WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Red kites, Glossy Ibis and Thrushes (two different ones)

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time, Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out of place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and Fortean.

Because we live in strange times, there are more and more bird stories that come her way, so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones...

Poisoned red kite ninth to die
A breeding female red kite has become the ninth of this species to die from illegal poisoning according to park rangers. It had been nesting on a farm near Redcross, Co Wicklow, and was found near Brittas Bay late last year.

Red kite project manager Dr Marc Ruddock said it was a demoralising loss. "These birds are specialist scavengers, that's why they are finding these food sources which are sadly poisoned. They are designed to clean up the countryside," he said.

"These illegal actions jeopardise local biodiversity and the economically important and deserved reputation and profile natural Wicklow cherishes."

Dr Ruddock called for anyone with information on poisonings to contact local National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers and gardai to help identify and confront individuals repeatedly and illegally poisoning wildlife. Penalties for illegally poisoning birds of prey can be up to 5,000 euro or 12 years in prison.

Read more at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jLSzhK068QMN_t3vFfbqi_AhODwA?docId=N0173911327676120364A


Thrushes identification
The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) has been helping householders to identify the difference between the commonly confused song (Turdus philomelos) and mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus) and has launched a free guide to help. These birds are both of conservation concern and it is important that their numbers are counted correctly.

Tim Harrison of the BTO Garden Ecology Team commented: “Research shows that urbanised habitats have become very important for Song (LEFT) and Mistle (RIGHT) Thrushes. With broader concerns about the health of their populations, charting their numbers in gardens correctly is important.”

He added: “BTO data show that Song Thrushes had a bumper breeding season in 2011, but with so many inexperienced birds now on the scene it is important that we help them as best we can. This is done by providing food and water, and also by recording them accurately. This is where the free BTO guide will help.”

For the free BTO guide to Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush, email gbw@bto.org, telephone 01842 750050, or write to:

Thrushes Guide,
GBW, British Trust for Ornithology,
The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

Preview the free BTO Song Thrush vs. Mistle Thrush guide here
Picture Credits: The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)

Rare wetland birds spotted on the Isle of Eigg
The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is classed as a scarce visitor to our shores, but during this winter there have been sporadic sightings in the northwest and the southwest of England, and south Wales. It is a wader that feeds in very shallow water, and nests in fresh water among reeds or rushes in areas of low trees and bushes. This month a group of them has been spotted on the Isle of Eigg, which is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve. The Trust’s ranger on the Isle of Eigg, John Chester, said:

“Ibises are a very noteworthy species within the UK & especially here in west Scotland. As a first record for the island they have generated a lot of interest amongst the local people many of whom have been able to see the birds.

“We’re not sure as yet where these birds originated from, though it seems that it could be Spain or France. However as one of them is ringed we’ll hopefully be able to obtain more information on this.

“Why exactly they’ve turned up on Eigg, especially in such a wild & wet winter, is a real mystery but they certainly seem to be having no trouble finding food in the heavily flooded marshes.

“Hopefully they’ll continue to hang around for a while & are enjoying the Hebridean winter.”

Read more at: http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/rare-wetland-birds-spotted-on-the-isle-of-eigg/
Picture credit: Wikipedia – Glossy Ibis breeding plumage

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Cuckoo special

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out of place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and Fortean.

Because we live in strange times there are more and more bird stories that come her way so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones...

Tracking Cuckoos into Africa
The cuckoo is ‘red-listed’ due to it being one of the UK’s fastest declining migrants. It has always been one of those migrants whose travelling we knew least about. In 2011 the BTO attached satellite-tracking devices to five cuckoos in Norfolk so as to study their migratory habits and hopefully learn more about the cause of their decline. The project is funded by a partnership between the BBC Wildlife Fund, BTO members (through the 2010 Christmas raffle) and Essex & Suffolk Water.
Clement, Martin, Lyster, Kasper and Chris were caught during May and June last year and each of them have their own blog in which their progress to Africa has been monitored. If you have not done so already, you can catch up on this worthwhile and fascinating project by visiting, in the first instance, http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking From there you will be able to link to various sections, including the individual cuckoo blogs.

WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Glaucous gulls, Somerset cranes, and the 'Lady of the Loch'

As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... about out-of-place birds, rare vagrants, and basically all things feathery and Fortean.

Because we live in strange times there are more and more bird stories that come her way so she has now moved onto the main CFZ bloggo with a new column with the same name as her aforementioned ones....

Glaucous gulls arrive from Iceland in large numbers

Again from the RSPB, Alan Tissiman, Communications Manager, writes that RSPB Scotland is reporting 'a major influx of Iceland glaucous gulls to the west coast of Scotland. Over 100 birds have been recorded in Argyll alone with many more being seen in the Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland.' Conservation officer Martin Scott, based in Stornoway, said “These are beautiful ghostly birds with a suitably frosty appearance given that they have come down from the Arctic.

"The two species concerned are very similar although the glaucous gull is generally larger than the Iceland gull.

“Unlike our resident herring gulls, the two Arctic species don’t have any black on the wing tips – that’s useful for identification purposes. Many of the birds seem to be juveniles and have a beautifully patterned delicate plumage when seen close to.

“Unusually we are seeing more Iceland gulls than glaucous gulls this year. I imagine the recent windy weather must be having an effect and is pushing the birds into Scottish waters from the Atlantic. Good places to see them are harbours, particularly where there are fishing boats. Stornoway is proving a great place to find them at the moment but judging by reports the birds are being seen all around the Scottish coast. They are well worth looking out for!”

http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/302178-ghostly-birds-from-the-arctic-flock-to-scotland
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‘Lady of the Loch’
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s famous female osprey, known as ‘Lady of the Loch’ by her worldwide fans, has had a film produced about her. She has been returning to Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire and regularly producing chicks consecutively for the last 21 years. Filmmaker Lisa Trainer has included footage taken by a high definition camera installed in the osprey’s nest along with other filming. You can see the film here:

http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/film-celebrates-world-famous-osprey/

You can also watch a webcam live from the loch at: http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/

Back in June 2010 there were concerns that she would die as footage showed her very ill in her nest, but she survived and is thought to be the oldest breeding female ever recorded in the UK, producing around 59 eggs from which 48 chicks survived. At the age of 26 in 2011 she has confounded experts by outliving what they thought was a life-span of 8 years! Undertaking a round trip of 6,000 miles to winter in Gambia is a pretty amazing feat considering her age. In the 1950s the osprey re-colonised the UK naturally after being persecuted to extinction as a breeding bird here in 1916. It is not as common as the golden eagle and there are only around 200 breeding pairs across Britain. But it seems that ‘Lady’ is doing her bit for the species.

Somerset’s wild cranes
Go to: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/somerset-cranes12.html to find more information on how you can experience “the magic of Somerset’s first wild reintroduced cranes.”
Wild cranes used to be a common sight on the Somerset Levels and Moors 400 years ago but hunting and habitat changes forced the birds to disappear. If you would like to be a part of one of the six events to hear a talk, have refreshments, see a video and see the flock of thirty wild cranes, click on the link above. You can also find out more about the Great Crane Project by visiting: http://www.thegreatcraneproject.org.uk/

They are magnificent-looking birds and can be up to 4ft (1.2m) tall, being around 20% larger than the grey heron. Our tallest breeding bird, they have a wingspan of up to 8ft (2.2-2.45m), which is even bigger than a white-tailed eagle.

Glaucous gull picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_hyperboreus-USFWS.jpg