Mist Netting shown to be 'safe'.

I imagine some people may have already read this article on mist netting as it has appeared in this month’s ‘Birdwatch’ magazine.

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__10933

It concludes that roughly 1 in every 200 birds caught using this method are injured and 1 in every 400 are actually killed.

I must admit to being staggered by these findings – I thought any ringing activity was supposed to be passive?

For example, I found this on the RSPB Liverpool branche's website:

“...and no, Birds are not affected by the birdringing process, as ringing is carried out by skilled ringers who have the utmost consideration for the birds welfare in mind.”

This is quite clearly a load of old cobblers.

If mist netting is causing fatalities in the UK, then these statistics should be made available.

Do Bird Observatories record this sort of information?

I have long-held doubts about the benefits of ringing birds, and this is certainly another tick in the ‘why bother’ category.

Maybe it is time for somebody to have the courage to conduct some research into the efficacy of the activity in general.

I think the results would lead to some uncomfortable reading...

Until later.

RSPB @ Point of Ayr – Not Yet Arsed

Can I politely remind all readers that the new hide at the Point of Ayr is NOT yet built.

There are still no contractors working on site plus some of the footpaths, screening, landscaping etc are not yet finished so the site is unsafe.

Several recent birders have unwittingly disturbed the sensitive wildlife on the site, when out looking for the sign-posted ‘Bird Hide’.

So can I please ask all potential visitors to put their enthusiasm on hold until we are ready to allow access and we have the facilities in place to show you the great wildlife w/o unnecessarily disturbing it.

Thank You for your co-operation in this.

RSPB Dee Estuary Team

0151 336 7681

A tale of two Flycatchers

After another dose of car woe, I was eager to get out and test drive the bleeder on Friday afternoon.

I opted for a blast down the ’55 to Northop and then for a little tootle to a lovely little SSSI at Maes y Grug via Soughton Hall.

The grounds of Soughton Hall have been grabbing my attention of late, especially as a Little Owl was seen in the area recently.

As my local one has done a vanishing act, I am keen to catch-up with a Flintshire resident this year, plus the area also looks good for another scarce bird locally: Green Woodpecker.

Things seldom go to plan, and I saw neither, but was compensated with stunning views of a Spotted Flycatcher at the horse paddocks.

Sadly, most of the area has been given over to the incalculably pointless artisan pursuit of golf (you now I’m right KD!), but there are pockets of tall mature trees surrounded by rough grassland that do offer potential.

Equally pleasing was the small Maey y Grug nature reserve north of Alltami. There is some excellent habitat hear and I enjoyed a not too common spectacle nowadays – Swifts, Swallows and both Martins hawking insects from the surface of the pool.

Whilst idling away the late afternoon I also noticed that I was sitting slap bang next to a spider’s nest containing hundreds of the tiny women-worriers.

Until later.

Wading In

A visit to Connah’s Quay on Wednesday was yet another step into winter. As is its want when the wind blows from the north-west, the west hide was absolutely freezing.

The last eight or nine months have been the perfect illustration that us human beings may have over-extended ourselves when we went north of Andalucia – give me Flamenco, Fino, Seville Women, and the Coto Donana any day of the week over the Dee Estuary in June!!

I don’t mean it – or maybe I do.

Still, there where some good birds abound today, including an adult and a juvenile Common Sandpiper and best of all a young Little Ringed Plover – my first for the reserve. Muy Bien.

The heron family were well represented too, with around ten Grey Herons scattered around the reserve, plus twenty or so Little Egrets.

In football manager argot, the Legrets appear to have good ‘bouncebackabilty’, for after the last two winters decimated numbers on the estuary they appear to be legion again. Like us homo sapiens, they must be wondering why they bothered to venture north of the toasty Mediterranean lagoons.

And speaking of things Mediterranean, still no gull of the same name for me in Flintshire this year. They seem to be popping-up all over North Wales, Lancashire, and even the Wirral side of the Dee, but I cannot buy one at CQNR or the POA.

Finally, some wag on the NWBF responding to my suggestion (or maybe plea!) that the Point of Ayr be taken over by RSPB Starbucks at Conwy, mentioned that they may build a climbing frame and slide instead if that were the case.

Pretty much sums up where the RSPB are at the moment: a children’s play area is more important than a bird hide.

To be hones, I don’t care if they build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal from gravy, providing they build a hide, or even to use RSPB doublespeak – a ‘viewing structure.’

Until later.

Dodgy Birds

I did the rounds late this morning – Connah’s Quay and Shotton Pools – and this pukka  Common Spotted Orchid growing on landfill at the steelworks was unquestionably the highlight of a dreech couple of hours.

In fairness, CQNR was a little improved on recent weeks. Although still suffering from a rash of Black-headed Gulls and Shelducks, there has definitely been a post-breeding influx of Lesser Black-backeds and Little Egrets.

On the subject of Egrets, a Great White Egret was reported yesterday from this reserve, but despite a good deal of searching from a number of people following the original sighting it has sadly not been relocated.

I have to confess to being a little sceptical of many GWE records on the Dee Estuary; many seem to be single observer sightings and invariably the bird is never relocated.

I can only speak of my experience of these Egrets in India, but if that is anything to go by, the Great Whites are not too keen on brackish and salt water, much preferring fresh.

This, of course, probably means why they don’t hang around the Dee for too long…?

I must admit to being immensely pleased today too see that for the second year in succession, the pair of Oystercatchers breeding on the stone island near the field centre have successfully bred.

There has been at least one other pair on the reserve too – on the Ash Pool – and although they hatched at least two chicks, I’m not sure if either made it, unlike the aforementioned duo on the pools who have one new addition to the ranks.

Also on the reserve today was one of the two ‘Ruddy’ Shelducks recently logged. I didn’t get a great view, but I imagine that they are the same sketchy brace that have been knocking about for a few years now.

What with the ‘Bonapartes’ Gull, ‘GW’ Egret, and now ‘Ruddy’ Shelduck, Connah’s Quay NR seems to have more hooky birds in its book than Del Boy!!

Anyway, Shotton Pools. One Little Ringed Plover. Nothing Else. Security bloke had a go at me for blowing my horn when I was waiting at the gate. I hadn’t.

Until later.