White stork pair could become first to breed in wild in UK for centuries

Birds brooding three eggs due to hatch in June are part of a rewilding project

Patrick Barkham

Wed 22 May 2019 16.20 BSTLast modified on Thu 23 May 2019 11.59 BST

White storks nesting on top of an ancient oak tree could become the first wild pair to successfully breed in Britain for hundreds of years.

The enormous birds are brooding three eggs on the rewilded Knepp estate, in Sussex, as part of a project to reintroduce the species to south-east England.

“It’s absolutely thrilling,” said Isabella Tree, the author and estate’s owner with her husband Charlie Burrell. “She is sitting on three eggs and we feel like parents – after torrential rain we rush out to see if their nest is still there.”

The Knepp estate is close to the West Sussex village of Storrington, referred to as Estorchestone or “homestead of the white storks” in the Domesday Book. Although the occasional wild stork flies across Britain, the birds are believed not to have successfully bred here since 1416, though some believe wild storks fledged chicks as late as the English civil war.

The storks have been brought back in a collaboration between three landowners in south-east England, the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Warsaw Zoo, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, an expert in restoring endangered bird species.

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New rafts for Sussex terns

13/08/2018

New tern rafts recently installed at Chichester Harbour, West Sussex, will help support three breeding species.

Chichester Harbour Conservancy has fitted the new tern rafts in Thorney Deep in order to assist with the nesting success of the local tern populations. Three species – Common, Little and Sandwich – breed in the harbour, and while the site has historically been productive for nesting terns, numbers have declined in recent years. Tidal flooding, human disturbance and predators such as foxes are listed as some of the threats the birds face, and emphasise the need for the rafts.

As many as 100 pairs of Common Terns nest in the harbour, with around 80 pairs of Sandwich Terns, while just a handful of Little Terns continue to breed following a recent drop in the number of nesting pairs across the site. The last species has experienced particularly poor breeding success in the harbour in recent years, though both Common and Sandwich have also struggled.

Thorney Deeps is a large, semi-tidal lagoon separating Thorney Island from the mainland. The safety of the lagoon makes it an ideal breeding location for terns, and the rafts have been placed on relatively sheltered waters, allowing the birds easy access to feeding sites around both Langstone and Chichester Harbours.

The rafts, which were funded by Sussex Ornithological Society, are anticipated to have a positive effect on the terns' breeding success, with Chichester Harbour Conservancy Ecologist Peter Hughes commenting: "We hope that the terns will nest successfully on rafts in Chichester Harbour in the coming years, giving a major boost to the population in this special area. The rafts should also offer an excellent opportunity for the local community to see these fabulous birds up close."

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Rare and endangered duckling hatches in Sussex

Louis the ducking, hatched in Sussex this weekend, belongs to one of the most endangeed species of duck in the worlds

SUS-180429-111246001 Published: 11:18 Sunday 29 April 2018 Updated: 15:03 Monday 30 April 2018

A duckling belonging to one of the rarest and most endangered species of birds in the world has hatched in Sussex this weekend. Louis, a baby white-headed duck, was hatched at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) centre in Arundel yesterday (April 28) - but is already being treated as a VIP by the dedicated WWT staff.

After hatching, Louis was sent on his way to the main trust’s main duckery at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire , escorted in style by the WWT Arundel Centre Manager Tim McGregor. Eventually Louis may return to live at WWT Arundel but he will be sporting a big blue bill like his dad who lives in the Reed Swamp exhibit at Arundel Wetland Centre with other ducks from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

Read more at: 

Galapagos red-footed booby found in Sussex

5 September 2016

A bird native to the Galapagos Islands in the South Pacific has been found thousands of miles from home.

The red-footed booby was discovered in "an exhausted state" on the beach at St Leonards, Sussex, on Sunday afternoon.

The seabird, which is related to the gannet and believed to be a juvenile, was washed ashore with its feathers in a poor state and slightly underweight.

It is currently being cared for at the RSPCA Mallydams Wood centre in Hastings.

The bird was rescued by the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) following a call from a member of the public.

Founder Trevor Weeks said: "It's an absolutely stunning bird.

"It was looking extremely exhausted, just sitting on the beach.

"Hopefully it will be released back to the wild."

He added: "As far as I can tell, one has never been found in the wild in the UK before.

"From what we gather, one did visit Spain a few years ago, but we can't find many other references to these birds visiting Europe at all."

Source 

Rare bird spotted in Pagham Harbour

Trevor Guy's 'mega' find, a rare aquatic warbler in Pagham Harbour

13:4313:48Friday 19 August 2016

Birdwatcher Trevor Guy has spotted a rare bird in Pagham Harbour.

Out hunting for a whinchat to photograph, Trevor was delighted to capture a rare aquatic warbler on camera.

He explained: “I was birdwatching around Pagham Harbour this week and trying to photograph a whinchat, when a bird suddenly appeared on the top of a bush just in front of me.

“Initially, I thought it was the whinchat I had been searching for. It remained for about 30 seconds - just long enough to get a few photographs.

“It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the images on computer that I realised this was no ordinary bird, this was a mega!

“This was a rare aquatic warbler, not only rare in Sussex but also a national rarity.”

Mr Guy says there were only three records of the aquatic warbler in Britain last year and his sighting is the first on record in Sussex since 2011.

“It is a rare breeding bird south of the Baltic and it winters in West Africa,” he added.

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Record number of rare birds nesting in Sussex

Last updated Sat 30 Aug 2014

Record numbers of rare Sand Martins have appeared at a nature reserve in Sussex. 

Conservationists at the Arundel Wetland Centre built an artificial colony for the birds to nest in. Now, large flocks of the Sand Martins have arrived to check out the site.

Malcolm Shaw has the story.

Watch video here ...

Rare bird seen at Wealden reserve

Published on the 09 February 2014 

A rare bird has returned to a nature reserve, thanks to hard work by a wildlife charity.

The distinctive melodic song of the woodlark is now being heard at the RSPB’s Broadwater Warren reserve after a successful campaign to restore the habitat of the little heathland bird.

Other wildlife such as adders, slow worms and butterflies are also benefiting from the heathland restoration of the former conifer plantation on the reserve north of Crowborough, as part of the RSPB’s Give Nature a Home campaign. Heathland as a habitat in the UK is now rarer than the rainforest worldwide.

Like many native British birds, the woodlark, which is slightly smaller than a skylark with a shorter tail, has undergone a steep decline in numbers over the last few decades. This is mainly due to destruction and disturbance of the places where they feed and breed. It’s now on the up, thanks to projects like the one at Broadwater Warren, but there is a long way to go before numbers are stable and thriving again.

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Bumper berry harvest not enough for Sussex birds

Sussex bird lovers are being urged to continue to leave food out despite a bumper summer for berries.

The hot weather of the summer has meant branches have been straining under the bulge of so many berries.

But the RSPB has warned many will not be ripe enough to eat for the county's birds and has urged people to continue to put out food.

And this is even more vital given the drop in temperatures experienced this week.

Ian Hayward, from the RSPB's wildlife enquiries team, said: “Not all of the berries out now are ripe enough for birds to eat - most won't be taken until after the first frosts and ivy berries won't start forming until much later in winter - so it's still important to supplement the natural food with things like seed mixes, mealworms and suitable leftovers from your kitchen.”

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10737374.Bumper_berry_harvest_not_enough_for_Sussex_birds/?ref=nt

Parasite hitting bird populations in Sussex

A deadly disease is having a devastating impact on bird populations, an ornithological enthusiast was warned.

Greenfinch populations in Sussex are thought to have dropped by up to a third and chaffinch populations by a fifth, according to a study by the Garden Bird Health Initiative.

The garden birds are suffering from trichomonosis, a parasite which infects the digestive system of mostly finches, doves and pigeons.

It causes lesions in the throat which makes it hard for the bird to swallow food leading it to die of starvation.

Affected birds appear “puffed-up” with fluffed-up plumage and are generally lethargic.

Peter Calladine, member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Royal Ornithological Society, said: “It’s very bad news. It is very widespread and causing huge losses to the bird population in Sussex. The numbers have fallen terribly. We are talking thousands.

“Greenfinches seem to be the most affected. The disease is very distinctive. They get all puffed up and it’s quite obvious they’re dying.”

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Woodland species under serious threat

Published on 23/06/2013 06:00

WOODLAND species such as the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Willow Tit are in danger of vanishing from our countryside according to alarming new research.

The RSPB State of Nature report reveals how 60 per cent of the UK’s woodland species have decreased. A further 34 per cent have decreased strongly over recent decades.

The Willow Tit was once widespread across the country but numbers have plummeted over the last three decades and recorded sightings in Sussex have all but stopped. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is is also rare sight in the county.

In the late 1980s Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were recorded in 175 areas across Sussex or 16.4 per cent of the county. In 2011, they were recorded in just 49 areas or 2.7 per cent of Sussex.

The report also revealed that of 262 woodland flowering plants assessed, 30 are on the national endangered Red List. Butterflies have declined by 43 per cent since 1990.

The declines of most woodland species are linked to changes in the structure of woodlands, due to increased grazing pressure by deer, changes to management practices and woodland ageing.

Samantha Stokes, RSPB South East spokeswoman, said: “Our scientists are trying desperately to establish why these birds are vanishing from so many sites. Knowing the distribution of the species will give the best chance of hanging on to these endearing birds. Please report their sighting to the Sussex Ornithological Society at www.sos.org.uk. The more information we can gather the better chance we have of stopping further declines.”

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/woodland-species-under-serious-threat-1-5202536

Breeding success for very rare birds

Published on 30/05/2013 14:40

Welcome to Animal Magic! This is the first in a series of fortnightly columns where we take an in-depth look at some of Tilgate Nature Centre’s popular, and less well known, animal residents.

Nature centre manager Simon Woodard writes: This week we explore the world of the Northern Bald Ibis and explain why we are so proud to have them.

Appearance

Eight Northern Bald Ibis adults and three chicks call Tilgate Nature Centre home.

These birds – which are also known as Waldrapps – are distinctive creatures with glossy black feathers that have hints of green and violet, and a long curved beak which is excellent for finding food in the ground and in rocky crevices.

Their most noticeable feature is a bald, red face and head.

During breeding season the red colour brightens considerably as the birds attempt to attract a mate.

Behaviour

In the wild, Northern Bald Ibis’ are found in rocky habitats and usually near water, so our birds have boulders, a stream and a pond in their enclosure.

Visitors can see the birds digging in the ground with their long beaks, preening each other and even sunbathing with their wings outstretched.

Importance

We are especially proud to have these birds, as the species is critically endangered.

They were once widespread throughout the Middle East, Europe and Africa but there are now fewer than 1,000 birds in the wild – with the main population in Morocco.

Tilgate Nature Centre welcomed its first pair of Northern Bald Ibis’ in 1996 as part of a European breeding programme, which has seen birds bred here joining new colonies across Britain.

The future

We hadn’t bred these birds for a few years, but things have improved since we welcomed three young male birds from Harewood House in Leeds in 2011; and we have recently celebrated the hatching of two nests of chicks.

The chicks will remain in the nest for seven weeks and won’t develop their distinctive red heads until they are two years old.

The parents take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding their chicks.

Continued