50 disused quarries turned into wildlife habitats to help Britain's endangered birds

 Sarah Knapton, science editor 

27 JANUARY 2018 • 5:05PM

A conservation project to turn 50 quarries into nature reserves by 2020 has been completed two years early and is already saving endangered species, like the turtle dove.

In 2010, the RSPB joined forces with building materials supplier CEMEX to rejuvenate dozens of disused quarries.

And within fewer than eight years, 1,000 hectares of grassland, woodland, heath and wetland has been created which is helping rare and unusual species to flourish including 50 ‘at risk’ species.

Threatened birds which have moved into the conservation areas include turtle doves, choughs and twites, all of which have seen huge falls in numbers in the past decades.

Martin Harper, the RSPB’s director of conservation said: “Nature is in trouble but by restoring or creating habitats we can often reverse the population declines of threatened species while keeping common species common. We all have a role to play in rising to this challenge: government, business and civil society.

“In 2010 the RSPB and CEMEX set an ambitious goal of restoring 1,000 hectares of land over a decade and in less than eight years we have met that target.

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Choughs away! Record number of rare birds thrive in Cornwall

By WMNHFinch | Posted: July 06, 2016

Choughs can begin to breed at two years old but this season one-year-old birds have successfully reared young, an extremely rare event barely documented before. RSPB field officer Nicola Shanks said: "I hope that everyone, the volunteers who help monitor the choughs, the farmers who work to provide crucial habitat for them, and the Cornish communities that support 'their' choughs are as proud as I am."

Twenty-three newly fledged choughs have taken to the skies of Cornwall, making this year the most successful since the bird made a surprise re-appearance 15 years ago. Twelve pairs attempted to breed this year – itself a recent record – and eight of those pairs successfully reared young. In all there are now some 54 choughs flying above the Duchy. And choughs are once again breeding in the Roseland area, probably the first time they have done so since the 1820s.

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Four chicks born on the Lizard as iconic choughs defy extinction in Cornwall

By WMN_PGoodwin  |  Posted: June 09, 2016

The small but growing population of wild Cornish choughs continues to defy extinction, conservationists have revealed.

Twelve new chicks already on the wing in Cornwall and more are still waiting in nests getting ready to fledge later this month.

A team of conservation volunteers have been carefully monitoring 12 pairs of this iconic bird, which is featured on the Cornish coat of arms.

The latest pair to breed was a bonus for bird watchers after a sad start on The Lizard when the breeding male disappeared in March.

Things brightened up with the arrival of a new unringed bird who paired up with the resident female.

Catherine Lee, who works for National Trust within the Chough Conservation Network in Cornwall, said "We didn't know if the male would stay.

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Rare birds Choughs thriving again after being nearly wiped out

A rare species of bird is thriving again in the British countryside decades after it was almost entirely wiped out.

Choughs are the official bird of Cornwall and appear on its coat of arms but they vanished in from the county in the 1970s after their eggs were repeatedly targeted by poachers.

Conservationists launched a bid to re-introduce them after a single pair were spotted in 2001 and since then small colonies have emerged at managed sites at Land's End, Newquay and Cadgwith.

So far this year 17 baby choughs have been born - the best annual tally to date.

New colonies are also appearing across the UK, with sightings in Wales, the Western Isles in Scotland as well as the Isle of Man.

The total number of mating pairs is now thought to be much higher than the 435 counted back in 2002.

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Wanted: One tenant for Britain’s most southerly farm (and they must be able to look after breeding birds and twitchers)

Britain’s most southerly farm is up for rent to a tenant who can look after a rare pair of breeding birds – and accommodate thousands of ‘twitchers’.

The idyllic Tregullas Farm sits on the tip of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

It has a five bedroom farmhouse, private garden, and a host of farm outbuildings including a former tea room.
But the farm is also home to the only pair of breeding choughs in Cornwall.

The National Trust now wants a new tenant for the 238-acre site – but stresses the incumbents must be willing to accommodate birdwatchers.

Every year thousands of of ‘twitchers’ come to see the distinctive red-legged black crows.

Birdwatchers have access to the land via footpaths and the trust says the farm tenant must make the choughs’ well-being a ‘priority’
Continued: http://swns.com/news/wanted-one-tenant-for-britains-most-southerly-farm-and-they-must-be-able-to-look-after-breeding-birds-and-twitchers/