Point of Allah

The Black Grouse can exclusively reveal the reason for the latest hold-up in the reconstruction of the long awaited replacement hide at the Point of Ayr.

The current delay is said to be due to the relevant authorities having to conduct an ‘impact assessment’, but this blog understands the real reason for the delay is due to concerns the RSPB raised when it was discovered that the new structure would be pointed directly towards Mecca. The organisation has also gone as far as producing an artist's impression (pictured above) of what the potential chaos may look like.

Said RSPB spokesperson Fatimah Niqab:

“When we found out that the new hide was facing that most holy of sites to our Islamic brothers, we were concerned that it would turn into a ‘de facto’ place of worship or a ‘Mosque’ as we tend to call them.”

The Memsahib went on to say:

“We were obviously worried that it would develop into a place of pilgrimage and that the subsequent increase in visitors would overwhelm the current parking facilities.”

Fears have also been raised by regular holidaymakers to the local static caravan concentration camps at nearby Talacre.

One shaven headed and tattooed wag commented:

“Before you know it there will be a Minaret, with a Muezzin blaring out the call to prayer every five minutes. How do you expect me to sleep off my twenty pints of Stella with that Hullabaloo?”

Until later – unless I am the subject of a Fatwa.

RSPB in shock Sagrada Familia admission

The United Kingdom's 'premier' conservation charity, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has come clean and admitted that it is the chief organisation behind the development of Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia cathedral.

In construction since 1882, the building is not scheduled to be completed until 'the onset of Summer 2025' at the earliest.

Designed by the renowned Antoni Gaudi, the structure was generally considered to be a Catholic place of worship, but Will Colsen, the RSPB's project manager in Barcelona, has shed some new light on the situation.

"The Sagrada Familia was actually one the RSPB' s first undertakings. We noticed that we had few memberships in Catalonia at the time, so we commissioned Gaudi to design an edifice on which Peregrine Falcons could nest. Visitors were to be hoisted up by rope and basket to view the birds and on the way down the local RSPB membership recruiter was required to subject them to a 'Spanish Inquisition' until they joined the charity."

Regardless of the overrun and huge costs involved, the RSPB still thinks the project has been worthwhile.

"Despite requiring almost 97% of our total revenues we feel that the Sagrada Familia will give us a vital foothold in a country notrious for a lack of respect toward animals and no reserve in the United Kingdom has suffered as a result of this massive undertaking."

Until later.

Inner Marsh Farm Communicae

Muchas gracias amigo to Ian ‘007’ Fleming for forwarding me an e-mailed response to issues he and many others have regarding the painful ‘development’ of the Inner Marsh Farm reserve.

(I read in despatches that 007 is currently on a secret mission somewhere in deepest Norfolk - think more ‘Flycatcher’ rather than ‘Spycatcher.’)

Anyhow, here is an RSPBwallah’s reply to perceived neglect of their North West Frontier Province reserves.

Dear Mr Fleming,

Thank you for your inquiry concerning Inner Marsh Farm.

I want to reassure you that the RSPB has not got a bias to spending more money in one part of the country at the expense of another. We have 186 reserves that are open to the public. The amount of visitor provision varies greatly from small sites with a simple trail through to sites with full visitor facilities including toilets, visitor centre, cafe and shop. Only thirty of our sites have full visitor facilities, including Leighton Moss in the North West. The RSPB has been investing many millions of pounds to create reserves in places where we haven't made provision for our members. For example we opened Rainham Marshes to provide a reserve for our members in London and Saltholme our first major reserve in the North East. This programme continues and we will be opening Middleton Lakes to provide a much needed site for people living in the Midlands.

At Inner Marsh Farm we are committed to creating a new reception building with toilets, a new hide and additional paths by Summer 2011. I recognise that this may seem a long way off, but the development of visitor facilities takes time. For most of our major sites we are reliant on external funding from bodies like the lottery. In addition, they require a lot of work to plan and build.

I hope that my e-mail reassures you that we do value our members and that we are making progress in making Inner Marsh Farm even better.

Best wishes

Paul

Paul Forecast
Head of People Engagement

Well, at least they had the courtesy to reply fully to 007’s inquiry.

I’m not sure how au fait he is with the situation at Inner Marsh Farm (the constant delays, obfuscation and secrecy) but Summer 2011 would not be a long way off if there was a guarantee that the work will finally be completed.

It would be refreshing if the organisation was a little contrite too. Sadly – as is the case with many large bodies – nobody will ever concede that they are culpable of doing something poorly.

I will keep saying it until I am blue in the face though: it is UNACCEPTABLE that Inner Marsh Farm given its primacy amongst RSPB reserves still does not have adequate toilet facilities. Why don’t they install temporary bogs until the new part of the reserve is able to receive visitors?

As for neglecting some reserves at the expense of others – can you really see them failing to rebuild a hide within 27 months if the reserve in question was at Titchwell as oppose to a remote backwater in Flintshire – the Point of Ayr has had a raw deal.

At least we have some deadlines though, albeit poetically vague ones.

Inner Marsh Farm: to be completed by ‘Summer 2011.’
Point of Ayr Hide: to be completed by ‘the onset of winter 2010.’

Watch this space…

Until later.

Magical Birding

Given that I am in possession of a pair of hyperactive Springer Spaniels this week whilst my sister and brother-in-law kick it in Mallorca, I decided on a trip up to Penycloddiau on the Clywdians early this morning.

Generally, I am no fan of the ‘Scouse Alps’ – they are everything the Welsh Uplands should not be: largely bereft of wildlife, overrun with people and massively overgrazed.

Nonetheless, with the east flank of Penycloddiau just in Flintshire, I thought they may be the outside chance of Black Grouse – provided the almost mythical tiny remnant population hadn’t been squashed under the wheels of a mountain bike.

It was a glorious crisp autumnal morning when I set out just after eight, with the distant ‘kronking’ of a Raven the only noise interrupting the silence.

Although calling constantly I didn’t get a good view of the big corvid until I had hit the top of the mountain. The bird didn’t take too kindly to the first human intrusion of the day and if drifted off towards the Vale of Clwyd.

There were very few other birds about, with a pair of Stonechat and a lovely charm of a hundred or so Goldfinch seen from the Clwydian Way the only other notable avian activity.

What was notable though was the large numbers of Fly Agaric mushrooms growing in the conifer plantation near the car park.

One of the most familiar mushrooms and illustrated in countless fairytales, these fungi are of course infamous for their hallucinogenic properties…

Perhaps if I had indulged, I may have had a more interesting list of birds to report!

Still, things picked up a little on the way back to Nannerch when I noticed a large group of Ravens and a single Buzzard feeding a sheep carcass.

The lamb must have only cashed in his chips recently as with a favourable wind collection I get a good whiff of the meat. Within seconds I stopped watching the birds gorging themselves and for some strange reason my focus turned towards mint sauce and Sunday dinner...

Until later.

Connah's Quay Putting Green

Apologies – I must have misunderstood. I thought that the Ryder Cup was to be held at Celtic Manor this October. Have I missed something?

Perhaps – like New Delhi – there have been some last minute problems with the original venue, so step forward…. Connah’s Quay Nature Reserve!

No, stay with me, just think – the bunded pools would be a fearsome water hazard and best of all, look at the greens! I can visualise Peter Alice and Co commentating from the middle hide and the Field Centre would make a perfect media tent!

Okay, enough satire.

It appears as if somebody has got medieval on the vegetation that surrounded the bunded pools at Connah’s Quay NR. Consequently the thousands of waders that over the past month or so having been using the area as a roost have done one – only a handful of Flapwings and Redshanks remained today.

The Goldfinches can hardly be impressed either. The teasels that they were hitherto feeding on have been razed to the ground too.

Why?

I can only assume that this is part of E.on’s landscaping, but what a crass thing to do on a NATURE reserve.

Short back and sides, sure, some of the plants were obstructing the view from the hides, but why did you have to go totally US Marine Corps?

Muppets.

What would be more worrying was if this was done with the acquiescence of the Deeside Naturalist Society – surely not one would hope.

Anyway, birds.

Yes there were some and one of them was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper.

Until later.

Waderfest

After being metaphorically nailed to the dunes at Talacre last week and thus suffering from a few wader-withdrawal symptoms, I heard the call of Connah’s Quay NR this morning.

It wasn’t to disappoint with fourteen species of shorebird present in the AM.

One of which was this Barwit on the bunded pools that I have captured clearly in this superb image - I never realised the curvature of the Earth was so apparent!

Also appearing as soloists were a Turnstone, a Golden Plover, a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and the long-staying Long-billed Dowitcher that is now well advanced in its moult to winter plumage.

Making up the rest of the oeuvre were a quartet of Greenshank and Spotted Redshank, plus the usual good numbers of Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Curlew and a handful of Knot and Dunlin.

The Black-tailed Godwit flock is building, although most of the birds were aloofly roosting over towards Flint; their big numbers only being revealed when flushed by a monster female Peregrine that looked to be on a serious business flight as oppose to mere leisure.

Other notables included the welcome return of the Kingfisher to one of its favourite haunts (the fence next to stream in front of the west hide), and a Pochard on the otherwise quiet Ash Pool.

A fleeting to visit to Shotton Pools NR, produced a welcome Flintshire year tick in the form of a Green Sandpiper, plus another well known resident!

Until later.

A Bit 'Ropey

It is never a good sign when seawatching to see Cormorants commuting around in all directions; it's a sure sign that birds are back to their normal workaday routines.

However, there was still a few Leach's knocking around and very close in they were too with most birds fluttering over the surf giving cracking views.

No Shearwaters or Skuas either during what was admittedly a much shorter seawatch, with a brace of Gannets and a single Fulmar the only fully payed-up members of the pelagic contingent present in the estuary.

Of most interest however was a trio of small whitish and light grey waders I picked-up flying in a westerly direction past the Dee Light.

To all intents and purposes they looked like Grey Phalaropes - especially when they appeared to drop down on the water. I say appeared as they could easily have disappeared into a trough and then flew out of view…

It’s a pity they weren’t a little closer in – interesting but no Flintshire tick!

Until later.

After the Lord Mayor's Show

Nothing like the avian heroin that was yesterday’s seawatch, but still there were sufficient birds to provide enough entertainment for a couple of hours at the Point of Ayr this evening.

A score or so Leach's were the highlight, but unlike the previous day the petrels were exiting both stage left and stage right; indeed some birds seemed to be feeling the wind rather than fighting it today, with many of the dainty sea swallows obviously feeding.

Moreover, it was good to watch the birds engage in something approaching 'normal' behaviour. I really enjoy seawatching, but it always a little sad to see so many birds completely bushed. It may seem an odd simile, but it's akin to a good Bullfight - a tremendous spectacle unfortately tainted by the fact that something has had to suffer.

Anyway, fewer Skuas ce soir too, with three dark-phase Arctic Skuas the only identifiable birds. I was however completely foxed by a trio of birds that passed in close succession of one another quite near the shore. After looking the books, I have still not the foggiest idea if they were juvenile Arctics or young Long-tailed - or a mixture of the two!

Also notable was a handful of Kittiwakes, a couple of Manxies, four Common Scoters and amidst the noticeably declining number of Sandwich Terns, a good candidate for an Arctic.

Until later.

Medicinal Leach's: Overdose

If this morning’s session was a bit pony and trap, then stint number two this afternoon at the Point of Ayr certainly made up for the slow start this morning – and then some.

As soon as I had hunkered myself down in the dunes I was on to a Bonxie that was quickly joined by a couplet of dark phase Arctic Skuas that proceeded to harass the bigger Great until flew high back into the estuary.

The next couple of hours up to high tide at around five produced a constant heavy passage of Arctic Skuas (more then I have ever seen), Manxies and a constant drip of Leach’s Petrels.

Next, torrential rain.

Then, as the skies finally cleared, bird of the day: a cracking juvenile Sabine’s Gull that flew very close to the shore, quickly followed a few minutes later by number two that nearly slipped by unnoticed in a small group of juvenile Kittiwakes.

With the wind easing things began to relent a little, with one notable exception – Leach’s Petrels, that right up the point that I called it an evening at half six were moving out of the estuary one after another…

Strange business this birding.

Flintshire this year: Sabine's Gull 2, Mediterranean Gull 0.

Who'd have thunk it?

Point of Ayr 15.09.10 3:00PM to 6:30PM

2 Sabine’s Gull (both juveniles)
60+ Leach’s Petrel
30+ Arctic Skua
1 Great Skua
30+ Kittiwake
80+ Manx Shearwater
4 Fulmar
1 Gannet
1 Red-throated Diver
10+ Common Scoter
Gazillions of Guillemots

Until later.

Medicinal Leach's

Despite feeling a little under the weather after being struck down by a good dose of Iberian bacteria, the howling winds battering my window panes this morning were enough to lure me down to the Point of Ayr for a spot of seawatching.

First light is supposed to be a good time for seabird passage and with the tide still fairly high up the beach – albeit receding – the omens looked good.

On the downside, the wind looked a little too south-westerly and after a promising start of two Leach’s in the first ten minutes, things fizzled out quicker than bottle of Lidl champagne and an hour later I called time.

Great to see a Little Shearwater had been bagged off the North Wirral coast yesterday, but another intriguing report was that of ‘70+ Skua spp.’

I can’t quite get my head around this; how was it that seventy observations were made of Skuas without any conclusive identification of one single bird? Beats me.

Until later.

Las Islas Cies

I have just returned from a short break to Galicia in north-western Spain, where in between sinking enough seafood to sink a battleship, I managed a quick trip to a quite outstandingly beautiful small archipelago of islands just off the coast of the city of Vigo.

The three islets are a small nature reserve, and significantly hold the largest breeding colony of Yellow-legged Gulls in the world, two thousand pairs of Shags, a significant number of pairs of Storm Petrel, plus a healthy population of Kentish Plover to boot.

More details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%ADes_Islands

Unfortunately for the birder, access is strictly regulated with normal punters only allowed onto to shoes from the start of July to the middle of September. Most people venture out on a day trip, but it is possible to stay overnight on a small campsite for a maximum of twelve nights.

Despite its rustic appearance, there are some facilities including this excellent seawatching hide (picture below) overlooking the Atlantic Ocean – I sat there for a good fifteen minutes fantasising about the birds that must have slipped by unnoticed.

There is also a network of paths across the islands enabling easy exploration of the lagoon, scrubland, coastal and wooded areas. Given the islands position on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, the islands must be superb for migrants; indeed without the aid of my binoculars I was able to bag a female Pied Flycatcher. Also, this kind chap (underneath) was also kind enough to pose for me…

Any ideas where I may be going camping for ten days early next September?

Until later.

P.S - Never under any circumstances get carried away in Spain and think you can eat anything. Clams, Scallops, Mussels, Cockles, Octopus, Squid: yes. Boiled pigs ears: no.

Four Hundred Swallows does make an Autumn

With news that a Stone Curlew had been sent packing from Hilbre in the direction of Wales, in a bout of ludicrous optimism I was up early this morning for a good scout around the dunes at Talacre.

And what did I find? Well, alas no Eurasian Thick-knee, but plenty of warblers – Blackcaps mostly – and a very good passage of Swallows that continued unbroken all morning.

After a couple of hours of a diet of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats, and the aforementioned Blackcaps, I decided I wasn’t going to bag a Wryneck or a Barred Warbler and elected to walk down to the old hide area to watch the tide come in.

As expected, the Kingfisher was present and correct, but my attention was drawn to the end of the spit where the amassing Oysties were being terrorised by a rather inept juvenile female Peregrine.

Things had settled down by the time I had plonked myself on hte bench. Excellent numbers of Curlews today, possibly in excess of two thousand birds – a great count down here.

Other waders included singles of Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank and Knot and these were soon joined by a score of winter liveried Bar-tailed Godwits spare a couple of moulting adults.

For the final hour I moved over to the spit and found a hundred or so Ringed Plover, plus thirty Dunlins roosting on the shingle, whilst over the drink there was little save a handful of Sandwich Terns, a Gannet and a Grey Seal.

Point of Ayr 7.9.10

Curlew circa 2,000
Oystercatcher circa 2,500
Ringed Plover 100
Conwy Sandpiper 30
Bar-tailed Godwit 20
Black-tailed Godwit 1
Whimbrel 1
Greenshank 1
Knot 1
Redshank 80
Peregrine 1 (juvenile female)
Sparrowhawk 2 (juvenile female and an adult female)
Sandwich Tern 6
Gannet 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Kingfisher 1
Blackcap 10+
Common Whitethroat 3
Chiffchaff 4
Willow Warbler 3
Bullfinch 2
Wheatear 3
Swallow 400+

On a different tack, I could write thousands of words on what I feel about the direction the RSPB is heading, but in a glorious piece of serendipity this little quote from RSPB Starbuck’s website sums it up for me much more succinctly than I ever could:

“My husband and I often visit on a Saturday afternoon. It's a real treat. There's always something interesting to see at this lovely spot and the coffee, cakes and view (sic) from the café are just great. “ Jane Turner

Until later, or hasta luego – off to Spain again for a short break!!

Odds and Sods

It’s been fairly quiet down at the Point of Ayr this week. The exception being a Kingfisher that has taken up residency on the pool next to the path that leads to the old colliery site.

The water looks grim, and resembles a smaller version of the uber-polluted lakes that you used to see in next to chemical plants in some poor ex-Soviet bloc satellite country.

Still, it seems fairly content there, although it is often buried right at the back of a cluster of dead branches – almost as if it is slightly ashamed to be fishing in such a dirty pond.

The odd Wheatear on the seawall past the old hide, plus a few common warblers have been the only signs of passerine migration, although on the wader front I did catch up with a group of circa three hundred Ringed Plover feeding on the mud yesterday when out gathering some Marsh Samphire.

General wader numbers seem to building, and also the first Pintail and Wigeon have returned to the Point – both species before August was out.

Until later.