Video shows family of birds nesting in Leeds traffic light as chicks hatch during Storm Dennis

Eagle eyed nature lovers spotted the nest round the corner from Leeds University

A family of thrush have made their home in an unusual place causing a bit of a stir with those that have spotted them.

Rather than nesting in a hedgerow, bird box or tree, the family of six which includes four young chicks are nestled in front of an amber traffic light in Leeds.

Paul Wheatley, on Twitter as @LeedsBirder told LeedsLive he heard about the birds via social media.

He said: "I heard about their unusual nest, so I popped out on my lunch break and got some footage of them.

"The nest is in front of the amber light and when the lights change you can see the parent birds darting to and from the nest to feed their four young. Apparently it's not an uncommon place for them to nest and this pair have been spotted in other traffic lights around the city previously."

He added that it's quite unusual for Mistle thrush to have young so early in the year - the chicks have been born a month earlier than what's deemed normal.

When he tweeted the video out he said: "Early Mistle thrush nest on a traffic light in Leeds with 4 chicks that hatched during Storm Dennis. Stormcock indeed.

"But they weren’t sufficiently badass to nest in front of the red light."

S Wyman who Tweets as @humulushead also shared some images of the nest - with one image showing the chicks hungrily asking to be fed by one of the parent.

Source

UK raptor persecution on the rise

19/02/2020

The RSPB's Investigations team has revealed that rates of raptor persecution are showing no signs of slowing down across the UK.

In fact, the organisation revealed this week that 2018 saw a shocking 67 incidents of bird of prey persecution confirmed in England alone – equalling the previous highest in the country, which was noted in 2007.

For the UK as a whole, 2013 and 2007 are the worst years on record, with 128 confirmed raptor persecution incidents each. However, it is important to note this is only the number actually exposed, and has very little bearing on the actual number of birds of prey targeted in the year as detection rates are very low.

For Scotland, at a glance, the signs appear encouraging. However, there is mounting evidence that, rather than decreasing, crimes are simply becoming more covert. Following the enactment of vicarious liability legislation and the increased use of satellite tags to monitor raptors, there has been a reduction in poisoning incidents, presumably because such crimes and their victims were becoming increasingly detectable. Sadly raptor population surveys repeatedly show no evidence of an overall fall in persecution levels in Scotland, or indeed the rest of the UK.

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WATCH: Tallest bird in UK filmed in Norfolk countryside

PUBLISHED: 20:10 16 February 2020 | UPDATED: 11:41 17 February 2020

Clarissa Place

The tallest bird in the UK are the centre of a new wildlife video after making Norfolk their home more than 40 years ago.

Wildlife documentary maker Liam Smith, who runs the Shot of Wildlife YouTube channel, captured several species of animals while out in the county's countryside including the common crane.

The bird stands at more than four feet tall and has a wingspan of almost eight foot and are considered one of the tallest birds in the whole of Europe.

The flock of cranes, filmed between Acle and Billockby, first came to Norfolk in 1978 from mainland Europe.

Watch video and read on

Suffolk Little Owl 'too fat to fly'

29/01/2020

A Little Owl, unceremoniously rescued from a Suffolk ditch as it was unable to fly, has been declared "extremely obese" by the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.

The soggy owl was found in a ditch in the county in early January and, in these circumstances, wildlife rescue centres generally find that birds are carrying injuries, or occasionally have become waterlogged.

However, Suffolk Owl Sanctuary was surprised to find that it was in fact extremely overweight. Upon assessing the owl, a female, it weighed in at a rather chunky 245 g – roughly a third heavier than a healthy adult female Little Owl. It was unable to fly due to the large fatty deposits around its body.

It is extremely unusual for wild birds to get into this condition naturally, so the vets decided to investigate some obvious scenarios – the first being that it was possibly an escaped aviary bird. There was no indication of rings or chip identification, and asking around in the local area also didn't produce any leads.

They therefore decided to observe the rotund bird over a period of time for signs of a captive history – familiarity with 'artificial' foods used in aviaries, such as bright yellow chicks, can be a telltale sign. However, the owl didn't show any hints of previous confinement and has readily taken 'wild' food types, such as dark mice.

Read on

Support worker shocked to glimpse 'rarest garden bird in UK' in Somerset village

The ultra-rare bird was spotted in a local garden

A local support worker has spoken of his shock after catching a glimpse of the "rarest breeding garden bird in UK" in a Somerset village.

Paul Galvani, from Yeovil, was working at a home in Martock when he spotted a Black Redstart in the back garden.

The keen birdspotter even captured a picture of the orange-tailed rarity sitting on a fence as it fluttered around the area on Friday, January 24.

"I managed to get a superb photo of one of the rarest garden birds in Britain," said Mr Galvani.

"Over the last decade there is estimated to be less than 100 breeding pairs in the whole of the UK.

"When I first saw it, I thought it could be a pigment anomaly or a juvenile bird of another species, but after speaking with other birdspotters, it was confirmed to be a Black Redstrat.

"It was just a fantastic feeling to get a photograph of the bird"

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Rare bird has found its own 'McDonalds' in Christchurch Park

PUBLISHED: 16:10 20 January 2020 | UPDATED: 16:20 20 January 2020

Holly Hume

A certain visitor has been ruffling feathers in Christchurch Park with people trying to find out where the newcomer hails from.

The Hooded Merganser is native to North America but has been spotted in Ipswich of late, bathing in the wilderness pond.

The male duck has a distinctive crest along the top of it's head with a large white plume against a distinctive black outline - closely resembling a quiff.

A spokesperson for Ipswich Borough Council said: "It has created quite a stir, lots of people have been down to photograph it as it is a particularly handsome specimen.

"The rangers think it might stay as the pond is its equivalent to McDonalds - plenty of fish."

There has been speculation among bird watching communities as to where the mystery visitor had come from as the species is native to North America.

John Grant, president of the Suffolk Bird Group, said: "There's a 99.9% chance that it's not a wild bird.

"It's very likely to be an escapee from an ornamental collection as they are very attractive - though the owner will be unlikely to admit they let it escape."

Short of stowing away on a boat to Felixstowe it's doubtful whether the Hooded Merganser would have made it across from North America alone.

Mr Grant says that whilst there have been some accepted as a wild bird in rare cases in Britain, this is not likely to be one of them.

Wherever it's from, the sightings have prompted a wave of interest as the feathered celebrity has reportedly been hanging around for some weeks now.

Source

Jimi Hendrix is NOT to blame for Britain's plague of 170,000 parakeets: Scientists finally dispel urban legend by tracing historical sightings of the bright birds back to the 1800s

Legend claims the birds were released by Jimi Hendrix or Humphrey Bogart 

Others claim a plane crash or burglars in George Michael's home released them 

New study disproves these theories and says it was likely due to many low-profile releases of unwanted pet parakeets over decades 

By JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 00:01, 12 December 2019 | UPDATED: 12:21, 12 December 2019

Urban legend has a range of outlandish theories for the origin of Britain's parakeets, including Jimi Hendrix, Humphrey Bogart and George Michael. 

But their true origin in the UK has nothing to do with such glamorous celebrity myths, according to new research, which reveals sightings of the birds actually date back to the 1800s. 

It has been claimed that Jimi Hendrix released the first pair of parakeets, called Adam and Eve, as a symbol of peace when he was stoned in London's Carnaby Street in 1968. A rival theory maintains that the birds escaped from the set of The African Queen, the film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, in 1951.

But a study, published today in the Journal of Zoology, reveals the birds were reported in Britain as far back as 1855, when one was seen in Norfolk.

The data was drawn from the plotting of parakeet sightings between 1968 and 2014, resulted in 5,072 points across the country. Researchers also looked at newspaper archives from 1800 onwards but did not find any news reports on parakeets being released by Hendrix or The African Queen 

The researchers now believe parakeet numbers may have been boosted by escapes from British bird houses damaged in the Great Storm of 1987.

Experts also suspect many parakeets kept as pets were released en masse after an outbreak of 'parrot fever' in 1929, 1930 and 1952, as newspaper articles urged the public to stay away from the 'dangerous birds'. 

Sarah Cox of Goldsmiths, University of London, says pet owners would have found it less distressing to simply set their bird free from a window than have it destroyed. 

Ring-necked parakeets are an exotic bird native to Asia which now terrorise many UK neighbourhoods. 

Despite originating in warmer climes, they have adapted well to British weather and actually thrive in cities such as London. 

Continued

The elusive birds attracted by this British summer, from the corncrake to the brown booby

Rachael Turner August 29, 2019

The brown booby, Savi's warbler and corncrake are among the unusual species of bird spotted in the UK this summer.

Earlier this month, birdwatchers flocked to St Ives in Cornwall to spot a brown booby, whose more regular habitats are Mexico and the Caribbean

Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society (CBWPS) said it was believed to be the first sighting in the UK.

‘Brown boobies just do not belong around here,’ said Mark Grantham, chairman of the CBWPS.

‘It is one of those strange birds that sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

‘It’s probably found a good food source but with a change in the weather it might not hang around.’

Globally threatened corncrakes have also been spotted this summer.

Two pairs of the species, known for their secretive behaviour and rasping call, were recorded on Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland.

Liam McFaul, the island’s RSPB warden, said it is the first time since the 1980s that the island has two breeding males.

Meanwhile, a pair of Savi’s warblers have nested in Wales for the first time.

The birds were spotted at the Cors Ddyga reserve on Anglesey, following the successful establishment of other rare species in the same area.

Bitterns and marsh harriers have nested on the reserve for the fourth consecutive year, having been missing for several decades.

The little tern has also enjoyed a boost for its population, and 2019 has been recorded as its most successful season in almost 30 years.

The good news comes as scientists carry out a survey into seabirds in St Kilda.

The archipelago, which lies about 40 miles west of North Uist, Scotland, is home to almost a million seabirds, including gannets, shearwaters and storm petrels.

It has been almost 20 years since birds on Boreray and Soay had been surveyed, due to difficulty in landing on the islands from a boat.

Read more at 

Parakeets pop in to live in Peterborough

Published: 12:00 Saturday 20 July 2019

Pigeons could be having to take a back seat in Peterborough – as tropical parakeets are making the city their home.

The bright green birds normally live in Africa or south Asia, but it appears a group of ring necked parakeets have moved to Longthorpe.

Carl Whitney, who lives in Nathan Close, said he had seen a number of birds feeding near his home.

He said: “Over the past two or three weeks I have seen them in groups of five or six on a daily basis. The neighbours have seen a similar thing as well.

“They tend to be more active early in the morning or late in the evening.

“They tend to be sitting on the top of the trees, or feeding on fruit trees in the area.

“I first thought they might be escaped birds who were pets, but because there are so many of them together, I think they are colonising in Longthorpe.”

A spokesman for the RSPB confirmed it was likely the birds were living wild in Longthorpe – and the birds would be able to cope with almost anything the British weather could throw at them, despite their tropical roots.

Read on

Record breeding season for Cornish Choughs

20/07/2019

Conservation group Cornish Choughs has announced a record-breaking year for nesting Choughs in Cornwall. A total of 12 pairs bred successfully this year, two more than in 2018. On top of this, 10 more young birds fledged this year, with a total of 38 youngsters leaving their nests.

The species has enjoyed a successful last few years of breeding in Cornwall, after the species reappeared in the county in 2001, at The Lizard, following a 54-year absence since the previous last breeding record, near Newquay in 1947. The 2001 birds were proven via DNA testing to have come from Ireland.

Chough has a deep-rooted history within Cornish tradition, featuring on the county's coat of arms. Nowadays, following the reappearance at the turn of the millennium and subsequent increase, the species can be found at other sites in the county, including Porthgwarra. There have been records in Devon, too.

Find out more at www.cornishchoughs.org.

Source

Zoos starve birds of prey to make them perform circus-style tricks, investigation finds

Food is withheld from falcons, hawks and eagles, and many are also deprived of clean drinking water, a report says

Jane Dalton @JournoJane

Saturday 29 June 2019 13:45 

The Independent

Birds of prey are effectively starved to force them to obey human commands at zoos across the UK, investigators have found.

To train them to perform tricks for entertainment, food is withheld from the birds, such as falcons, hawks and eagles, which are naturally frightened of people, until their hunger outweighs their fear, a report says.

It’s claimed the tactic – together with forcing them to perform in displays – makes such zoos “a circus by any other name”.

The government is in the process of banning wild animals in circuses, with a bill currently going through parliament.

Freedom for Animals, a charity that opposes animal captivity, says avian veterinary experts believe going without food for three days may cause dehydration and kidney disease.

Depriving wild birds of food, known as “manning”, can take several days.

The group investigated 25 zoos around the UK, filming in 24 of them, finding one in three enclosures did not have clean drinking water.

Birds of prey spent an average of just 11 minutes 18 seconds flying during a public display, the investigation found.

At one zoo, a staff member told visitors how “naturally wild birds are terrified of humans” so to get one to sit on his glove, food is withheld and “then it is a matter of waiting until appetite outweighs fear”.

This “appears to be an extreme approach to training, especially when keepers have a legal obligation to provide food for animals ... we see this carried out widely across UK zoos,” the charity said.

Continued

Starlings disappearing from Scotland and UK

'Mixed fortunes' for birds.

ILONA AMOS

Published: 06:00Friday 03 May 2019

Scotland’s starling and rook populations have fallen dramatically over the past two decades, according to a new report.

Surveys show numbers of starlings north of the border were down by 28 per cent in 2017 compared to 1995, with a further 12 per cent loss in the past year.

This is part of a worrying UK-wide decline of 52 per cent since 1995.

Rook numbers in Scotland have fallen by 37 per cent over the same period.

Ornithologists do not know exactly what is driving the declines but say changes in the use of grasslands could be a major factor.

Other bird species that continue to cause concern include the greenfinch, which has declined by massive 66 per cent over the 22-year period, and the curlew, with a drop of 61 per cent.

Swifts have also experienced a major fall in numbers, with a 28 per cent decline in the past year and an overall loss of 59 per cent since 1995.

The latest figures show a much more positive picture for species, which have seen numbers soar.

Chiffchaffs have increased nearly eight-fold since 1995, while great spotted woodpeckers and blackcaps have more than quadrupled.

However, all three species were scarcer in 2018 than 2017.

Continued

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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How you can help save Lancashire's rarest bird

MIKE HILL

Published: 11:27Monday 01 April 2019

The RSPB is calling on people who spend time in the remote hills and moorlands of Lancashire to look out for England’s most threatened bird of prey.

The nature conservation charity has relaunched a hotline with the aim of finding out where hen harriers might be nesting in the county.

In spring, the male hen harrier performs his courtship display known as skydancing, involving a spectacular series of swoops and somersaults. If he attracts a female, he attempts to further impress her by passing food offerings in mid-air.

Experts estimate there is enough suitable habitat in England for around 300 pairs of breeding hen harriers. But last year there were only nine successful nests in the whole country, three of which were in Lancashire.

Hen harriers are teetering on the verge of extinction in England because of ongoing illegal killing. As they sometimes eat red grouse, they are often unwelcome on moors managed for driven grouse shooting.

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Bird species becoming more scarce in Warwickshire

The greenfinch population in Warwickshire appears to have fallen dramatically in the past decade.

Andy Morris9th Apr, 2019

SOME bird species in Warwickshire appear to be dwindling.

The results of this year’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch – which sees people spend an hour counting birds in their garden – revealed there were fewer sightings of nearly half of the top 20 species than a decade ago.

The biggest fall was among the greenfinch population which saw less than half the number spotted in 2009.

Sightings of song thrushes, chaffinches, collared doves, dunnocks, starlings and blackbirds were also significantly down on ten years ago.

The January count – the 40th anniversary of the event – saw the house sparrow keep its top spot for sightings in Warwickshire.

Sightings of goldfinches were up significantly, while the number of house sparrows, wood pigeons, magpies, long tailed tits, jackdaws, carrion crows and feral pigeons also rose.

Samantha Lyster, from the RSPB in the Midlands, said: “People are becoming more and more aware of the challenges and threats that our UK wildlife is currently facing.

“Citizen science surveys, such as our Big Garden Birdwatch, really help empower people of all ages and backgrounds to play an active part in conservation, and to speak out for the wildlife they love and want to protect.”

Visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information.

Source

Sand Martins fly 3,500 miles from Africa to roost on Norfolk coast only to find council has covered their nests in netting to protect eroding cliffs

Black nets were put in place to keep migrating birds away from cliffs in Norfolk 

Nets were erected so a project to combat coastal erosion could be carried out 

Campaigners called out the netting as birds were left blocked from their nests 

North Norfolk District Council said it would take down part of the netting 

By HENRY MARTIN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 18:48, 9 April 2019 | UPDATED: 23:25, 9 April 2019

A council has agreed to remove part of a controversial cliff netting that is blocking birds from their nests when they return from a 3,500-mile trip Africa. 

Swathes of black nets were temporarily put in place to keep migrating birds away this summer over fears that they could be harmed by a project to combat coastal erosion at Bacton, Norfolk.

But bird lovers were left outraged because the netting for the £22million sea defence scheme prevented returning birds from using their nesting holes. 

The so-called Sandscaping project, which is the largest of its kind to be carried out in the UK, involves dumping 1.8 million cubic metres of sand on a 3.5 mile stretch of beach to help prevent flooding.

It will provide what is described as 'robust protection' to safeguard the giant gas terminal at Bacton, which handles a third of the UK's gas supply and protect local homes for the next 20 years.

Exhausted Sand Martins flying 3,500 miles from their winter homes in Africa have been arriving in Bacton in recent days to find their burrows in the sandy cliffs have been blocked off.

Bird watchers were horrified to see the 'heartbreaking' scene of the birds trying in vain to find a way through the netting, which is hanging over different areas with burrows on a 1,000 yard long section of the cliff.

Continued

Volunteer birdwatching survey shows effects of temperatures on population of Jays

Date: April 9, 2019

Source: University of Southampton

A study led by researchers at the University of Southampton has used data collected by volunteer bird watchers to study how the importance of wildlife habitat management for British birds depends on changing temperatures.

The team studied data from the British Trust for Ornithology's "Bird Atlas 2007 -- 11" on the abundance of Eurasian jays over the whole of Great Britain. The University of Southampton researchers focused on jays for this trial as they are a species of bird known to frequent a mixture of different natural environments.

The findings, published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, showed that an even range of habitats -- forests fields and meadows -- are needed in an area of around 200m2 to 1km2 in order for the jays to thrive. An even spread of coniferous and broad leaved forests within this space is also necessary. The data showed that in higher temperatures it is even more important for the jays to have this mix of different surroundings in a relatively small space.

The Bird Atlas 2007 -- 11 was one of the most ambitious volunteer projects undertaken. Volunteers for the British Trust for Ornithology were allocated squares of land around the country in which they counted every bird they spotted during winter and in the breeding season.

Continued

Cold weather takes toll on smaller species in UK birdwatch

Big Garden Birdwatch finds fall in long-tailed tits and wrens after ‘beast from the east’

Patrick Barkham

Fri 5 Apr 2019 06.00 BST

Almost 1.2 million house sparrows were spotted in British gardens during this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch but smaller garden birds appear to have suffered from the previous winter’s cold weather.

Long-tailed tits decreased by more than 27% and wrens by 17% in 2019 after bumper years in 2018, according to the RSPB survey. Populations of both species are thought to have been affected by last year’s “beast from the east”: small birds are more susceptible to extreme chilly spells.

The most sighted species among 7.5 million birds counted by nearly 500,000 people over the last weekend in January was the house sparrow, followed by the starling, blue tit, blackbird and woodpigeon. Numbers of the latter have increased by more than 1,000% since the survey began in 1979.

Continued

Seven in 10 hen harriers in UK study likely illegally killed

Bird of prey 10 times more likely to die on English grouse moors than other habitats

Patrick Barkham

Tue 19 Mar 2019 16.00 GMTLast modified on Wed 20 Mar 2019 13.07 GMT

Hen harriers are 10 times more likely to die or disappear from or near to English grouse moors than any other habitat, according to a long-term study which reveals the scale of the illegal persecution of the endangered raptor.

An analysis of hen harriers over a decade found 72% of 58 satellite-tagged birds were confirmed or considered “very likely” to have been illegally killed. Just 17% of juvenile hen harriers survived beyond their first year around grouse moors in northern England and southern Scotland, compared with 36% across the Scottish mainland, where persecution has also been recorded, and between 37% and 54% on Orkney, where there are no grouse moors.

The hen harrier is almost extinct as a breeding bird in England, despite scientific studies indicating there is suitable habitat to support more than 300 pairs on English moorland. Conservationists fear the protected bird is being illegally killed by some gamekeepers because it eats red grouse. However, because the birds are killed in remote places, often on private estates, there is seldom evidence of wrongdoing and prosecutions are rare.

The study of 58 birds, fitted with satellite tags by Natural England researcher Stephen Murphy, and published in Nature Communications, found just seven were still flying at the end of the 10-year study period in 2017. Of the dead birds which were recovered, postmortems showed that five had died of natural causes and four had died because they were illegally killed, while the tags of another four birds had failed. The vast majority, 38, simply disappeared, their tags abruptly ceasing to transmit data with no indication of malfunction.

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Campaign to build more swift nesting sites in Brighton

12th March

By Hsin-Yi Lo  @hsinyilo Reporter

ANIMAL lovers are calling for the installation of more nesting sites for swifts to help stem their declining numbers.

In just a few months’ time, these small birds will be making their epic 6,000-mile journey from Mozambique to the UK.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is spearheading a campaign to convince Brighton and Hove City Council to build nesting spots such as swift bricks or boxes on new housing developments outlined in its City Plan.

Activists argue there are not enough nesting places in the city and say it is cost efficient to set them up.

The birds stay in the UK for a short time between May and August.

Chloe Rose, South East conservation officer for the RSPB said: “Swifts are a key focus of our work in Brighton and Hove due to their rapidly declining numbers and the fact that they are solely reliant on urban habitats to nest in.

“Having the stipulation within the City Plan for swift bricks to be installed in all new housing developments would give swifts ongoing security, and protect this species for generations to come.

Read on