with large areas of mown grass, a lake, mature trees and shrubs, tarmacked paths and a bandstand; and, of course it is usually busy with people.
Judging by these results the lake was an important resource for water-dependent birds during March 2013. As we all know, March was unseasonably cold. According to my weather records we had twenty days which started with frost, and on many of these days pools and lakes were frozen completely or partly for most of the day. The volunteer who recorded these observations said that the lake at Brough Park retained areas of open water - at least on the days he visited. This, plus the inclination of the public to feed ducks etc. in parks, probably resulted in Brough Park being an attractive site for Mallards and Black-Headed Gulls during the inclement weather. You will see from this table that on one day 50 gulls were at Brough Park and on another day 41 Mallards were present (on the two other survey days there 16 and 20 Black-Headed Gulls and 36 and 40 Mallards - the first survey day only species were ticked as present, numbers were not counted).
The lake in Brough park.
The next most frequent species was Wood Pigeon at a maximum of 13 individuals counted on one day. And, if we add to the Wood Pigeons the (maximum count of) 7 for the closely related Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove, we have 20 pigeons in total. No one will be surprised that there are a lot of pigeons in an urban park. Wood and Feral Pigeons, along with the previously mentioned Black-Headed Gulls, will eat pretty much anything, and they are especially adept at scavenging for scraps left behind by humans.
Just for the record, in a recent paper published in British Birds journal, Wood Pigeon is the fourth most abundant bird species during the breeding season in the UK. There are estimated to be 5,400,000 Wood Pigeons resident in the UK at any one time. There are about 231 breeding bird species in the UK. The most abundant species is thought to be the Wren at 8,6000,000.
Look at the table below and you will see that there was a total of 23 species recorded in March in Brough Park.
| Barn owl | Magpie | 3 | |
| Black-headed gull | 50 | Mallard | 41 |
| Blackbird | 8 | Mandarin Duck | |
| Blackcap | Marsh Tit | ||
| Blue tit | Meadow Pipit | ||
| Brambling | Merlin | ||
| Bullfinch | Mistle thrush | 1 | |
| Buzzard | Moorhen | 1 | |
| Canada Goose | Mute swan | ||
| Carrion Crow | 4 | Nuthatch | 5 |
| Chaffinch | 7 | Oyster Catcher | |
| Chiff Chaff | Peregrine | ||
| Coal Tit | 1 | Pheasant | |
| Collared Dove | Pied Flycatcher | ||
| Common Gull | Pied Wagtail | ||
| Common Sandpiper | Pochard | ||
| Coot | 1 | Raven | |
| Cormorant | Red Grouse | ||
| Crossbill | Red-legged Partridge | ||
| Cuckoo | Redshank | ||
| Curlew | Redstart | ||
| Dipper | Redwing | ||
| Dunlin | Reed Bunting | ||
| Dunnock | Reed Warbler | ||
| Fieldfare | Ringed Plover | ||
| Gadwall | Robin | 3 | |
| Garden Warbler | Rock dove/feral pigeon | 7 | |
| Garganey | Rook | 4 | |
| Goldcrest | 1 | Sedge Warbler | |
| Goldfinch | Short-eared Owl | ||
| Goosander | Shoveler | ||
| Goshawk | Siskin | 4 | |
| Great black backed Gull | Skylark | ||
| Great Crested Grebe | Snipe | ||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | Song Thrush | 1 |
| Great Tit | 8 | Sparrowhawk | 1 |
| Green Woodpecker | Spotted Flycatcher | ||
| Greenfinch | Starling | ||
| Grey Heron | Stock Dove | ||
| Grey Partridge | Stonechat | ||
| Grey Wagtail | Swallow | ||
| Greylag Goose | Swift | ||
| Herring Gull | Tawny Owl | ||
| House Martin | Teal | ||
| House Sparrow | Tree Creeper | ||
| Jackdaw | 8 | Tree Pipit | |
| Jay | Tree Sparrow | ||
| Kestrel | Tufted Duck | ||
| Kingfisher | Water Rail | ||
| Lapwing | Waxwing | ||
| Lesser black backed Gull | Wheatear | ||
| Lesser Redpoll | Whitethroat | ||
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Wigeon | ||
| Lesser Whitethroat | Willow Tit | ||
| Linnet | Willow Warbler | ||
| Little Grebe | Woodpigeon | 13 | |
| Little Owl | Wood Warbler | ||
| Long-eared Owl | Woodcock | ||
| Long-tailed Tit | 2 | Wren | 1 |
| Magpie | 3 | Yellow Wagtail | |
| Yellowhammer | |||
| TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES SEEN AT BOUGH PARK DURING MARCH → | 23 | ||
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