The State of the UK’s Birds 2013 was published yesterday. It’s packed with beautiful photographs, clear graphs and maps and lots of information. It’s not all bad news – but there is quite a lot of bad news there.
This is how the story was covered by the Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mirror, Express.
The question is – who is going to do something about it? No doubt, Owen Paterson, 2nd in the poll for Wildlife MP of 2013, will want to increase his chances of winning in 2014 by going for the maximum rate of modulation (ie 15%) and not taking the advice of the NFU or CLA and going for a lower figure of, for example, 9%.
He will, won’t he?
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Mark,think probably things are worse than even the facts show there are very few birds about and I did think it was a bountiful year for wild food but doubt that now.Undoubtedly the modern crops grown in this country are really having effects,I doubt if there is the same amount of food for birds in Autumn cereals,Maize and Rape that there would have been in spring sown cereals.Things will not get much better until all sides take part in doing things together.
By the way it looks as if even farmers taxes may go to RSPB if I understand things as they are,do RSPB get 11 £million from government for dubiously providing various services,ironically if that is true it may mean they are in the governments pocket and would not be inclined to say too much against the government on Hen Harriers or risk that nice handout being withdrawn,connected with that it also looks as if RSPB got a grant of £317,000 from lottery for helping Hen Harriers and during that period things got much worse.
If all that true what a mess.
Mark, please don’t feel you have to allow this comment because it is off topic (although I do miss the lapwings that used to flash black and white in large flocks like a paperback library in flight) but this is a question because you have so many bird knowing readers.
There is a bird I hear singing every winter (rural Derbyshire). It is as clear as a blackbird but it isn’t a blackbird. It’s not a song thrush – the repetition isn’t the same. It doesn’t sound like the mistle thrushes we hear in the yew trees in summer and they are gone now. What is it? Do mistle thrushes have a different winter song to summer song? What other birds sing in winter?
Thank you!
Hilary – there aren’t many birds that sing in winter. One of the more obvious ones, which is a little thrush-like, is Robin. Robins sing all through the winter, both sexes are territorial, and they sing quite often at night as well as during the day. But they are weaker and more wistful than blackbirds or either of the thrushes.
I’m trying to think what else it might be -= that sings in winter, is a bit like a thrush and is found in Derbyshire. If I’ve missed something obvious, or not obvious, I’m sure others will have ideas.
Does it sing from trees? bushes? high up? Any more information?
Thanks Mark, yes from high up and not a robin, a much fuller voice, all in phrases. I hear them when I take the dog across the fields, not in the garden. (They are hilly sheep fields with patches of woodland- always larks there in spring). I hear it every winter and forget about it in summer and then it comes again. I can only think it is mistle thrushes but I can never see them.
Hilary – mistle thrush is quite likely but I don’t know of them sounding different in winter from spring. I don’t hear them here in winter.
Although, of course, mistle thrushes do try to defend holly bushes in autumn – ones with lots of berries. they will chase away other thrushes but get overwhelmed if a large flock of fieldfares turn up! Any holly bushes around?
Hilary
I live in N. Staffordshire, not v. far from Derbyshire. On “nice” days Song Thrushes have been singing here for the last couple of weeks. They do tend to sit in the top of the trees. I think that they do sound different from when the breeding season starts proper and I wonder if it is because they are this year’s young ones establishing their first territory and so learning and improving on their singing technique. And according to Eric Simms in his book on British Thrushes Song Thrushes have a sub song, so maybe this is what you (and I) are hearing. However, they are not particularly secretive so you should be able to see them at this time of year if they are in a deciduous tree. Other birds I hear singing at the moment are: Dunnock, Great Tit, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren and Robin. The RSPB have a “Birds by Name” sectionon their website where you can listen to snatches of bird’s song. Also try Xeno-canto for bird dialects from across the world!
Wendy – thanks!
There is a blackbird singing round here that does not sound quite right more of a sub song a times, an old neighbor has commented to me about it. This one does not seem to sing from the top of trees. Could it be one of the many migrant blackbirds with a different dialect enjoying the mild weather. ?
I don’t usually comment on blogs but can stay silent no longer. Dennis, change the RSPB-bashing record, mate. You’re becoming a bore.
I don’t know what’s more depressing Mark – the report itself or reaction from the online articles. This is a particularly cynical (and ignorant) comment from a ‘Tailspin’ on The Guardian website:
“Yes, some species are in decline, but many are stable and many others are increasing. The DEFRA report is dry and factual and not much use to people trying to whip up support for the RSPB.”
According to the agri-press Rambo has told the Cabinet he is minded to opt for 15% modulation. The NFU is manufacturing ‘fury’ already. Now everybody will hate him. He will probably respond by quitting Tw*tface.
What interests me about this is that bird populations hung on relatively well through much of the 20th C intensification of farming -and then fell off the cliff, and that was almost certainly because of the way intensification has remorselessly squeezed the last 2-3% in the lowlands – this isn’t a straight line graph, and it is frightening the efficiency with which we have turned our countryside into a factory floor. The corollary is surely that for an absolutely tiny reversal you could have so much – is just 1% asking too much ? that is 130,000 hectares. One reserve in Holland, Oostvardesplassen, has become the driver for north western Europe’s population of Spoonbill, Bearded Tit and Great White Egret and will probably introduce White Tailed Sea Eagle to East Anglia without many help from us. It covers just 5,000 hectares. So w hat could you get for 130,000 ? And food security, well, quite apart from the fact that when we talk about it we aren’t talking about the survival that NFU would like us to be thinking about, but an increasingly obese nation, it fluctuates by a good deal more than 1% per decade without anybody getting too bothered – and we are feeding slightly more than half of 1% into oilseed rape biofuels, again without the outcry that would greet the suggestion of a big chunk of land for nature.
Food security is simply a nonsensical expression whipped up by vested interests.
Farming output is sold into the free market just like any other form of production: if farmers can get better prices outside of the UK they will do so (and why not?). The concept that British grown food is ring-fenced for British consumers is infantile.
So it follows that the notion that British land should be used in any manner for the benefit of Britons is also infantile – if we want to see wildlife we are free to shop around and book a flight. Is that it? That will be popular.
Not at all – I don’t follow your logic.
Agricultural output is sold on the open market, hence the argument that more extensive or efficient food production in the UK contributes to British food security is infantile.
The corollary with preserving wildlife habitat or not is non existent.
So who’s going to do something?
As I’ve said before – I used to act as a ‘broker’ for ISPs – buying and selling and implementing changing business models to include ‘good’ integrated web portals
Conservation / Birding – A two-way street – Stirring up the Market Place
Why not for example?
RSPB (whoever) launches ISP (just like TESCO Farmers Weekly etc etc) as an Affiliate – no cost – just profit PLUS
Also sells RSPB smart phones with preloaded RSPB apps etc etc
Out source support etc like every everybody
Develop (free) apps that capture to RSPB database in realtime
And why not?
The answer is Technology – What’s the Question? The RSPB already has a ‘dedicated’ garden birds day with the BBC etc – just do it online – every day every where
Awww – Just thinking aloud like ……….
Will it save birds? – will it save habitat? If you want it to – Yes!
ps ‘tweet’ column looks fine
best wishes to ‘thingy’
Mark, is there any similar current data for mainland Europe?
Short of getting a recording of your bird Hillary (actually quite easy with a mobile) I’d spend some time on Xeno Canto listening to all the likely candidates. In December it is very likely to be a Blackbird, a Song Thrush or a Mistle Thrush. Robins sing year round even at night but their silvery song is much higher (and slower)
Thanks Pete, I will do. I tried the RSPB recordings this pm but none matched. Recorded three cuckoos out-cuckooing each other this Spring, so I could try that too.
Pete – thanks!
Great to see Barn Owl up by 279%. When should the Barn Owl Trust and other conservation organisations stop focussing considerable effort on this species, for others which are more in need? It’s a success – so when do we move on?
Barn owls have crashed out of the sky this year. That’s why you can not stop worrying about them. Add on secondary poisoning and they will never be out of the news.