Manx hen harrier 'Mary' poisoned by laced bait and found dead in Eire

Friday, 7 February 2020 - Environment


Hen Harrier Mary as a nestling (RSPB and Manx BirdLife)

A hen harrier born in the Isle of Man in the summer of 2019, has been found dead beside baits laced with poison in the Republic of Ireland.

Mary was part of the satellite-tagging project led by RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project team which is coordinated in the island by Manx Birdlife and the Manx Ringing Group (MRG).

Tags attached to the birds enable their whereabouts to be tracked, providing insights to the behaviour and population dynamics of the persecuted birds of prey.

After fledging last year, Mary spent a few weeks exploring the island, flying to and from the Calf of Man where she was pictured by warden Aron Sapsford, at the end of August.

By the end of October, satellite data revealed she had flown from the Isle of Man across the Irish Sea to Eire.

Sadly, soon afterwards on November 2, Mary’s satellite tag indicated that she had died.

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Rare bird of prey spotted over Santon

Monday, May 13th, 2019 4:41pm

The spell of good weather has been good for more than just gardeners it seems.

An osprey has been spotted on the Island today.

Director of Manx Birdlife Neil Morris, says he spotted the bird of prey in Santon this morning.

The raptor is considered a rarity in the Island's skies, with just one or two sightings each year of the bird as a passing migrant.

The bird was heading northwards, gaining height as it did so, and Neil described the sight as "magic!"

According to the RSPB, there is believed to be just 200-250 breeding pairs in the British Isles with Scotland considered a 'stronghold' for the species.

Source

Isle of Man Bird Race record broken

26/01/2019

A new record number of species were recorded on the Isle of Man during the annual bird race there in 2018. The event took place over seven days, between Christmas and New Year, with 116 species tallied. The previous record – set in 2016 – was 113.

Manx BirdLife runs the event and last year a number of rarer species were found, enabling the record to be set; these included Glaucous Gull, Little Egret and Long-tailed Duck. The race doubles up as a survey on the diversity and number of birds wintering on the island, providing valuable information on the island's birdlife.

Neil Morris, from Manx BirdLife, said: "While two or three species of wild bird, such as Little Egret, have been gained as winter visitors to the island due to factors including climate change, it is sad to reflect that rather more species – such as Yellowhammer – have been lost or become rare and thus difficult to find."

The first Isle of Man Bird Race took place in 2011 and has been a popular event ever since. Manx BirdLife is the organisation that works to protect the island's wild birds and habitats.

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Isle of Man bird survey nearly finished

19 April 2018

A comprehensive census of the Isle of Man's seabird population is nearing completion, conservationists have said.

Manx BirdLife said the project, the first of its kind since 1999, "will reveal the fortunes of 17 coastal and marine species".

More than 10,000 birds have been logged in the study, which has involved 947 miles (1,525km) of boat travel.

A charity spokesman added that the findings will "underpin all future bird conservation strategies".

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DNA from faeces identifies a rare warbler that visited the Isle of Man from central Asia

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Birdwatchers have extracted DNA from faeces to establish the identity of a rare bird seen in the Isle of Man.

They have concluded that a rare warbler spotted in Ballasalla in January is from the central Asian population found in Kazakhstan.

Ballasalla resident Paul Bromley first spied the diminutive warbler on January 30 when it was feeding on fat balls put out by his neighbours in their back garden.

Paul alerted local birdwatcher Peter Christian, who in turn contacted Neil Morris at Manx BirdLife.

From its appearance, it was presumed that the bird was most probably a form of Lesser Whitethroat of an unknown eastern origin.

To solve the identity, Neil Morris collected a sample of the bird’s faeces - conveniently deposited on the garden fence by the bird - and sent it for analysis to Professor J. Martin Collinson at the University of Aberdeen. Professor Collinson is the world’s leading authority on the DNA profiling of wild birds from around the world.

After detailed DNA analysis, Professor Collinson confirmed to Manx BirdLife that the bird was a Lesser Whitethroat of the sub-species blythi.

The population of this form of Lesser Whitethroat breeds in central Asia in and around Kazakhstan.

It is likely that the bird got its migratory instincts wrong, heading north and west last autumn instead of south to its usual wintering grounds in southern Asia and east Africa.

The journey from Kazakhstan to the Isle of Man (as the ’Whitethroat’ flies) is about 3,200 miles.

The bird was last seen in mid-February.

Birdwatchers hope that it will find its way back to its nesting grounds in Asia this spring.

Continued 

Keep your eyes peeled for these birds urge ornithologists

06:30Thursday 10 December 2015

Puffins, turtle doves and pochard (a duck) are among 11 bird species which have been classified as vulnerable by the world’s leading international conservation organisation.

Inclusion in the ‘red list’ produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a sign that a species is heading towards extinction.

‘Survey work undertaken by Manx BirdLife and other wildlife charities, in addition to birdwatchers’ reported sightings, is crucial in highlighting declines in order for conservation action to be taken,’ said Manx BirdLife chief operating officer Dora Querido.

‘The data people submit through our Garden Birdwatch scheme and general sightings hold importance in the long term at a higher level, for which we are very grateful.

‘The other eight bird species relevant to the Isle of Man that are also causing concern are redwing and bar-tailed godwit which winter on the island, knot, a passage migrant, plus eider, razorbill, oystercatcher, lapwing and meadow pipit all of which are breeding species regularly recorded on yearly surveys.

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Isle of Man study supports red grouse reintroduction

Experts said the size of a grouse population is an "indicator of the health of the Manx upland ecosystem"

A study of the Isle of Man has recommended reintroducing red grouse to boost the island's dwindling population of the bird.

The Manx Uplands report, compiled by Professor Jim McAdam, said in the past three years breeding had declined.

Research suggests the fall in grouse population was "almost entirely due to predation by harriers and peregrines".

The report said: "The size of the grouse population is an indicator of the health of the upland ecosystem."

It recommended "to at least maintain the current level of upland management and strive to increase it by a controlled and monitored reintroduction of red grouse".

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