Cornish
Choughs...
How are the choughs doing?
During
the 2010 breeding season, there is expected
to be an increase in the number of pairs of
Chough breeding in Cornwall. Choughs can be
vulnerable to disturbance and the RSPB and a team
of dedicated volunteers continue to monitor
and protects all Chough nests in the county.
To protect nest sites during this time, any Chough
sightings reported to CBWPS will be passed
to the RSPB, but we will not
publish them on our website. We
look forward to updating this page at the end of
the breeding season.
January 2010 update
There are 10
choughs in Penwith between Pendeen and Gwennap
Head, a good place to catch up with them is around
Cot Valley. On the Lizard there are eight
birds. Sadly the breeding female from
Porthleven area disappeared towards end of
November, her mate is on the lookout for a new
female. Total number of known choughs
in the county is 20.
More volunteers are needed to help protect the
nests this season. Don't let egg thieves get their
hands on our chough eggs!
Any
sightings as always much appreciated. please
endeavour to note details of rings, location, date
and time and pass on the information to the
bird-news@cbwps.org.uk
or to Claire
Mucklow
at the RSPB at Exeter (tel
01392 453775).
Latest News12th
November 2009.
The four young birds from this years Lizard brood,
plus the two surviving young from the West
Penwith pair, are still
around the Cape Cornwall area, sometimes making
forays to Gwennap Head.
There
was a a record of a chough at St.Ives recently
which may possibly be a male born on the Lizard in
2007, carrying an orange/white leg ring.
A pair can be
seen in the Porthleven area, though they may
head off to Perranuthnoe area like they did last
winter.
On the Lizard, thanks to some detective work by
Ali and Keith, we now know the whereabouts of
three pairs, plus of course the original Lizard
pair. Southerly Point to Kynance still seems to be
the favourite area to track them down.
That makes at least 21 choughs!
Clair Mucklow RSPB Projects Manager for Cornwall
More volunteers are needed to help protect the
nests next spring. Don't let egg theives get their
hands on our chough eggs! Contact Roger Hooper or
Claire at claire.mucklow@rspb.org.uk
Latest news : July '08
The West
Penwith pair and two young are doing well.
First breeding in this area for 150 years,
another little bit of chough history. There are
now at least six choughs to be found along the
coast between Pendeen to Porthcurno. The
Lizard family have been travelling up and down
the west coast, meeting up with the immature
flock, at times up to twelve choughs can be
seen in the air at once! Soon the four
young females will become independent and
hopefully join the older more experienced birds
and get through the critical August/Xmas period.
Any
sightings as always much appreciated.
please endeavour to note details of
rings, location, date and time and pass on the
information to bird-news@cbwps.org.uk
or to
Claire Mucklow at
the RPSB at Exeter
(tel 01392 432691).
picture
Matt Sallis
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BACKGROUND
Because of fears of persecution, the birds are protected by a
round-the-clock watch by RSPB staff and local volunteers from CBWPS.
Choughs forage on grassy cliff tops, grazed by cattle, for their food,
consisting mainly of insects and other small invertebrates. The Chough's
gradual population decline throughout the last century has been
attributed to the reduction of cliff top grazing and more intensive
farming methods. The Chough's return crowns nearly 10 years' hard work
in Cornwall to provide suitable areas for nesting and
feeding. This has been achieved through agreements with local
landowners, and farmers managing their land for nature conservation,
supported in some areas by DEFRA's Countryside Stewardship Scheme.
The RSPB, National Trust, English Nature and the Department of the
Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) acknowledge the considerable
help provided from local people and volunteers, who watch over the
nesting location to prevent disturbance and ward off egg collectors.
The original adult pair can usually be found in their home
range between Lizard Point and Kynance. Other birds may be seen
anywhere from the Lizard to Marazion, and on the coast in the far west
around Lands End and St.Just.
All of the young birds have been colour-ringed
and sexed by Tony Cross in collaboration with the RSPB, to
enable their progress and movements to be monitored. Details:
2002: 3 chicks fledged, all
males
2003: 3 chicks fledged, 2 males
and 1 female
2004: 4 chicks fledged, 2
males, 2 females
2005: 5 chicks fledged, 2
males, 3 females
2006: 8 chicks fledged from 2
nests, 5 males, 3 females
2007: 9 chicks fledged from 2
nests, 6 males, 3 females
2008: 6 chicks fledged from 2 nests
If you see any Choughs in
Cornwall, please endeavour to note details of rings,
location, date and time and pass on the information
to
webmaster or to
Claire Mucklow at
the RPSB at Exeter
(tel 01392 432691).
Squabbling
Choughs: Sept 29th 2006
While looking
over the small fields by the coast path my
attention was drawn to a great commotion among
the crows and jackdaws .
I went over there, which took some five minutes,
during which time the crow commotion continued.
They were diving onto something on the ground
and I expected to see a jackdaw in the talons
of a peregrine, or something similar, and was
very surprised to see two choughs on the ground
locked in what appeared to be mortal combat.
They continued fiercely fighting and calling as
I approached and more concerned with the battle
than me. I was reluctant to let the fight
continue as the last thing we need is for one of
our choughs to be killed by another. I became
convinced that one would be killed or injured if
the fight continued, so decided to separate them
by approaching closer. It was not until I was
within twenty metres that they separated. They
circled around for a minute or two and then
settled back to where the fight took place right
in front of me. I could see the rings on their
legs but had no note book. I remember them as
definitely lime over black (with orange or
yellow over metal on the other leg), and
definitely reddish over reddish (with either
yellow or orange over metal on the other).
They were probably the two males I’ve recorded
here since January. The birds then seemed to
behave perfectly amicably towards each other,
staying close together for the next hour, when I
left them sitting on a stone wall. Roy Phillips
Photographs of Choughs on the Lizard by Richard
Bedford (1st and 3rd photos) and Andy Pay (2nd and
4th photos).
See
www.richardbedford.co.uk for more images.
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