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Glossy Ibis


twenty
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9 hours ago, twenty said:

A Glossy Ibis today at Coombe Hill Meadows, Gloucestershire....................normally a bird of Southern Europe, Africa and Asia, although a regular visitor to Britain and Ireland.

Attempted to breed in Lincolnshire in 2014. 

There was one at minsmere/dingle marshes for quite some time about 2 year ago. Really stood out in our waterscape. Especially on a dull day.  Black tern was a 1st for me the other day. Never realised there was so many about! Common tern feeding on local farm pond. Has done for last 4 years.   NB

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25 minutes ago, NatureBoy said:

There was one at minsmere/dingle marshes for quite some time about 2 year ago. Really stood out in our waterscape. Especially on a dull day.  Black tern was a 1st for me the other day. Never realised there was so many about! Common tern feeding on local farm pond. Has done for last 4 years.   NB

Did you see recently that SEVEN clutches of little tern eggs were taken overnight from a volunteer guarded site in Norfolk.

Footprints led to every nest when the losses were investigated,

These birds had travelled 3000 miles from West Africa to breed here...................What sort of person/s would take seven clutches of this endangered/protected species........desperate !

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1 hour ago, twenty said:

Did you see recently that SEVEN clutches of little tern eggs were taken overnight from a volunteer guarded site in Norfolk.

Footprints led to every nest when the losses were investigated,

These birds had travelled 3000 miles from West Africa to breed here...................What sort of person/s would take seven clutches of this endangered/protected species........desperate !

Yes i did! Mates gal used to volunteer. They got caravan up there! 20 plus eggs. From a well known but very vulnerable site. Dam shame!  Getting late for them to try again and with peak holiday season coming up! Wonder if it was targeted for black market as they say? If it 1 or a number of folk as they found tracks? Further my way down the Suffolk coast a few years back on similar remote SSSI fenced and electric fenced  signage but unguarded site a group of east  Europeans turned up sparked up BBQ near by. They lined out and actively searched the fenced off area for nests in front of folk! I fink they were gona eat them. When challenged by a group of enraged oldies it was " no English! No understand". It got heated and the police were called! Never heard the outcome tho. Site and fence were trashed! There were numbers of little, common tern and ringed plover nesting there. Those areas now are so vulnerable! not just from the sea. But increasing people numbers and disturbance. I have seen dogs and kids on those sites. Despite electric fencing and signage. Signs of foxes and hedgehogs to. Do they get gov funding for fencing off/monitoring these sites??  Love to see it work but a lot of expense and effort for little result from what i have seen! As well as the above, nests and fencing often get washed out by big tides. . . . . .One of our lot got a pic of a black tern and a white winged black tern in the same shot locally  at Livermere.  I didn't know of or realise both such common visitors here now.   NB

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10 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

Yes i did! Mates gal used to volunteer. They got caravan up there! 20 plus eggs. From a well known but very vulnerable site. Dam shame!  Getting late for them to try again and with peak holiday season coming up! Wonder if it was targeted for black market as they say? If it 1 or a number of folk as they found tracks? Further my way down the Suffolk coast a few years back on similar remote SSSI fenced and electric fenced  signage but unguarded site a group of east  Europeans turned up sparked up BBQ near by. They lined out and actively searched the fenced off area for nests in front of folk! I fink they were gona eat them. When challenged by a group of enraged oldies it was " no English! No understand". It got heated and the police were called! Never heard the outcome tho. Site and fence were trashed! There were numbers of little, common tern and ringed plover nesting there. Those areas now are so vulnerable! not just from the sea. But increasing people numbers and disturbance. I have seen dogs and kids on those sites. Despite electric fencing and signage. Signs of foxes and hedgehogs to. Do they get gov funding for fencing off/monitoring these sites??  Love to see it work but a lot of expense and effort for little result from what i have seen! As well as the above, nests and fencing often get washed out by big tides. . . . . .One of our lot got a pic of a black tern and a white winged black tern in the same shot locally  at Livermere.  I didn't know of or realise both such common visitors here now.   NB

The trouble is, as usual, there is no deterrent to the people who carry out these crimes, you said that the police were called, but we all know how that scenario pans out, especially if the perpetrators are "not local" as it were.

Reminds me  of that egg collector who seems to get arrested on a regular basis, he always seems to have clutches from Peregrine, Cetti's, Nightingale etc etc.

He gets fined a couple of thousand, and given a suspended sentence.....................I bet he won't do that again :hmm:

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9 hours ago, twenty said:

The trouble is, as usual, there is no deterrent to the people who carry out these crimes, you said that the police were called, but we all know how that scenario pans out, especially if the perpetrators are "not local" as it were.

Reminds me  of that egg collector who seems to get arrested on a regular basis, he always seems to have clutches from Peregrine, Cetti's, Nightingale etc etc.

He gets fined a couple of thousand, and given a suspended sentence.....................I bet he won't do that again :hmm:

Yeah same old! Left my details but never heard a thing! That Norfolk fella 2nd offence 5000 plus eggs. Apparently mental health probs OCD! 

Farmer/keeper locally not keen on RSPB tagging any more turtle doves on farm. Didn't like how they were fitted and took far to long on a rare active breeding bird. Apparently they got license to tag 10 this year. I wonder how many will make it out of country and if data will be published!     NB

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4 minutes ago, NatureBoy said:

Yeah same old! Left my details but never heard a thing! That Norfolk fella 2nd offence 5000 plus eggs. Apparently mental health probs OCD! 

Farmer/keeper locally not keen on RSPB tagging any more turtle doves on farm. Didn't like how they were fitted and took far to long on a rare active breeding bird. Apparently they got license to tag 10 this year. I wonder how many will make it out of country and if data will be published!     NB

That mental health plea is a sucker punch to the current set of Judges and magistrates, they are so out of touch with reality.

I have always thought that ringing, and the sundry information that is taken (weight, primary feather length, sexing,) takes far to long, ok, most breeds would probably not abandon their young at the ringing age, but I once  saw a full clutch of goshawks  lowered to the ground individually in a sack, each were rung, weighed, measured and sexed, this seemed to take ages to me and surely risked disaster

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On 06/07/2019 at 18:13, twenty said:

That mental health plea is a sucker punch to the current set of Judges and magistrates, they are so out of touch with reality.

I have always thought that ringing, and the sundry information that is taken (weight, primary feather length, sexing,) takes far to long, ok, most breeds would probably not abandon their young at the ringing age, but I once  saw a full clutch of goshawks  lowered to the ground individually in a sack, each were rung, weighed, measured and sexed, this seemed to take ages to me and surely risked disaster

I have thought that myself about ringing and time taken stress, mortality's etc! Especially during the hard months, breeding season and like you say red list fledglings. Almost weekly on one farm! Over 30k birds. Have got record numbers of some red listers tho. 100+ yellow hammers alone on some days. One ringed 8yr ago was had by a cat less than 3 mile away last month. Oldest ever! There knowledge of species, age and sexing is amazing! 2hrs+ for RSPB fellas to put sat tag on breeding male turtle dove  maybe to long??     I was at that farm at weekend  shooting corvids. Lot of jackdaws still! 15+ in mixed bag of 35. Turtle doves calling and loads  of young songbirds about. Plenty of hares and good numbers of leveretts. Watching the young kestrels trying to catch voles on fresh cut was comical!      I was amazed how quickly  sticklebacks turn up in what was dry stream.    Saw first hummingbird hawk moth of the year in my garden yesterday.       NB 

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13 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

I have thought that myself about ringing and time taken stress, mortality's etc! Especially during the hard months, breeding season and like you say red list fledglings. Almost weekly on one farm! Over 30k birds. Have got record numbers of some red listers tho. 100+ yellow hammers alone on some days. One ringed 8yr ago was had by a cat less than 3 mile away last month. Oldest ever! There knowledge of species, age and sexing is amazing! 2hrs+ for RSPB fellas to put sat tag on breeding male turtle dove  maybe to long??     I was at that farm at weekend  shooting corvids. Lot of jackdaws still! 15+ in mixed bag of 35. Turtle doves calling and loads  of young songbirds about. Plenty of hares and good numbers of leveretts. Watching the young kestrels trying to catch voles on fresh cut was comical!      I was amazed how quickly  sticklebacks turn up in what was dry stream.    Saw first hummingbird hawk moth of the year in my garden yesterday.       NB 

I do agree with ringing, as you do, the mist nets that are set by the BTO at one of my local reserves seems to be a good way of going about it, obviously this method does not allow for nestlings to be rung, but the different species that are netted over a few hours is unbelievable, these birds, being mostly mature are rung, weighed, measured and sexed within a minute or two by a very professional team, and are on their way as quickly as possible.

Glut of Jackdaw locally at the moment, even in my garden it is not usual to see 8-10 whenever I top up the feeders, put grain down or throw out scraps, got a blackbird pair on their second brood at the moment, they are only a few days from fledging, hoping that the supplementary feeding will keep the corvids from interfering with the songbirds, had a collared dove visit the other day, have not seen one in the garden for a good time, loads of Goldfinch and their young visiting at the moment and a lot of House Sparrow.

My son had his first delivery of poults in yesterday, he was hoping that a buzzard brood in one of the pen areas would have fledged by now but unfortunately they have not, he has laid out some squirrels to try to alleviate any major problems, but accepts that his birds will become a training area, but that's life isn't it.

 

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On 11/07/2019 at 08:43, twenty said:

I do agree with ringing, as you do, the mist nets that are set by the BTO at one of my local reserves seems to be a good way of going about it, obviously this method does not allow for nestlings to be rung, but the different species that are netted over a few hours is unbelievable, these birds, being mostly mature are rung, weighed, measured and sexed within a minute or two by a very professional team, and are on their way as quickly as possible.

Glut of Jackdaw locally at the moment, even in my garden it is not usual to see 8-10 whenever I top up the feeders, put grain down or throw out scraps, got a blackbird pair on their second brood at the moment, they are only a few days from fledging, hoping that the supplementary feeding will keep the corvids from interfering with the songbirds, had a collared dove visit the other day, have not seen one in the garden for a good time, loads of Goldfinch and their young visiting at the moment and a lot of House Sparrow.

My son had his first delivery of poults in yesterday, he was hoping that a buzzard brood in one of the pen areas would have fledged by now but unfortunately they have not, he has laid out some squirrels to try to alleviate any major problems, but accepts that his birds will become a training area, but that's life isn't it.

 

Generally only one fella ringing on farms my way. Weekly tho. There handling skills and knowledge amazing! Several swift and house martin chicks. ringed from the nests in boxs so far. Swallow numbers well down and locally. I did ask if them catching/ringing them at roost in the maze cover last Autumn may of affected them? They recon not. Was there on the crows again yesterday. Mainly jackdaws again. 20+ in mixed bag of 37. Not many pigeons about. When picking up I did find a chiffchaff that they had rung, it was struggling but didn't appear injured when i examined it. Hope it recover not many about! 2 crows were on a fresh dead young tawny owl on another farm. . .  Jackdaws been hammering the garden birds locally my way to. Saw a pair hunting/killing young whitethroats in rape other day. Seen a lot more whitethroats in the rape in recent years. I wonder if they are foraging or nesting in it?? If they  are a lot get destroyed with harvest being so close. . . I am the other way  and just use hanging feeders now. I think they target nests and fledglings more when it dry as a way of getting fluids to there young. No where near as many song birds coming to feeders as plenty of food in fields and hedges now. Loads of collard doves my way. Real pest! Compete with turtle doves to! For nest sites and push them off feeders. One of the best years for nests in/around my garden so far! (less cats and squirrels about)! In box's had blue tit, great tit, robin (bumble bees nested in 2 others). In ivy ,creepers, trees and shrubs had green, (male ringed) gold and chaffinches ( goldfinches on second brood, both parents have rings) wood pigeons x2, and dunnocks. On porch and sheds. wren, pied wagtail and blackbirds x2. Partridges  nest got cleared out early by rooks(some folk still think they don't do nests) crows, jackdaws, woodpeckers had others.Kestrel and sparrow hawk often about. Sparrows, yellow hammers, cole tit, long tailed tit, whitethroat, blackcap, flycatcher, goldcrest, song thrush, starling and others visit.

Hope  the buzzards like easy squirrel grub more! Perhaps they will hunt away more with more activity around pen. Is it the first year they have nested there? I would be tempted to poke it out once they are out of nest to try and move them on or use again.  NB   

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6 hours ago, NatureBoy said:

Generally only one fella ringing on farms my way. Weekly tho. There handling skills and knowledge amazing! Several swift and house martin chicks. ringed from the nests in boxs so far. Swallow numbers well down and locally. I did ask if them catching/ringing them at roost in the maze cover last Autumn may of affected them? They recon not. Was there on the crows again yesterday. Mainly jackdaws again. 20+ in mixed bag of 37. Not many pigeons about. When picking up I did find a chiffchaff that they had rung, it was struggling but didn't appear injured when i examined it. Hope it recover not many about! 2 crows were on a fresh dead young tawny owl on another farm. . .  Jackdaws been hammering the garden birds locally my way to. Saw a pair hunting/killing young whitethroats in rape other day. Seen a lot more whitethroats in the rape in recent years. I wonder if they are foraging or nesting in it?? If they  are a lot get destroyed with harvest being so close. . . I am the other way  and just use hanging feeders now. I think they target nests and fledglings more when it dry as a way of getting fluids to there young. No where near as many song birds coming to feeders as plenty of food in fields and hedges now. Loads of collard doves my way. Real pest! Compete with turtle doves to! For nest sites and push them off feeders. One of the best years for nests in/around my garden so far! (less cats and squirrels about)! In box's had blue tit, great tit, robin (bumble bees nested in 2 others). In ivy ,creepers, trees and shrubs had green, (male ringed) gold and chaffinches ( goldfinches on second brood, both parents have rings) wood pigeons x2, and dunnocks. On porch and sheds. wren, pied wagtail and blackbirds x2. Partridges  nest got cleared out early by rooks(some folk still think they don't do nests) crows, jackdaws, woodpeckers had others.Kestrel and sparrow hawk often about. Sparrows, yellow hammers, cole tit, long tailed tit, whitethroat, blackcap, flycatcher, goldcrest, song thrush, starling and others visit.

Hope  the buzzards like easy squirrel grub more! Perhaps they will hunt away more with more activity around pen. Is it the first year they have nested there? I would be tempted to poke it out once they are out of nest to try and move them on or use again.  NB   

The buzzards seem to use a different nest every year, there are probably 4 or 5 sites they use, all in the same wood, but they seem to change every year, assuming they are the same pair.

Grasshopper warbler caught and rung in the mist netting last week.

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On 14/07/2019 at 20:44, twenty said:

The buzzards seem to use a different nest every year, there are probably 4 or 5 sites they use, all in the same wood, but they seem to change every year, assuming they are the same pair.

Grasshopper warbler caught and rung in the mist netting last week.

Interesting you say that. Around my part of Suffolk they use the same sites year after year unless they are moved on. More reports of quail sightings/calling. 2 along the lark valley. Another local. Most i have heard of for years.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Local Suffolk farm/shoot with  lot of turtle doves featured in latest/issue 2 of GWCT Working Conservationists publication. I expect some members will know of it or shot there. Deserve some recognition! Real conservationists proving what can be done on a shoot  by creating the right habitat and active pest control. Vocal yokels working for wildlife!     NB

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