Spring

Mark 10 Comments

Since coming back from Israel I’ve been getting in some local birding: at Stanwick Lakes, at Rainham Marshes, at Titchwell, at Weeting Heath and at Lakenheath Fen.

Migration is not advanced at these places as it is (was) at Eilat but I have notched up a few UK spring migrants, namely Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, Swallow, Sand Martin, Reed Warbler, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail and Stone Curlew.

A few highlights:

  • Cetti’s Warblers are everywhere these days aren’t they?
  • Marsh Harriers are everywhere these days aren’t they?
  • the Blackbird nest in the garden has young in it
  • Stone Curlews, Wheatear and Lapwings at Weeting
  • booming Bittern and Crane at Lakenheath – and I can remember when it was a carrot field
  • Kestrel, Buzzard, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk and Goshawk in a day in Norfolk – couldn’t have happened 30 years ago (not that easily anyway).

 

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10 Replies to “Spring”

  1. Spring and the migrants are here but even more important the Inverness constituency has over 100 signatures on your petition. Ross is not far behind. The annoyance in Scotland with the poor performance of the police, government and National parks is probably behind the good response. Now if that could only be transferred into the townies constituencies ….

  2. Ross, Skye and Lochaber are also very close to 100 (98 at the time of writing). Also of note is that we are nearing 50% of the last petition’s total and we aren’t even three weeks into this one!

    1. One aspect that I find particularly intriguing about the situation in Scotland is the question of to what extent the banning of driven grouse shooting will become linked to the land reform movement there. In that context shouts of ‘Class War’ by the grouse industry may become something of a gift. I wonder if they will keep that line up?

    2. And there we are; Ross, Skye and Lochaber is the second constituency with 100 signatures.

  3. Marsh Harriers are still a rarer bird in the UK than Golden Eagles! They are doing well in East Anglia especially, but they are not everywhere.
    For the Marsh Harrier recovery, we have to thank the work of Norman Moore and colleagues on discovering the harmful impact of pesticides up the food chain on top predators (peregrines, MHs, otters etc), and the banning of several harmful substances. Oh we so wish there were such strong characters in our agencies now, to completely ban neonics.
    It is Norman Moore’s memorial ceremony at Ely Cathedral on 9th April.

  4. Ross, Skye and Lochaber are now over 100 signatures as well. Surely a rural constituency, without many townies, can’t be signing your petition. Surely they all support the position taken by the countryside alliance, the Scottish Moorland Group, Scottish Land and Estate, “Gift” of Grouse” as praised by the Scottish Minister Dr. Dolittle (yeah, that’ll be right) and all the other apologisers for the lack of raptors in Scotland….

  5. Yesterday a colleague and I went to our old watch point at South Haw SE0878 on the moors of the Swinton Estate up to ten years ago we would have been guaranteed displaying harriers, several pairs of Merlin, plenty of Curlew and some Golden Plover. Indeed I once led a group here and we saw ten species of raptor. So what did we see in our 5 hour vigil? Two kestrels, two buzzards ( one very distant) half a dozen Curlew, heard one Goldie and a few moorland nesting Greylags. On the walk in we also had two Willow Warblers, a Stonechat, an Adder and a gamekeeper on a quad with a shotgun and rifle. The moor is now burnt like a chess board with almost no long heather (it is a SSSI). walking out by a different route we did find a female Merlin and a crow cage trap.
    Compared to even ten years ago a very poor day on what used to be a haven for upland wildlife.

  6. Compare and contrast what you said about marsh harriers with the hen harrier situation, where we are looking forward to the handful of nests “they” will allow in England this year. Also I note that there are three dislikes to the fact that you have seen so much stuff. Why would anybody dislike that? What mentality have they got?

    1. Hi John,
      they probably dislike it because the list contains a number of raptors.

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