RSPB plea to find missing Mongatu Harrier called Mo

Kieran LynchThursday, September 18, 2014 

6:30 AM

Bird fanatics have voiced their pleas in a hope to find Mongatu Harrier, Missing Mo.

The female bird is one of the rarest species in the UK , with just seven breeding pairs in the UK.

Mo was one of three Montagu harriers who were fitted with tiny satellite trackers to track migration routes earlier this year.

Mo’s transmission stopped sending signals on the morning of August 8, and her disappearance still remains a mystery.

Jim Scotts, site manager at RSPB Snettisham Nature Reserve, said: “The unfortunate likelihood is that she has died because of a fox or was illegal persecuted and the tag was destroyed.

“But you would like to think there has been a fault with the technology and that there are people out there with information on her disappearance.”

Norfolk Constabulary has launched an investigation into the bird’s disappearance.

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Ortolans: could France's cruellest food be back on the menu?

As French chefs lobby for ortolan to be reintroduced on to menus, we explain why cooking the rare and delicate songbird is so controversial.

By Harry Wallop

12:15PM BST 17 Sep 2014

Q. What is an ortolan?

A. A songbird that's small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, the average ortolan weighs less than an ounce. They are neither very pretty nor particularly musical, but they are rare, especially in Britain, where they are only occasionally spotted on the south coast. They are usually found in warm parts of Europe, especially the south of France, Italy, Spain and Greece. They eat insects in summer, and grains and seeds from the ground at other times.

Q. Why are they in the news?

A. A clutch of leading French chefs, including Alain Ducasse, who has 18 Michelin stars in total across his many restaurants, has lobbied the French Government to partially reverse the ban on killing and cooking ortolans, Le Parisien newspaper has reported. They say they want the right to cook the bird, even if it is only for one weekend of the year.

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Impact on bird life is assessed for Hayling solar bid

BIRD surveys are to be 
carried out to prepare for a proposed solar park on Hayling Island.

Hive Energy is considering setting up solar panels on a 46-acre site next to West Lane.

The site is part of Manor Farm and is on the east side of West Lane, with Daw Lane to the north.

The borough council has now asked the energy firm to do winter bird surveys to assess the likely impact on wildlife.

Tim Purbrick, Hive Energy’s commercial director, said: ‘Overall, we still remain very positive about the prospects for a solar park on this site on Hayling Island. When we have proper surveys to tell us how the birds are using the area, we’ll be able to work with the planning authority and consultees to determine the way forward.’

The earliest date for a planning application would be April next year.

Source

Bohai reclamation projects threaten migratory bird habitats

Staff Reporter 

2014-09-18 

08:58 (GMT+8)

The coastal areas of the Bohai Sea in northeastern China, long a habitat for birds flying one of the world's eight major migration routes, is being been replaced by massive sea reclamation projects and aquaculture farms, reports Chinese online news service the Paper.

Bohai Sea is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea on the coast of northeastern China. Its proximity to Beijing makes it one of the busiest seaways in the world.

A Chinese research team made up of experts including Su Jilan, an academician at a research institute run by China's State Oceanic Administration, has found that during the 2006-2010 Five-Year Plan Beijing launched to boost economic development, land reclamation projects in coastal provinces and cities around China created some 5,000 square kilometers of new land.

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AUDIO MNR tracks threatened Eastern Whip-poor-will

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is asking people for help tracking the whereabouts of the threatened Eastern Whip-poor-will in northwestern Ontario.

There's a good chance you've never spotted a Whip-poor-will, but you may have heard its call.

The small, mottled-brown bird is named for its distinctive song. It's also well-camouflaged and nocturnal, with a particular fondness for brightly moonlit nights.

"When we go out and do surveys, folks would go out at night and drive along roads and simply get out of the vehicle and listen for that call," said Peter Addison, a species-at-risk specialist with the MNR in Thunder Bay.

"That's how we would figure out where they are and how many there might be in an area."

Addison says the Whip-poor-will population has been declining for several decades, at a rate of about three per cent each year in Ontario.

For the past four years MNR offices in the northwest have collected information about the birds in an effort to learn more about where they are nesting, so that those areas can be protected.

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RSPB names East of England as vital region for declining turtle dove species

Posted: September 18, 2014

By FLORENCE SNEAD

Communities across the East of England are being urged to come together to support the declining turtle dove species.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is highlighting the plight of the bird, which is currently halving in number every six years.

The Eastern region is a stronghold for vulnerable turtle dove populations in the UK, home to over 60 per cent of the summer breeding population.

Sam Lee, RSPB turtle dove conservation advisor in the East, said: The gentle purr of the turtle dove has become increasingly rare following rapid and sustained population declines.

"Across the region, we are working on developing urgent practical solutions and are heartened by how many individuals and communities are passionate about halting the decline of this iconic species."

In Cambridgeshire, the RSPB's Hope Farm develops and trials farming techniques that can produce food cost-effectively while creating valuable wildlife habitats.

If you have land on which you would like to create a habitat for turtle doves, contact the RSPB on 01603 660066.

Source

Manx shearwater in distress alert from RSPCA

Manx shearwater birds may be seen in distress on Welsh beaches as their migration season approaches, the RSPCA has warned.

People have been urged to keep a look out after inspectors rescued their first Manx shearwater of the year, washed up on the coast at Carmarthen.

The stricken bird was released after a rest and a feed at the Gower Bird Hospital.

It will make another attempt to fly to South America for the winter.

The birds rely on thermals in the air to aid their transatlantic flight, and can be blown back to Europe by adverse weather conditions.

RSPCA Inspector Rohan Barker collected the Manx shearwater at Bronwydd Road, Carmarthen, on 9 September.

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