Thursday 18 April 2013

Session 2 - Fieldtrip to Elton Reservoir, Bury - 18th April 2013

Here are some of Alan's photos from today's fieldtrip for now - a full report will follow later.

Arctic Tern - (c) Alan Flavell

Little Ringed Plover - (c) Alan Flavell

White Wagtail - (c) Alan Flavell

Friday 12 April 2013

Peter's Starring on the Radio

Peter Baron, our glorious leader, will be starring on BBC Radio 4's iPM programme tomorrow (Saturday 13th April) at 5:30pm.  I will try to record the program and put it on this website just in case you don't manage to catch it live.  As you know, Peter has an incredible knowledge of birds and he is very entertaining with it, so it will undoubtably be a good listen.

UPDATE:

Click the 'Play' button below to hear Peter's interview on your computer:


Or if you want to download an MP3 file of it, right click on this link,  Peter on Radio 4 and choose 'Save As' or 'Download Linked File' depending on your computer.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Session 1 - Fieldtrip to Pennington Flash - 11th April 2013

The first of our summer term fieldtrips was to Pennington Flash on a wet and windy day. After meeting on the main car park we set off for Horrocks' Hide where the highlights were a Little Ringed Plover and at least five Snipe giving great views out in the open for a change.  Other birds here included Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebes, Cormorants, a single Heron, Teal, Redshank, Black-headed Gulls and quite a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls roosting at the end of the Spit.

After 20 minutes or so here, we made our way to the feeding station at Bunting Hide, which rarely fails to please.  Today was no exception, the best bird undoubtably being a stunning Redwing of which we had brief closeup views.

Redwing at Bunting Hide - (c) Alan Flavell


We also saw Willow Tits, Bullfinches, Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Dunnocks, Robins, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Stock Doves, Blackbirds, Magpies and Moorhens. The only 'usual' birds I don't remember seeing today were Long-tailed Tits.

From Bunting Hide we walked on to view the scrapes at Teal Hide where there were Goosander, Gadwall, Shovelers, Coots, Moorhens, Mallards, Mute Swans and of course, Teal.  There was also a tiny White Wagtail bobbing around the gravel in the distance,

After a short but interesting stop we made our way through the woods round the the back of the pools to Ramsdale's Hide.  Apart from a lovely Grey Wagtail on the stream along the edge of the Golf Course and some Woodpigeons, there were very few birds to see in the trees, although several species could be heard singing.  We paused briefly near the bridge over the canal to look for the resident Kestrel, but with no luck today.

At Ramsdale's there was no sign of the usual Little Grebes or Kingfisher, and in fact very little to see today and so we didn't stop long. The same was true at Tom Edmondson's Hide, with not even a Heron on view.  The only birds we could see were a few Canada Geese and some Teal. 

So finally we went back to Bunting Hide to hunt for the elusive male Brambling which has been frequenting the area this year.  Unfortunately today we were out of luck, but here's a photo Alan took at Bunting Hide earlier in the week:

Male Brambling at Bunting Hide - (c) Alan Flavell










On the way back to the cars, we stopped briefly for a view over the main Flash where we could see plenty of Sand Martins and the occasional Swallow swooping down over the water catching insects.

Our last port of call was the car park to look for the female Pintail that's been resident here for a while now.  As you can see from Alan's photo, it's a ringed bird and because its bee here so long and is tame coming for bread, most birders believe it to be an escapee from a collection.  Still, it's a very elegant bird and quite different to a female Mallard when you look closely.

Female Pintail near the Car Park - (c) Alan Flavell

Another successful fieldtrip with a total of 40 species seen in about three hours.

Friday 29 March 2013

Collective Nouns for Birds

I thought the class might be interested in some of these names for groups of birds:

Sorted by Noun
Sorted by Bird Type
aerie of eagles
aerie of hawks
ascension of larks
band of jays
bevy of doves
bevy of quail
bevy of swans
bouquet of pheasants (when flushed)
brace of ducks
brood of chickens
brood of chicks
brood of hens
brood of turkeys (immature)
building of rooks
bury of conies
cast of hawks
chain of bobolinks
charm of finches
charm of goldfinches
charm of hummingbirds
chattering of choughs
chattering of chicks
clamor of rooks
clutch of chicks
colony of gulls
colony of penguins
colony of vultures
company of parrots
congregation of birds
congregation of plovers
conspirancy of ravens
convocation of eagles
cote of doves
cover of coots
covey of pheasants (on the ground)
covey of ptarmigans
covey of grouse
covey of partridges
covey of quail
crèche of penguins
deceit of lapwings
descent of woodpeckers
dissimulation of birds
dole of doves
dule of turtledoves
dule of doves
exaltation of larks
fall of woodcocks
flight of birds
flight of cormorants
flight of doves
flight of pigeons
flight of swallows
flock of birds
flock of chickens
flock of ducks
flock of geese
flock of pigeons
flock of swifts
flock of turkeys
flush of ducks
gaggle of geese
hedge of herons
herd of curlews
herd of swans
host of sparrows
huddle of penguins
kettle of hawks
lamentation of swans
mob of emus
murder of crows
murmuration of starlings
muster of peacocks
muster of storks
mustering of storks
nest of pheasants
nide of pheasants (on the ground)
nye of pheasants (on the ground)
ostentation of peacocks
pack of grouse
paddling of ducks
parcel of penguins
parliament of rooks
parliament of owls
party of jays
peep of chickens
piteousness of doves
pitying of turtledoves
plump of wildfowl
plump or waterfowl
raft of wigeons
raft of ducks
rafter of turkeys
rookery of penguins
scold of jays
sedge of bitterns
sedge of cranes
sedge of herons
siege of bitterns
siege of cranes
siege of herons
skein of geese (in flight)
skein of goslings
sord of mallards
spring of teals
storytelling of crows
storytelling of ravens
storytelling of rooks
team of ducks
tidings of magpies
unkindness of ravens
volery of birds
wake of buzzards
walk of snipes
watch of nightingales
wedge of geese (flying in a 'V')
wedge of swans (flying in a 'V')
wing of plovers
wisdom of owls
wisp of snipes
congregation of birds
dissimulation of birds
flight of birds
flock of birds
volery of birds
sedge of bitterns
siege of bitterns
chain of bobolinks
wake of buzzards
brood of chickens
flock of chickens
peep of chickens
brood of chicks
chattering of chicks
clutch of chicks
chattering of choughs
bury of conies
cover of coots
flight of cormorants
sedge of cranes
siege of cranes
murder of crows
storytelling of crows
herd of curlews
bevy of doves
cote of doves
dole of doves
dule of doves
flight of doves
piteousness of doves
brace of ducks
flock of ducks
flush of ducks
paddling of ducks
raft of ducks
team of ducks
aerie of eagles
convocation of eagles
mob of emus
charm of finches
flock of geese
gaggle of geese
wedge of geese (flying in a 'V')
skein of geese (in flight)
charm of goldfinches
skein of goslings
covey of grouse
pack of grouse
colony of gulls
aerie of hawks
cast of hawks
kettle of hawks
brood of hens
hedge of herons
sedge of herons
siege of herons
charm of hummingbirds
band of jays
party of jays
scold of jays
deceit of lapwings
ascension of larks
exaltation of larks
tidings of magpies
sord of mallards
watch of nightingales
parliament of owls
wisdom of owls
company of parrots
covey of partridges
muster of peacocks
ostentation of peacocks
colony of penguins
crèche of penguins
huddle of penguins
parcel of penguins
rookery of penguins
nest of pheasants
covey of pheasants (on the ground)
nide of pheasants (on the ground)
nye of pheasants (on the ground)
bouquet of pheasants (when flushed)
flight of pigeons
flock of pigeons
congregation of plovers
wing of plovers
covey of ptarmigans
bevy of quail
covey of quail
conspirancy of ravens
storytelling of ravens
unkindness of ravens
building of rooks
clamor of rooks
parliament of rooks
storytelling of rooks
walk of snipes
wisp of snipes
host of sparrows
murmuration of starlings
muster of storks
mustering of storks
flight of swallows
bevy of swans
herd of swans
lamentation of swans
wedge of swans (flying in a 'V')
flock of swifts
spring of teals
flock of turkeys
rafter of turkeys
brood of turkeys (immature)
dule of turtledoves
pitying of turtledoves
colony of vultures
plump of waterfowl
raft of wigeons
plump of wildfowl
fall of woodcocks
descent of woodpeckers

Thursday 21 March 2013

Thursday 14 March 2013

Session 8 - 14th March 2013

We began the session with a recap on the birds seen during our full day fieldtrip to Fairburn Ings RSPB last week, and a total of 57 species were agreed by the class as a whole.  Then Peter asked us to consider which places we would like to go to on our seven half day fieldtrips which make up next term.  A sheet was also given out for us to complete regarding topics we would like to cover in the next academic year.

The main focus of this session was on the second part of Bird Migration - the amazing statistics.  Migration is one of the most astonishing feats of the natural world with millions of birds migrating over long distances in order to benefit from seasonal resource surpluses and to avoid predators and competitors.

The scale of bird migration is difficult to comprehend - here is a rough estimate of the European population of common migratory species returning to Africa with their newly fledged juveniles each Autumn:

 Migrating Bird  Number (in millions) 
 Willow Warbler
900
 Sand Martin
375
 Tree Pipit
260
 Spotted Flycatcher
250
 Swallow
220
 Blackcap
200
 Garden Warbler
200
 Lesser Whitethroat 
150
 Wheatear
120
 Redstart
120
 Whitethroat
120
 Ortolan Bunting
120
 House Martin
90
 Yellow Wagtail
70
 Whinchat
45
Pied Flycatcher
30

The above 16 species alone account for 3,300 million migrants going into Africa. On top of this another 50 species of songbirds go into Africa in varying numbers as well as about 40 million birds of prey, which are mainly falcons but with up to 1 million being Steppe Buzzards (Eastern Race). About 700,000 White Storks also leave Europe for Africa and small passerines including a huge number of Swifts also account for another 200 million birds.  In total therefore, around 500 million birds migrate to Africa each year and this excludes waders, sea birds and water birds.  This means that on average one bird from every five acres of Europe migrates there - phew!

The birds migrate on a broad front across 2,500 miles from Portugal to Eastern Turkey. 500 million migrants means 2 million birds per mile of coastline each autumn.  The main migration event lasts six weeks and that mean 50,000 birds cross each mile of coastline each night.

We finished off this topic by looking at the migratory habits of some individual species including Robin, Chaffinch, Blackbird as well as what triggers migration and which time of day each species migrates.  We also briefly considered the migration routes for different types of birds, with large birds such a Cranes and some birds of prey not being able to sustain flapping flight choosing the path with the shortest area of water to cross, such as at Gibraltar or the east end of the Mediterranean Sea.

With spring nearly upon us, we next looked at the Raptors which are summer visitors (March to October) to Britain. In addition to the twelve winter Raptors discussed in a previous session, a further four are summer only visitors, with only the Marsh Harrier being either resident or migratory.  The four 'extra' birds are:
The best way to identify these summer Raptors is to familiarise ourselves with our common residents, so that differences can be identified.  The way a Buzzard or Harrier flies should be known as well as how the three resident falcons behave. It is only when the common birds can be confidently identified that the scarcer birds which are not seen all year round can be spotted.

The ability to differentiate between flying Buzzards and Harriers is vital and once this is learnt, we need to know which features separate our Common Buzzard from the Honey-buzzard in flight, and know how they hold their wings when soaring or gliding. The Honey Buzzard holds its wings very flat and it has a longer tail whereas the Common Buzzard's wings are held in a much deeper V shape and its tail length doesn't exceed its wing width.  The Honey Buzzard generally has three unevenly spaced dark bands underneath with a broad terminal band.



The Peregrine and Merlin are two falcons which chase birds and so they have broad based wings for power and fast flapping flight. The Kestrel however is a falcon which doesn't chase birds, preferring to eats voles and small rodents and so it drops on its prey from a height.  Its narrower pointed wings are built for hovering and its tail length is much longer as it is used for stability in the air.  The Hobby which eats both dragonflies and sometimes small birds also has narrow pointed wings.

We went on to look at Wykeham Forest which is a site in Yorkshire 10 miles east of Pickering on the road to Scarborough which is famed for its views of Goshawks and, from May to August, Honey Buzzards.  A map was given out as well as directions to the Forestry Commission's Raptor Viewpoint overlooking the keepered woods to the north of the viewpoint.  Goshawks can be seen all year round above the breeding wood but are best seen on calm sunny days from February to late April when they engage in their 'skydancing' breeding behaviour.

Summarise Yorkshire Post article on Goshawks and Honey Buzzards here ...

Our Bird in Focus this week was the Yellowhammer which was once a very common bird in Britain but which sadly is now in decline. We read through another article from Yorkshire Post ....

Male Kingfisher at Moore Nature Reserve - (c) Martyn Jones


Martyn then did his usual 'show and tell', with closeup photos of a male Kingfisher as well as female Reed Bunting that he just wanted confirming.  He also had some record shots of the hard to find female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker from Moore Nature Reserve in Warrington.

Finally some map and direction sheets were given out for Dunsop Bridge and Pendle Hill in Lancashire for those members of the class who wanted to go to look for Goshawks and Dotterel in these two places respectively.

Bird in Focus - Yellowhammer

Male Yellowhammers are unmistakeable with a bright yellow head and underparts, brown back streaked with black, and chestnut rump. In flight it shows white outer tail feathers. They are often seen perched on top of a hedge or bush, singing. Its recent population decline make it a Red List species.

Yellowhammers are found across the UK but are least abundant in the north and west, and absent from some upland areas, such as the Pennines and Highlands of Scotland, as well as some lowland areas, such as the Inner Hebrides and the Orkneys. They favour farmland and open countryside with bushes and hedgerows.

Yellowhammers can be seen all year round and they eat seeds and insects.

Thursday 7 March 2013

Session 7 - Fieldtrip to RSPB Fairburn Ings - 7th March 2013

Tree Sparrow - (c) Alan Flavell
After a horrendous journey through bad weather and roadworks up the M62 toward Leeds, we eventually arrived at the RSPB's Fairburn Ings Visitor Centre at around 11am.

The weather was fairly dull at first but there were brighter interludes during the course of the day and it didn't really rain.

Smew was the order of the day, at least as far as Peter was concerned, and much of the day turned out to be Peter Baron's 'Smew Quest' (with a nod to David Attenborough).

Female Siskin - (c) Alan Flavell

There were all the usual Titmice (Blue, Great, Long-tailed Tits) and Finches (Goldfinch and Greenfinch) as well as a Robin, Blackbird and two Dunnocks, but the star attractions were the male and female Siskins, a Lesser Redpoll, the many Tree Sparrows, a Willow Tit and a Treecreeper.

When I saw a Siskin on a wellington boot seed feeder I instantly knew it could be a good 'competition shot' for Alan, who was busy firing off a few rounds.

Male Siskin given the boot - (c) Alan Flavell
After this we moved on to the Pickup Hide where we saw Reed Bunting and more Tree Sparrows, Chaffinches, two circling Buzzards being mobbed by a Carrion Crow, with a Grey Heron and a Cormorant doing a flypast.



We then followed the woodland trail past the Feeder Screen round to the Kingfisher Screen, first hearing and then seeing a Coal Tit on the way, but with no sign of any Kingfishers - perhaps they should think about renaming it!

Then we followed the path more or less parallel to the River Aire to the Bob Dickens Hide overlooking the Main Bay.  This was a good place to stop for lunch as it was just the right size to seat our ten-strong party of birders. Here we saw male and female Goldeneye and Goosander, Shelduck, Jackdaws, some Great Crested Grebes, Mute Swans, Mallards and Teal. No Smew though.

We moved on to the Village Bay Hide which provided a very good viewpoint, but through which was blowing a freezing cold wind - needless to say, we didn't stay too long. Before we left we did add a group of early roosting Cormorants and Gadwall to the day list, but still no Smew.

This was followed by quite a long and fairly unproductive walk through the trees on a raised path separating the lake from the river with just the occasional glimpse of the the water. From the bridge overlooking the west end of Village Bay the 'Smew Quest' continued, but we only got more views of the same birds we'd seen from the previous hide.

Oystercatcher on a stick anyone?
We moved on to Charlie's Hide where some of the class were rewarded by the sight of a Kingfisher flying up the stream and briefly perching on a branch. There were also some Shoveler, Lapwing, Oystercatchers, Teal and Canada Geese seen through through the viewing windows.

It was now time for the return journey to the car park and on the way back we met a broadly spoken fisherman who had just caught a young pike which was about two feet long. He had laid it out on the ground in his net and was removing the fishing hook which had lodged itself in its tail of all places.

A Covey of Red-legged Partridges - (c) Alan Flavell
Quite a long walk back through the houses and along the road was made more enjoyable by hearing and then seeing a group of House Sparrows in a garden bush and later five or six Red-legged Partridges running up towards the crest of a ploughed field.

We also had some futher views of the main lake where we saw a variety of Gulls, including Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Herring, Common, and Black-headed varieties with plenty of immature or juvenile birds about. We also got a better view of Laura's Great Crested Stick, which was sticking out of the water near to the bank.

As we approached the Visitor Centre a walkway led to the east end of the lake where a large group of Mute Swans had amassed due to it being a popular feeding location. After a quick chat on the car park, we all agreed to call in at Lin Dike Hide which overlooks Spoonbill Flash at the eastern end of the Fairburn Ings reserve because we would be going past it on the way home.

Male Smew - (c) Alan Flavell
This proved to be a very wise move because we added four new species to our day list here: Little Egret, Wigeon, Ruddy Duck as well the elusive Male and Female Smew that has been reported here over the last week or so.  Martyn couldn't believe it when he first spotted it through his scope and tried his best to get Peter to confirm the sighting, which he did.  As they both hurried to get their scopes set up for others to have a look, the Smew slowly drifted behind some vegetation and sadly out of view.

Whilst doing this, Martyn then spotted the Ruddy Duck, which was a lot easier to see as it was staying in more or less the same place, in spite of it regularly disappearing through diving fairly often.  It was unfortunate that not everyone got to see the Smew, but at least they all had good views of the Ruddy Duck.

We had at total of 57 species for the day and this made the prospect of a tedious drive home through the motorway roadworks a little more palatable. And all the way home I kept thinking:

'Two Smew, Ruddy Duck too, Egret, Wigeon and Duck' (with thanks to Trumpton).

Aerial view of Fairburn Ings - (c) RSPB

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Thursday 21 February 2013