Yesterday I took the train into London to meet the publishers of ‘A Message from Martha‘ for a chat.
I added Great Spotted Woodpecker to my Wellingborough Station list but looked in vain for Red Kites. It was a dull day but they are usually mooching around the valley in which Wellingborough Station and the railway line sit. I have seen as many as seven at a time from the station platform, but I didn’t see any while waiting for the 1102 yesterday. Never mind, I thought I would probably see some from the train – I usually do.
I can see Red Kites (and Buzzards) anywhere along the line into St Pancras but the best spot is south of Luton Airport Parkway Station where the railway line crosses another valley with an attractive river, some woods, a sewage plant and some chalky open fields. There are usually a few Red Kites in this bit of the journey but none yesterday. And none on the return journey either until we pulled into Wellingborough again and a Red Kite was flapping quickly across a field – presumably heading to roost as it was just before 4pm.
It is such a sign of progress that I am now surprised not to see Red Kites on this journey through southern England and into London.
Beautiful birds and great conservation success story.
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Red kites not yet normal around the North York moors yet I’m afraid. Common in Leeds, Harrogate and the Wolds, but ones that drift this way end up like this:
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/ryedale/9598399.Rare_bird_of_prey_found_poisoned/
The moors remain great barren no-go areas, depressingly bleak and home to just a handful of species. If you consider species evenness it’s even worse. 90% red grouse, a few lapwing and curlews and precious little else.
We do however have the largest raptor centre in the north of England (they say), so you can go and see some birds in cages if you’ve forgotten what a raptor looks like.
Whilst Red Kites are becoming more common, especially where I work in SW Bedfordshire, it is still a thrill to see them as it was (and still is) Buzzards a few years ago.
Jon – they are indeed thrilling birds.
I’m still patiently waiting for them to become a ‘normal’ sight down here in Dorset.
Clare – they are on their way; living in Dorset has other compensations, I would guess.
Red Kites are still rather scarce in East Anglia, though they have bred around Thetford Forest. In my little part of south Suffolk we get a few over the village in spring and summer. I think it’s only a matter of time though – Raven too.
Over the last couple of years I’ve been getting erratic sightings on my patch of Red Kite – in North Worcestershire, and it’s a fairly regular fly over at the marvelous Upton Warren Nature reserve. We also now get regular sightings of Otters – both species have been absent for a long long time. And Avocets have been breeding at Upton Warren regularly for the past 7 years – last year producing 20 or so chicks. There are conversations successes out there, but I can’t help thinking there is a huge amount of work still to do.
I have now worked out which is my 10 km square in the the Bird Atlas maps, and according to that there is possible breeding Red Kite! I wonder if they are Welsh or Spanish speaking.
The Welsh Kite Trust has some fabulous Xmas cards for sale: images of Welsh kites in Welsh landscapes by artists and photographers living in Wales, printed in Wales on Welsh paper!!
6 for £3.00. See http://www.welshkitetrust.org or e-mail me: [email protected]
All profits support our work for raptors…yes, in Wales!
I feel sorry for people who think that the country exists for business only. Perhaps they should get out more and look and listen. Use the Christmas and new year holidays to walk in the country and find what makes the UK so special in the world. We have the most diverse scenery and wildlife anywhere. You do not need to sit in front of the TV to see it. Go out and see for yourself. You might even enjoy re-finding what you have lost over the years of being brainwashed by negative propaganda and adverts. Don,t just sit there, do it.
Sorry Diapensia, but we have the most diverse scenery and wildlife anywhere? On what basis do you make these patriotic but, if I’m honest, nonsensical claims? I believe strongly that we are hugely impoverished in terms of diversity in these isles, compared not just to tropical countries but to just about any other country in Europe.
See: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/26/is-european-wildlife-recovering
Pretending otherwise may be “being positive” but is also disingenuous and potentially unhelpful for those trying to restore some semblance of ecosystem function.
Should you have gone to spec savers Hugh? If you cannot see you have an excuse. Our area has a more diverse flora and fauna than any region in the UK but outsiders think it consists of pit tips and poor housing. The reason people do not come here to look is because we keep it to ourselves. That is why I do not say where we are. In your area there will be much more to record if you bother to go and look for yourself. If you can, that is. Even in large cities there is much wildlife to be found. Mostly because there is less countryside now than ever before. If you have given up the fight to preserve wildlife why do you read Marks blog?
“compared … to just about any other country in Europe.”
I’ve been to Denmark, and the Netherlands …
Did you see any wolves while you were in the Netherlands Filbert? http://www.rewildingeurope.com/news/articles/wolf-in-the-netherlands-for-the-first-time-in-150-years/
Or catch the sea eagles in Oostvaardersplassen?
Or the mouflon, pine martens and wild boar in Veluwe?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veluwe
We do have some fantastic wildlife in England, but our biodiversity doesn’t compare with mainland Europe and what we have is in decline. Got my specs on and reading the State of Nature Report. I feel people should be more aware of what we have lost and be angrier about it.
Hello Hugh, It,s good to read about wildlife, that is how we stay informed about other areas. It is also good to carry out your own fieldwork and record what is in your own area. Sometimes reports about wildlife are only general and certainly do not reflect the whole country. One of Britains rarest plants was found near where I live, which made the national press. My point is, you never know whats there until you look. It is good to disprove that all is doom and gloom, although you are right when you say wildlife is always being destroyed somewhere, for housing, roads etc. Government policy is business first and last. That is perhaps why this country is in a mess. Politics seems to have lost the plot. Governments seem to rely on “advisors” who have probably never left the office and are relying on out of date data. I wonder if there is any chance of “common sense” being introduced?
No – but I went to a barbeque at Arnhem Zoo, which I thought was a tad bizarre. Especially the peanut gravy. While in Denmark I was taken to the top of a gentle rise somewhere near Horsens and was proudly told it was the highest point in Denmark. I love the people and raw herrings and Jonge Jenever and Gammel Dansk and Tuborg Elephant and the cycling-friendly culture, but not the flatness.
Mark,how strange is it that in lots of cases where a bird is very rare and efforts to increase numbers are taken including mostly getting lots of farmer co-operation,the schemes are hugely successful.That co-operation is mostly due to farmers being asked to help.
Why oh why then cannot conservation groups get volunteers to talk to farmers to improve numbers of farmland birds or are they waiting until they get so rare that desperate measures are needed.
Conservationists think farmers should automatically do things for wildlife which I can understand but that is definitely not happening whereas when approached for various bird schemes the seem to always respond.
Dennis,
Like the Campaign for Farmed Environment (CFE) do you mean ?
Dennis, you have hit the nail on its proverbial head. Welsh Kite Trust from the outset communicated with landowners and built trust and cooperation. We have, for over 27 years regularly met with landowners, mostly farmers, when ringing and tagging ‘their’ kites and this has produced a real sense of ownership so that they have become the front line in defending and protecting breeding kites. I think we should engage with the farming and shooting community far more if we are to make real progress in encouraging wildlife in the ‘wider’ countryside. We may never agree on some issues but the more we listen to each other the better it will be.
Welsh Kite Trust is a self funded charity drawing on the goodwill of volunteers and the donations of Friends of the Welsh Kite…remember the Welsh kites are the endemic ones!
Sorry, should have said ‘not introduced’ rather than ‘endemic’. WKT recently funded a PhD student to investigate the DNA of the Welsh kites, publication awaited.
Liz,at last a like minded person,hardly anyone seems to understand that the science proves that talking to farmers and asking for help so far seems to have always produced results.
We would all hope the farmers would participate in wildlife improvement as things stand,that just is not happening but it is obvious asking and involving them does actually get really good results.
Only problem with that is how could lots of people criticize farmers if it worked,oh what a shame.
“hardly anyone seems to understand that the science proves that talking to farmers and asking for help so far seems to have always produced results”
Exactly what science are you referring to? This doesn’t come under the heading of science, it’s just plain common sense, or to put it more bluntly, stating the bleeding obvious.
I haven’t ever come across anyone seriously involved in farmland conservation who doesn’t believe that working with farmers in partnership is the only way to help improve the state of farmland biodiversity.
There are numerous examples of conservationists working in partnership with farmers, past and present. Perhaps you have forgotten the work of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), this was a farmer led organisation which employed nearly 90 full-time farm conservation advisers across England. Although on a national level FWAG bit the dust back in 2011, thankfully a number of local FWAG groups have survived and still continue to provide good environmental advice to farmers.
Then you have the Wildlife Trusts, who in their own words: ‘provide advice to around 5,000 landowners on how to manage land for wildlife. This often involves helping farmers to access grants and can also involve helping groups of farmers to restore and link habitats at a landscape-scale’.
The RSPB? I know that they currently have at least 50 farm advisory projects on the go, including projects such as ‘Operation Tree Sparrow’, ‘The Wessex Stone Curlew Project’ and the ‘Twite Recovery Project’, to name but a few.
Then we have the Campaign for Farmed Environment (CFE), LEAF and lots of other projects and initiatives. One thing all these projects have in common is that their success is reliant upon the actions of farmers.
Fortunately there are many farmers who embrace their roles as stewards of the countryside and are only too happy to go the extra mile to enhance the biodiversity of their farms.
On the other hand, there are a lot of farmers and landowners (probably the majority) who are ambivalent about farmland conservation. They don’t deliberately go out of their way to not involve themselves in farmland conservation because they feel conservationists have been nasty to them or because they are aggrieved at the highlighting of issues such as the Farmland Bird Index, as many of your comments frequently suggest – you do seem to have a poor opinion of your fellow farmers it has to be said. I don’t think farmers are that petty. They simply don’t get involved simply because it’s not on their agenda; it’s just not their thing and probably never will be.
The fact remains is that many farmers just do not see their role as being anything other than producers of food. You can’t blame conservationists for this – from where I am standing they are trying their level best.
Tell me Dennis, what exactly are you doing to help farmland biodiversity?
Ernest,from what you say we agree entirely.The science bit was tongue in cheek as everyone seems to want to believe that science is God whereas like you say it is common sense but the fact is still that where farmers are approached to take part in projects they do respond well and whatever anyone says so far things are definitely not working however many things you quote as being in place we all know by facts that things are getting worse.
The answer to what I am doing for farmland biodiversity is actually very little as except to try and convince people what may stand a chance of improving things there is very little a retired farmer can do.For sure as opponents often point out I carry very little influence in anything you like to mention and having put over 40 years of effort into starting farming and then working 70 hours a week with our own dairy herd my energy for doing other things is quite low.
Maybe as I am probably bashing my head against a brick wall and upsetting people into the bargain it will be better if I keep my opinions to myself.
Please continue to express your opinions. If people get upset because they don’t coincide with theirs then so be it.
Ernest makes a good point about the numbers of people earnestly providing advice to farmers – the thought occurs to me that their numbers are growing while almost every indicator shows that farmland wildlife is diminishing …
Filbert & Ernest,those points about all those already taking part(actually a small % if you exempt ELS)prove my point which is still hidden under the bed by those who should be understanding it.
Things are getting worse.That is the simple fact and the things that have improved often it is with closer talking and closer co-operation with farmers.
In every case I believe if things are getting worse in anything anyone can mention the only solution is to do more to correct it.
Ernest,no I have not a poor opinion of farmers,they are just like any other branch of society,god ,bad and all stages in between but I am eternally grateful to several who helped us immensely when we started farming.
Like all branches of society they react to constant criticism by digging their toes in(just ask a bunch of farmers their true take on RSPB.
People who read this do not seem to understand that as a retired farmer I would guess I would know and expect to know what goes on in a farmers head better than most even though I am no scientist or academic.
The really ironic part is that my original comment was not meant as a critisism but I did hope it showed that more being done may improve things.
As far as what I do for farmland biodiversity then you might like to know that even though I have offered things my years of experience are no good to them as they want it seems people with degrees especially in certain subjects connected with biology and the bird knowledge of a considerable expert.
It really seems ironic you tell me various things that groups are connecting with farmers as if it will solve farmland bird problem while science proves it is even worse than was thought and even those figures are now old while it seems criticizing me for offering my thoughts,surely you acknowledge farmland birds are in a perilous state.
Mark,thank you I must finish on this or it will run and run.Seems to me farmland birds are not fashionable and it is really a dead end,do hope something done before a generation on only have pictures.
“my years of experience are no good to them”
A Wiltshire farmer of my aquaintance grazes a prominent downland escarpment. When orchids were discovered there nature cosnervationists descended on it in droves and wrote Orchid Management Plans, which were imposed on the farmer. The orchids merely disappeared, as he had told them they would. After several years and re-incarnartions of the Sacred Orchid Management Plans, and no orchids, they all got bored and went off to spoil something else. The Holy Orchid Management Plans were abandoned and the grazing patterns and numbers reverted to former custom. The orchids came back, as the farmer said they would.
Hello Filbert, I do not know which species of orchid you are referring to but here is a piece of information about bee orchids. It is said that bee orchids take about seven years from the seed stage to flowering point. After this time the orchids use up the nutrients in the immediate area and the colony gets smaller. After the flowers have set seed and this has dispersed it takes about another seven years for the next generation of orchids to re-appear. This is only a broad description but it would account for the appearance, disappearance and then re-appearance of orchids in a habitat, providing that habitat remains suitable. I know that other botanists would have a different opinion but this gives an idea of an orchids life cycle. This is why habitats should be protected rather than destroyed and then re-invented. Stability is required for much of wildlife, not the new idea of “building bio-diversity” quoted by so many so called “developers.”
“Stability …” is what there was. What was there was there because that was how it was. Once it wasn’t, it wasn’t what it was before which was why the orchids went.
Do you tell this tale, Filbert, as an isolated instance of a failed nature conservation intervention or are we expected to draw a wider conclusion that nature would be better off if conservationists just kept their noses out of things?
Clearly conservationists (science-led or otherwise) do get things wrong sometimes but if I do the thought experiment of removing the NCC and its successor bodies from history along with the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and all the other conservation NGOs then the image of Britain that comes to mind is not at all one that is richer in wildlife than what we are actually experiencing.
There is no doubt that during the period that all of these bodies have existed much has been lost but they have been fighting a very uphill battle and, I would suggest, even more would have been lost without them.
When a ship sails into the rocks with great loss of life it seems perverse to blame the lifeboat crew for not rescuing more rather than the captain and the navigation systems that put the ship on the rock in the first place
“my years of experience are no good to them”
I tell the tale to illustrate Dennis’s point. And, if you want to go beyond that, to illustrate the downside to imposing solutions (vanity projects) where there is no problem.
When a ship is sailing in fair weather and making good way it seems perverse for a lifeboat crew to board it, keel-haul the captain and steer it on to the rocks.
I just moved to Berkshire (from Colombia). It’s great to see Red Kites over our estate, often 3 or 4 at a time, more or less constantly. I’m sure that given time, I’ll ignore them – like the ever present Black Vultures in Colombia, but the Red Kites are undoubtedly much more attractive carrion feeders, and equally impressive aerial acrobats.
Well done to all those who’ve worked so hard to get them back.
Apathy rules, so what.