News Page.....
Colour-ringed Greenshank and Common Gull....
.jpg)
This
Greenshank was colour-ringed as a juvenile on
the Ythan Estuary in North-eastern Scotland in
August 2006. It has been seen several
times in the River Camel area since then and
clearly winters here. This photo was taken
by Andy and Shirley Park on Dinham Flats (R.
Camel) on 26th September. For the latest news on
this Greenshank see HERE
Colin
Selway reports that this Common Gull was ringed
as a pullus on 20th June 2008 at Sprogo Island,
Korsor, Denmark (the co-ordinates for those who
have Google Earth are 06 55.20N-010.58E).
Colin photographed it at the Walmsley Sanctuary
on 2nd October.
Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit....
Colin
Selway recorded a colour-ringed Black-tailed
Godwit at Walmsley Sanctuary on 3rd September
2008. He was able to trace it to an
Icelandic ringing project and Sigga Beta
provided the following history. It is a
male bird, which was first ringed in Iceland
back in 2000. As you can see, it has
visited a number of different regions of the UK
and Ireland.
|
24.04.00 |
Grafarvogur, Reykjavík, SW Iceland |
Faxafloi |
|
25.04.00 |
Grafarvogur, Reykjavík, SW Iceland |
Faxafloi |
|
25.04.00 |
Grafarvogur, Reykjavík, SW Iceland |
Faxafloi |
|
26.04.00 |
Grafarvogur, Reykjavík, SW Iceland |
Faxafloi |
|
04.03.01 |
Dublin Bay, Co. Dublin, E Ireland |
E Ire |
|
01.05.01 |
Álftafjörður, E Iceland |
E ice |
|
06.05.01 |
Skeidflot I Myrdal, Vik, S Iceland |
S ice |
|
05.03.02 |
Pagham Harbour, Sussex, S England |
S Eng |
|
14.03.03 |
Ribble Estuary, Lancashire, NW England |
NW Eng |
|
13.04.06 |
Bartle Pools, Higher Bartle, Preston,
Lancashire, NW England |
NW Eng |
|
12.04.08 |
Earith, Ouse Washes, Cambrigeshire, E
England |
E Eng |
|
03.09.08 |
Walmsley Sanctuary, Cornwall, SW England |
SW Eng |
__________________________________________
Dutch Spoonbills flying the flag
In early November 2007, 7 Spoonbills were
reported from Wacker Quay, near Torpoint on
the River Lynher, a tributary of the River
Tamar in Cornwall. This is a regular
wintering area for between one and three
birds but seven is unprecedented. On 10th
November, I led a birdwatching cruise on the
Rivers Tamar and Lynher and found 6 of the
birds together in Shillingham Creek, but the
views were rather distant. However it
appeared that two Spoonbills were sporting
yellow leg flags and colour rings indicating
they were of Dutch origin. If close enough
views were obtained, the colour combination
would enable the birds origin and life
histories to be discovered. The 7th
bird, an adult was on its own at Wacker
Quay.
On the 25th November 2007 another
birdwatching cruise with 70 people on board,
obtained excellent views of 6 Spoonbills
feeding together on the rising tide near
Wacker. On two birds the yellow leg flags
could be clearly seen, but the movement of
the boat made it difficult to clearly see
the other colour rings. Several photos were
taken in the hope of fully identifying these
birds later.
Then the detective work began. Back at home,
I checked the internet and contacted Otto
Overdijk of the International Spoonbill
Working Group in Holland who confirmed they
were Dutch birds. Photos taken by Nick
Tomalin and Andy Nicholas were digitally
enhanced showing that both birds were
juveniles and indicated that Bird 1 carried
metal/green/yellow flag on left leg and
yellow/blue/red on the right. (Photograph
A). Bird 2 showed light green/yellow/metal
on the left and yellow flag/light green/red
on the right leg. (Photograph B) These were
emailed to Otto who was able to confirm the
identity of the birds and provide their life
histories.
Bird 1 was ringed as a nestling on 21 May
2007, on the island of Schiermonnikoog, the
northern most inhabited island in the Dutch
Wadden Sea and a National Park. It was seen
again 64 days later at Lauwersmeer, another
National Park 14 km to the south of
Schiermonnikoog. Its next sighting wasn’t
until it arrived on the River Lynher having
travelled a distance of nearly 800 km.
Bird 2 was ringed, again as a nestling at
Onderdijk on the west bank of the IJsselmeer
on 6 June 2007. By the end of the month it
moved to Den Oever, 21 km to the north west
where it was seen on numerous occasions
until 2 October. Its next sighting was on
the River Lynher, having travelled 694 km.
It is interesting that these birds have come
from breeding colonies 100 km apart, yet
have homed in on the River Lynher as a
wintering site. It is also interesting to
speculate the origin of the remaining birds
but they are probably of Dutch origin. The
majority of the Dutch population winter much
further south, in southern Spain or
Portugal, many venturing even further, into
West Africa. Hopefully, they’ll remain for
more people to enjoy on the next bird
watching cruise on 9 December (see Cornwall
Birding website for details).
Thanks to Otto Overdijk and the
International Spoonbill Working Group for
their help in preparing this note.
Tamar Birdwatching Cruises are organised by
Bruce Taggart in conjunction with Tamar
Cruising, the RSPB, Cornwall Birds and the
Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The trips aim to
show people the diversity of birdlife on the
Rivers Tamar and Lynher in winter and to
record all sightings.
Photograph
A - Bird 1 by Andy Nicholas
Photograph
B - Bird 2. by Andy Nicholas
Spoonbills on River Lynher,
Cornwall on 25th November 2007. Bird
1 is second from the left and Bird 2 on the
right. Photograph by Andy Nicholas.
Photograph by Nigel Climpson
On February
2nd 2009 a colour ringed spoonbill was observed
on the River Tamar by Nigel Climpson. Contact
with Otto Overdijk at the address below produced
a very rapid response and the observed history
of the bird. The bird was ringed at the nest in
July 2006 in Holland. It has subsequently been
observed in France and Holland and in the autumn
of 2007 was seen at Brownsea Island. No other
reports in the UK until now.
Spoonbills
Tamar December 2009
On the
Dec. 13th Tamar cruise a
Spoonbill was observed
with the following
colour rings.
Left
Leg- light green over
yellow over light green
Right leg- Red over
yellow flag over metal.
Otto
Overdijk of the Dutch
Spoonbill Workng Group
replied to the request
for information with the
following news:
Indeed,
now I can identify this bird. A juvenile bird
ringed at Den Oever
29/7/2009
( just North from Amsterdam, Wadden Sea
Coast Lat 52.934N Lon 5.031E )
This
is a new breeding site in Netherlands situated
at a dike. See photo
below.
This
dike has no connexion with the mainland. It's a
dike to slow-down the current. That it has no
connexion with
land means also that birds are safe, there are
no foxes or other ground predators. Also no
people come and set feet onto this dike so it
also very quite for Spoonbills.
Working
group Spoonbills International
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
species
:Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia
leucorodia)
7325/106859
colourrings
:LYL/RYfa
ringing place:NL
Den Oever, Banaan 5256N-0502E
metalringnr
:NLA .8050697
ringing age :nestling
ringing
date:29-07-09
sexe :unknown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
date
country and site or reserve
observer
days
dist sexe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16-09-09 NL
Den Oever
nabij haven
Leon Kelder
49
0 km.
24-09-09 NL
Den Oever
nabij haven
Leon Kelder
57
0 km.
15-11-09
GB
Cornwall Plymouth
River Lynher
Bruce Taggart
109
696 km.
13-12-09
GB
Cornwall Plymouth
River Lynher
Bruce Taggart
137
696 km.
----ooOoo---
WHERE TO WATCH
BIRDS IN DEVON AND CORNWALL;
NEW 5TH
EDITION 2009
Dave Norman and Vic Tucker
Have you ever thought of visiting a
birdwatching site in the region you were
unfamiliar with, and wondered exactly where to
go, the best conditions to visit in, and what
you might see?
The purpose of this book is to provide
such knowledge.
They have both been active birdwatchers and Society members since
the mid-1960’s and have seen many changes in
the two counties’ birds and
habitats since those early days. Apart
from many thousands of hours in the field they have both been involved at various stages in county records
committees, Vic having served on CBWPS committee
and most
recently in DBWPS reserve management
and development. As the popularity of
birdwatching increased, with more widespread
access to good field guides and optics, they were
being asked with increasing frequency about
localities to visit by those wishing to extend
their range.
In
1982 they approached
Christopher Helm,who was at that time publishing
some ground-breaking bird books, and discussed
producing a guide to fill the gap.The
first trial chapter was
Dave’s home patch of Torbay,
and they were surprised and delighted when the draft was returned with enthusiastic comments from
the publishers .Following the first pilot
edition the concept became firmly established
and the Helm “Where to Watch” series now
includes dozens of titles, each produced by
experienced local birders, covering UK counties,
Continental European countries, and various
other parts of the world. Dave and Vic have
continued to revise and enlarge the coverage of
Devon and Cornwall every few years, to reflect
changes both in bird distribution and new areas
where birdwatching discoveries were being made.
Increased study of gull roosts, for instance,
and offshore boat trips to see petrels and
shearwaters, have caused radical shifts in our
appreciation of where certain species can occur.
The guide’s coverage reflects new protected
areas and access points, also some exciting and
exotic occurrences, but also the extra effort
now needed to find some once-familiar species
such as Cuckoo.They have
been helped greatly over the years by many
birders across the two counties who have
contributed knowledge and ideas, often walking
their local sites with the authors to ensure an
accurate appreciation of the layout. Past contributors to artwork and maps have included international
seabird expert Peter Harrison, and Steve Bird
who now leads the successful Birdseekers tour
company. Each
new edition has therefore been a labour of love
which took up to a couple of years to fulfil.
One of the Dave and Vic’s biggest rewards at
the end of each edition is to meet people out in
the field using the finished book , and see the
pleasure generated by their being able to see a
different range of species in new surroundings.
Rather than wait for the bird information lines
to churn out news of someone else’s sightings,
they hope that observers will be encouraged to get out and try
promising areas for themselves.
Inevitably the authors have
had to
weigh access for birdwatchers against the interests of the birds; some sensitive breeding sites, or
areas with limited access, have continued to be
omitted. Nevertheless
they have taken the opportunity in the 5th
Edition to fill in some gaps where there was
less focus by birdwatchers in past years, eg the
Axe Estuary and district,
some sectors of the Taw/Torridge, and
parts of the Lizard peninsula and South Cornwall
coast, also newly created areas around
Wadebridge. They
have also responded to requests by observers in
the field to provide more information on
sought-after species which are a particular
feature of our region, including some elusive
residents eg Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Other
requests they have
had included
“Where might I see a Puffin from the mainland ? and “Where
is the best chance of finding Snow Bunting?”.
A new chapter of the book aims to answer the
most frequent questions about finding these more
tricky species.
Copies of the new edition (cost £16.99)
are now obtainable from bookshops or direct from the two authors, who can
autograph copies if you wish. Dave and Vic hope
it will prove an asset to Society members who
have not tried it before. If you have a crumpled
old edition, maybe it is time to exchange it for
a brand new one!
April 2009
----ooOoo---
Major National Success for Cornish Artist
Three Choughs - Lizard
Point
Daniel Cole
This painting won the 2009 RSPB award at the SWLA
(Society of Wildlife Artists) exhibition at the Mall
Gallery in London.
The artist, Daniel Cole, lives and works in the St.
Austell clay district.
He has travelled extensively birdwatching and
researching his art. He has produced the
illustrations for many field guides and bird
books.
More recently he has moved away from illustration
and concentrated on Gallery and private commission
work.
His father, Sid Cole, is a well known St. Austell
birder.
More of his work can be seen at www.pinkfootgallery.co.uk
and www.swla.co.uk.
----ooOoo---
Gull ringing project on St George's
Island, Looe.
This year saw the start of a Great
Black-backed Gull ringing project in Cornwall.
Following a proposal by Pete Kent (Cornwall
Wildlife Trust's East Cornwall Reserves Officer)
a ringing project has been set up in partnership
with CBWPS to learn more about these gulls.
With over 70 breeding pairs of Great
Black-backed Gulls, St. George's Island supports
a significant breeding colony of these
magnificent birds. For many years local
ornithologist, David Curtis and Colliford Lake's
Loveny warden, Dave Conway, have been recording
the number of Great Black-backed Gulls breeding
on the Island. This new ringing project will
build on their work and help us understand the
gulls' ecology and life history, as well as
monitor population trends.
The ringing project started in June when a
team of volunteers visited the Island on two
occasions. The team was faced with quite a
challenge as the Island is also home to breeding
Herring gulls as well as Great Black-backs and
many nests and young birds were well nests
hidden amongst tall vegetation!
Eventually 49 Great Black-backed Gulls were
caught and fitted with a BTO ring on the left
leg and a white plastic ring engraved with a red
identification code on the right leg. The code
starts with the letter L, followed by a colon
and then two letters and a single figure, e.g.
L:AA1. The local ringing co-ordinator, Bruce
Taggart, has requested that anyone seeing a
ringed bird report their sighting via email:
looegulls@gmail.com. In turn they will receive a
full life history of the bird.
Bruce says
'We hope that analysis of the data, will allow
us to investigate dispersal patterns, site
fidelity, longevity, and survival rates in these
gulls, as well as monitor long term population
trends. We have already noted a high mortality
during the egg or early chick stage which
warrants further investigation.'
As Great Black backs are long lived birds the
ringing scheme will last for at least five years
and hopefully much longer.
Claire Lewis, the warden's assistant for the
Island says, 'We have long wondered what happens
to the fledged gulls and now, with the
participation of the public this exciting new
project give the us the opportunity to discover
more about the gulls and in turn assist us with
the management of the nature reserve'.
Bruce Taggart
Update on Gull ringing project on St
George’s Island Nature Reserve, Looe Oct. 2010
With
over 70 breeding pairs of Great Black-backed
Gulls, The Cornwall Wildlife Trusts reserve at
St. George’s Island supports a significant
breeding colony of these magnificent birds.
Having a wing span of around 1.5m they truly are
one of Britain’s most impressive gulls and
following a proposal by Pete Kent (the CWT’s
East Cornwall Reserves Officer) this summer saw
the start of a ringing project to learn more
about these birds. The
ringing scheme will last for at least five years
and hopefully much longer and is a partnership
between CWT and the Cornwall Bird Watching and
Preservation Society.
For
many years Dave Curtis, a local ornithologist
and David Conway, CWT’s Loveny warden, have
been recording the number of Great Black-backed
Gulls breeding on the Island. This new ringing
project will help us gain a better understanding
of
their ecology and life histories. The local
ringing co-ordinator, Bruce Taggart, said
‘It’s hoped that analysis of the Great
Black-backed Gull data,
will allow us to investigate dispersal patterns,
site fidelity, survival rates and longevity, as
well as monitor long term population trends.
The
ringing project started in June when a team of
ten volunteers visited the Island on two
occasions. Forty nine Great Black-backed Gull
chicks were caught and fitted with a BTO ring on
the left leg and
a white plastic ring engraved with a red
identification code on the right leg. The
code starts with the letter L, followed by a
colon and then two letters and a single figure,
eg L:AA1. Bruce
requested that anyone seeing a ringed bird
report their sighting via email: looegulls@gmail.com.
You
will receive a full life history of the bird and
receive regular newsletter updates on the
progress of the project.
The
project has already begun to pay dividends. In
August, shortly after fledging 6 juveniles were
sighted at Looe. Then in early September another
two were seen at Downderry but on the 16th
September we received our first foreign report.
L:AJ1 was seen on Omaha Beach, Vierville sur Mer,
France, 81 days after ringing and a distance of
275 km from St Georges Island.
Three
days later L:AK6 was reported from Parelle Beach
in Guernsey. This bird was was ringed on the
same day as L:AJ1 and had travelled 161 km. Two
further Guernsey sightings of L:AK6 followed; at
L’Eree Beach on 21st and 23rd
September. Interestingly a Guernsey ringed Great
Black back was seen at Downderry on 20th
September so maybe these birds crossed mid
Channel!!
Bruce
commented ‘It’s early days yet but it shows
how important colour ringing is in understanding
what is happening to these gulls. Did L:AK6 and
L:AJ1 follow their parents or head out into the
English Channel alone? Only continued ringing,
monitoring, reporting and time will tell.’
 |
|
|
L:AB1 at Looe Beach on a grey August day.
Photos
Jerry Lanfear
|
L:AA3 at Looe Beach, 18th August 2010
|
|
|
|
|
Great Black-backed
Gulls on
Parelle Beach, Guernsey,
19th September 2010.
Photos Paul Veron |
Guernsey, 21st
September 2010. Great Black-backed Gull
L:AK6 on L’Eree Beach,
|
----ooOoo---
A letter referring to the Davidstow Wind Farm
Application
----ooOoo---
The wanderings of a
Greylag Goose
The bird was trapped and had a collar fitted
in Sweden 5/6/2000
and it then wandered locally in Sweden until it
was seen in the Netherlands on 31/10/2004
It then stayed in the Netherlands until it was
located in Schleswig Holstein on 16/12/2006
Relocated in Denmark on 10/3/2006 and then back
to its home territory in Sweden by
19/8/2006
Reported again in the Netherlands 16/12/2007
but back in Sweden between 19/8/2008 to
5/11/2008
It was then undetected until 28/2/2010 when it
was found at Druridge Bay, Northumberland (1)
On 23/4/2010 it was at Seahouses (2)
By 23/4/2010 it was at Scarborough Yorkshire (3)
9/5/2010 Radwell Lakes, Bedfordshire (4)
On 13/5/2010 it was reported near Colchester,
Essex (5)
but on 17/5/2010 it had returned north to
Rattray Head, Aberdeen shire (6)
Back south again by 20/9/2010 it was near
Canterbury,Kent (7)
On 9/10/2010 it was seen flying past Portgwarra
and settling at the Hayle Estuary on 10/10/2010
It was last seen on the Hayle Estuary on 6/11
It was relocated at Drift Reservoir on 16/11 and
last reported there on 31/12/2010
It was then found back on the Hayle Estuary on 3
& 7/1/2011
Finally, it has been relocated at Longham Lake,
nr Bournemouth, Dorset (SZ 062982) on 10/1
Where is it now?
Photographed
on the Hayle Estuary 14/10/2010 by Adrian Langdon
More
Information on this bird
The bird was ringed
as an adult bird with a family and as you
suspected it is a female. The population at Lake
Yddingen where it was marked is a genuinely
wild population that was established some time
in the late sixties of Greylags spreading from
other lakes in Scania. Of course with a species
like the Greylag where there has been
reintroductions in many places you can of course
not be sure that they have a portion of genes
(and characters) of other races like rubirostris.
I do not however have any notes on any deviating
racial belonging of this bird, but I did not
take part in the actual catching of it. There
can of course be connections between Greylags
from this wild population and feral birds in the
neighbouring cities. We know of some neckbanded
Greylags from the wild population that have
moved to the feral populations in the city of
Malmö. There have not been an introductions in
the area during the last 30 years at least and
there has always been a small, genuinely wild
population remnant in the province of Scania
even during the sixties before the population
explosion of the Greylags.
Leif Nilsson
----ooOoo---
National
Bird Atlas
From
the
BTO The end of the fieldwork period
for Bird Atlas 2007-11 is in sight and we are having
the last push to achieve the best coverage we can in
Cornwall.
All outstanding Timed Tetrad Visits need to be
completed by the end of July. The attached map (TTV
breeding season) shows that we still have a lot of
late visits to complete and submit data (all the
yellow squares). We have made excellent progress on
the timed visits and should achieve minimum coverage
in all 10-km squares. If you think you will have
problems completing the visits please let us know.
We can continue roving beyond the end of July,
into August and early September to gather vital
breeding evidence. There are six 10-km squares that
are in urgent need of help to find evidence to
confirm breeding (see attached map - confirmed
breeding gaps):
SS10 (most urgent): Penhalt Cliffs, Wanson Marsh
area. Small area of land to cover. Even common
species like Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock are yet not
confirmed breeding.
SW44: just west of St Ives. Still need to confirm
Robin, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch and more.
SX09: Boscastle area. Still need to confirm Collared
Dove, Wren, Dunnock, Song Thrush, House Sparrow and
more.
SX08: Tintagel, Delabole area. Still need to confirm
Collared Dove, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer
and more.
SX07: St Kew, St Mabyn area. Still need to confirm
Dunnock, Song Thrush, Swift, Whitethroat and more.
SX18: Camelford, Crowdy Reservoir area. Still need
to confirm Wren, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Swallow and
more.
The 'My Local Gaps' feature, accessed from Data
Home, will tell you what species have not yet been
confirmed in the square eg SW54 (St Ives) still
needs Dunnock, Great Tit, Collared Dove and more.
Have a look at your 10-km square and see if you can
add any records.
The general number of species recorded in 10-km
squares is pretty good (see attached species
richness map), though there are a few squares where
some extra roving to try and pick up new species
would be useful. Compared with the 1988-91 Breeding
Atlas, it appears we may be missing some species in
the following 10-km squares:
SX35 (highest priority): St Germans, Downderry,
Seaton area
SW87: St Merryn, St Ervan area
SW86: Newquay, St Columb Minor, St Eval area
SW75: Perranporth, Holywell, St Agnes area
SW93: Penare, Portloe, Veryan area
SX16: Broadoak, St Neots, St Winnow area.
The 'Priority Squares' feature in Data Home will
suggest species that are recorded in surrounding
square and may potentially be missing from the
target square eg SX35 doesn't have Grey Heron, Stock
Dove or Tawny Owl recorded yet and these species may
be present in the square.
If you would like to be sent more detailed
guidance on where to go and what to look for please
let us know. There are useful maps on the website (www.birdatlas.net),
especially the regional results, and the features
accessed by logging into Data Home. We encourage you
to submit your records as soon as possible so we can
assess where the gaps are in the last few weeks of
fieldwork.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank
you for all your help and hope that you can find
time over the next few weeks to help fill the
remaining gaps in the county.
Dawn Balmer and Stephen Jackson
email: dawn.balmer@bto.org
email:
stephen.f.jackson@btinternet.com
Species Richness Map
Confirmed Breeding Map
----ooOoo---
Birds in cold weather
In advance of the next WeBS date (19th December) we
felt it best to bring
the following to your attention.
Since 1983, an alerting system has been in place
enabling statutory agencies and non-governmental
organisations to work together to minimise the level
of disturbance to waterbirds in frozen conditions.
This includes mechanisms for the voluntary restraint
(after 7 days of frozen conditions) and then
statutory suspension (after 14 days) of wildfowl
shooting. Under the criteria by which the number of
days are calculated see www.jncc.gov.uk/page-2894
for details. This website also includes a
downloadable form allowing you to report any
observations you make on the condition of birds in
your local area.
In addition to shooting, however, it is also
important to ensure that all other forms of
disturbance at wetlands, including birdwatching,
should be minimised. It is important that existing
surveys such as WeBS and the Bird
Atlas continue to be undertaken, but participants
should avoid disturbing birds wherever possible.
Please take particular care in areas where the
numbers of birds present has increased as it is
likely these birds have moved from their normal
wintering area and may be in poor condition.
Importantly, if you do find dead birds during this
cold snap, please do check them for rings, as this
can tell us a great deal about the birds involved.
Details of ringed birds can be submitted online at
www.ring.ac or
sent to: recoveries@bto.org
Scotland and Northern Ireland are now classified as
having reached 12 days of frozen conditions with
England and Wales reaching day 8, accordingly there
is a call for voluntary restraint from wildfowling
in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
While we know that our WeBS volunteers
do their best not to disturb birds whatever the time
of year, we felt you should be kept informed of the
current status. Updates to the current
position are posted on the BTO website http://www.bto.org/home/cold_weather_and_waterbirds.html
or use the link on the WeBS homepage www.bto.org/webs
- please pass this information onto your counters.
Heidi Mellan
WeBS Counter Network Organiser
BTO
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