Chough Chicks

Lots of people never get to see a chough; there are only a few hundred pairs in UK and about two thirds of those are in Wales. Adrienne Stratford of the RSPB has been ringing chough chicks for the past 20 years and, between herself and Tony Cross, somewhere around 4,000 have been ringed in mid to north Wales. Today she took me to a disused quarry building on the north Wales coast where last year she’d installed a nesting platform from bits of old planks.

A pair of choughs had taken up residence, added heather, lined it with sheeps’ wool and produced two beautiful chicks. They were plucked from their nest into a pillow case, brought down a ladder, ringed, sexed and weighed before being returned to the nest. A couple of times the adults came and shouted insults at us but it was as if they knew the score; it’s that time of year again. As for the chicks, they were quite chilled out and happy to beg food with their plaintive cries and open beaks.

I was surprised to see the tangerine orange colour of their legs. Eventually these and the beak will turn to red.

To Adrienne the choughs are a long running soap opera. She knows their relationships and family histories and 2 of them are now 19 years old. You’ll be able to hear her talking about choughs on an episode of Country Focus in the next few weeks. For me it was a magic moment, something that had been on my bucket list. Thank you Adrienne.

Lekking Black Grouse

RSPB volunteer Barry Lynes led me up to the hide at Llandegla on a beautiful May morning to see the Black Grouse. Long before we got there the strange bubbly warbling sound of the males could be heard, quite haunting and surreal. Despite 400 metres between the hide and the lek the males could be seen with the naked eye, the sun glinting on their backs as they dashed around.

Barry focussed in with the scope and we were able to see the full splendour of the seven parading males with their white tail fans and the occasional charge to see off a rival. Now and again a hiss broke the sound of the warbling until by about 7:30 the bubbly sound subsided. The birds probably needed a breakfast after expending so much energy.     

I’m glad I’ve seen them first hand in case they do go extinct. Numbers have declined across Wales and are now confined to a few sites in the north where with intervention and habitat restoration they are on the increase. Friends told me they used to monitor the population near Penmachno – do they still exist there?

As a bonus a Cuckoo flew almost overhead perching on the tip of a nearby tree where it was harangued by a Tree Pipit and forced to move on by its tiny opponent.   

Lekking goes on for much of the year, apart from August when the birds moult, but the lek in April to May is the important one where mates are chosen. Each year the RSPB organise guided walks to see the lek but self-service is also an option; just ask at the visitor centre for directions to the hide. The visitor centre and car park are closed early morning so you might want to find out in advance if you plan to be there bright and early. There's also a small road across the moors with an even better vantage point but best not to get out of your car for fear of disturbing the lek.

Dynasty of the Glaslyn Ospreys

I called in to pay my respects to the pair of ospreys now into their tenth breeding season. Mother was sitting on the three eggs laid on the 6^th, 9^th and 12^th of April and a fish had just been delivered. After the disastrous 2004 season when both chicks were killed, in a storm which broke the nest, the parents have gone on to rear twenty one chicks so far.

What I liked most of all was the family tree showing the records of five of their offspring. Yellow 37, born 2005, was identified in Northumbria last year where she reared two chicks. Black 80, a male born 2006, has taken up residence in Dumfries, where his Dad used to be. So far he has fathered nine chicks. 

If 1 in 3 of the Glaslyn osprey chicks goes on to produce an average of 2 chicks a year for 25 years ...... that’s a heck of a lot of ospreys.

This is the last year of the Glaslyn osprey site being run as an RSPB affair and next season it will be in the hands of a local community venture. Whoever is in charge there is always the need for volunteers and at the moment a few extra hands are required – if you can spare the time for guarding the nest or for meeting the visitors, please get in touch with Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife at bywydgwylltglaslyn@gmail.com

Fighting for Birds

There are some websites I try to look at every day. One that is always worth reading is Mark Avery’s blog ‘Standing up for Nature’. A former Director of Conservation with the RSPB, his articles are written with passion and humour, so I was curious to see if he could sustain his usual quality over 300 pages or more.

The tone is set by the title. This isn’t ‘Managing for Birds’ or ‘Caring for Birds’ or ‘Working-in-Partnership-with-Stakeholders-for-Birds’, although Avery does plenty of all three. It’s ‘Fighting for Birds’. It’s ‘in yer face’ nature conservation. It’s assertive, uncompromising and outspoken. Few prisoners are taken.

It starts slowly with chapters describing Avery’s youth, and his entry into the RSPB. I warmed to this, if only because his memories of ‘Peterson, Mountford and Hollom’, ‘The Selfish Gene’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ are mine also. There are chapters on early experiences in the Flow Country and working with roseate terns. You could be forgiven for thinking this is one of those rather worthy ‘my life with birds’ books.

But it gathers pace with a chapter on the vital importance of sound data for bird conservation, before moving on to nature reserves, climate science, farmland birds and the value of reintroductions. Avery provokes the reader at every turn. Was it right to shoot ruddy ducks? How would a reintroduced white-tailed eagle fare in Norfolk? What was Prince Harry really up to, that evening when two hen harriers were shot at Sandringham? Do egg collectors suffer from sexual inadequacy? There’s a lot to ponder.

But despite the combative tone, it’s Avery’s candour that makes him so persuasive. Nobody in nature conservation really thought hen harriers could affect grouse populations. But Avery readily acknowledges that the science is undeniable; they do. As a Labour Party member, he praises Michael Meacher, but also has warm words for John Gummer. The RSPB’s experiment with farming has been a qualified success, but far from plain sailing. At every turn he emphasises being honest with ourselves. In an age when, from climate change to badgers, opinion drives evidence rather than vice versa, this attitude is so refreshing it could make you cry.

It would be hard to make any criticism, but the reintroduction chapter makes no mention of the osprey project 20 miles from Avery’s home which, incidentally, led to the species breeding again in Wales. The section on politics is also a bit thin. It’s so much more complicated than a simple left / right question. What of differing shades, from one-nation Tory to neoliberal Thatcherite? What of the Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the Greens, Plaid Cymru, the SNP, and Northern Ireland parties?  Maybe that is another book.

After a delightful ‘light relief’ chapter of anecdotes (my favourite: the opening ‘Unleash Hell!’ scene from the film Gladiator was filmed next to the RSPB reserve at Farnham Heath) the book comes to its conclusion on the future. Whether you agree with Avery’s views on a ‘super NGO’ or not, it’s inspiring stuff. His message, that you don’t have to be a victim, that if we choose to be passive then we collude in the environment’s degradation, is compelling.

If you are a young person, maybe starting out on a career in nature conservation, ‘Fighting for Birds’ should be in your induction pack. No one, perhaps except Peter Marren, writes better. But anyone who cares about the future of wildlife in Britain should read this book. And if you enjoy it – and I bet you will – there’s more at markavery.info/blog

Andrew Lucas
(This review first appeared in the winter 2012 edition of Natur Cymru)

South Stack’s Heath Restoration

Dave and Denise with the Ryetec behind

I went to RSPB South Stack two years ago to see the practice of ‘close shepherding’ to maintain the heathland. Basically the shepherd takes the sheep out from their overnight enclosure and guides them through the day to graze the parts of the unfenced heath that need it most. The use of a GPS stuck on the horn of the lead sheep records the route of the flock. This is close shepherding in action:

This week I went back to the southern end of the reserve where the heath is waist-high-too-tall for grazing by sheep and burning is not considered an option because the vast amounts of material would make it too difficult to control. So a posh mower has been hired which gobbles up the heath and collects the cuttings for use as either compost or for cattle bedding. Here is what the machine looks like in action:

NB the gorse is not strictly part of the designated heath but was being cut to create a suitable area for storing the cuttings prior to removal from site.

74 NNRs in the big parade ...

Wales has more nature reserves per capita than any other country in the UK or on mainland Europe. This says a lot, not only about the outstanding landscape, scenic beauty and wildlife diversity of Wales, but also about how its people value being close to nature and want to protect their natural heritage.

Each year millions of visitors enjoy nature reserves in Wales; many more would do so if only these special places were easier to find. Once off the beaten track exploring the countryside can be confusing, even for local people - much more so for holidaymakers, for many of whom nature reserves are high on the list of reasons for coming to Wales. Few reserves are signed from main roads. Many are down confusing networks of lanes where it is all too easy to get lost, wasting precious leisure time.

This spring a comprehensive guide to every National Nature Reserve (NNR) in Wales - plus dozens of our finest RSPB, Wildlife Trust and other nature sites - is being launched. www.waleswildlife.com is online now, with maps, directions, photographs of difficult junctions or hard-to-spot landmarks on the way to each reserve, plus details of facilities onsite and nearby as well as pictures of landscape features, habitats and species to look out for. It helps people to decide where to go and when, whether they are birders, wildflower lovers, fungi fanciers or fossil fans – or whether the priority is for somewhere safe for the kids, or suitable for Auntie Jenny who now can’t manage stiles and rough ground.

The author, Sue Parker, is a keen naturalist with a lifelong interest in wildflowers, and wild orchids in particular. Sue says, ‘It has been almost a full-time job for the past three years, visiting hundreds of reserves, some several times to record the changing seasons. This online resource would fill a thousand pages in book form, but it’s a labour of love, and I am continually updating and adding new information.’

A Wildlife Trust volunteer herself, Sue has dedicated the website to … ‘the hundreds of volunteers who work for the wildlife of Wales. Every wildlife conservation organisation in Wales is dependent on an army of people who turn out in all winds and weathers to work on our nature reserves for the benefit of plants, fungi, animals, birds and insects - and us. They also staff the offices, man the telephones, support special events for the public, and carry out a multitude of other tasks including the all-important one of fundraising. Thank you!’ 

With more than 70 National Nature Reserves and as many Local Nature Reserves funded by and managed on behalf of the people of Wales, it is hardly surprising that these special sites receive several million visits a year by locals and visitors. Added to this the Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, Plantlife, RSPB, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and other charitable and voluntary bodies also maintain a wealth of wonderful wildlife sanctuaries where people can get close to nature.

Sue Parker’s family came from Cardiff, but she was born in Tenby and has lived in many parts of Wales including Bridgend, Anglesey, Carmarthenshire and now Ceredigion. She is the author of several books about wildflowers, including Wild Orchids in Wales, and she co-authored the series Wonderful Wildflowers of Wales. As well as occasionally contributing to Radio and TV programmes on nature topics in Wales, Sue Parker is often called upon to give talks on wildflowers. Sue can be contacted via sue@waleswildlife.com

Iolo's Secret Life of Birds

Free copy of Iolo’s Secret Life of Birds 3 disc DVD box set RRP £17.99 [THIS OFFER NO LONGER APPLIES. ALL 5 COPIES HAVE GONE. You will need to order elsehwere.]

The first five people to phone through and order a new Natur Cymru subscription will receive a copy of the Secret Life or Birds, first shown on BBC2 in five half-hour episodes, which is being released as a DVD box set on 9^th April.

Here’s what one reviewer said about it:

For me there were plenty of secrets, some more spectacular than others: such as the aerial passing of freshly caught prey between a pair of hen harriers, or a tree creeper hollowing out a cosy sleeping hole in the bark of a giant redwood. More harrowing though was the story of the pigeons; diligently building their nest in Cardiff, taking turns to sit on eggs for three weeks, despite the rain, then four days of feeding until the sparrowhawk arrived - cruel curtains for the chicks as the helpless parents watched on. I think it makes a fantastic introduction or a great reminder of the rich variety of our bird life across Wales and aspects of behaviour most of us miss; both an inspiration and a snapshot in time.

CALL 01248 387373 to take advantage of this offer: if you leave a message, please remember to leave your phone number and mention the Secret Life of Birds.  Five copies available. First come, first served. Please have your credit / debit card details ready. 

'Fire-Fighting' wins writing competition

John Harold is the winner of the Natur Cymru Inspired by Nature writing competition sponsored by WWF Cymru and Tŷ Newydd, the national writers’ centre.

Gillian Clarke, the national poet of Wales and one of the judges, commented: ‘I gave first place to John Harold for Fire-Fighting. This was the piece from which I learned most. I enjoyed the unfolding story of fire in the heathland and mountains, its power to destroy, to regenerate. Close behind was Frances Voelcker, for her observations on the changing natural environment of Graig Goch.’

Gillian Clarke will present John Harold with the £500 cash prize at the Hay Festival on 31^st May and also present the £500 voucher for a residential course at Tŷ Newydd to Frances Voelcker.

James Robertson, editor of Natur Cymru, commented ‘The judges were unanimous in agreeing on the winners of the two prizes. Both were outstanding. First prize goes to John Harold for his original, powerful take on fire in the uplands. Second prize to Frances Voelcker, for her thoughtful, lyrical exploration of her mountain’.

Andrew Forgrave, rural affairs editor at the Daily Post and the other judge, described the two winning entries: ‘Fire-Fighting is an insider’s view of an issue that brings annual devastation to Welsh hillsides. Fire fighter or arsonist? Cleverly, the author bides his time before coming clean, and rounds off the piece nicely with some personal perspectives. Graig Goch is a lilting piece with a poetic quality. Lack of a strong narrative is off-set by some wonderful imagery and, at the finish, the writer’s bond with her subject is clearly felt. Impressive, challenging writing by a gifted wordsmith.’

Anne Meikle, Head of WWF Cymru, said: ‘WWF Cymru is delighted to have sponsored this year’s Natur Cymru writing competition. We hope reading such talented work will enthuse others into discovering the wonders of nature and some of the threats which they face.’

The equal runners up in the competition and the titles of their articles are as follows:

John Woolner    Welsh Dragon
Merlin Evans     A Little Bird Told Me
Julian Jones      Re-Wilding My Town

The winning articles will be published in the summer edition of Natur Cymru which celebrates its 10^th anniversary. Prize giving at Hay will be on the RSPB stand at 3 pm Tuesday 31st May.

ENDS

For further information please contact Huw Jenkins, Natur Cymru on 01766 590272 huw.naturcymru@btinternet.com