tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78743533482774188152024-03-05T16:26:14.129+00:00BTO Young BirdersIeuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-10089007304206066762019-12-13T14:43:00.000+00:002019-12-13T14:43:17.268+00:00This blog is now closed<b>We have now moved the BTO Young Birders' Blog onto the BTO website. </b>You can find all new blogs at <a href="http://www.bto.org/blog">www.bto.org/blog</a> and stay up-to-date with our work. This blog is now an archive only, and we thank everyone who has participated to it so far. If you are interested in writing a Young Birders' Blog for BTO, please email <a href="mailto:socialmedia@bto.org">socialmedia@bto.org</a>.FayeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827668208919343886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-57706045362654198202019-11-08T10:58:00.002+00:002019-11-08T10:58:59.270+00:00Nocmig: A beginner's guide
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lq1YJZwmiCCbR6NGyFf2FL0UPbCr1X3Spcm6x8SI7Trrb0GZD44E2IaldB4GLFTd8ic6trn6QDVvoKrp1agMZgL8p4Jrevx1H7xs4RTtjeZOso9GBT-3gj2AZcFw0xrUx29y-bzu6lXk/s1600/Redwing+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lq1YJZwmiCCbR6NGyFf2FL0UPbCr1X3Spcm6x8SI7Trrb0GZD44E2IaldB4GLFTd8ic6trn6QDVvoKrp1agMZgL8p4Jrevx1H7xs4RTtjeZOso9GBT-3gj2AZcFw0xrUx29y-bzu6lXk/s400/Redwing+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br />I find bird migration fascinating and,
despite being based well away from the coast, I have developed a particular
interest in trying to observe this intriguing natural phenomenon. It is amazing
what you can see and hear in one given place as you wait for the migrating
birds to come to you. ‘Vismig’ (visible bird migration), sometimes called sky-watching,
involves observing overhead diurnal migration and can be carried out from any
particular location with a good view of the sky (I watch from my back garden). In
peak autumn season this can produce the spectacular scene of thousands of birds
passing over in a short period of time, as well as the chance of spotting
scarce and rare species which wouldn’t ordinarily be seen in that location.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">However, this spectacle is not just limited
to these day time migrants as many birds are in fact nocturnal migrants. This is
particularly evident on the coast when an overnight ‘fall’ has produced trees
dripping with Goldcrests and bushes full of ticking Robins and Song Thrushes,
when there had seemingly been few the previous day. I had long been aware of
nocturnal migration, and similar to most birders regularly heard the ‘tseeping’
Redwing calls at night every autumn. But what else is up there in the dark and how
can this ‘nocmig’ be observed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Nocturnal flight call (NFC) recording first
became popular with birders in the USA; largely as a greater number of American
passerine species produce nocturnal calls than their counterparts on this side
of the pond. Nevertheless in recent years the detection method has grown a
strong following among European birders. The process involves the use of
sound-recording equipment to capture the flight calls of migrating birds, then detecting
and identifying the call signatures using computer software. Migrating birds
will often fly over the British Isles on a broad front and therefore you really
do not need to live on the coast or on a migration flyway to give nocmig a go.
There is the potential to record many different and perhaps unusual species for
your given location. To illustrate this point, from my own recording location
in Cambridge (pretty much as far inland as you can get in the UK) I have
recorded Common Scoters, Pink-footed Geese and Sandwich Terns on multiple occasions;
all of which are coastal species which are very rarely seen locally to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLb8Vq6kDY7lhKeaUEDGuY2IxFXktAkM_-Js9kzCwk98128ZLi0E-ynG7AdaPUc-8e7FEKU2dgg1F-Nu7O6f7kP6e4VPUfAicGgK8YpcOnEjnER_2KMHOBop_212w-A4BRAVJlraF88kY3/s1600/Redwing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLb8Vq6kDY7lhKeaUEDGuY2IxFXktAkM_-Js9kzCwk98128ZLi0E-ynG7AdaPUc-8e7FEKU2dgg1F-Nu7O6f7kP6e4VPUfAicGgK8YpcOnEjnER_2KMHOBop_212w-A4BRAVJlraF88kY3/s400/Redwing+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly arrived migrants: Redwing and Song Thrush are very common nocturnal migrants particularly in Autumn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />To start recording you will need to make a
small investment in some sound-recording equipment. Essentially you will need a
microphone and a device that saves the sounds which are recorded. This could
simply be a mobile phone or a portable sound recorder (with inbuilt
microphone). You will also need a computer and a pair of headphones to analyse
your recordings. The team at the <a href="https://nocmig.com/">Nocmig website</a>
have produced a comprehensive comparison list of recording equipment, which
details the advantages and disadvantages of each setup. My personal choice was
to purchase a sound recorder (£100) with an additional microphone (£50) to
improve the quality of my recordings. This setup has the particular advantage
of being portable and therefore has dual use: I can take the equipment out with
me when I’m birding to record other natural sound types. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd976NE1XRn8kWaKvSJhHVjYs-WlvC0BqivdPOBmPDS82CViGAI9I7Po1uW3QRyOGB-PjotblCmRLwRyWY-x8vlEwUkpSMgkJnuCtLR-SKXBJuHuBHOVbOaE5jXNg5jRPoH41vrJYIP7Ue/s1600/Equipment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="1225" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd976NE1XRn8kWaKvSJhHVjYs-WlvC0BqivdPOBmPDS82CViGAI9I7Po1uW3QRyOGB-PjotblCmRLwRyWY-x8vlEwUkpSMgkJnuCtLR-SKXBJuHuBHOVbOaE5jXNg5jRPoH41vrJYIP7Ue/s400/Equipment.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple equipment options: a Mini USB microphone in pyrex dish (photo Simon Gillings), a portable sound recorder with windshield on a tripod (photo Nick Moran), a portable sound recorder in large bubble wrap-lined bucket to dull reverberations (photo Jon Heath).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When you have equipment ready, it’s time to
wait for nightfall and start recording! Here are a few simple steps to follow:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Check the weather forecast
for appropriate conditions to record. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-GB">Windy nights will create
‘noisy’ recordings where bird calls are difficult to distinguish, and wet
nights will risk damage to your equipment. The best conditions for nocmig are
generally considered to be cloudy (which encourages the birds to fly lower) and
calm. A change in wind direction is also thought to be a good cue for the onset
of migration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Position your recording
equipment in an exposed position, away from overhanging branches.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-GB">Overhanging objects may
obscure the calls as well as cause unwanted background noise. You may also wish
to orientate your recording equipment to face a particular direction, away from
a noisy road or towards the anticipated flight path of migrants. Remember that
you are leaving your equipment outside and unattended, so make sure it is in a
safe and secure location.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Press record and leave the
equipment to run overnight.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It is so easy to
forget or improperly press record before you leave your equipment (I have made
this mistake numerous times)! It is also worth double-checking the recorder’s
batteries are fully charged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">The following day download
the sound files created by the sound recorder overnight onto your computer.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Sound files are often
quite hefty so you may need to manage storage space on your device and keep on
top of files from previous nights recordings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Using a free software
package called Audacity, open the sound files in spectrogram format.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-GB">The spectrogram (also
called a sonograph) produces a visual representation of the recorded sound and
allows you to pick out interesting noises among the background sound. There is
some further info on how to configure Audacity and process the spectrogram on
the <a href="https://nocmig.com/configuring-audacity/">Nocmig website</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Now the fun bit! Scroll
through the spectrogram generated by the sound recordings looking for any call
signatures from last night’s migrating birds.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Identifying bird
calls in the spectrogram against the various other obscure night time noises (barking
dogs, squealing tyres, police sirens, fireworks) will take some practice. Also
don’t be discouraged if you cannot identify every call – many will be too
distant, distorted or unclear to successfully identify. Make sure to use
resources such as the excellent <a href="https://www.xeno-canto.org/explore">xeno-canto
website</a> to compare your recordings with those made by other recordists.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_NyT346eSkhm3QQgsYUGADeOURy6Q_Y9JaaNNaGPYunPV0tGsevpgsSLVGexaPK_zD4Kwv5LvygsE_UJKqBSSVBmTsW07bMNkU0atJkAYwgs7AAHTlkh71viU1oz7Y625Who8axPowhh/s1600/Sonogram+examples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1085" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_NyT346eSkhm3QQgsYUGADeOURy6Q_Y9JaaNNaGPYunPV0tGsevpgsSLVGexaPK_zD4Kwv5LvygsE_UJKqBSSVBmTsW07bMNkU0atJkAYwgs7AAHTlkh71viU1oz7Y625Who8axPowhh/s400/Sonogram+examples.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectrogram generated in Audacity, with frequency (kHz) on the vertical axis and time (seconds) on the horizontal axis, showing call signatures of a selection of fairly commonly recorded nocturnal migrants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br />Nocmig can appeal to birders of all
disciplines; whether you’re aiming to add to your garden list, track migration
or sharpen your bird call ID skills. It is also perfect for young birders as it
can be carried out easily from home and also provides an opportunity to
practically learn a variety of (not always common) bird calls – knowledge which
will become invaluable in the field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">With perseverance, especially in the spring
and autumn peaks of migration, you will be amazed with the diversity of species
passing over. Sure, common species like Redwing, Song Thrush and Blackbird can
be expected, but what about waders such as Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Whimbrel
and water birds like Water Rail and Little Grebe? Yep, they’re up there and not
uncommon, even over urban locations well away from water courses. As with
vismig, there is always the potential for something a bit rarer, so keep an
open mind to the possibilities and with persistence you may be rewarded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlnHsPwqmbwt5UAiLVyA_z7saCdYWhQ9I56WZS0w9cc98-egLothM6SUVQ8iPcCMbZjAGnT_0Vu83qITFM-3UlC8D233B0J50X9BQRPpCdaNQ4KUEltIssBnJnG45DrWSciBc0DOfViG4/s1600/Whimbrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="873" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlnHsPwqmbwt5UAiLVyA_z7saCdYWhQ9I56WZS0w9cc98-egLothM6SUVQ8iPcCMbZjAGnT_0Vu83qITFM-3UlC8D233B0J50X9BQRPpCdaNQ4KUEltIssBnJnG45DrWSciBc0DOfViG4/s400/Whimbrel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are there Whimbrel flying over your house at night? You’ll have to give nocmig a go to find out...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K_QYbfVqA1LmX2y-UfA7BKRZjwH4-IwDSlGHAEwVV8BEs4fRVuOT8Qmoh_tb37ZJo3T8jkbYmnAFRw5U4tRACOPufNoPCVGDA8MGFgmClQ-DSvusg4Dn3zrRSii90D4wew9hXPpJl9cs/s1600/Profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="1600" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K_QYbfVqA1LmX2y-UfA7BKRZjwH4-IwDSlGHAEwVV8BEs4fRVuOT8Qmoh_tb37ZJo3T8jkbYmnAFRw5U4tRACOPufNoPCVGDA8MGFgmClQ-DSvusg4Dn3zrRSii90D4wew9hXPpJl9cs/s200/Profile.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><i>This blog was written by Jonathan Heath. Jon is</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><i> a Cambridgeshire-based naturalist and patch birder, who has recently completed a degree in Natural Sciences. He has a strong interest in bird migration and has, over the last few years, started to sound-record nocturnally migrating birds from his urban garden– contributing to a garden list of 128 bird species. You can <a href="https://twitter.com/Jon_Heath_" target="_blank">follow him on Twitter</a>.</i></span></span><br />
<!--EndFragment--><br /><br />
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</style>FayeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827668208919343886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-65922326929750821252019-10-25T10:29:00.000+01:002019-10-25T10:29:04.518+01:00BTO's Young Leadership Course<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Monday 5<sup>th</sup> August
2019<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier this year, the BTO announced yet
another fantastic opportunity for the young bird and nature lovers in the UK.
The BTO Young Leaders course, targeting 16–25-year-olds, was to be held over 4
summer days at the spectacular Spurn Bird Observatory in East Yorkshire, and
would be providing advice and support for the attendants on how to improve as a
leader. So on the 5<sup>th</sup> August, 9 young people met in the observatory
garden for the start of the course, which began with an icebreaker activity,
helping us to get to know one another. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHz-ENnAV4GGDB6p4kkS5WXwaAD06OIH35duiyP02Bi9v8x643fLdXD9RqcjJNiMBNXe6m2-2k_HxuHIeXj-5h93JmYXUrrNk0eOEhxd1IhGPzWwvnaSo7zX6dCFUvmetiuwWMRcTmwCC/s1600/P1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHz-ENnAV4GGDB6p4kkS5WXwaAD06OIH35duiyP02Bi9v8x643fLdXD9RqcjJNiMBNXe6m2-2k_HxuHIeXj-5h93JmYXUrrNk0eOEhxd1IhGPzWwvnaSo7zX6dCFUvmetiuwWMRcTmwCC/s400/P1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Kilnsea on day 1 - Alfie Bloor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Once we’d had an introduction to the course,
we started by talking and writing a little about ourselves, and what our plans
were for the future. For some of us, this was going to college or completing A
Levels at school, while for the older group it was completing a university
course/finding a job. To make us consider what could happen, we were given
positive and negative scenarios to add in, so then we could be ‘assessed’ on
how we would deal with the situation. This got us thinking early on about how
we’d not just act for others but also ourselves. To follow this up, we all had
to explain why we admired a certain leader. These included Greta Thunberg
(Megan’s inspirational leader) and David Lindo (Sam’s pick,) while Gethin’s was
Angela Merkel. We discussed a few key attributes of these, before having short
break.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yOmA0Qpwg-ReTL6OhCq0ydgiMSuACStPjKef_HPSjvoGk81IA4ZpRmX01luYEQ2Dav_3MPPkygarkX8m4djzB6m0_Amb0ub7zvJFNkDXLkUCBgwu9nDf6KLAJeiw3l6FSZ0OZl-4tCop/s1600/P2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1204" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yOmA0Qpwg-ReTL6OhCq0ydgiMSuACStPjKef_HPSjvoGk81IA4ZpRmX01luYEQ2Dav_3MPPkygarkX8m4djzB6m0_Amb0ub7zvJFNkDXLkUCBgwu9nDf6KLAJeiw3l6FSZ0OZl-4tCop/s400/P2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willow Warbler - Arjun Dutta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Linking to our first session, Faye then delivered
a presentation about a Career in Conservation. This was arguably the most
interesting part of the day so far, as it was useful for all 9 of us listening.
Faye started by summarising where her career started, when she was of a similar
age to us. However, we were surprised to find that none of her early jobs were
related to the environmental sector. This really highlighted the need for us to
care about all things, and not to be one-dimensional, so that we could earn
enough to provide ourselves with opportunities later on when we really wanted
it. It was fascinating to listen and watch videos of her working in areas such
as Africa and Indonesia, where she often found herself doing things she wasn’t
entirely comfortable doing, so then she could eventually find her ‘dream’ job.
To finish off, we had a discussion about this and about jobs linked to the
environment, answering many of our interests and questions.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A rushed evening meal provided opportunity
for us to get to know each other a little better; after finishing, we all
headed down to Kilnsea Wetlands to twitch a White-rumped Sandpiper, which had
been regularly seen for almost a week prior. It was a top way to finish our
first evening! (AD & GJJ)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i-RZtBMdcO0XOSlIE-H6K_UTCtSOBFFpRq1pirdTs_DYnLjeQN9U25VkYNlbEvoxddEtrwZP-_zL6l1PHq3cKbwogjJY0iJ8T19TW-dZ05kcRBsJxmsFtzQpdWm1Uaf2aLz2bpaCjwZJ/s1600/P3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i-RZtBMdcO0XOSlIE-H6K_UTCtSOBFFpRq1pirdTs_DYnLjeQN9U25VkYNlbEvoxddEtrwZP-_zL6l1PHq3cKbwogjJY0iJ8T19TW-dZ05kcRBsJxmsFtzQpdWm1Uaf2aLz2bpaCjwZJ/s400/P3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-rumped Sandpiper - Jonathan Farooqi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><u>Tuesday 6<sup>th</sup> August
2019 (GJJ)</u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the first morning, many of us ended up
getting up early at around 5:30am to head out for a spot of birding. Being
early in the migration season migrants were thinner on the ground than we would
have liked, but a juvenile Cuckoo and Yellow Wagtails flying over cheered us up
as were made our way back. After breakfast our day in the obs started at around
9am. We started off with a valuable workshop, about delivering Presentations,
and I’m sure everybody else gained a lot too!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Before the week each of the
attendees were asked to find a presentation which they had delivered
previously, so we each did a quick presentation about this. We had 2 or 3
minutes to deliver a part of the presentation, before receiving feedback on our
slides and presenting style.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The hardest thing about this
activity was that as we went along and as others received feedback, we could
spot mistakes and improvements before we even started our own talks. For
example, things like presentation style (too much text, small images and bad
use of colours) quickly became a recurring problem. However, it was really
useful to hear how we were as presenters, as it’s often a rather daunting
experience. Most of us felt a lot more confident by the end of the session. Everyone
did such a good job of putting across their passion for the subject they had
presented, but we all needed slight tweaks to make our speech as engaging as
the images on screen. (AH)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our session after lunch on the second day was
run by Shaun Robson, a reserve warden from the RSPB, who focused on the
importance of partnership working in conservation. Using the case study of RSPB
Lytchett fields in Dorset, he highlighted the importance of conservation
efforts and partnering with people from all areas of life, from wildlife trusts
to politicians, councils and most importantly, the local community prior to
making his decisions. The benefits of increased exposure, acceptance and expert
advice also came with challenges, such as different groups having different
priorities and the time consuming nature of negotiations. The thing that most
struck me during this session was that, at the beginning of the talk, we were
asked to come up with something we had achieved alone, with no external
assistance. When we were later asked for our examples, nobody was truly able to
present an achievement solely of their own, with no input be it from teachers,
friends, family etc. This really emphasised how vital teamwork and partnership
is in our daily lives, and in successful conservation schemes. Although it can
be both challenging and time-consuming, the rewards of successful collaboration
can be significant and can lead to further successes in the future.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSDk4gz8QKuempjtDlAZB7k6CDuQ5QecY9CgEI34n2cjTm2_f11jV_PmYObncy3efjkT_BGAzTapg5V0vgZjMumvXkjhsO306C9Aly0MGXiFr7YTDHEh1jt51jdSVK-Qph2JzXfD-DC6U/s1600/P4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSDk4gz8QKuempjtDlAZB7k6CDuQ5QecY9CgEI34n2cjTm2_f11jV_PmYObncy3efjkT_BGAzTapg5V0vgZjMumvXkjhsO306C9Aly0MGXiFr7YTDHEh1jt51jdSVK-Qph2JzXfD-DC6U/s400/P4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discussing leadership - Gethin Jenkin-Jones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1037" style="height: 338.25pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 451.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\fayev\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p> I have already used the tips given in the
workshops and will definitely use them again! This was worth learning about,
especially as science communication is increasingly a part of conservation
work. (CA)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakTL4tnXg_CQ8MkHu7wRExcDkOR-xsGCGnydMIykM1w_gFMVsA9tWAVu0p0nDeD505-t3DsCZpKyGNHbrhkJhM0f_hJa8LBfyrzD3Ct2GEi3fJ_PnNc3JXKjhinLtPw0xq98m-CJk-v3U/s1600/P5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakTL4tnXg_CQ8MkHu7wRExcDkOR-xsGCGnydMIykM1w_gFMVsA9tWAVu0p0nDeD505-t3DsCZpKyGNHbrhkJhM0f_hJa8LBfyrzD3Ct2GEi3fJ_PnNc3JXKjhinLtPw0xq98m-CJk-v3U/s400/P5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from the beach - Luke Hawkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
As I’m someone who only hears tweets from
Chiffchaffs and spends more time watching Whinchats than group chats, I felt
that the penultimate talk on Tuesday led by Faye about social media was
particularly fascinating! There’s more strategy to it than any of us thought,
and with technology becoming more and more important to the world, it was
extremely important to learn about how is best to use it. For all of us,
including some of us who had very little social media, it introduced us to new
ways of opening up new doors for ourselves. Later on, in our final few hours of
the day, we had the most bizarre (yet enjoyable) session of the entire weekend
– we were to have a lesson in networking with a fake conference party (!).
Before it started we were each given a task to complete during this ‘party’
(such as forming a partnership or raising a certain amount of money). Then,
using a combination of our social skills, wits and charm we were to try and
achieve our tasks by talking to the BTO staff – each of which were acting in a
certain role, such as a politician, and a philanthropist. With all of it purely
acting, it was hard to keep a straight face at times. Not only was it difficult
for all of us, as it was very much outside our comfort zones, it was
surprisingly educational and a laugh, with Jonnie Fisk (Obs Estate Manager) joining
the leaders to add to the fun - it was a surreal experience and a learning
curve so steep Guillemots were making their nests on it! (LH)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIvxLBcYSC5-K0Bq7nLNXk2Q37K9EMbeKohOgZyMiL8ED7pSJhUm9b1L0bwgCAaK1XH1AZQ_QaOFiZ5NbXfE65clz2e_jZEANqJr_95ynHKxU7PYxDDDE6hv3z3YBlGITNG9bLZXqHtM6/s1600/P6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="933" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIvxLBcYSC5-K0Bq7nLNXk2Q37K9EMbeKohOgZyMiL8ED7pSJhUm9b1L0bwgCAaK1XH1AZQ_QaOFiZ5NbXfE65clz2e_jZEANqJr_95ynHKxU7PYxDDDE6hv3z3YBlGITNG9bLZXqHtM6/s400/P6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Networking and evangelising session - Nick Moran</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Some of us spent the evening birding (and
dipping on the local family of Marsh Warblers) before heading to the pub to end
a tiring but intensely interesting first full day at Spurn.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Wednesday 7<sup>th</sup>
August 2019<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
Wednesday morning dawned nice and sunny, most of us were up and out early for
some more birding, with some good migrant birds seen in particular. Once
everyone had returned to the observatory our day began again; for our first
task, we were to choose a conservation project, and pick a famous or reputable
person to contact about supporting it. This allowed us to think about and get
feedback for ideas in order to publicise and get support for conservation
projects, which is incredibly important. I personally chose the issue of a lack
of Common Swift nest boxes and how to mitigate this, but struggled to think of
a suitable person to support, until another Young leader (creatively) suggested
Taylor Swift! This really helped us to think outside the box, which we now know
to be a surprisingly useful skill. This exercise was a brilliant start to the
day, and really developed our influential skills, with much of the morning
dedicated to learning more about this. (AB)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic00o1fH3SipeKtNSNugdKM8qSaroHa0sVr0AHbTZAsmTQn9u8FQSxAge8ji44Z3KWgyoC1nDwjtU3xIVl5LC0ADDZ2xIwViLtnKbWQTeGqRwBiG6pVefqP-Dqx33U4Xj6fT64PSei7qVS/s1600/P7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1378" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic00o1fH3SipeKtNSNugdKM8qSaroHa0sVr0AHbTZAsmTQn9u8FQSxAge8ji44Z3KWgyoC1nDwjtU3xIVl5LC0ADDZ2xIwViLtnKbWQTeGqRwBiG6pVefqP-Dqx33U4Xj6fT64PSei7qVS/s400/P7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Sandpiper - Arjun Dutta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We then had a session run by Faye and Nick W,
where we learnt about how to prepare and run a meeting. We learned how to
divide up the time in the meeting in order to maximize efficiency and minimize
the time wasted for the attendees. We also discussed how a meeting can be held
effectively enough to be beneficial for concentration and to achieve the
desired outcome, as well as learning about how to chair it and how to behave
when attending one ourselves. This session was very useful at establishing an
understanding of work etiquette for our future, regardless of what career paths
we may follow.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bj3YcO2rmr8ckf4DOZQGNSoXAjw142FRykA5KAuuC56BCQiowUKw6gzjz_EKu7m7REcJrDr4ZuBI3qnBtppDLPyY18oi7C4Rui0czbS0wvS9NocQL1KO1Zvveh3yScXPYwSYovGgBoHE/s1600/P8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bj3YcO2rmr8ckf4DOZQGNSoXAjw142FRykA5KAuuC56BCQiowUKw6gzjz_EKu7m7REcJrDr4ZuBI3qnBtppDLPyY18oi7C4Rui0czbS0wvS9NocQL1KO1Zvveh3yScXPYwSYovGgBoHE/s400/P8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Hare - Samuel Levy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
To follow up a session on meetings, Nick
Moran chaired a discussion on the topic of ‘walking the walk’. This was to
discuss how important it is to maintain the beliefs of your organization during
your personal life. For example, Greta Thunberg is a climate change activist
and to travel for speeches and conferences, she uses public transport and boats
in order to minimize her carbon footprint. Would it be hypocritical for her to
campaign for a cause if she was undermining the points made during her personal
life, for example by taking frequent plane journeys? This was the type of topic
that we discussed during our session. It was very interesting to hear a variety
of views on the thought-provoking subject, helping me to reflect on my own
personal beliefs. (MM)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEh6yBHpfS780DVpGIrMOXdaDXJy60VXdBSumVdNghiIao5eTe4dlQwg5JF9zFVYwsF27wjjCeW-CLGQMDxMDWCF5hmPBLm38W5CuXJ4rZEsp82n7W3sBhYMXZBr5UUPgMPOd1oaTTBuG/s1600/P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEh6yBHpfS780DVpGIrMOXdaDXJy60VXdBSumVdNghiIao5eTe4dlQwg5JF9zFVYwsF27wjjCeW-CLGQMDxMDWCF5hmPBLm38W5CuXJ4rZEsp82n7W3sBhYMXZBr5UUPgMPOd1oaTTBuG/s400/P9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early morning walk to Kilnsea - Samuel Levy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After lunch on the third day it was a chance
for all of us to lead a guided walk. This could be on absolutely anything, not
just wildlife, so we could develop our skills. I was up first and I decided
that the theme of the walk should be on Warblers and migrant birds. What I
hadn’t realised was just how difficult it was going to be leading a walk with everyone
trying to throw all the possible worst-case scenarios at us. My plan was to go
a fair distance down the road however by the end of my allotted time we had
managed to get to the back of the garden. Thankfully the garden was full of
warblers making my walk slightly easier despite the distractions, which also
included bizarre questions and someone playing a tape lure…</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxDMhbnd8cgynNr_0G4TX9lXRtP_A2hLagzvK5xdm2iLs5qpptULMpYeGSo_PR6TO2Gu_vA7G0K-1JR9M-KlaEs3G9MNMYMf4FjzFo2r_N8F46EPHgvS3HDDfc8ARvJR-fGT8VPo3VRJD/s1600/P10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxDMhbnd8cgynNr_0G4TX9lXRtP_A2hLagzvK5xdm2iLs5qpptULMpYeGSo_PR6TO2Gu_vA7G0K-1JR9M-KlaEs3G9MNMYMf4FjzFo2r_N8F46EPHgvS3HDDfc8ARvJR-fGT8VPo3VRJD/s400/P10.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The challenges of leading a walk... - Amy Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
I think everyone was surprised at just how
different all the walks and activities were. Amy’s activity included a comical
game of wink murder, which tested her ability of dealing with a medical
emergency. In this case, Nick Moran collapsing on the floor! Next up was Megan’s
Pictionary game where participants were given a bird that they had to draw and
the rest of us had to guess what the bird was. This helped us to learn about
leading activities for a variety of ages. Following this, Alfie led a walk
looking at the different species of plants (particularly trees) in the observatory’s
garden. This brought out some hilarious moments, with the walk eventually
finishing with everyone laughing uncontrollable. All because of Alfie replying to Nick’s
question of ‘What does the scientific name of Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
actually mean?’ with the simple answer of ‘It just means Hawthorn!’ With Alfie keeping a cool head, it meant his
walk was extremely successful.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="page-break-after: avoid; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItVe9U5Eh4gKWilyN1v0k1msqGNxuMS-B3dPKEedhQs1mHMKDVaMK-iSZWSr3TXQ1JvUR5GKRXXO06ESQy_KLA1aL7HPOs8IDb262bZ6ggIvZyrSFbW6aZszowHfgcv8nDaNB2d9eIQ4V/s1600/P11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1350" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItVe9U5Eh4gKWilyN1v0k1msqGNxuMS-B3dPKEedhQs1mHMKDVaMK-iSZWSr3TXQ1JvUR5GKRXXO06ESQy_KLA1aL7HPOs8IDb262bZ6ggIvZyrSFbW6aZszowHfgcv8nDaNB2d9eIQ4V/s400/P11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whinchat on a morning walk - Arjun Dutta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="page-break-after: avoid; text-align: justify;">
Gethin then led a Bat Walk, which was great
fun. Since it had to be ‘dark’ outside, this created a whole new array of
problems… Thankfully Gethin had already thought about this and was ready for
anything that was thrown his way. Next up was Luke’s turn to lead a walk. Luke
had the great idea of getting us all to head to the Humber and perform a
practise WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) count. He was confronted with all sorts of
issues including keeping people off the road, teaching people how to use binoculars
and some of us getting distracted by a funnel cloud that started to descend
from the clouds above, adding to the thrill of Spurn. The penultimate walk was
led by Jonny and was a birding walk, where we stayed around the Humber area,
‘learning’ to ID a variety of bird species. Jonny made sure he would describe
every species he saw, to make sure that everyone – including beginners – would
be able to feel comfortable.</div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="page-break-after: avoid; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10RMA5lDrasuk9OgVQ9_vitOCd6K7fvlmhGycCTQuevH8gm90LQIJUfxNnxeeGN6PEk6c8sAp_E0DOULl5VJILL9csAROFnn23bBkgdkAbe8GOEtzE21FfPk3SbOxIBzphcU60SdvjoIx/s1600/P12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10RMA5lDrasuk9OgVQ9_vitOCd6K7fvlmhGycCTQuevH8gm90LQIJUfxNnxeeGN6PEk6c8sAp_E0DOULl5VJILL9csAROFnn23bBkgdkAbe8GOEtzE21FfPk3SbOxIBzphcU60SdvjoIx/s400/P12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill on Kilnsea wetlands - Samuel Levy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="page-break-after: avoid; text-align: justify;">
Finally, it was Arjun’s turn. This turned
into a complete disaster, foreshadowed by the weather which went from clear and
sunny to dark and rainy. After a brief introduction inside on how to use technology
and apps in order to identify and record species, it was time to head outside
and see what we could find. However, after Arjun had provided us with some of
the most annoying situations, everyone made his life difficult, with people
getting stuck in toilets, talking to real people in phone calls and
disappearing - some may say that he is still looking for them!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The point of this afternoon
was for the leaders to look at our personalities and how we dealt with
different pressures. It was also interesting for us to learn about situations
that we may come across when guiding future walks and how to handle them, as
well as being thoroughly enjoyable. Reflecting on this over a month later, I
realise that actually I learnt a lot, but I didn’t realise it at the time, as
the others and I were having such a great time (which is one of the best ways
of learning!) Our final session at Spurn finished with planning our activity
for the next morning, taking into account all skills already learned.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3PacNwqFtmXWDybj-xQahUiBGRiVGO4himT1RIBElPpEosAG9qvvkHCkXEHfOhUZ7mJwZcwYP_GkRWgyH2o05yOAk59yhnMA-yPoptJHpbXeJq02j6J3ZVuRQj2iOK32DfDi8UTkTBe5/s1600/P13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="1600" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3PacNwqFtmXWDybj-xQahUiBGRiVGO4himT1RIBElPpEosAG9qvvkHCkXEHfOhUZ7mJwZcwYP_GkRWgyH2o05yOAk59yhnMA-yPoptJHpbXeJq02j6J3ZVuRQj2iOK32DfDi8UTkTBe5/s400/P13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Kilnsea - Samuel Levy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our final, awesome evening meal in the Crown
and Anchor was well-spent and louder than it had been on Monday, made all the
merrier when we remembered it was Ceri’s 18<sup>th</sup> Birthday. There’s
probably no better place in the UK to spend it than Spurn… Then we all decided
to hang around the observatory, where we had a fantastic time enjoying each
other’s company, relaxing and even spending a few hours playing cricket in the
dark with a sponge ball and a piece of fire-wood! (SL)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-9e8lba9HkK-4qqiVPL8TBLANKs63p2C25ajX_-SW6TVOiC_qp3Mu8bYAoyHoVdXYbF20UvuVIxMFyHt1TZCDRaXd0fQuN5XkczPlji0turJ2ReMD16xwu_8PwRV2i-pRt19V_4uUS_C/s1600/P14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-9e8lba9HkK-4qqiVPL8TBLANKs63p2C25ajX_-SW6TVOiC_qp3Mu8bYAoyHoVdXYbF20UvuVIxMFyHt1TZCDRaXd0fQuN5XkczPlji0turJ2ReMD16xwu_8PwRV2i-pRt19V_4uUS_C/s400/P14.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceri's 18th birthday - Amy Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><u>Thursday 8<sup>th</sup> August
2019</u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our final morning, it was a final chance
to get up early one last time to experience the amazing area by the
observatory. After some early morning birding, we all returned to the obs ready
to lead an activity which we had been given a few days to prepare for.
Following Amy’s fascinating role play where we acted in different roles for a
Hen Harrier Reintroduction scheme, we started the day with a light-hearted,
animal emoji quiz organised by Alfie, which was unsurprisingly competitive!
Luke then started an interesting, environmental debate, which really brought
out some interesting views from all of us, while Gethin continued with a British
wildlife quiz, testing our understanding of conservation techniques used in the
UK. Before we went outside, Ceri led a well-planned, detailed ‘classroom-like’ situation,
which cleverly highlighted the importance humans have in protecting nature.
With the sun shining in the warmest day of the week, Megan began a competitive
bird race in the nearby area, with the two teams managing to see some decent
species including a juvenile Cuckoo. To finish off the activities, we both organised
a Bioblitz of the obs garden, where we recorded as many species as possible in
our given time, before we headed back inside so Sam could lead a research task
on some of the animals we’d seen. Not only did we see and note some interesting
species, but also got to learn some fascinating facts about some common British
creatures.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEa87nIMqossTtfchkV3J0sxnMp2tlaKvWQ5yJZcgoxn7PDmV4dXs558DQDFV8tKAUzJfb45NDxeYWjLcETEune1U9wFIVSXToyWsXI5DauDqpZsLlZ9KlsFXtMrKlqj46h0I7rBrEDKa/s1600/P15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEa87nIMqossTtfchkV3J0sxnMp2tlaKvWQ5yJZcgoxn7PDmV4dXs558DQDFV8tKAUzJfb45NDxeYWjLcETEune1U9wFIVSXToyWsXI5DauDqpZsLlZ9KlsFXtMrKlqj46h0I7rBrEDKa/s400/P15.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arjun and Jonny's BioBlitz from the migration platform - Nick Moran</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our last morning had so far been awesome, and
after a relaxed lunch spending time talking to each other, we had time to speak
individually to the leaders of the course, where we were given advice specific
to ourselves, to help our own leadership in nature activities in the future. We
also had the chance to give back feedback on how we thought the week had gone,
so that future years’ could be even better.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp_m3HKO1sgm6BmTY6szMf-eHaoHD0wr_mi9AGoLOv1b81OPInM2Sz0y828A7cxD-0IRMqNbdTIxpmrId2HD0gkRHFLsxsDR4thcbZbRRFAeA97c8-siknq21bTEMRJ-Yu0RJkf_Z7Um0/s1600/P16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp_m3HKO1sgm6BmTY6szMf-eHaoHD0wr_mi9AGoLOv1b81OPInM2Sz0y828A7cxD-0IRMqNbdTIxpmrId2HD0gkRHFLsxsDR4thcbZbRRFAeA97c8-siknq21bTEMRJ-Yu0RJkf_Z7Um0/s400/P16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BTO Young Leaders 2019!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Once we’d done this, we spent some time
analysing how to measure success. For us, we all agreed the week had been
extremely useful and every one of us enjoyed it. This brought an end to the
Young Leaders Course, and we could only thank the 4 real leaders for their
incredible effort over the 4 days; thanks to Nick Moran, Faye Vogely, Nick
Whitehouse and Shaun Robson, for organising such a beneficial, enjoyable event,
that we would all fondly remember. Also many thanks to the BTO, and to Spurn
Bird Observatory for hosting us.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
(AD, JF)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Thank you for reading, and
hopefully Spurn will be welcoming you next year. <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
This year's Young Leaders were: </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red;"><o:p> </o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Alfie
Bloor</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/martes_martes_">@martes_martes_</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Amy Hall</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/AmyHallWildlife">@AmyHallWildlife</a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Arjun
Dutta</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/ArjunDutta215">@ArjunDutta215</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Ceri Archer</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/CeriArcher">@CeriArcher</a></div>
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<b>Gethin Jenkin-Jones</b></div>
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<b>Jonathan Farooqi</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanfarooqi">@jonathanfarooqi</a></div>
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<b>Luke
Hawkins</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Megan McCleverty</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/stonechat_42">@stonechat_42</a><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span><o:p> </o:p> </div>
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<b>Samuel Levy</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/FinchleyBirder">@FinchleyBirder</a></div>
<br />FayeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827668208919343886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-61720259936035606882019-10-04T10:00:00.000+01:002019-10-04T10:00:12.651+01:00The State of Nature 2019 – an eye to the futureOn the 4th of October, an historic and informative report titled ‘<a href="http://bit.ly/TheStateofNature">State of Nature 2019</a>’ will be published by more than 50 non-governmental organisations, including <a href="https://www.bto.org/">BTO</a>, <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/">RSPB </a>and <a href="https://www.wwt.org.uk/">WWT</a>. The report highlights how we have contributed to the change in wildlife populations in Britain, its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. Most of the data used in the report are from citizen science projects, schemes which encourage the public, like us, to record what we see and submit it to research and conservation organisations.<br />
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This year, the report has been led by young conservationists, writing its forward and presenting it. The report will be the third of its kind, with one now published every three years. This blog will focus more on how human impacts are affecting the UK’s birds, which is an important topic in the report.<br />
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The State of Nature Report 2019 covers seven ‘drivers of change’, aspects which affect bird populations, as well as plants and other animals. These are agricultural management, climate change, urbanisation, pollution, hydrological change, woodland management and invasive non-native species.<br />
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One of the largest aspects that the report covers is agricultural management. In the UK, a huge 72 percent of our land is managed as farmland. These are habitats in themselves, with birds such as Yellowhammer, Skylark and Cirl Bunting living in this environment. However, it is due to the rapid intensification of farmland management that farmland birds have declined, more than in any other habitat: by 54 percent since 1970. Despite few records of change over time, it has been widely noticed that the use of pesticides especially has increased over the last 40 years. This is the case in the majority of the country. In Scotland, farmland birds are faring better than in the rest of the UK, due to less dramatic changes in land management.<br />
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Another large impact on birds covered in the report is the effect of urbanisation. This consists of natural habitat being destroyed, and converted into houses, shops, factories and buildings, which often fragments and isolates bird populations. Thanks to increasing awareness, some communities have made their environment better for birds, by creating nesting sites and providing bird feeders, and as a result, many songbirds species thrive because of this.<br />
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Due to the growing abundance of bird feeders in urban areas, and other factors associated with the built environment, scientists have questioned the health of urban birds. Bird feeders may contribute to the spread of avian diseases because they attract large numbers of birds to feed in a small area, increasing the risk of disease transmission. The emergence of Finch-trichomonosis has caused Greenfinch populations to decline by 65 percent since 2006, with a similar though less severe pattern of decline seen in Chaffinch. In addition, it has been discovered that urban birds may show higher levels of stress than observed in populations elsewhere. For example, <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0083">research </a>shows that urban Blackbirds have shortened telomeres; telomeres are the ends of chromosomes, and their length has been linked to longevity and general health. This is a worrying sign for our songbirds.<br />
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It is not just birds which have seen dramatic changes. The report measures the trends of the populations of the 696 terrestrial and freshwater fish species. The abundance of these species has exhibited a significant decline of 13 percent between 1970 and 2016. Over this period, 41 percent of these species had strong or moderate decreases, 26 percent showed strong or moderate increases and 33 percent showed little change in population.<br />
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When this report is released, people up and down the country should take action. Surveyors and volunteers on reserves will be aware of the wildlife populations in their areas, recording them, improving habitat management and helping the species which are in strongest decline to recover.<br />
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You may feel that change is out of our hands, but there are things we can do on our doorstep. This could be as simple as hanging bird feeders and nest boxes and cleaning them regularly. Also, you could create a pond out of an old container, or plant wildflowers. You could even get in touch with local development schemes, and advise them to make rooftop gardens, and put Swift nest boxes around their buildings. Most importantly, recording is key: by keeping a count of the wildlife you see in your garden, town or local patch, and submitting it to organisations like BTO, you are collecting valuable data, and in turn contributing to the next report.<br />
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The byproduct of all this is a harmonious coexistence between people and wildlife: an improved state of mind, sustainable living and better connection between communities.<br />
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Kabir Kaul<br />
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kaulofthewild.com<br />
@Kaulofthewilduk<br />
<br />Mike Tomshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599543659438934662noreply@blogger.com0Unnamed Road, High Peak SK22, UK53.387991726078425 -1.933204547776767932.259381226078425 -43.241798547776767 74.516602226078419 39.375389452223232tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-50642431490109261802019-10-02T15:40:00.000+01:002019-10-02T15:44:58.541+01:00MigFest, me and the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder competitionHi, my name is Isabel Robson and I am 11 years old. I have just finished my first week at high school. What better way to complete the week than go to Spurn?<br />
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In my opinion Spurn is an amazing place because of the birds, the people and the landscape. It is the fourth or fifth time at Migfest for me and, as often is the way, it falls on or around my dad’s birthday. My main reason for going this year was to take part in the <b>Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder competition (MGSYB)</b>. I had sent in an application earlier in the year and I had been anxiously waiting for a reply to see if I had made it through as a finalist. After waiting patiently, I heard back from the BTO and I had got through! So, after some final preparation, I was ready. Watch out Spurn, here I come!<br />
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On Friday night, my dad and I rocked up at Spurn and we went straight to Westmere Farm to put up our tent. This took about five minutes, meaning we were soon walking back up the track to check in and get our red wristbands. We had a quick scout about to see which stalls were in the barn. Soon afterwards we went to listen to <a href="https://theurbanbirder.com/">David Lindo</a>’s lecture about urban birding and traveling. One of my favourite features was seeing the photos of these crazy birds and of the hundreds of owls roosting in a Serbian town square. I thought that they were absolutely magical! </div>
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I woke up on Saturday morning thinking, I have quite a day
before me. When we got up, we had breakfast, but we did it a little differently
- a couple of bacon baps from the Spurn Ladies in the barn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sat down and devoured them within 10
minutes as these were some of the best in the world -cooked to perfection! For
the MGSYB competition, Chris Galvin from <a href="https://www.opticron.co.uk/">Opticron</a>
kindly leant me a pair of Opticron bins (an upgrade on my own). <o:p></o:p></div>
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News came out about a Marsh Warbler in Church Field which
was being processed by the ringing team lead by Paul Collins. It was good to
see a species which I had seen on a few occasions in the reedbeds of Blacktoft
Sands and the like, close up in the hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkQGdknJc5OXR0eNgyaAsGXZpPEWbxxpnS0CikLRSEDPAdrl3BYgBJPA1Y9lQLzBOpBjvZ7QrvtMKZw3O0-4C0NmBl1XMDVSMgHoZfPM2jY2oRLuGyN65K6_MN67xKyFKvzth3YaJNrUf/s1600/IMG_9970+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Marsh Warbler at Spurn MigFest" border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkQGdknJc5OXR0eNgyaAsGXZpPEWbxxpnS0CikLRSEDPAdrl3BYgBJPA1Y9lQLzBOpBjvZ7QrvtMKZw3O0-4C0NmBl1XMDVSMgHoZfPM2jY2oRLuGyN65K6_MN67xKyFKvzth3YaJNrUf/s400/IMG_9970+crop.jpg" title="Marsh Warbler at Spurn MigFest" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marsh Warbler</td></tr>
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The MGSYB competition is made up of five key stages: estuary, bushes, lab, vismig and sea watching. </div>
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This was the order that I did them in. Firstly, I looked over the Humber estuary with Jonnie Fisk. I was asked to identify three waders and then to answer several questions about wader plumage, breeding status and migration. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having my photo taken with the other young birders</td></tr>
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Secondly, the bushes beckoned with Paul Stancliffe leading the way. Again, it was a case of identifying three birds in the hedgerows and trees, then answering questions about the differences between the appearance or calls of certain species. During this session I picked up on a Tree Pipit by call, amongst the hundreds of mipits passing over on the day. Next was the lab stage with Sarah Harris, this included identifying different feather names such as primaries etc. and evaluating BirdTrack data such as migration charts and range. Then it was time for vismig with Andy Hanby. This was mainly about the migrants expected to be seen or heard on passage and identifying calls. A while later I was sea watching with Lizzie Bruce. I was most excited for this stage because I personally think that it is my strongest area, having enjoying staying on the world-renowned seabird colony of Skokholm with Rich and Giselle on a few occasions and loving visits to the Farne Islands. It turned out that it wasn’t that busy and we only just managed a few birds, despite the promising northerlies! The limited selection included Gannet, Cormorant, Sandwich Tern and Herring Gull. </div>
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The lunch that followed was amazing because the Spurn Ladies had prepared a lovely meal, large enough to be called a feast. </div>
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We had a wander up to Kilnsea Wetlands where the highlights were a distant White-rumped Sandpiper and several Med Gulls. It was good to see a Caspian Gull in the field to the north of the wetlands too. For dinner, there was a wonderful hog roast (or vegetarian options too). Later on, in the evening, the awards presentation took place for the MGSYB. In first place for the 11-13 years category was Corin Woodhead and for the 14-16 category was James King receiving Opticron and Swarovski bins respectively. Fantastic top prizes! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtia4ui-UrYRyN6PqxjKNOPFvxA-wxOQPzgZKo3K1dphucysjuVVmiPfhC0jm_PVkZm6WBmqCNF_6RwQaAJ3HZRlrdFDRTbXvoMo9aZCXIAczMtJwB5re3nunfOEqKMkiJwkQl3SuNZd9/s1600/IMG_0963.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtia4ui-UrYRyN6PqxjKNOPFvxA-wxOQPzgZKo3K1dphucysjuVVmiPfhC0jm_PVkZm6WBmqCNF_6RwQaAJ3HZRlrdFDRTbXvoMo9aZCXIAczMtJwB5re3nunfOEqKMkiJwkQl3SuNZd9/s400/IMG_0963.JPEG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The awards presentation</td></tr>
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All finalists received membership of Spurn Bird Observatory and the British Trust for Ornithology as well as complimentary subscriptions to Rare Bird Alert and British Birds, not forgetting a wonderful glass trophy. </div>
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Per Alstrom’s lecture which was great. I particularly enjoyed the fact that he showed the maps of the migration routes and breeding range of the warblers that he talked about. He made it easier to understand tricky subjects like the Greenish Warbler complex.</div>
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The next morning, I actually managed to enjoy Spurn inside the barn and out and about birding. First of all, my dad and I were having a look at all the stalls that were set up and I was drawn to the glass animals by Amanda Newell at Dragonfly Glass Art and colleagues and in the afternoon, I bought a beautiful swallow from her. </div>
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A bird race was organised by previous winner Jack Bradbury and we spent the following two hours noting 69 species mainly around the triangle and Canal Scrape areas, with a brief look at the Humber estuary and the sea. Highlights included a Curlew Sandpiper (one of three) with a leg flag and Arctic and Great Skuas over the sea plus a flyby Mandarin! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The young birders 'bird race' with Darren Woodhead</td></tr>
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Later on, a Barred Warbler was caught, so we all rushed down to see it at the Warren. It’s a good job we left in the middle of our lunch, as we only just got there in time before it was released! When we came back to Westmere, we packed up our tent and I helped Paul (who had recently broken his hand) put his pop-up tent down and then we left to go birding at Kilnsea Wetlands before we left for good and went back home. We were rewarded with great views of several Curlew Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet and more.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curlew Sandpiper at Spurn</td></tr>
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Having met Martin Garner at BirdFair on a number of occasions when I was younger, it is great to think that his infectious enthusiasm lives on through this competition here. “It’s a reyt place Spurn!”, as he might have said.</div>
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<b>Isabel Robson</b></div>
Mike Tomshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599543659438934662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-72270537659792685462018-01-31T14:24:00.000+00:002018-01-31T14:24:21.303+00:00Exploring your garden at night<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Georgia Locock is an
inspiring young conservationist who has been working tirelessly on conservation
topics close to her heart and encouraging a younger generation to take to arms.
She recently completed an almost 200 mile walk during which she raised £3000
for BTO’s research on her favourite bird, the Swift.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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There is no other way that I can describe collecting a trail
camera the morning after it’s been set up overnight other than the feeling of
excitement you get as a child on Christmas morning. I still get this exact
feeling. The first time I set my trail camera up was in my back garden. From a
young age, my garden was always a place that inspired my interest in natural
history. As I grew older, so did my interest, and I was forever longing to
learn more about how every crevice and hole in the garden was being used and by
what. For many years, I remember Hedgehogs returning. It was either the odd one
scuttling around during the day or just before I went to bed when the backdoor
sensor light was set off by one mooching in the grass. But, as a budding young
naturalist, I needed to know more about what these nocturnal animals were up to
when the lights when out and I went to bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A fox in the garden was a complete surprise.</div>
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This was until the day I got a trail camera. The motion
sensor camera would give me an insight into the wildlife that was visiting my
garden when I wasn’t there. This included the night time visitors and what was
visiting the bird feeders during the day whilst I was at school, it was very
exciting. On the first occasion, I remember the camera loaded around ten, 30
second clips and images of three spiky visitors throughout the night. They all
visited and left the garden at different times and in different directions. The
joy and excitement of this insight was hard to get my head around! My newfound
love for trail cameras was established and nothing in my garden was to go
unseen or undiscovered again!<o:p></o:p></div>
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My trail camera experiences have created some of my best
wildlife recording moments. On some occasions, I also recorded species that I
had no idea were visiting. For example, although they’re common in some
gardens, I had the surprise of capturing a Red Fox! Beyond the boundaries of my
garden, I’ve also had the privilege of capturing my favourite mammal, the
Badger. I’ve had many moments of getting quick glimpses of watching these timid
mammals whilst watching setts. But, with the use of my trail camera, I
discovered a whole new insight into their lives. This included bundles of
personality and in various clips I recorded all sorts of behaviour: from cubs
and adults playing to adults grooming each other in groups of three and four.
Other species that I have filmed with my trail camera have included Mink, Roe
and Fallow Deer and an Otter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YMVXTctWk20/WnHQ4lCveDI/AAAAAAAACrI/hzBymut7EXM6zh9If-jGfdc43DU78FucQCLcBGAs/s1600/Georgia%2BLocock%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="937" height="236" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YMVXTctWk20/WnHQ4lCveDI/AAAAAAAACrI/hzBymut7EXM6zh9If-jGfdc43DU78FucQCLcBGAs/s320/Georgia%2BLocock%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Discovering more about Badger's behaviour with trail cams.</div>
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The benefits of using technology to record wildlife in this
way is incredible. Every time I have spoken in schools or to groups of young
children about wildlife, as soon as I play a trail camera clip their eyes light
up and beams of interest for these wild creatures radiate - as did mine when I
first watched a night’s trail camera footage.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Georgia Locock<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Young conservationist
and blogger<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-14403335305740557092017-10-24T11:39:00.000+01:002017-10-24T11:40:09.084+01:00The magic of Spurn, by Zach HaynesThe Autumn months are some of my favourite. There’s the wonderful colours of the trees turning, and there’s also the migrations. It starts to get cold, but that doesn’t stop some of us! There are lots of places for the hardy nature lover to go and see this wonderful spectacle, and, in my opinion, Yorkshire has one of the best places to see migration in action. I’m talking about Spurn Point and it’s one of my favourite places to go. It’s located in East Yorkshire, and is a long strip of land that stretches about 3 and a half miles into the Humber Estuary. One of the things I find quite amazing is that you can watch the sun rise and set over the sea!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVyjoMDYPzw4gNVZLkzofCe7bv1mJ21sv7SKnFuNVi6P365tqWSRg_1516Ub_Oa4J873c0Zw-zfafqetLbVuPeUOlkmhqqFl6FIPaqY8K-3Io6fWP0L5Tn6G5-iqEpur4KJAboFMsGX8/s1600/IMG_6127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVyjoMDYPzw4gNVZLkzofCe7bv1mJ21sv7SKnFuNVi6P365tqWSRg_1516Ub_Oa4J873c0Zw-zfafqetLbVuPeUOlkmhqqFl6FIPaqY8K-3Io6fWP0L5Tn6G5-iqEpur4KJAboFMsGX8/s400/IMG_6127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise at Spurn by Zach Haynes</td></tr>
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This place is one of the birding greats. It's a National Nature Reserve and 40,000 people flock here at all times of the year to see the amazing wildlife that turns up. For the past 5 years, there’s been a great little event called <a href="http://www.spurnmigfest.com/">Migfest</a> held at Spurn. This is a held in Autumn when migration is at its peak, and usually, something rare turns up!<br />
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At this time of year, the numbers of birds are astonishing, in two days, 4,000 meadow pipits were counted! There’s also the vast number of other birds, like goldfinch, redwing, gulls, tern, and all sorts of wader and sea birds, seen over the point, or over the sea. It's the prefect place for studying bird migration and the staff and volunteers of <a href="http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/">Spurn Bird Observatory</a> have been doing just that for decades. The landscape is also absolutely beautiful, with the peninsula sticking right out into the North Sea, and an abandoned army outpost and lighthouse at the end, Spurn is an incredible landscape, and at this time of year, it’s amazing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the lighthouse by Zach Haynes</td></tr>
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If you’re a birder, Spurn has an amazing amount of birds, and also some great rarities if you get lucky. The rarest bird I’ve seen there is a Long-billed Dowitcher, but also things such as Kentish Plover and Pied Flycatcher. The reason for the huge numbers of birds is because of the placement of the land. Peninsulas seem to be some of the best places for this, this is because as the birds fly along the coastline, they try to keep the land in sight, so the birds will fly along and down the point as they can still see the land there. The Point acts as a sort of funnel to bring birds in vast numbers to one spot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkAy4oSF7FNZQ4HF9jwPzIX_cHZJumvgVodorMHtk23SPE_hz3lt57S4_3IutgTjZf_u6-C2NX-n13-Mr5hJU2VuPyr7w_46-qMdiG16asADifi2b2n3cmiDeIYeaG5BAM5yynbqSwSU/s1600/IMG_8450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkAy4oSF7FNZQ4HF9jwPzIX_cHZJumvgVodorMHtk23SPE_hz3lt57S4_3IutgTjZf_u6-C2NX-n13-Mr5hJU2VuPyr7w_46-qMdiG16asADifi2b2n3cmiDeIYeaG5BAM5yynbqSwSU/s400/IMG_8450.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdwatchers watching a Long-billed Dowitcher at Spurn on September 2017, photo by Zach Haynes</td></tr>
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Because of the incredibly fragile wildlife that lives here, there are a lot of ‘rules’ that the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have had to put in place. Firstly, there are no dogs allowed on the reserve or point, Spurn has a huge variety of wildlife, including things like ground nesting birds and deer, so to protect these and their habitat, they’ve had to prohibit these, as well as vehicles. All access is strictly on foot or bike. The Trust also runs ‘Spurn Safaris’. These wonderful trips involve a couple of experts on the point taking you down on a specially equipped vehicle that they have. They take you right down to the end of the point to where the abandoned army outpost and the lighthouse are. These places are host to some amazing wildlife, birds especially. Being so far east and surrounded by water it’s a natural land fall point for birds migrating from the continent. Usually every year some sort of rare warbler or wader turns up and if it’s right down the end of the point that makes it fun for the birders taking a three-mile run down to see it!<br />
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On top of all the amazing wildlife, the people that are regular to Spurn are some of the nicest people you’ll meet. They are incredibly helpful to new birders, are open to any questions and they’ll always let you know where the latest amazing find has been seen. You’re usually tipped off to this quite well by lots of birders with backpacks and scopes running in the same direction yelling things like ‘Long-billed Dowitcher’ at you as they hurtle along.<br />
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In my opinion, Migfest is one of the best ways to learn about birds, and the wonderful landscape it’s held at. It’s a very friendly festival which is organised by Spurn Bird Observatory, everyone’s relaxed and you get great organisations like the BTO along. I had a great time meeting up with everyone again this year and can’t wait for next year’s, though I’m sure I’ll be back at Spurn before then! Maybe I'll bump into you there?<br />
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Zach, <a href="https://twitter.com/nerdboy386?lang=en">@nerboy386</a><br />
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Spurn Bird Observatory: <a href="http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/">http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/</a><br />
Migfest: <a href="http://www.spurnmigfest.com/">http://www.spurnmigfest.com/</a><br />
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<br />Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-80609497569494535342017-10-23T12:03:00.000+01:002018-01-09T09:52:55.656+00:00Nest boxes and winter feeding, by Noah WalkerTwo years ago I started what I thought would be a relatively small nest box project restricted to a small wood near where I live. However over the past two years, more and more boxes have been going up, more land has been covered and more feeding has begun. Now I have around 200 nest boxes of varying types spread over 8, soon to be 9 sites (3 woodland and 5 farmland). <a href="https://btoyoungbirders.blogspot.com/2016/02/get-into-nest-boxes-by-noah-walker.html">As I said in my last post in 2016</a> most of the nest boxes are targeted at woodland birds such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Nuthatches. Now though I’m trying to focus on Tree Sparrows around the Thames Valley. Tree Sparrows declined by 96% in England between 1967 and 2014 and are a rare sight in most areas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This graph from the Breeding Bird Survey shows how much Tree Sparrows have declined in England.</td></tr>
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Recently the project took a big step forward with support from the RSPB and a number of local farmers who were keen to help their farmland birds. Currently we are working with 8 farms trying to aid the recovery of typical farmland bird species through feeding. At 5 of these farms we are specifically aiding the return of Tree Sparrows by putting up nest boxes and feeding intensively. At this time of year I move from checking and monitoring nest boxes to maintenance and bird feeding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OxfIDMdirAPp9eQ_4dfplrWeYX7lo8f9xLOjQBns0K-bYu3X3_d6-4KMxlNsMB7C5gfGwnaw2P9c9IkrFOQRlbuHOxwRewjopBJZnex1FgdqP1KSTSmfXxkKJ3_pcLVLXdWbenNf7cg/s1600/Tree+Sparrow-Harding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OxfIDMdirAPp9eQ_4dfplrWeYX7lo8f9xLOjQBns0K-bYu3X3_d6-4KMxlNsMB7C5gfGwnaw2P9c9IkrFOQRlbuHOxwRewjopBJZnex1FgdqP1KSTSmfXxkKJ3_pcLVLXdWbenNf7cg/s400/Tree+Sparrow-Harding.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Sparrows, photo by John Harding</td></tr>
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This winter I will also be making 20 more boxes for a new farm that has great potential for Tree Sparrows. Unfortunately Tree Sparrows won’t use the boxes until the second year of them being up so its especially important they go up as soon as possible to maximise the chance of them being used. Occasionally I have to empty out the nest box of the old nest. Usually I don’t do this as Tree Sparrows will reuse the old nest material and just refurbish the nest. Instead I only clean the boxes that have become full of Earwigs and faeces or contain dead chicks engulfed by the nest material from the previous year. At a few of the farms I have put up Little Owl boxes and a Barn Owl box so over the winter I will be checking the Little Owl boxes for signs of roosting individuals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0HbNxSHQML7UAUWqsaAphx_jeTFVGbK6MmS2UIe1JSSd7BUS7keA94Tt51g_aKQW-_NqrBJtP2ypqLkxdQvFlkEHv5VN3v26jjCSvFSMrisOqgIUvLBYwhRQxUEYvJjzTNoVKNDngkE/s1600/Little+Owl+chicks+by+Giddens.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0HbNxSHQML7UAUWqsaAphx_jeTFVGbK6MmS2UIe1JSSd7BUS7keA94Tt51g_aKQW-_NqrBJtP2ypqLkxdQvFlkEHv5VN3v26jjCSvFSMrisOqgIUvLBYwhRQxUEYvJjzTNoVKNDngkE/s400/Little+Owl+chicks+by+Giddens.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopefully one day soon Little Owls will nest in one of my boxes! This beautiful clutch was photographed by Graham Giddens.</td></tr>
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Within the Tree Sparrow project the nest boxes provide a good nest site that Tree sparrows would otherwise struggle to find. This should help the productivity (breeding success) of the bird improve but then the young still have to make it through the rest of the summer and the following winter. To help the juvenile survival rates improve I will start feeding at all 8 of the farms within the next few weeks. At 5 of them I have been feeding since July because this should stop juveniles dying in the first few weeks of fledging and build the juvenile Tree Sparrow flocks up. Putting feeders out during the summer also means any ‘pioneer’ juveniles (dispersing from further away sites) will lock onto the food and further build the population. Other species that benefit from the feeding are Yellowhammers, Corn buntings, Reed Buntings, Linnets and Chaffinches in particular. To get the best idea of the strength of the populations of different species we ring at the sites during the winter. This gives us data on the movement, size and health of the population and any birds ringed as young in nest boxes could be re-caught and add evidence of juvenile survival.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvohBhc85caCLjuxHENFhc1-QvTXi-gucL-BVqTLjsFssL02AfuoMxkHw7rODP6ysS5JQ6JcecK3zFPTOcIge0op3n68I1Vu0-8fT3P4phIlpl6TNF9J4aaTZW6xE6CnqGPnE42pQ_XiI/s1600/Feeder+by+Noah+Walker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvohBhc85caCLjuxHENFhc1-QvTXi-gucL-BVqTLjsFssL02AfuoMxkHw7rODP6ysS5JQ6JcecK3zFPTOcIge0op3n68I1Vu0-8fT3P4phIlpl6TNF9J4aaTZW6xE6CnqGPnE42pQ_XiI/s400/Feeder+by+Noah+Walker.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of my feeders</td></tr>
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In the woodland site I will be putting up some nest boxes for Tawny Owls and Kestrels. Although too late for Tawny owls breeding next year it should give them time to investigate it and hopefully use it the following year. The rest of the small (passerine) nest boxes will be checked for any damage. Typically the nest boxes in woodland need cleaning out more often. This is usually because the species using them have more juvenile deaths and being on trees as opposed to posts they seem to get more bugs in.<br />
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I hope this post gives you some ideas for things you might do over the winter months.<br />
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Noah Walker, <a href="https://twitter.com/NoahWal01">@NoahWal01</a><br />
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-38005945744215930752017-10-13T12:33:00.000+01:002017-10-13T12:33:13.267+01:00My internship at Bardsey Bird Observatory, by Elliot MontiethFrom July 27th through to September 2nd, I found myself situated on the island of Bardsey in Wales, ready to spend 5 weeks there as part of my Autumn Internship, kindly offered to me by the <a href="http://www.bbfo.org.uk/">Bardsey Bird & Field Observatory</a> Warden Steve Stansfield, having been impressed with my work at the observatory earlier in the year for my college work experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCmNeEodkvvLcDgWKt0f0aVcmjreTNXkVnuu3yHdflvflmfmQScQBHzEr1WRKkYc2-Um-2aO5ZpMtXgmXD4wY43iCvWjMh-kCmH72eV2p0AKZ5ftfmFGXoUrmfNu1abOizhgPWyaB3gw/s1600/Dunlin+by+Elliot+Montieth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1200" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCmNeEodkvvLcDgWKt0f0aVcmjreTNXkVnuu3yHdflvflmfmQScQBHzEr1WRKkYc2-Um-2aO5ZpMtXgmXD4wY43iCvWjMh-kCmH72eV2p0AKZ5ftfmFGXoUrmfNu1abOizhgPWyaB3gw/s400/Dunlin+by+Elliot+Montieth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunlin (Calidris alpina) – One of the first migrant waders to start passing through Bardsey and this individual proved it self a cooperative photography subject.</td></tr>
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I first experienced life on Bardsey back in August 2016 whilst on a Next Generation Birders (NGB) trip to the island where I simply fell head over heels for the place: birds were coming in both quantity as well as quality, coating every bit of vegetation in sight, the scenery was utterly breath-taking and a good half hour after scaling the mountain you’d be rewarded with a transfixing view across not only Enlli its self, but also across the Irish sea into the heart of Co. Wexford. But that’s not all that Bardsey has to offer, as just as important as the birdlife is the botanical side of the island with nationally scarce Sharp Rush (Juncus acutus), Small Adders Tounge (Ophioglossum azoricum) and Western Clover (Trifolium occidentale) along with the fantastic Golden-haired Lichen (Teloschistes flavicans) all being scattered across the island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5M4wQyCiD_9jvCJ8SYpQsaNJLeuZ10dHp4IchTraROCFPMs5GHS7ascXbDzU5Rmy7jwhCrasgHO2CEkyR5eCDjWtjCbAxNy1zfUzy7JI14KWepwvJKd8H6WzHWwl5NwsHDkbpyJ9VdT4/s1600/ringo-2-bardsey_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="334" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5M4wQyCiD_9jvCJ8SYpQsaNJLeuZ10dHp4IchTraROCFPMs5GHS7ascXbDzU5Rmy7jwhCrasgHO2CEkyR5eCDjWtjCbAxNy1zfUzy7JI14KWepwvJKd8H6WzHWwl5NwsHDkbpyJ9VdT4/s400/ringo-2-bardsey_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Ringed Plover - A species that after many attempts i finally nailed a decent image of </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As at every site it’s the wildlife that makes you remember it and gives it the reputation etc. Yet, on this delightful spot of land in the middle of the Irish Sea you have to remember one thing and it’s that you’re on an island and with that comes a limited social mix. Given the fact I’ve got Asperger’s Syndrome I wasn’t expecting to immediately fit in, get along with people or feel accepted as part of the Bardsey family during my time on the island. Yet I was proven totally wrong as within a matter of few days in to my 5 week stay I felt accepted and created life-long bonds with people I never thought I would, with in times when things hit me hard, there was always a shoulder to cry on with Steve & Emma being there when I needed someone<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG50ND0ArRzT6KYem5yJnjQgM0tegmzZyxAom4hCvYXjZDDtzQVaGpI0sRGqKQC0xKzJsXen7l4YHPiQfdvialaCgAo3nMQfH80i4gExc1k7reqnlyiVKPw0DHZ63hhpe0f0ZAypjP-_o/s1600/BBFO+Internship+-+Steve+Stainsfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG50ND0ArRzT6KYem5yJnjQgM0tegmzZyxAom4hCvYXjZDDtzQVaGpI0sRGqKQC0xKzJsXen7l4YHPiQfdvialaCgAo3nMQfH80i4gExc1k7reqnlyiVKPw0DHZ63hhpe0f0ZAypjP-_o/s400/BBFO+Internship+-+Steve+Stainsfield.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Assisting the BBFO in their Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), studying was certainly an experience I’ll never forget. Perhaps one day I might be able to come back and ring a few myself!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A question you may be asking is why Bardsey? There’s 19 registered Bird Observatories scattered across the UK, any of which I could have visited: Fair Isle, Spurn, Skokholm, Isle of May, Cape Clear and the observatory that’s right on my door step, Hilbre Island; are all places I could have spent my summer hols at if I wished. Why I chose Bardsey was not only because of the aforementioned reasons, but also because not all bird observatories actually offer volunteering opportunities such as an internship, and given the fact I was offered work experience, it’s easily accessible and I already had a connection with island, it was an obvious choice!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpApBs6cqe9-nuOwUFrRLqRtyTWeiZH_dJyUXpmZ1eSC-ZBVGp4wU8BdfKN1UP2gaelIuoNnR79IRTssf25-Qo0V8mXZf6DmlLLcUVf0vhXU7kf79MpYaSqk3j8buspHVYEjrMKaL5lI/s1600/long-eared-owl-bardsey_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="490" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpApBs6cqe9-nuOwUFrRLqRtyTWeiZH_dJyUXpmZ1eSC-ZBVGp4wU8BdfKN1UP2gaelIuoNnR79IRTssf25-Qo0V8mXZf6DmlLLcUVf0vhXU7kf79MpYaSqk3j8buspHVYEjrMKaL5lI/s400/long-eared-owl-bardsey_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) – One of the star birds from the stay, a cracking bird flushed by Ben Porter and I on an evenings walk round the mountain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next question is then what do you do when working at one of the UK’s best bird observatories? Well, to answer that question then is quite simply a lot, and from my experience it helps to have common sense combined with a practical/imaginative way of thinking. One thing that I enjoy is that you’re never short of work, weather it’s completing your designated census route in the morning, assisting with writing up a report, going through transects to finish off a bee/butterfly survey, digitising data, repairing damaged areas of infrastructure or just simply maintaining the cleanliness of the observatory and forming a bond with the guests staying so that their enjoying the experience just as much as you are; such jobs and more are why I enjoy the lifestyle of an observatory, because you never get into that zone of boredom.<br />
<br />
The whole idea of an internship is so that you can gain an extended insight into the working lifestyle at an observatory and that is why I jumped at the chance of an internship at the BBFO. An experience that will look outstanding on a university application as well as a CV. As I sit now typing away in the BBFO Office, taking into account my times coming to a close, I find myself loving life at an bird observatory to such a degree that I actually wouldn’t mind taking things further and maybe work at an observatory one day.<br />
<br />
I mean, I like the work load, its varied nature, and, that a reasonable amount of it is based outdoors, it also involves writing and doing research which again is something I enjoy stuck into as well as working around the greatest love of my life, nature.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBB3PJslbZy6xkT99aQnqeByxCdx6l2N0Nrg7U6NxiFHge6Rhlhwh8Q37qzAGcOp1n5vn9bWN5uoG27iv6QQ9TFz3LxdTBO-ejwc4oRedRPG3XD3-kpZo8gWyvqey6tQQPzrYlRxgiROA/s1600/bardsey-convulvous_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBB3PJslbZy6xkT99aQnqeByxCdx6l2N0Nrg7U6NxiFHge6Rhlhwh8Q37qzAGcOp1n5vn9bWN5uoG27iv6QQ9TFz3LxdTBO-ejwc4oRedRPG3XD3-kpZo8gWyvqey6tQQPzrYlRxgiROA/s320/bardsey-convulvous_edited-1.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Bardsey experinced its best year yet for these monsters, Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli), with a grand total of 9 individuls being recorded throughout my stay. Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli)</span></div>
<div>
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</tbody></table>
Now, at the end of my internship, I find myself not only developing a deeper connection with the island of Bardsey and the people that are fortunate enough to call it home. But I now have a seed planted in my mind of a potential carrier path for the future. On that note I now have to say thank you to the people who helped make all this happen and made my internship such an enjoyable and memorable experience: Steve, Emma & Connor Stansfield, Liam Curson, Ephraim Perfect, Ben, Steve & Jo Porter, Josie Hewitt, Harry King, Luke Anderson, Kate Fox, Lizzie Forest and of course Colin Evans, the unsung hero of Bardsey for ferrying all island visitors from the mainland to this Welsh retreat.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Elliot. (<a href="http://twitter.com/Elliot_Montieth">@Elliot_montieth</a>)<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Website - </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://elliotsbirdingdiaries.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1507893582145000&usg=AFQjCNH6mC0VWlnfoWunYuEaBoo6Y0NMew" href="https://elliotsbirdingdiaries.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://<wbr></wbr>elliotsbirdingdiaries.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</a></span><br />
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Trip list: 115<br />
<br />
Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Northern Fulmar, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, European Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Red Kite, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Osprey, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, Purple Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Common Snipe, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Atlantic Puffin, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Common Guillemot, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sabine’s Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, European Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Long-eared Owl, Common Swift, Eurasian Wryneck, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Red-billed Chough, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Goldcrest, Common Firecrest, European Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, European Wren, Common Starling, Ring Ouzel, Common Blackbird, Spotted Flycatcher, European Robin, European Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, Western Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Rock Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch and Eurasian Siskin.Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-26169056285020862582017-08-02T13:54:00.000+01:002017-08-02T13:54:25.947+01:00Get volunteering! By Ben Moyes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been
volunteering at <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/m/minsmere/">RSPB Minsmere</a> for 4 years now, and I find it’s not only a
great way to connect with wildlife myself, but also to engage other people
visiting the reserve with wildlife too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My main role
as a volunteer at Minsmere is being a guide out on the reserve. This entails
sitting in the various hides, and talking to visitors that come in to look at
the wildlife, and showing it to them. I particularly like talking to children
that come into the hides and showing them Minsmere’s speciality species, as I
think that if you can get the younger generation hooked into wildlife, it bodes
well for the future generation. We need a greater number of young wildlife
enthusiasts, so do your bit, by getting your children to a local nature
reserve, and show them the wildlife that the area holds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are
many different roles you can undertake as a volunteer however. At Minsmere for
example, you can be a receptionist, caterer or shop assistant. In their own
way, they all link you to the wildlife around the reserve. For example, when
catering, you will overlook the bird feeders, which are usually very busy with
common bird species. Or, you may be outside collecting somebody's tray of food,
which overlooks the amazing Sand Martin colony in the summer, where you can
obtain really close views of flyby adults as they travel back and forth from
their nests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EFXo5bjTjETO0Jz6eNlrfDzx6SDvXVMJAuQZhREfV45L1gHdHt4fs2HtMzGA5gMYgiD1LeiR5MmliwlH_-FBXQ6NCwbfnZvF8g-4tYGsTtMvPZxMyCAN86MfevTD0PNBu4xG1B7Y7OI/s1600/Purple+Swamphen+by+Ben+Moyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="691" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EFXo5bjTjETO0Jz6eNlrfDzx6SDvXVMJAuQZhREfV45L1gHdHt4fs2HtMzGA5gMYgiD1LeiR5MmliwlH_-FBXQ6NCwbfnZvF8g-4tYGsTtMvPZxMyCAN86MfevTD0PNBu4xG1B7Y7OI/s400/Purple+Swamphen+by+Ben+Moyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple Swamphen by Ben Moyes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My main
interest in the wildlife world is birding, so whilst volunteering at Minsmere,
birds are the main species I look for. Of course, you cannot go around the
reserve without admiring the Avocets, Marsh Harrier, Bitterns or Bearded Tits.
However, I have seen a few rare birds whilst volunteering at Minsmere. These
include the Purple Swamphen, and American Cliff Swallow. I was lucky enough to
see the Swamphen multiple times whist guiding on the reserve, and it was great
to see a lot of people that didn’t know a great deal about birds coming to see
this fascinating creature.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DC9niL-MVkpsDFmYU5A43Q9_RtXGboshVMoVrQtPiI794ZQmkMKzoJH6q6TCIrtdkBlqXBKQYthuTONWMiJg1HedLh52EfKiRV6lm4CVx-xjrxfvPVYOfK_xyeff84fK1mLH48uCJ2o/s1600/American+Cliff+Swallow+by+Ben+Moyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DC9niL-MVkpsDFmYU5A43Q9_RtXGboshVMoVrQtPiI794ZQmkMKzoJH6q6TCIrtdkBlqXBKQYthuTONWMiJg1HedLh52EfKiRV6lm4CVx-xjrxfvPVYOfK_xyeff84fK1mLH48uCJ2o/s400/American+Cliff+Swallow+by+Ben+Moyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Cliff Swallow by Ben Moyes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moving away
from the wildlife, you cannot fault the café at Minsmere. Every day I volunteer
there this has to be one of my highlights! The cake is faultless, so when you
visit the reserve, do not go without getting a slice of cake!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Having
volunteering hours under your belt looks fantastic on your CV, and also when
applying for University courses, particularly in conservation work. So, if you
are a young birder, visit your local nature reserve, and become a volunteer.
You will learn so many different things about the wildlife you see every day
that you would not have noticed before, and it will be a great use of your free
time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ben Moyes, <a href="https://twitter.com/Ben_Moyes16">@Ben_Moyes16</a> </span></div>
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-27088601149188239672017-06-26T15:54:00.002+01:002017-06-26T16:00:13.657+01:00BTO Birdcamp 2016 & 2017, by Ben Moyes<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Launched in 2016, the BTO
hosted a Young Birders weekend at the BTO Headquarters at the Nunnery Lakes,
Thetford, which was sponsored by the <a href="http://cameronbespolka.com/">Cameron Bespolka Trust</a> in memory of
Cameron Bespolka. The aim of this event was to bring Young Birders from across
the UK together, and share their enthusiasm towards wildlife with other young
birders they had potentially never met before. After the success of 2016, the
Birdcamp was launched again in May 2017, where it was once again sponsored by
the Cameron Bespolka trust, and hosted by the BTO in Thetford. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Friday evening was the
first day of the Birdcamp, where the young birders were able to introduce
themselves to each other, before being given a briefing of the weekend and
moving to the campsite.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An early start was in order
for Saturday, where there were multiple activities hosted on the BTO’s Nunnery
Lakes reserve. These included bird ringing, nest recording, Common Bird Census
(CBC) Survey and a general birding group. These were all very successful as
they provided all of the young birders with some new skills, particularly from
the ringing and nest recording activities. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmum-pyha18AuEuIjFSxdZQp94KNOnBZzVla6_poBo-bwfpfTH9hl_0YetWEIDI082dN5PdFTtMK0VzdkK55lyEW7wEAeR6GFuhvEH7mePpmch9ZYBTe13-i_vNJ_gvfyUHD3qgc7jl8/s1600/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bird ringing demonstration at BTO Bird Camp 2017" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="639" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmum-pyha18AuEuIjFSxdZQp94KNOnBZzVla6_poBo-bwfpfTH9hl_0YetWEIDI082dN5PdFTtMK0VzdkK55lyEW7wEAeR6GFuhvEH7mePpmch9ZYBTe13-i_vNJ_gvfyUHD3qgc7jl8/s400/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter53.png" title="Bird ringing demonstration at BTO Bird Camp 2017" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird ringing demonstration at BTO Bird Camp 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From my perspective, in
2016, I was a participant, whereas in 2017, I was a helper. In 2016, these
activities helped me understand the different methods of conservation work and
how these methods could obtain vital information about the lives of some of the
UK’s bird species, whether they are residential or migrant birds. In 2017,
using the knowledge I had obtained from 2016, I was able to help the young
birders in gaining skills from the mornings activities, so they could become
more successful at finding nests and be more independent with the bird ringing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On both Birdcamps, the
Saturday afternoon saw us arriving at Lakenheath for an afternoon of birding.
On arrival, we were greeted by Dave Rodgers, the warden of the RSPB reserve,
who gave us an insight to the work that had been done at Lakenheath to maintain
a healthy population of some the UK’s rarest breeding birds (i.e. Bittern,
Marsh Harrier and Bearded Tit). This introduction was given to us in both
years, which I felt was really inspiring, as it gave the young birders an idea
as to the amount of work that has to go in to managing a reserve in order for
it to maintain its habitats, and its population of rare breeding birds. After a
walk around the reserve, we headed back to base in Thetford. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEc3fXMPxsVbdhQfzSVJDpmUPl32T9IHdn6_u-zI2EV5n2QWQynrvGfHLQyYWQjjwK7mRtaQfLCgUNkN3pU_J08j0MNI7X-WlLd7tiMDeUFRPNU9b0VTW7pqyLO1cZ1oARJpyr02AaZa0/s1600/Young+birders+at+Lakenheath.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="RSPB warden David Rodgers giving us an introduction to Lakenheath" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEc3fXMPxsVbdhQfzSVJDpmUPl32T9IHdn6_u-zI2EV5n2QWQynrvGfHLQyYWQjjwK7mRtaQfLCgUNkN3pU_J08j0MNI7X-WlLd7tiMDeUFRPNU9b0VTW7pqyLO1cZ1oARJpyr02AaZa0/s400/Young+birders+at+Lakenheath.png" title="RSPB warden David Rodgers giving us an introduction to Lakenheath" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RSPB warden David Rodgers giving us an introduction to Lakenheath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An addition to the Birdcamp
in 2017 was that the young birders were treated to two talks; One from Amy Hall
about her experience at the Cornell Bird Observatory in New York from 2016,
where she was given the opportunity to visit here for a week after being
selected by the BTO at the end of the 2016 Birdcamp. The other talk was given
by Ben Porter, from Bardsey Island, where he shared his experiences of living
on the island, and the daily activities he has to complete, including the
ringing of sea birds and working in the bird observatory. Both talks were very
inspirational to the other young birders, so I felt that the addition of talks
from other young birders to the Birdcamp was really successful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The evening saw us out
looking for Nightjars, with the possibility of being able to ring one. This was
led by Greg Conway, where the young birders we given some interesting
information about the behaviour of Nightjars, including feeding habits and
their migration routes. This part of the Birdcamp weekend is always one of the
best, especially as on both years we have been able to see a Nightjar being
ringed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDTy8n_rUnwgVZMcCWVrkw2ui7jNuFs0b289X-a0MaxemSLzXKybla1ER0PRzokK-1fK2Mgwvb-e7-khbR6MfeVYzkRHwNBSmiRpNG_-S30uTs3L4RUxgauQfofQR2SqUc094bsLRDto/s1600/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A Nightjar being ringed, photo by Ben Porter" border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDTy8n_rUnwgVZMcCWVrkw2ui7jNuFs0b289X-a0MaxemSLzXKybla1ER0PRzokK-1fK2Mgwvb-e7-khbR6MfeVYzkRHwNBSmiRpNG_-S30uTs3L4RUxgauQfofQR2SqUc094bsLRDto/s400/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter37.png" title="A Nightjar being ringed, photo by Ben Porter" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Nightjar being ringed, photo by Ben Porter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sunday morning gave the
young birders the opportunity to visit a Bird Observatory. This happened to be
Landguard Bird Observatory, on the Suffolk coast. One of the main interests
here on both years has been the moth trapping, which has been very successful
both years, with all of the young birders showing major interest. As a helper
in 2017, it was great to see how enthusiastic the young birders were in the
moth trapping, and this theme carried on throughout the weekend with the
introduction of a moth trap at the campsite. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDN_rRo3ovmirUg3X27F4Z8A8_C1TUWlmhQ7XRrMDOYSoHdSrkEYo_28E8QgiNSksZjgOEKB_HXiNS6dOcWJFmJ8oFtw8wBQGRikVmuHsR2wbSzQb6KY5F2R7mFm0HzgAT6M00VYIY0M/s1600/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter70.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Young birders at Landguard Bird Observatory by Ben Porter" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="640" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDN_rRo3ovmirUg3X27F4Z8A8_C1TUWlmhQ7XRrMDOYSoHdSrkEYo_28E8QgiNSksZjgOEKB_HXiNS6dOcWJFmJ8oFtw8wBQGRikVmuHsR2wbSzQb6KY5F2R7mFm0HzgAT6M00VYIY0M/s400/Birdcamp2017_BenPorter70.png" title="Young birders at Landguard Bird Observatory by Ben Porter" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young birders at Landguard Bird Observatory by Ben Porter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The final part of the
Birdcamp weekend was some birding on the Suffolk coast. On both years, as I
come from Suffolk, I had to ‘lead’ this part, as I was aware as to where to
find some of the target birds we were looking for. On both years, we managed to
see Dartford Warbler, Woodlark and Stonechat, with Redstart in 2016, rounding
off a fantastic weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being a helper in 2017, I
was able to use the knowledge I had obtained from being a participant in 2016
to help the young birders gain the best out of the weekend. Whether this was
the birds they saw, or how successful they were in the nest recording activity,
or even how many new friends they made over the weekend, I feel like every
young birder from the Birdcamp had an amazing time, and would happily apply for
Birdcamp 2018 in a heartbeat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ben Moyes, <complete id="goog_1247370056"><a href="https://twitter.com/Ben_Moyes16">@Ben_Moyes16</a></complete><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-61583550429333836852017-02-01T10:57:00.002+00:002017-02-01T10:57:21.357+00:00Urban birding in Cardiff by Ethan Hall, Cardiff University Ornithological Society<div class="MsoNormal">
Cardiff, capital city of Wales. Home of die-hard rugby fans,
thousands of students, and a surprisingly large range of some truly remarkable
birds. Whether that<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>s the
winter thrushes that visit the splendid Bute Park, the <b>Peregrine Falcons</b>
nesting on the city hall clock tower, or the spectacular <b>Starling</b> murmurations
over the bay, it is difficult to escape our feathered neighbours. But then
again, why would you want to? The bird life in Cardiff is something to marvel
at, and hopefully you can check out some of these key spots and find out just
what I<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>m talking about.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6E6JLKIInQd0kc1k7lj5ovJRskuZ7OJ_Xla1yFUAYm-ikKkfWDuHhctVpYvRAd7GKozjw0U3TUay4tae5EHNjodJwRVyvG56154WjpdEwgyhHhn1MJV5R2vG_RmOOa1ycVKTqeBT0n4g/s1600/1280px-Bute_Park%252C_Cardiff.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6E6JLKIInQd0kc1k7lj5ovJRskuZ7OJ_Xla1yFUAYm-ikKkfWDuHhctVpYvRAd7GKozjw0U3TUay4tae5EHNjodJwRVyvG56154WjpdEwgyhHhn1MJV5R2vG_RmOOa1ycVKTqeBT0n4g/s320/1280px-Bute_Park%252C_Cardiff.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bute Park</td></tr>
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<b>Bute Park</b> alone
is home to some of the most charming and quintessentially British birds. A gentle stroll amongst some champion trees during <b>winter</b> may lead you to see what I believe to be the funkiest bird
that visits our shores. With a distinctive hairstyle, the <b>Waxwing </b>is most certainly a bird worth waiting for, and if you find
one you<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>re sure to see more. Often
seen flocking together and gorging on berries, the Waxwing are truly a sight to
behold.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Push further into Bute Park and find yourself along the <b>Taff trail </b>to catch a glimpse of
dazzling blue, or if you<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>re
lucky enough, a full sighting of the glorious <b>Kingfisher</b>. Unmistakable in their azure and golden colours these
birds make their home along the Taff and provide that jump of joy as they lighten
up the day with a simple passing sight. Even those who aren<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>t keen birders can<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin;">’</span>t help a note of excitement when a
Kingfisher flies past, a sure-fire sign that this is a bird no one wants to
miss. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtehW9tAcU9JNlsKWOt6xLUNYYmOMuotrEsmnFxXeihyphenhyphenvpzyE-x7_c5jYfZXsTBDrjRKmgU-Iy1qypfNBt5ffWovMmCrXymt0gkN4uygy13VJqd4NA3pOn7MI3ZRdemtVlrbpXRjHrSbg/s1600/goosa+010+e+%2528Jill+Pakenham%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goosander by Jill Pakenham" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtehW9tAcU9JNlsKWOt6xLUNYYmOMuotrEsmnFxXeihyphenhyphenvpzyE-x7_c5jYfZXsTBDrjRKmgU-Iy1qypfNBt5ffWovMmCrXymt0gkN4uygy13VJqd4NA3pOn7MI3ZRdemtVlrbpXRjHrSbg/s320/goosa+010+e+%2528Jill+Pakenham%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" title="Goosander by Jill Pakenham" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goosander by Jill Pakenham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Also making an appearance on the Taff is the <b>Goosander</b>. Not as colourful as the aforementioned Kingfisher, but a
great bird in its own right, the Goosander is one of the larger birds to be
seen along the river and makes a pleasant change from the never-ending stream
of Black-headed gulls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Outside of the park, it is always worth visiting the <b>clock tower</b> at city hall to get a view
of the fastest animal on the planet. It is wonderful that such an amazing
predator is right on our doorstep. I am of course talking about the <b>Peregrine Falcons</b>. The best time to see
these magnificent animals is probably when they have their young during <b>spring</b>. The additional food they must
supply means they can be seen out and about more readily and some cracking
views can be seen, especially when the RSPB have their scope set up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also within the city, the trees of <b>Queen Street</b> come alive at dusk with hundreds of <b>Pied wagtails</b> coming to roost in them.
Drawn by the warmth of the streets, these charismatic birds fill the trees and
so many people walk along, oblivious to the hordes above them. It is definitely
worth having a perch on one of the benches as it grows dark and just watching
them roll in to settle down for the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a mentioned right at the beginning, Cardiff Bay also
holds many wonderful birds, but I think we will leave that for another post! Don<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">’</span>t
forget to follow us on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/CUBirds">@CUBirds</a> to see what we are up to!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-72803559681799477112017-01-09T17:17:00.000+00:002017-01-09T17:17:02.948+00:00BTO Annual Conference 2016 by Gethin Jenkins-JonesThe BTO’s Annual Conference at Swanwick in Derbyshire is, for many, a very special and much anticipated weekend. As the year draws to a close it is a brilliant chance to bump into old friends, meet new people who share similar interests and to learn more about birds and conservation through lectures given by top experts and amateur citizen scientists. As a teenage birder I rarely get to talk about nature to others, and so this conference is has been very important to me over the last two years and is a weekend I never want to miss.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkFiLK18JLbmJwMHCFnkMZoj7DDCqqYGfzqteAj1FdV9iK1xvZJA_5FqQkaRwlRjVkXZg1oArw1t-4elGqLXeSpjti09mbmHEPxCusbmmWDobwXRnLYP76fp3LSAQMLeltEif35Cxba8/s1600/Hayes+conference+centre+by+Gethin+Jenkins-Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkFiLK18JLbmJwMHCFnkMZoj7DDCqqYGfzqteAj1FdV9iK1xvZJA_5FqQkaRwlRjVkXZg1oArw1t-4elGqLXeSpjti09mbmHEPxCusbmmWDobwXRnLYP76fp3LSAQMLeltEif35Cxba8/s400/Hayes+conference+centre+by+Gethin+Jenkins-Jones.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This year the conference kicked off on the Friday evening with a fascinating talk on “25 years of ringing Choughs in Wales”, given by Tony Cross and Adrienne Stratford. The amount of data they have gathered over the last quarter-century is truly incredible. I was inspired by all the info on movements, population trends, mortality rates and life expectancy they shared with us about this beautiful corvid. I also learned that monitoring this species is by no means an easy task. Seeing photos of their death-defying use of 20 foot ladders on unstable cliffs to visit these nests, I know I’m not going to complain about using the step ladder to monitor my Blue Tit boxes any time soon!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB53iVAeE2fBzPrHnPul0eSZxH2nkVsYgh2alXx0sH5Lisa3_bomGjYAwcPD9xjGzir-m4lL7G4f4rinjCDaSWIfByOe9wlXZGp5mzQNSW3xZq4XSYczvQ0Akdo9yYGL5w6ibA57wRyE/s1600/Cys0oENVEAAHiPf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB53iVAeE2fBzPrHnPul0eSZxH2nkVsYgh2alXx0sH5Lisa3_bomGjYAwcPD9xjGzir-m4lL7G4f4rinjCDaSWIfByOe9wlXZGp5mzQNSW3xZq4XSYczvQ0Akdo9yYGL5w6ibA57wRyE/s400/Cys0oENVEAAHiPf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Cross with colour-ringed Choughs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At Swanwick, the first night is always rounded off by something that really gets my adrenaline going: the Quiz. This is the time where knowing the colour of a Purple Sandpiper’s legs or the weight of a Wren really pays off! Among my team mates were Hampshire ringer, Josie Hewitt, and 13 year old Louis Driver who was making his Swanwick debut (and probably reducing the average age of the room by about 20 years!). After being tested on everything from bird trends to calls we had to settle for third place, with only a point between us and the joint-winning teams. So close!<br />
The next day was packed with inspiring talks, with ‘Birds and their Habitats’ being the theme of the Conference. A session on seabirds got the morning to cracking start, and this was followed by a session on woodland birds in the afternoon and urban birds in the evening. As I’m from Wales and very keen on seabirds I particularly liked the two opening talks which came from two young conservationists and their work on the island of Skomer: Elspeth Kenny, who gave a brilliant insight into the social interaction of Guillemots, and Emma-Louise Cole, who, under the title ‘Aukward landings’ (surely the winner of ‘best talk title’ at the Conference?!), gave a fascinating talk on the challenge that auks face as they come in to land on cliff faces and its potential impact on breeding success. It was great seeing Emma again at this year’s conference and with her plans for a PhD taking shape I think she’ll definitely be a name for the future and will become a well-known individual at this conference.<br />
<br />
For me, interacting with others is one of my favourite parts of these Conferences. Between talks there was plenty of time to socialise with Emma, Josie and Louis. We had a great time taking walks, relaxing in the lounge and playing pool and ping-pong in the games room. It was also great catching up with fellow young birder Toby Carter (who saw his 300th bird species the previous week, well done him!), as well as PhD student and ringer Hugh Hanmer from Reading University and Sorrel Lyall. Sorrell is a very gifted 18 year old wildlife artist and I recommend you <a href="http://sorrellyallwildlife.weebly.com/">visit her website</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz52y_8ZSuT6N2qxqKTjI2QLXoH5wbSBIY5MRlYCSR3ON5DoTAcEGtqtIi5mitvd7p123ZigJUM_Gf9GaDzm0e2NzqS-LLytsL9iHPgnGMuyva5-eooVxqCjmhrGaZTyxHl_k6OdP9Zo/s1600/Lunch+at+Swanwick+by+Gethin+Jenkins-Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz52y_8ZSuT6N2qxqKTjI2QLXoH5wbSBIY5MRlYCSR3ON5DoTAcEGtqtIi5mitvd7p123ZigJUM_Gf9GaDzm0e2NzqS-LLytsL9iHPgnGMuyva5-eooVxqCjmhrGaZTyxHl_k6OdP9Zo/s400/Lunch+at+Swanwick+by+Gethin+Jenkins-Jones.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grabbing a bite with other young birders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final day of the conference saw talks on the challenges that face some of our birds as a result of our increasingly intensive agriculture, and also how studying and tracking birds has changed over the years due to a huge advancement in technology. I was immensely impressed by Nicholas Watts’ talk on ‘Wildlife friendly farming’. Nicholas farms in The Fens and owns Vine House Farm Bird Food. In the talk he explained why farmlands birds are in decline and how he has changed his own farm to ensure that wildlife can still thrive. The numbers of Tree Sparrow he sustains on his land are really incredible. Chris Hewson’s talk on ‘Tracking Migrant Birds’ showed how new technology used by the BTO is giving us an unique insight into bird migration, especially Cuckoos. Surely Chris has got the best job in the world! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VYLSETMgr_SkD1Kxl0k7__W4E2yT5sM0kS5j70leYqXM9jkUQFmvNP6ZOG76IPPuJ4sNQkeh1F7IShnC4fopMNDPohB0ipoP-JSNq-jXaR2Lij2twD_M8ix22dcQcisbakh0kQJt7Q/s1600/Nicholas+Watts+feeders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VYLSETMgr_SkD1Kxl0k7__W4E2yT5sM0kS5j70leYqXM9jkUQFmvNP6ZOG76IPPuJ4sNQkeh1F7IShnC4fopMNDPohB0ipoP-JSNq-jXaR2Lij2twD_M8ix22dcQcisbakh0kQJt7Q/s320/Nicholas+Watts+feeders.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tree Sparrow feeders on Nicholas Watts’ farm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the talks had ended the conference was rounded off with the raffle draw, and who won a splendid new webcam was none other than Louis Driver himself! I think it’s safe to say I’ll be seeing him again next year!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYzLd_HJtp8BWn_Er0QCNj68sh2FXM9PDKbX6iSjPisxscRHw9r0idYRIuMXOtMK9D4VXoLl4CmQuqSa_z4gV74RxdvIaaCmwS5mzHJXAasGZ9-_4_VaOQrFjIHf2KcXolmPVIshTCaE/s1600/Nestbox+camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYzLd_HJtp8BWn_Er0QCNj68sh2FXM9PDKbX6iSjPisxscRHw9r0idYRIuMXOtMK9D4VXoLl4CmQuqSa_z4gV74RxdvIaaCmwS5mzHJXAasGZ9-_4_VaOQrFjIHf2KcXolmPVIshTCaE/s320/Nestbox+camera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis’ raffle prize – a nest box camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I really enjoyed this year’s conference at Swanwick and I would recommend attending this annual event to any young birder out there who is interested in conservation and learning more about birds. There is a special discount for young birders, but you’ll still have to find about £125. This price includes the talks, accommodation, all your meals and plenty of tea/coffee and cake. Not cheap for a young person, but it’s seriously worth saving the pounds throughout the year as there is no other conference quite like it, and no better chance to explore your interests. <a href="https://storify.com/_ieuan/bto-annual-conference-2016">Here's a storify of the conference tweets</a> to give you even more reason to attend, I hope I’ll see you there in December 2017!<br />
<br />Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-39891813723165386382016-11-30T09:49:00.001+00:002016-11-30T09:49:13.737+00:00Choosing the university course that’s right for you; a personal experience, by Alexandra Kinsey <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I remember feeling under immense pressure as a
sixth-former, as I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had quite a mixture of
hobbies but none of them seemed to link together. The AS levels I was
encouraged to take didn’t go quite to plan, so I left school with one A
level, and a few AS levels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I had mentioned that I enjoyed helping people, and
my family were encouraging me to explore areas in healthcare, so I went to
college for two years, and undertook fast-track A-levels, alongside part-time
work, choosing to focus on Biology and ICT. Then, I went for something that
interested me and started BSc Audiology at Swansea University. It was a fantastic course, but after two years and many months of placements
around Wales I realised that this wasn’t the career for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to
make, and felt quite alone in doing so, but I ended up switching degrees
completely and jumping into something I knew I would enjoy, despite worrying comments along the lines of "there is no career in that". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I am now in my final year of BSc Ecology, and have
not looked back since.<br />
<br />
This brings me on to what I believe is the most important thing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">1)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Go
for something that you enjoy.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Whether this involves going to university and
choosing a course, or looking for internships or apprentices, getting as much
experience in your field of interest is the only way to find out if you will
enjoy this career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If you make the decision to apply to University,
then there is still careful consideration needed when choosing a course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If, like me, you have general interests, rather
than specific ones, it may be worth looking for courses with a common first
year, or foundation year where you may be able to move between similar subjects
as you find out more about what you like.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This is where: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">2)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Looking
at the modules within a degree puts you at a great advantage.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I actually started studying Zoology at Cardiff, but
Ecology had more modules which I found interesting as I realised in year one
that I enjoyed field work more much more than laboratory work. Thanks to the
Bioscience common first year at Cardiff University, I could choose to switch
degree from Zoology to Ecology, without having to start again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If you are preparing for the move to University, I
fully recommend: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">3)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Join
some societies.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There is Usually a nature or Wildlife and
conservation society, and some Universities have an Ornithological society too.
These groups can provide a key link to volunteering opportunities, experience
or training. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Universities list these online, so you can beat
the crowds and take your time to find the ones that interest you, and get in
contact.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">During your degree:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">4)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Try
to be as proactive as possible...</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">...and look for experiences outside the classroom. Employers
are looking for relevant experience in addition to higher education
qualifications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">University examinations may seem daunting, but as
long as you:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">5)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Stay organised and read up on advised material, you will be fine.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">For me A-levels were more difficult as you had to
give a specific keyword to get the mark. In University lecturers mark your
work, so there’s much more of a chance to show them what you know in so many
different ways. These people chose a lectureship because they are passionate
about this area, so give them something exciting, like current research papers,
or question the science.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">And finally:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><b>6) Consider
your health and well-being.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Sometimes our work load increases and this may put
pressure on us and other aspects of our social and personal well-being. It is
important to take time to relax, stay healthy and get out as much as possible. If
you feel you are struggling, Universities offer a range of personal services
which can help students who feel under pressure or who are struggling with work
related or personal issues. These services are invaluable and I cannot recommend
them enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One of the reasons I chose Cardiff is because it is
such a green city, with parks, lakes and reserves in and around the City. One
of my favourite breaks is to have a walk around Roath Lake Park, have a look at
the birds and other wildlife and perhaps grab an ice cream or take a ride on a peddle
boat. Also, I enjoy going with a group
of friends at dusk, to see the amazing abundance of bats, feeding among the
trees and over the water. <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This brings me to wish you the very best in your
future career, whichever direction you choose to take. Apply yourself, steady
yourself with the help of loved ones around you and seize new opportunities to
make memories that will last a lifetime. <br />
<br />
Thank you for reading.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Alexandra <a href="https://twitter.com/i_amkinsey">@I_amkinsey</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">President of <a href="https://www.cardiffstudents.com/activities/society/ornithological/">Cardiff University Ornithological Society</a></span></span></div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-54285957821438641852016-11-01T14:01:00.000+00:002016-11-01T14:01:08.072+00:00Student Birding - By Cardiff University Ornithological Society (CUOS)Cardiff University Ornithological Society (a.k.a bird club) is a gathering of students that share a common interest in, and appreciation of, all things feathery.<br />
<br />
Anyone with a love of birds can join, no matter their level of experience! Our current members range from beginners to fully-fledged twitchers. We organise many activities and events, with the aim of enriching our understanding of birds and their fascinating behaviours. In addition, many of our members want to develop careers in ornithology, we try to facilitate this by hosting talks from professional bird researchers, ringers and even popular Wildlife TV presenters.<br />
<br />
CUOS also gets involved in the conservation of UK bird species that desperately need help to survive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rHitPmXfG2Zyq-AY2CMaRvU_1gG8u6hoTG7h2Qw_j1jnI7ZB73YnwuWkSxjFiisldidm9BTe-8KfohizKGYDtqeUaMbr993Wr9OGMlZbpv7PNxPVClBDgsSl_aLgHTtQvV12E5VYSlM/s1600/Cardiff+Uni+Ornithological+society+blog+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rHitPmXfG2Zyq-AY2CMaRvU_1gG8u6hoTG7h2Qw_j1jnI7ZB73YnwuWkSxjFiisldidm9BTe-8KfohizKGYDtqeUaMbr993Wr9OGMlZbpv7PNxPVClBDgsSl_aLgHTtQvV12E5VYSlM/s400/Cardiff+Uni+Ornithological+society+blog+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This academic year CUOS has been given the exciting opportunity to take on BTO’s monthly Wetland Bird Surveys (WeBS) at Roath Park Lake (Cardiff). This is a fantastic opportunity for our members to gain experience in undertaking a national survey, and also to improve their wetland bird identification skills.<br />
<br />
Many of our members do not have prior experience of bird surveys, nor expertise identification skills of wetland birds. However, the committee (experienced WeBS counters) have planned a range of teaching sessions so that everyone can take part. Roath Park is a perfect spot for beginners to WeBS and birds in general, as there are a fantastic range of species at numbers that are easily countable.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndYGPSGXoRpMh5QuoBWD7e2GyDlKKddheO7G3EyLsLa77lUrpYmQbF6KAa6jBfM7-T9_wKvMjDWuEHcYNVZsVCZZoUVnPXui9R1kRUDVzfQychyphenhyphen2q9tmGa4bhI2lGg-xJvZr0HZ5T7qo/s1600/Cardiff+Uni+Ornithological+society+blog+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndYGPSGXoRpMh5QuoBWD7e2GyDlKKddheO7G3EyLsLa77lUrpYmQbF6KAa6jBfM7-T9_wKvMjDWuEHcYNVZsVCZZoUVnPXui9R1kRUDVzfQychyphenhyphen2q9tmGa4bhI2lGg-xJvZr0HZ5T7qo/s320/Cardiff+Uni+Ornithological+society+blog+2.png" width="320" /></a><br />
In October we did our first WeBS and recorded a fantastic 19 species!<br />
The highlights of the count for us were: Little Grebe (4); Pochard (1); Shoveler (17); Teal (10); Tufted Duck (51); Wigeon (1) and Kingfisher (1).<br />
We felt especially lucky to see a Pochard on the lake as it was early in the year to spot one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We look forward to our future WeBS and hope that this is the start of something special for the society that will get passed on through generations of students and inspire more young birders to get involved with important surveying.<br />
<br />
Follow us on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/CUBirds">@CUBirds</a>!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-31308730068358724632016-10-06T14:49:00.003+01:002016-10-06T14:49:22.812+01:00The Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year competition, by George Dunbar<div class="MsoNormal">
This Spring, I entered the <i>Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year Competition</i> by submitting my entry to the BTO. There was an online questionnaire about my birding experiences. The form was easy enough to fill out, one of the questions asked "What got you into birding?". For me, this was regular, monthly visits to WWT Martin Mere. I was never interested in the captive birds, only in the 'real' ones! Here, I saw my first Marsh harrier, Ruff and many other species. Anyway, back to Spurn...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobUlL9XHfkLfJnChyphenhyphenpQMsaCLonz_1s75XS12qWUmvqx376lJwcPp2gsvJz1Yp88E9C1ooGjQpkhTbASQhGCaZQ7G62AF1vR0oCOI5MwdePfFrd5a0RyiaYZJG02a35WWhnb618YdCbM4/s1600/dsc02514tonemappedheaderl-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobUlL9XHfkLfJnChyphenhyphenpQMsaCLonz_1s75XS12qWUmvqx376lJwcPp2gsvJz1Yp88E9C1ooGjQpkhTbASQhGCaZQ7G62AF1vR0oCOI5MwdePfFrd5a0RyiaYZJG02a35WWhnb618YdCbM4/s320/dsc02514tonemappedheaderl-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Entries from up and down the country were assessed by <a href="http://www.bto.org/">BTO</a> and <a href="http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/">Spurn Bird Observatory</a>. When I received an E-mail to tell me I was one of five young birders to reach the final, I couldn't believe it! I was elated and couldn't get downstairs to tell my parents quick enough! After parents, I was on the phone to my birding mentor, David Bowman who was just as excited as I was that I'd made it!</div>
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Next, revision! Any species that I wasn't too strong on (Gulls and waders) I looked up the key ID features to try and make picking them out in the field more likely. With having an inland patch, I don't get much chance to do sea watching or ID many waders. However, I had a trip to <a href="http://www.bbfo.org.uk/">Bardsey Island</a> coming up where I'd be able to gen up on my sea birds. My patch (Woolston Eyes) had begun to liven up with wader passage so I had an opportunity there too. My routine was a morning of ringing then going into the hide afterwards to do some birding for a few hours before heading home to catch up on school work (obviously just as important)..!</div>
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I arrived at the <a href="http://spurnmigfest.com/">Spurn Migration Festival</a> for 7:30 as the competition started at 9:15. I got out of the car, put on my boots and then heard the sound of people running as someone screamed "KENTISH PLOVER AT RIVERSIDE!" I was offered a lift and off I went, unfortunately when we got there the bird had flown off so the run through driving rain had not been worth it! I caught up with a few young birders and made my way over to Westmere Farm to register with my parents. The other young birders and I made it to the Warren just in time to dry off a bit before the briefing from Nick Whitehouse. Everyone was as soggy and frustrated as each other but the competition had to go on!</div>
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There were four parts to the competition. Sea-watching, Wader ID (Estuarine), Bushes and the dreaded Lab Test - *gulp*! Each section of the competition had a different assessor attached to it and we took it in turns going out and doing each part.</div>
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Firstly for me was the Lab test, and to be honest, I just wanted to get it out of the way! For this part, we were given a stuffed bird and asked to point to certain parts of it (eg. primaries, mantle). It was a test of our technical skill and the ringers amongst us were at an advantage! The second half of this was listening to various calls/songs and having to ID them. I, for one, was pleased to have revised my calls the night before!</div>
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Next was across the road from the Warren to scope some waders! I was asked to ID three species and was then asked a few questions about waders. For one of them, we were given a list of wader species and asked to pick out which didn't breed in Iceland - a real tricky one that my assessor confessed he didn't know previous to asking other people!!</div>
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It was then back across the road and up to Numpty's to do the sea-watch. Apart from the gales blowing out to sea and the torrential rain, the conditions were...perfect! Again, we were asked to ID 3 species out over the water. I got lucky as I was the only one to have a Red-throated Diver go past for the competition, and even better was the fact it was in Summer plumage! </div>
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Finally, off to do the Bushes. This replaced the Visible Migration Watch that last year's birders did as the almost constant rain on Saturday meant almost all migration overhead had been brought to a standstill. You guessed it.. we were asked to ID 3 species and also some flight calls and, for me, the flight calls were Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Snipe. This was concluded with some questions on separating 'Eared' owls in the field and describing the breeding and wintering range of a songbird that visits the UK in large numbers...the Wheatear.</div>
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We headed back to the Warren for a buffet lunch that had been kindly organised by Nick Whitehouse. Once everyone had their food, Nick announced the winner, it was very close, but it turned out to be me! I was stunned. Never in a million years did I think I'd win a competition like this one. I guess putting in hours and hours of serious birding a few times per week had worked for me, but more than anything, it was because of all the help and patience that the guys at Woolston Eyes had given me! Days spent in the hide watching the comings and goings, explaining why something is what it is and picking up some of the extensive knowledge of the birders there!</div>
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I'd always been a nervous person when having to go up on stage in front of a lot of people, but on the Saturday evening, it was more excitement! I was going up, with four other like-minded young birders, in front of a crowd of people that were all there to support us. It was a brilliant evening and I was very pleased to receive my prize, a new pair of <a href="http://uk.swarovskioptik.com/nature">Swarovski</a> binoculars from TV Presenter, Mike Dilger, and Director of the BTO, Andy Clements. It was very inspiring to meet them both and they provided all five young birders and the others in the audience with much encouragement to pursue careers in wildlife and conservation as it would be us that it is handed down to.</div>
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While at Spurn I met lot of great people too, I caught up with a few other young birders and met a few of the Spurn regulars. It was also a real pleasure to meet Sharon Garner and to accept a copy of Martin's book, Winter Challenge Series. Also, David La Puma, the head of Cape May Bird Observatory, and Björn Malmhagen, head of <a href="http://www.falsterbofagelstation.se/">Falsterbo Bird Observatory</a>.</div>
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I'll definitely be back birding at Spurn soon as it really is a very special place and there's not really anywhere else like it (in the UK). It's a great place for young birders as all of the staff are very knowledgeable and will do anything they can to be of help!</div>
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Finally, I'd like to thank both Spurn Bird Observatory, the BTO and also everyone that attended for making it such a special weekend. It was a brilliant weekend and hopefully even more people will start to visit.</div>
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George Dunbar, <a href="https://twitter.com/georgedunbar_">@GeorgeDunbar_</a></div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-15931336928151353212016-09-12T13:54:00.003+01:002016-09-12T13:54:58.601+01:00Fair Isle - an adventure of a lifetime by Lewis Mitchell<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-92069860281418637" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 578px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">I was fortunate to volunteer at <a href="http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/">Fair Isle Bird Observatory</a> for 3 weeks in July 2016. It was an opportunity for <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nl2qGZWMiwf-xHP-gY52_PqQO2G2-9yfLRoC0r2MqbOmKZpmlFXHZ8dqDEJx8UfhXHKfaoqmEhx14mZ-LnwrvjTc_2fIKU-WvCJe_MEqvwA1Vi3nokQU2KIG3Q7uJXGeTkwiU4-NYSI/s1600/Fulmar+by+Lewis+Mitchell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nl2qGZWMiwf-xHP-gY52_PqQO2G2-9yfLRoC0r2MqbOmKZpmlFXHZ8dqDEJx8UfhXHKfaoqmEhx14mZ-LnwrvjTc_2fIKU-WvCJe_MEqvwA1Vi3nokQU2KIG3Q7uJXGeTkwiU4-NYSI/s320/Fulmar+by+Lewis+Mitchell.jpg" title="Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell</td></tr>
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me to gain some experience in bird monitoring, surveying, ringing and habitat management, as well as obtaining contacts which could be essential in searches for employment later on in life. Furthermore, I was able to grow my knowledge of wildlife and improve my skills in wildlife identification.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Leaving home for 3 and a half weeks was always going to be strange. Independence is something I am trying to learn, ready for when I (hopefully) go to university. </span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">In order to get to Fair Isle I had to take the train to London, then the coach to Aberdeen, in Scotland, then the ferry to Lerwick in Shetland, which is Britain's most northerly town, the bus to the southern tip of mainland Shetland, and finally the tiny Good Shepherd IV (see picture below) ferry to Fair Isle, Britain's most remote inhabited island. In Aberdeen I met up with Sam Hood who I would be spending some of my time on Fair Isle with. We travelled the rest of the way together.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-size: 14.85px; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuzCQMb2YLdZsR7qCYzHViG40ybw3z1WNEskWjImszPFKJO2CCWtJK-ML3658e2xDyOUBh3eAtQ10k21ppSxvHEP_88obGmsVjynmgUn-KRguHwJE5kxIPm_ZOjzRaOVhQWNDfOz9Ylo/s1600/IMG_0394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The Good Shepherd IV by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuzCQMb2YLdZsR7qCYzHViG40ybw3z1WNEskWjImszPFKJO2CCWtJK-ML3658e2xDyOUBh3eAtQ10k21ppSxvHEP_88obGmsVjynmgUn-KRguHwJE5kxIPm_ZOjzRaOVhQWNDfOz9Ylo/s400/IMG_0394.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="The Good Shepherd IV by Lewis Mitchell" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Good Shepherd IV by Lewis Mitchell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">At the observatory I was made to feel very welcome by all the staff as well as the guests. Food was cooked by the wonderful chef that is Orlando, who on one occasion managed to make carrots taste like cider because he put them in with the pork cooked in cider for dinner one day. That was a taste from home!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Whilst on Fair Isle, I helped in the ringing of the birds, as well as did some work on habitat management and bird surveying and monitoring. I ringed 18 storm petrels, c.20 puffin chicks (or, pufflings) (by putting my hand in their burrows), 3 herring gull chicks and a meadow pipit. All is valuable experience as I become a trainee ringer. <a href="rtsp://v6.cache6.googlevideo.com/ChoLENy73wIaEQk_fHIUoU7THhMYDSANFEgDDA==/0/0/0/video.3gp" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;" type="video/3gpp"></a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">On 10th July we were clearing the scrape just outside the observatory and came back to the obs for a drink as it was a warm day. Chris (also known to the staff team as Doddy) and Ciaran came to check out our handy-work. whilst stood on the patio, Doddy noticed something in North Haven. "Orca." Doddy mumbled to himself, unsure what was lurking beneath the waves. "ORCA!!!" Doddy, now confident in his discovery, yelled to alert everyone present. Shaking, I raised my binoculars to my eyes, and was greeted with a truly magnificent spectacle of a pod of 5 killer whales in close at North Haven. I was so excited to see this! A once in a lifetime experience. To this discovery, Doddy ran through the observatory, alerting guests on his way, with Ciaran and us volunteers following behind. I rushed to put my wellies on and ran out the door and across to Buness for a closer look. Peering over the cliff edge we saw the orcas within 60ft from us. They proceeded to hunt and kill two grey seals right in front of us. That definitely made my time on Fair Isle brilliant. Here is one of Sam's photos of the killer whales:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7VwoCHsA8PTqrbrYtZhQOmicXnKbjm1Rgs3fFwdK2uNbvD43A-zF3wBq8GT7OfuRBdAX56ad704aTpr3U3R87pTpQrFn8PC0ZcoWXNH2XxeL9p57xEAJ7MFgj2BvOwAufxjdH6UsN28/s1600/orca+SH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Orcas by Samuel Hood" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7VwoCHsA8PTqrbrYtZhQOmicXnKbjm1Rgs3fFwdK2uNbvD43A-zF3wBq8GT7OfuRBdAX56ad704aTpr3U3R87pTpQrFn8PC0ZcoWXNH2XxeL9p57xEAJ7MFgj2BvOwAufxjdH6UsN28/s400/orca+SH.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Orcas by Samuel Hood" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Orcas by Samuel Hood</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">During our stay the Euro 2016 was on so a few times us staff, as well as a few guests, all huddled in the warden's flat to watch the football games. this was great fun because we had a few passionate German fans in the obs. Also on the theme of football, a game took place on the island between a team from the observatory and a team of islanders and those on a National Trust for Scotland work camp. I think the final score was OBS 12 - 9 ISLANDERS. Here's a group photo:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJ6q2ek5aRZmbzmX-q1UiL9bq1HZlKoelI5K3RM8cODGa09WH_ZvXh-aexXoy6UEOf9WKj2arlgZ9UtMw3T-uwg6FvsyvELwYAO_Gu2N_rLIsAhyphenhyphenzE2qrSpUpCByxuaTLTOYLS_7cXK4/s1600/football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJ6q2ek5aRZmbzmX-q1UiL9bq1HZlKoelI5K3RM8cODGa09WH_ZvXh-aexXoy6UEOf9WKj2arlgZ9UtMw3T-uwg6FvsyvELwYAO_Gu2N_rLIsAhyphenhyphenzE2qrSpUpCByxuaTLTOYLS_7cXK4/s400/football.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">In preparation for the match, us volunteers decided to have a kick about when all of a sudden a Fulmar burst out from under a van! It didn't have enough room to take off. It proceeded to vomit on the drive. Our bird was successfully caught by Sam and was ringed and safely released. Fulmars are seabirds who use projectile vomit as defence from predators. Here is a picture of a very photogenic one I saw on Fair Isle:</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes2-G66rxaAJz9zZpFipq9zcOeACLe0PahiBwHkMI7fIlXWegkMEuZLfodn0j_CJr1L-PTCYPXmTnNH284c0kpd5GRTpQPdkkIDoajwLjTxg1ilnJiRUIRjlBiwsvhZxZVEFg12eyoMs/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes2-G66rxaAJz9zZpFipq9zcOeACLe0PahiBwHkMI7fIlXWegkMEuZLfodn0j_CJr1L-PTCYPXmTnNH284c0kpd5GRTpQPdkkIDoajwLjTxg1ilnJiRUIRjlBiwsvhZxZVEFg12eyoMs/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fulmar by Lewis Mitchell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">At the end of my stay we took part in the sheep round up and shearing. This was a new experience for me. Each crofter on Fair isle has 20 sheep that roam all over the island and then are rounded up by the locals and other volunteers (e.g. us volunteers). </span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">We did a lot of fencing, trap repairs, food sampling, bird monitoring and scrape management as well as some gardening for one of the islanders.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">One day Oli Beacock, one of the volunteers found a long eared owl in the obs garden which was very wet from the rain. On another occasion we found a grey heron in a trap and it was brought back to the obs to be ringed, and was released after.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">We spent most of our free time chilling in the lounge, catching up on sleep and going out across the island watching the wildlife and practising taking photos of many, many wheatears (I must have a few hundred wheatear photos) Here is a good take off shot I got:</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXxv-dK7oTJ52UZn7PQANT41zGXJs10YTNzYNvhqpNxHpH1E4ncykms1-jXOawrnU18nMdwPnJiSlieEi9W74aPiBo9r9G37J9j69onDClSRFCI_RXiHQc8DBu3RXMK68_vfnTnze8dQ/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Wheatear by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXxv-dK7oTJ52UZn7PQANT41zGXJs10YTNzYNvhqpNxHpH1E4ncykms1-jXOawrnU18nMdwPnJiSlieEi9W74aPiBo9r9G37J9j69onDClSRFCI_RXiHQc8DBu3RXMK68_vfnTnze8dQ/s400/IMG_0059.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Wheatear by Lewis Mitchell" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheatear <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">by Lewis Mitchell</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">The puffins on Fair Isle were extremely brave and I was able to get close to them.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzoilCjVIdBpZms99ZDmkyFsCBac5L5UtA6YbqWbQ4Eh6TaSgVpkcSnoDatM8d21Z5ZgsIWsAquzDMYzG44ryLr-lBNhDDhlLJuH3jD7A0H4LpPDyHkSk2ptr1XtCatCn89yLpfoH3LM/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Puffin by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzoilCjVIdBpZms99ZDmkyFsCBac5L5UtA6YbqWbQ4Eh6TaSgVpkcSnoDatM8d21Z5ZgsIWsAquzDMYzG44ryLr-lBNhDDhlLJuH3jD7A0H4LpPDyHkSk2ptr1XtCatCn89yLpfoH3LM/s400/IMG_0457.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Puffin by Lewis Mitchell" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puffin by Lewis Mitchell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Here are the best of the rest of the photos:</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZVriF1x-IjzAOKp9jfW9iKMZfmWK1Ddborv2zoiNPdb95l9rOOHfcW4kR_rawapJDt5IvZy_pzFaNrRfvhNvT-xT6Xcc3XnFvde8K7lD62Q2IYbXqtwITXrS7CaV__dhsSgKleTlv1U/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Great Skua by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZVriF1x-IjzAOKp9jfW9iKMZfmWK1Ddborv2zoiNPdb95l9rOOHfcW4kR_rawapJDt5IvZy_pzFaNrRfvhNvT-xT6Xcc3XnFvde8K7lD62Q2IYbXqtwITXrS7CaV__dhsSgKleTlv1U/s400/IMG_0171.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Great Skua by Lewis Mitchell" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Great Skua looking angry as ever! By Lewis Mitchell</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJAAODPTPihKEb49QYXuo3dS69iTAN6MfvZwssDXips4398VdUuZxbgwRRxwST_-DXobY4gT9d2aFgwnlaqgV97-FqIAjTE_eoov9Bjd2O-30wYU3tRhBqNtPd5kC790Zf8jnQ8CWMso/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Arctic Tern by Lewis Mitchell" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJAAODPTPihKEb49QYXuo3dS69iTAN6MfvZwssDXips4398VdUuZxbgwRRxwST_-DXobY4gT9d2aFgwnlaqgV97-FqIAjTE_eoov9Bjd2O-30wYU3tRhBqNtPd5kC790Zf8jnQ8CWMso/s400/IMG_0318.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" title="Arctic Tern by Lewis Mitchell" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Angry Arctic Tern as I walked through its territory by Lewis Mitchell</span></div>
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I would like to thank the observatory staff for accepting me onto the team and making me so welcome. To achieve this I used the <a href="http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/jhmf_sabf.html">John Harrison Memorial Fund</a> at Fair Isle Bird Observatory, as well as the <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/taking-part/young-bird-obs-volunteer-fund">BTO Young Bird Observatory Volunteer Fund</a>.</div>
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<span class="post-author vcard" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1em;">Posted by <span class="fn" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="g-profile" data-gapiattached="true" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true" href="https://plus.google.com/115598383733657484704" rel="author" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;" title="author profile"><span itemprop="name">Lewis Mitchell</span> </a></span></span><span class="post-timestamp" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;">at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://birdingmush.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/an-adventure-of-lifetime-fair-isle.html" rel="bookmark" style="color: #771100; text-decoration: none;" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" itemprop="datePublished" style="border: none;" title="2016-09-05T08:23:00-07:00">08:23</abbr></a> </span></div>
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-43195231799459635882016-09-06T14:12:00.002+01:002016-09-06T14:12:56.825+01:00My first solo Breeding Bird Survey by Gethin Jenkins-Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZ8rTp-cNS3sRUiDW70yUceP53Ys7Eq2A-k_tQhyI8FHbHVycKZo9SpnBPr0EmQ2Jz0MBNh57epLci2RzsfdY9_d7Z5H5KNNIpifezKXxyVIvhG6F0-b2FzXAYSB-GXmnccPSmp71vuM/s1600/BTO+pics+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZ8rTp-cNS3sRUiDW70yUceP53Ys7Eq2A-k_tQhyI8FHbHVycKZo9SpnBPr0EmQ2Jz0MBNh57epLci2RzsfdY9_d7Z5H5KNNIpifezKXxyVIvhG6F0-b2FzXAYSB-GXmnccPSmp71vuM/s320/BTO+pics+061.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I’ve always got a kick out of doing bird surveys. It’s great going out knowing that your records will become a tiny piece of the jigsaw that’ll help answer the puzzles of ornithology. Over the last six years I have had a lot of fun doing various surveys for the BTO including <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/webs/about">Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS)</a> counts, <a href="http://www.birdtrack.net/">Birdtrack</a>, <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw">BTO Garden BirdWatch</a> and the Winter Thrushes Survey. However this year I decided to go further and take on possibly the BTO’s most challenging survey - <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/bbs">the Breeding Bird Survey</a>.<br />
<br />
The BTO’s Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s common breeding birds. It involves two spring visits to a local Ordnance Survey 1-km square, to count all the birds you see or hear while walking along two 1-km lines across the square. These squares are randomly selected by the BTO and so, on a day around last Christmas, I sat down with my Dad to look at some which were on the list in Glamorgan. One particular square near Blackmill in the Ogwr Valley looked quite promising, with a nice variety of habitats and little disturbance. This was the square for me!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaH7V9C4ONFVCmyVeryLajOxE7gGpnNqKbDRpJkZd36BFZeQy2cM7uQ_pWozUmC2BCGx1pFf73ERKgC2bF6l9qhE_ktqmtD-9psgkLfOgZPLo1PpdPZSkn7fqbF9iNxWEofXrqulEczc/s1600/y+nant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" River Ogwr by Gethin Jenkins-Jones" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaH7V9C4ONFVCmyVeryLajOxE7gGpnNqKbDRpJkZd36BFZeQy2cM7uQ_pWozUmC2BCGx1pFf73ERKgC2bF6l9qhE_ktqmtD-9psgkLfOgZPLo1PpdPZSkn7fqbF9iNxWEofXrqulEczc/s320/y+nant.jpg" title=" River Ogwr by Gethin Jenkins-Jones" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">River Ogwr on the first transect</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On a mild early March morning we checked out the site. Although it was just a reconnaissance visit, we also noted the different habitats present in the square – another essential part of the survey. The first kilometre transect seemed pretty promising for the season to come, with a small river nearby, some open lowland fields and a large old Oak woodland stretching along the path. Although just over 500m away, the second 1-km transect suggested we’d see a different selection of birds. Upland farmland was the dominant habitat here, although another Oak woodland at the end of the transect raised hopes of some decent woodland species too. I was very much looking forward to see what species I would get!<br />
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A month later on a quiet April morning, at a time when the majority of us teenagers are rarely awake, we left Cardiff and headed west. The day looked promising with good visibility, no rain and only a slight breeze.<br />
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At precisely 6:48 – you must note your start and finish time – we were ready to go. Our pace along the track also had to be taken into consideration: not too fast and not too slow. Each 1-km transect is split into 5 x 200m sections on your Field Recording Sheet with each 200m stretch expected to take 9-10 minutes. Although slower than my usual rambles, it gave me more of an opportunity to take everything in and to encounter more species. The adrenalin began to pick up as I jotted the first species of the morning; a singing Robin and 2 calling Coal Tit within 25m of the footpath. But as so many birds were singing, calling and flying around, the stress began to build up!<br />
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Over the next 45 minutes recording the birds had some sort of rhythm to it; a singing Mistle Thrush over 25 metres away, a Nuthatch calling nearby, 2 Ravens ‘cronking’ overhead, and….hello, a Pied Flycatcher?! Yes, a female, and good views too. I pencilled the letters ‘PF’ on the sheet with a lot of satisfaction. It was the wakeup call I needed at such an hour and I began to enjoy the morning more and more from then on.<br />
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The longer we walked the easier it seemed to get, especially since we were encountering the same species again and again and I grew in confidence in remembering the two-letter BTO code of every bird. Our first 1km produced some nice birds. Along with the Pied Flycatcher we recorded many singing Willow Warbler (WW), some Blackcaps (BC) and singles of Green (G.) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (GS).<br />
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I certainly enjoyed the survey, but as we finished the first 1km stretch and walked back to the car to travel to the start point of the second 1-km transect, I was happy to be able to switch off for a few minutes. The concentration required for BBS is intense, there’s no denying it!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB61opLxVXEzjMl4LqSIxRfoqa-lSWovpheBviVagvxlzBYZ-6QGGUhlYdngqZthfguP4cySLIUhF_AKGD-vpDgV9fJa_XxJ7HflJRyOWI50P7zvCqM1Z5ZJw1x5P2XY_LR_0BoSGH-bU/s1600/yr+olygfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The ridge of Oak woodland at Blackmill by Gethin Jenkins-Jones" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB61opLxVXEzjMl4LqSIxRfoqa-lSWovpheBviVagvxlzBYZ-6QGGUhlYdngqZthfguP4cySLIUhF_AKGD-vpDgV9fJa_XxJ7HflJRyOWI50P7zvCqM1Z5ZJw1x5P2XY_LR_0BoSGH-bU/s320/yr+olygfa.jpg" title="The ridge of Oak woodland at Blackmill by Gethin Jenkins-Jones" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The ridge of Oak woodland at Blackmill</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We hopped into the car and after a 2 minute drive we clambered out and strode up the hill towards our second starting point. Before I knew it we were off again, and it was great to see some new species; Buzzard flying over distantly, Skylark singing above, a Linnet going over, calling.<br />
About half way through our first transect we briefly saw another of the day’s specialities, a Redstart which flashed its rusty tail as it flew off. The fact we were on a hill (and most of the time in open country) meant we saw many more distant birds than in the first transect, and we saw more birds than we heard. The fields held many thrushes and Jackdaws that all went down on the Field Recording Sheet.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLrS5jxvXxJ_amEQVfiex_tt-zT2nAydnZB4xgYf_Q9C7pzNRQobXdau6MnNy0BdHDNFSjxFuo7VanTRVUCGp2vobtFLt3guyAxJx5tbQ-zyvREuOo1i0nuCsKDjSriUDh00totfsnK4/s1600/Wood+Warbler-Drewitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wood Warbler by Allan Drewitt" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLrS5jxvXxJ_amEQVfiex_tt-zT2nAydnZB4xgYf_Q9C7pzNRQobXdau6MnNy0BdHDNFSjxFuo7VanTRVUCGp2vobtFLt3guyAxJx5tbQ-zyvREuOo1i0nuCsKDjSriUDh00totfsnK4/s320/Wood+Warbler-Drewitt.jpg" title="Wood Warbler by Allan Drewitt" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Warbler by Allan Drewitt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before long we were walking under the canopy of the Oak woodland and we pricked our ears upwards. A Redstart and Willow Warbler was a good start, although nothing prepared us for what we heard next. Among the chorus of bird song the cascading notes of the Wood Warbler echoed through the wood. Get in there! Dad was beginning to get jealous he didn’t have this square for himself. Scribbling down this species gave me more pleasure than the Pied Fly. I’m quite lucky, I thought, to have this square. Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Redstart: Welsh birds at their best!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgF_6gooMasN7sZ7EIvHGPW48zsnhl-YdbrW8GrEYNwFzVVSWAUT9y1TdL-8gSiW8r2V_W3o22yp_SPeZ39iv4MvW8k2uv4fRhyphenhyphenkcw6R7yqgRzXFoZuMVagACkL7QsrcaaewATosWIBE/s1600/diwedd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgF_6gooMasN7sZ7EIvHGPW48zsnhl-YdbrW8GrEYNwFzVVSWAUT9y1TdL-8gSiW8r2V_W3o22yp_SPeZ39iv4MvW8k2uv4fRhyphenhyphenkcw6R7yqgRzXFoZuMVagACkL7QsrcaaewATosWIBE/s320/diwedd.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exhausted but happy!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our final 2 x 200m sections were some of the best as we could still hear the woodland species to our right and also pick up farmland species to our left. Skylarks singing and, in the distance, a Red Kite was circling the area, making the day even more spectacular, another 2 singing Wood Warblers and some Swallows which were nesting in a nearby barn. As we walked further up the path I finally saw the finishing line – marked in yellow paint on the road by my father on our recce in March – which told me that I had at last completed my first BBS survey. Halleluiah! I don’t know if it’s the survey itself or my lazy teenage habits, but I was so tired that the road looked very comfy and all I wanted to do was to lie down on it, and that’s what I did! You can see the finishing line between my feet.<br />
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I very much enjoyed doing this survey. You don’t need to be an expert to take part, but you should be able to identify common birds by sight and sound and even though the high levels of concentration needed to do it properly are challenging, I can’t wait to go there again next year. In a few years I will be able appreciate it even more by comparing the birds recorded year after year and see how the wildlife will change over time. For me, there aren’t many things better than that!<br />
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Gethin Jenkins-Jones, Cardiff<br />
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<br />Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-85377886562183410582016-08-04T16:51:00.000+01:002016-08-04T16:51:22.154+01:00Cuckoos and Wrens by Sebastian Seely<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">An amazing series of photos taken by Peter Allman at the National Trust's Calke Abbey in Derbyshire caused quite a stir on social media last week. They show a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">juvenile</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Cuckoo being fed by a Wren (below). </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">Lots of people got in touch to ask about this behaviour and about the behaviour of Cuckoos generally. Young birder Sebastian Seely has been here on work experience this week and spent a few hours in the BTO library researching answers to these questions...</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ubvT0LRZNf-eYPt1rk-FieeMZ5gy8L1g15MZz4cZmqsCPphDRmgDjQwWC06IkMPDPYqBK3bHAOpXwOZOCV2XiIUTLCkTpKym5cuREsi2vlUJtmeSdV7JPmapiU6Z25oLa2p3KzC0sl4/s1600/Wren+feeding+Cuckoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photo by Peter Allman" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ubvT0LRZNf-eYPt1rk-FieeMZ5gy8L1g15MZz4cZmqsCPphDRmgDjQwWC06IkMPDPYqBK3bHAOpXwOZOCV2XiIUTLCkTpKym5cuREsi2vlUJtmeSdV7JPmapiU6Z25oLa2p3KzC0sl4/s400/Wren+feeding+Cuckoo.jpg" title="Photo by Peter Allman" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Peter Allman</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It has been
known for birds to feed juveniles of another species even if they did not raise
them themselves, as they are attracted to the sound of a hungry chick and have
a strong instinct to feed them. However, in this particular case, the cuckoo
has been observed being fed by the wren numerous times, so it is far more
likely that it was raised by the wren in its nest. This is a relatively common </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">occurrence in other European countries,</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> however this is a relatively rare occurrence in Britain, there are only three or four records of it. This is
probably most likely due to the fact that a wren nest isn’t really an ideal
place to nest in as it is very small, and close to the ground. It could also be
because wren nests are generally well hidden and hard to find, as well as being
dark inside as a result of its dome-shape, making it more difficult to see and
record cuckoo chicks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How the
cuckoo lays the egg in the wren’s nest is very much the same as they do for
most bird species’ nests; the cuckoo simply clings to the nest, places her
cloaca against the nest hole and squirts the egg in. The egg will then slide
down inside the dome-shaped nest so it is quite unlikely that the egg will
break. Sometimes the female cuckoo will take one of the wren eggs out with her
beak, to make room for her own or just to eat as a snack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The wren
will proba</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">bly not realise the cuckoo egg is not one of its own, and if it does,
a wren will probably not try to reject it, because with rejection comes cost.
For example, because the wren has such a small beak, it will find it very
difficult to remove the egg so it may fall on its own eggs, smashing them,
leaving it with no achievement at all. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq71tNYGViecFfGRIuyqNWXTBF_JIePqCXTzhBa8Y22FWrX5VPVWVlcy5BlVf8F3zV65zCJhDERRdg7GL_cxgAbLEyd4eR95QV2kyF8V8dlYOdfT-RONr5mOpWWgijjX6-mRL6X2cXmak/s1600/cucko+012+%2528reewa+nest%2529+%2528Kevin+Carlson%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cuckoo chick in a Reed Warbler nest. Photo by Kevin Carlson" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq71tNYGViecFfGRIuyqNWXTBF_JIePqCXTzhBa8Y22FWrX5VPVWVlcy5BlVf8F3zV65zCJhDERRdg7GL_cxgAbLEyd4eR95QV2kyF8V8dlYOdfT-RONr5mOpWWgijjX6-mRL6X2cXmak/s400/cucko+012+%2528reewa+nest%2529+%2528Kevin+Carlson%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" title="Cuckoo chick in a Reed Warbler nest. Photo by Kevin Carlson" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuckoo chick in a Reed Warbler nest. Photo by Kevin Carlson</td></tr>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the
cuckoo egg hatches, the chick will push the wren eggs, one at a time onto a
curvature in its spine and push them out of the nest hole. The specially
constructed wren nest makes it quite difficult for the cuckoo chick to eject
the eggs so if it does not succeed in removing them all, it will outcompete the
other wren chicks when they hatch as the cuckoo will grow into a much bigger
bird very quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTXi15uHjon-8Gi6_m0G1ce0CrzLvyNYaePGIAAGIyPIP5fvHSfCB8hJLnpnqgU9ASNhvef7qChoOFi9XEEJWgZ0nsdb7uWHbq5iMal0cDAllUaBnjjA2jay5lSET-2VLWBU0mNgmeNc/s1600/cucko+020+%2528%252B+dunno+%2529+%2528Derek+Belsey%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cuckoo chick being fed by a Dunnock. Photo by Derek Belsey" border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTXi15uHjon-8Gi6_m0G1ce0CrzLvyNYaePGIAAGIyPIP5fvHSfCB8hJLnpnqgU9ASNhvef7qChoOFi9XEEJWgZ0nsdb7uWHbq5iMal0cDAllUaBnjjA2jay5lSET-2VLWBU0mNgmeNc/s400/cucko+020+%2528%252B+dunno+%2529+%2528Derek+Belsey%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" title="Cuckoo chick being fed by a Dunnock. Photo by Derek Belsey" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuckoo chick being fed by a Dunnock. Photo by Derek Belsey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">These photos</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> also prompted many questions regarding why the cuckoo does not imprint on the wren as it is the first thing it sees, the same way a
duckling can imprint on a human. The cuckoo may well spend the rest of its life thinking it’s
mother is a wren, but it does not matter because after a few weeks it will
become independent and most likely instinct will tell it to migrate to Africa,
to eat caterpillars and to recognise and mate with other cuckoos. Some female
cuckoos are known to lay their eggs in the same species’ nest as they were
brought up in, suggesting that they do “remember”, their host parent or maybe
just the habitat it was found in. Perhaps it’s a bit of both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sebastian Seely</span></div>
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-52143816434334730852016-07-14T14:28:00.000+01:002016-07-14T14:28:48.795+01:00Nocturnal Birding by Thomas BroomWhen the sun is up, and the birds are singing, the world is a familiar place. We understand what goes on during the daylight hours. It’s well documented. After all, we are adapted to life during the day. So when the sun sets, the world becomes a different place; an alien place. An exciting place.<br />
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I myself haven’t done much nocturnal birding in the past. I’ve been out at dawn and dusk, but have only truly looked for birds in the dark a few times. But after a few recent experiences, it is certainly something I am going to make an effort to do more, because it’s definitely worth the late night. Let me tell you why…<br />
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The birds that hunt and operate after the sun has set are almost entirely different to the cast we’re all familiar with when the sun’s up. And, being harder to see and harder to spot, we don’t see them as frequently as our daytime birds, which makes finding them at night a whole lot more special. The common practice of bird ‘watching’ becomes interesting once it gets too dark to actually ‘watch’. Your other senses kick in to action, and you find yourself watching with your ears – listening for sound becomes a whole lot more important when there is minimal light.<br />
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So what are these nocturnal birds, and what makes them so special?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMwqBRVsYpiAkvPLaxXZvEzSCrtkT8GybHPQQnAvuvkHHpOnixqTV1Fc4n1cdi3wWRB70SiJvH9eWc9DlOhTT_e7lVFzQ3iv9rKJbn8ZxKnTa1xRqeSuGqQVeu6pJIKJ3pVm3n2V5xBI/s1600/tawow+002+e+%2528John+Harding%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tawny Owl by John Harding" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMwqBRVsYpiAkvPLaxXZvEzSCrtkT8GybHPQQnAvuvkHHpOnixqTV1Fc4n1cdi3wWRB70SiJvH9eWc9DlOhTT_e7lVFzQ3iv9rKJbn8ZxKnTa1xRqeSuGqQVeu6pJIKJ3pVm3n2V5xBI/s320/tawow+002+e+%2528John+Harding%2529+%2528A%2529.jpg" title="Tawny Owl by John Harding" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tawny Owl by John Harding</td></tr>
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Possibly the most famous night-time predators are owls. Of our owl species here in Britain, only 2 of the 5 are truly nocturnal: the Tawny and Long-eared Owl. Both these species, unlike birds like the Barn or Little Owls, are very hard to see during the day – spotting them roosting in trees is about the only way to see them. But after dark, they come alive. Tawny Owls and their haunting calls have inspired legends over the centuries, and when you’re stood in the forest in the dark, it certainly sends a chill down your spine. There are few things more exciting than actually watching a Tawny Owl hunt in the dark.<br />
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I was in Suffolk a short while ago when, as we were driving down a small country track late at night, <br />
we heard a strange screech coming from the dense woods to the right of us. We stopped the car, turned off the engine and all the lights and just sat there in the dark. And sure enough, after a short, exciting wait as the sound got closer, the dark figure of a Tawny Owl came up and sat on a branch in front of us, before flying off into the forest. It continued its flybys through the trees for a while, before disappearing off back into the darkness like a phantom. You may not be able to clearly see the birds in great detail, but an experience birding at night is an experience to remember.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz56GfSXlQXbh_IKgskt5TqoxVZXcHJYBugx96G6A0284wpxmu-LiErqrNoha5EWe79pFpxmxATMOL0xuRD8nZP159dceQqUc79ErCTL0tSj2xmfLx2ATYYkIO1Uf1224lIxTwGkNlrow/s1600/Nightjar+by+Chris+Knights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nightjar by Chris Knights" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz56GfSXlQXbh_IKgskt5TqoxVZXcHJYBugx96G6A0284wpxmu-LiErqrNoha5EWe79pFpxmxATMOL0xuRD8nZP159dceQqUc79ErCTL0tSj2xmfLx2ATYYkIO1Uf1224lIxTwGkNlrow/s320/Nightjar+by+Chris+Knights.jpg" title="Nightjar by Chris Knights" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nightjar by Chris Knights</td></tr>
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For the majority of our other nocturnal birds, spring and summer are the best times to get out and have a go at spotting them. Possibly my favourite nocturnal birds, Nightjars, are migratory, so can only be seen in the UK between April and September. Nightjars are magical, mysterious birds, which can only truly be seen once it is almost too dark for binoculars. During the day, they hunker down, relying on their exquisite camouflage to hide them from predators. But once it gets dark enough, they become a magnificent nocturnal bird. There is nothing quite like watching nightjar flying silently over heathland, with their long wings almost folding over the rest of their body, which is relatively small in comparison. The peculiar, but strangely enchanting ‘churring’ sound produced by the males, and the clapping of their wings as they fly make them an incredible bird to be around at night, and makes any nocturnal birding trip worth it.<br />
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Another expertly camouflaged nocturnal bird is the Woodcock – a bird that is even harder to see. I <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7OyUu90UeNC5NNWyu100VYQfPkIOtk4weHvMNcwmoc6uftuQAaQPgCN-vvn2ke-bgwAhcXGtPplWyGGTm2Ggwqxo02ila5dnxNu83qk7KbVFTrjXJkMiWjieexGozK4_hbJTWQ-AFFI/s1600/Woodcock+by+Hugh+Insley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Woodcock by Hugh Insley" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7OyUu90UeNC5NNWyu100VYQfPkIOtk4weHvMNcwmoc6uftuQAaQPgCN-vvn2ke-bgwAhcXGtPplWyGGTm2Ggwqxo02ila5dnxNu83qk7KbVFTrjXJkMiWjieexGozK4_hbJTWQ-AFFI/s320/Woodcock+by+Hugh+Insley.jpg" title="Woodcock by Hugh Insley" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodcock by Hugh Insley</td></tr>
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was very lucky to see two the last time I went out looking for Nightjar, as they flew across the area in front of me and into the cover of the forest. They are strange birds in flight – large, almost fat, with a very long bill and relatively short wings. Unfortunately, these birds are currently on the UK Red List, as their populations have declined as suitable habitat for them becomes rarer and rarer. But, if you’re in luck, you may just catch a glimpse of these rarely seen birds.<br />
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Above, I have highlighted only three nocturnal birds that are out there in the British countryside, waiting to be found. The mystery of the night and the amazing animals it holds is exciting, and I urge you to get out after dark and see what you can see. You won’t regret it.<br />
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Of course, nocturnal birding doesn’t come without a risk. Us humans aren’t made for working in the dark, so it is sensible to plan your nocturnal birding trip before you go out. First of all, go with an adult at all times – it’s safer, and they wouldn’t want to miss out on the experience anyway! You should also make sure you know the area you’re visiting well – you don’t want to get lost and it’s helpful to have an idea of what lives there before you go. And of course there are things you need to take, like any bird watching trip. A torch is a necessity and binoculars are still definitely useful; they’ll be usable until it is almost pitch black, and are still suitable for spotting birds in flight or in trees.<br />
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Nocturnal birding is an experience that I urge you all to have a go at and see what you can find. The experience of looking for animals in the dark is exciting and keeps you coming back for more. So if you can, at some point this summer, get out and give it a go! I know I certainly will.<br />
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Thomas Broom, <a href="http://www.exploringwildlife.blogspot.com/">www.exploringwildlife.blogspot.com</a><br />
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-25609348080805833622016-06-08T16:15:00.002+01:002016-06-08T16:26:34.686+01:00BTO Bird Camp 2016: Trip report by Max Hellicar<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">Thetford Forest, situated in the heart of
East Anglia, contains a diverse variety of wildlife and is an area containing
the only breeding populations of certain species in the whole of the UK. Thetford Forest has always been an area which I enjoy visiting and the
afternoon of Friday 27 Ma</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">y saw me making my way to the area.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Thetford is an area which I am familiar with
from going birding nearby many times previously, but I had never entered the BTO
headquarters building before. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This was the start of the Young Birder's weekend
2016, hosted by the British Trust for Ornithology, an event which I had been
eagerly looking forward to since I first heard about it earlier in the year. A
few of us arrived earlier than others so took ourselves on a walk around
Nunnery Lakes which produced Kingfisher and Garden Warbler and chatted to the
very friendly and helpful BTO staff. Soon everyone had arrived and it was time
for introductions and dinner, then off to our nearby campsite at Two Mile Bottom,
which was the first time some participants had experienced camping.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">The next morning we were up bright and early at
04:30 and ready for some birding action!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We headed back to the Nunnery Lakes reserve and
the 20 or so similarly aged birders were divided in to groups, working on
different activities, each working on one activity for an hour throughout the
morning. The activities consisted of bird surveying/mapping, nest finding, bird
ringing, and general birding.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyYPBaIGElTQ2-Nc4TrP4cAgnPRhBT9GglSGfj5KOQ6oDNBf4JW_htX0Mi7oj1jQdKezJ3PlZSfzxnvU-BGQUYh-3sRDbV-cNWUOQT7mT3nDdKerXi8XyxKFw0waLhETCjKR2e3jbLW8/s1600/Territory+mapping+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyYPBaIGElTQ2-Nc4TrP4cAgnPRhBT9GglSGfj5KOQ6oDNBf4JW_htX0Mi7oj1jQdKezJ3PlZSfzxnvU-BGQUYh-3sRDbV-cNWUOQT7mT3nDdKerXi8XyxKFw0waLhETCjKR2e3jbLW8/s320/Territory+mapping+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0K3oiyBaZglztF03spYYaOugV4PnBWIV2824f3wn1knMpDWvJ6xVaQds1rc9tXICBKa0lq2DvoZa88N6AAfQavP77U-MCGz8gR4_BLgbkwDJX5-133pBp2BtKkVFw7KHGJyBeNCRuLQ/s1600/Reed+Warbler+nest+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Reed Warbler nest by Max Hellicar" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0K3oiyBaZglztF03spYYaOugV4PnBWIV2824f3wn1knMpDWvJ6xVaQds1rc9tXICBKa0lq2DvoZa88N6AAfQavP77U-MCGz8gR4_BLgbkwDJX5-133pBp2BtKkVFw7KHGJyBeNCRuLQ/s320/Reed+Warbler+nest+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" title="Reed Warbler nest by Max Hellicar" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reed Warbler nest by Max Hellicar</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With thanks to Lee Barber and Justin Walker for </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LAJLKgJM1LaUXcwPql2qY9Qkhp6ebDVe0WKvX-C1xdQPIMzrJrClCYxuDwdZAGjZmuDt0dOZWucPkXNUYhgr5v3p61JJ2O11oOF2JlJfhR30VNRKtZEr21bzT36dv5CZ33fwyUNNeZg/s1600/Kingfisher+ringing+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kingfisher by Toby Carter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LAJLKgJM1LaUXcwPql2qY9Qkhp6ebDVe0WKvX-C1xdQPIMzrJrClCYxuDwdZAGjZmuDt0dOZWucPkXNUYhgr5v3p61JJ2O11oOF2JlJfhR30VNRKtZEr21bzT36dv5CZ33fwyUNNeZg/s320/Kingfisher+ringing+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" title="Kingfisher by Toby Carter" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingfisher by Toby Carter</td></tr>
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leading the bird ringing demonstration, Mike Toms for leading the nest
recording activities, Su Gough for leading the bird mapping activities and Paul
Stancliffe for leading the general</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="background: white;">birding
activities. One group working on ringing were fortunate enough to see a
Kingfisher in the hand, whilst the nest finders found a Yellowhammer nest and
the general birding group found a hepatic female cuckoo! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By around half past ten all groups had completed
the four activities, so headed back to the BTO headquarters to have some well
earned breakfast (and lunch)!</span></div>
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</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was soon time to get back out birding though,
with a trip to Lakenheath Fen arranged for the afternoon! Off we set and after
a jolly journey, we were once again eager for some birding. A nice circuit walk
around the fen produced some particularly nice highlights including views of
Crane, calling Cuckoo, a flyby Bittern and Bearded Tits! </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At Lakenheath we once again encountered
Kingfisher - a blue bullet darting between the reed beds.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">En route back to the BTO headquarters, we
stopped off in some suitable Stone-curlew habitat where we were delighted to
come across a pair of our target birds! Nice scope views of these were
afforded, with Stone-curlew being a life tick for some of the young birders.
Once we arrived back at the BTO building it was time for a barbecue dinner and
some time to socialise with other trip participants - a good opportunity for
young birders to make friends with others who have similar interests. This
particular event was superb for social aspects because many of the young
ornithologists who attended the event only previously knew each other from
social media, or didn't know each other at all, so all appreciated the chance
to have face-to-face bird related discussions!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Roughly an hour before dusk, we headed back out
into the deepest darkest forest to meet Greg Conway. Greg explained some of his
work and research over the past few years with a very mysterious and
extraordinary bird - the crepuscular Nightjar. Greg's fascinating research
included GPS tracking of individuals and was a topic many of us were intrigued
to learn more about. As dusk began to set in, the mist nets had been set and it
was now a waiting game. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A handful of nets had been carefully positioned
in the area with ringers carefully keeping each net in their sights. After
around an hour of anticipation and waiting, a Nightjar was caught! This was a
new bird which was previously unringed and once it had been processed and
ringed, all of the young ornithologists had superb views of the bird 'in the
hand' to admire it's cryptic camouflage plumage which blends in perfectly with
the heathland they nest on. We were finished with the Nightjars at around 11PM after
the success of seeing one up close, and managed to get a good few hours of
sleep back at the campsite.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOJdBdl7B4oOCSpj4tnNsLBme855hBa_gcYZpu5DJPxa4Kc2ABRUpoiqE0QAiDYGhqrECHmyUZ4lsgKUWctS3bqXP4-sIiMiKd2em3nkuuXf7NrzKaxJNM8uPVRWpRXRayBcP7RZgiH4/s1600/Nightjar+walk+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOJdBdl7B4oOCSpj4tnNsLBme855hBa_gcYZpu5DJPxa4Kc2ABRUpoiqE0QAiDYGhqrECHmyUZ4lsgKUWctS3bqXP4-sIiMiKd2em3nkuuXf7NrzKaxJNM8uPVRWpRXRayBcP7RZgiH4/s320/Nightjar+walk+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrPQlQ0IiwKWQRZuhVvYrtb35NWpfGO1hvpFp3XQx0ERBOr5bQP8RP1Muij06tPyyUKQdTaKgAZ6DBRNOAXWsMbdnfxwloAPHK32yIdC_fg6X95FPFXOnFg8KUPDEcf6tJJxbZ086u6k/s1600/Nightjar+ringing+by+Elliot+Montieth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nightjar by Elliot Montieth" border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrPQlQ0IiwKWQRZuhVvYrtb35NWpfGO1hvpFp3XQx0ERBOr5bQP8RP1Muij06tPyyUKQdTaKgAZ6DBRNOAXWsMbdnfxwloAPHK32yIdC_fg6X95FPFXOnFg8KUPDEcf6tJJxbZ086u6k/s320/Nightjar+ringing+by+Elliot+Montieth.jpg" title="Nightjar by Elliot Montieth" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nightjar by Elliot Montieth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">Sunday morning began with another early start at
around 5AM, when we were all eager to set off south east to Landguard Bird
Observatory, on the tip of the Felixstowe peninsular. Arriving at around 06:30,
we were greeted by the warden of LBO, Nigel Odin, who showed us around the
observatory grounds. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Nigel inspected the precious night's moth trap
catch with us, which produced some nice moths including a Small Elephant
Hawkmoth and a migrant Pearly Underwing was an early surprise.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We received an explanation of how Heligoland
traps work for bird ringing and a walk along the beach provided views of
nesting Ringed Plovers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFDARxfy3cZxJvtUCQf5DD0UC5udsFxPHH8RDPdWQ8lGdQHR1PYOtW1d3iGCquHMEdXllopMgAvzwaj1-mQiZYKuRHwJtJxhDBwuTN1LC_FCGJx7GLXiAOV7q9RSIa0F23ZpUQGOFog8/s1600/Group+at+Landguard+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFDARxfy3cZxJvtUCQf5DD0UC5udsFxPHH8RDPdWQ8lGdQHR1PYOtW1d3iGCquHMEdXllopMgAvzwaj1-mQiZYKuRHwJtJxhDBwuTN1LC_FCGJx7GLXiAOV7q9RSIa0F23ZpUQGOFog8/s320/Group+at+Landguard+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEi48J6Zz0P1CQsPtepX7GyDRkPA-khlfF_BrwgpdHSjhWHjIoJoXqk3r9HAfj5akGms2724bkKBGdeeyKLWz1lC_XPN3xAdBCnFQ2HRdHDE8qVR_4tAg8GtFJogtvuuqBxq9PXbtOsE/s1600/Small+Elephant+Hawk+moth+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEi48J6Zz0P1CQsPtepX7GyDRkPA-khlfF_BrwgpdHSjhWHjIoJoXqk3r9HAfj5akGms2724bkKBGdeeyKLWz1lC_XPN3xAdBCnFQ2HRdHDE8qVR_4tAg8GtFJogtvuuqBxq9PXbtOsE/s320/Small+Elephant+Hawk+moth+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was soon time to wave goodbye to Landguard,
and a visit to some mixed heathland and woodland habitat near the Suffolk coast
produced nice views of Dartford Warbler and Redstart - both superb birds. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After this we visited Boyton Marshes where we had
yet more success, with some of the trip participants managing to get decent
views of two Garganey!</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">A well needed pub lunch in Woodbridge arranged
by Ieuan was much appreciated by everyone.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">On the journey back to Thetford, I am confident
at least 90% of us youngsters fell asleep on the minibus. We were awakened by a
stop off at some suitable habitat in the Thetford Forest and guided by the
birding excellence that is Paul Stancliffe, we were afforded views of Tree
Pipit and Woodlark - both fairly scarce Breckland species! </span><span style="background: white;">After our success here, we headed back to the
BTO headquarters to celebrate what a truly brilliant and memorable weekend it
had been and say our farewells to each other. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZqV-qACAyMNv-stVo06ME0Xj-7gPRgkAi_MlcW-d3ks9XtcO4vvCdOvjhXt1hFcFf-Iev9JLrNs-70OKNlhFND3KBrueWdSgt1Y1KFtHwMugR2Iz1vsCSjNXycjobVRRsFUse1YKfxg/s1600/Cjywj4bWsAAky_D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZqV-qACAyMNv-stVo06ME0Xj-7gPRgkAi_MlcW-d3ks9XtcO4vvCdOvjhXt1hFcFf-Iev9JLrNs-70OKNlhFND3KBrueWdSgt1Y1KFtHwMugR2Iz1vsCSjNXycjobVRRsFUse1YKfxg/s320/Cjywj4bWsAAky_D.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Personally I feel that this was a fantastic action-packed
weekend and the BTO couldn't have done anything better to improve it. The
opinions of fellow young birders echoed the fact that this event was a
resounding success and I hope that this event has also encouraged other
youngsters to continue with their passion of birding and recording and submit
their valuable records to help improve the current scientific understanding of
certain bird species. After the success of this weekend, I look forward to any
future events held by the BTO as I'm sure many others do.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJeEe6zcgOfFjOuXZgG02WrHXcyZlJNROpkP4GFyMDon42Ts-DMOCVILYXiG8T6FMMlbXVVDhBNqLwAldIoBkuQxcBcRq9hUmxmJXQnjgVX-XTFA4alh7vPy3MuhZobpwivnc7oQYa0g/s1600/Young+birders+selfie+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJeEe6zcgOfFjOuXZgG02WrHXcyZlJNROpkP4GFyMDon42Ts-DMOCVILYXiG8T6FMMlbXVVDhBNqLwAldIoBkuQxcBcRq9hUmxmJXQnjgVX-XTFA4alh7vPy3MuhZobpwivnc7oQYa0g/s320/Young+birders+selfie+by+Max+Hellicar.jpg" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">I would like to say a massive thank you to the
BTO for hosting such an amazing event, especially Ieuan Evans, Viola
Ross-Smith, Paul Stancliffe, and Lee Barber for their extraordinary efforts in
organising this event and for being so supportive throughout the weekend, and
thank you to anyone else involved with making this event so brilliant. Many
thanks to the <a href="http://www.cameronbespolka.com/">Cameron Bespolka Trust</a> for funding the event and making it
possible, and thanks to <a href="http://nextgenerationbirders.blogspot.co.uk/">Next Generation Birders</a> and <a href="http://www.afocusonnature.org/">A Focus on Nature</a> - organisations involved
in arranging the event.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">It was great to see such a good turnout of keen
young nature enthusiasts, so thank you all for attending and I hope this event
has inspired you to keep up the good work for the future.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A great summary of tweets from the weekend by
Ieuan Evans is available <a href="https://storify.com/_ieuan/bto-bird-camp-2016">here</a>. You can find more information about the BTO's incredible work on their <a href="http://www.bto.org/">website</a>.</span><br />
<br /><span style="background: white;">Max Hellicar. June 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All photos by Max Hellicar unless otherwise stated
(Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxHellicar1">MaxHellicar1</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-30627652541267382822016-05-12T13:43:00.000+01:002016-05-12T13:43:17.403+01:00A Caspian Stonechat drops in, by Amy RobjohnsI alluded to my love of patch birding in <a href="http://btoyoungbirders.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/patch-birding-by-amy-robjohns.html">my first post on here</a>, and how great it can be. Spending hours on one site and getting to know the ins and outs can be very rewarding indeed, especially when the unexpected happens… <br />
<br />
As with most days of late, I set off down to Hill Head (part of my wonderful patch) early on 10th May, without checking the weather, and arrived at around 6am. My plan had been to check the beach and seawatch in the hope of the easterlies bringing Skuas in. I soon realised the weather had thwarted my plans, with visibility very poor and little of note on the beach. What to do next? The idea of heading up the canal path was cut short by the impressive number of snails (mostly white-lipped) and moths (E. argentella) along the vegetation and fence line by the road, so I set about counting them, as you do… At number 300, a rather striking Stonechat hopped up on the fence; a perfect photo opportunity!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF6J0knZTuqu1xp9WJIYWBiN-TyI8_1hlUU76mKkcuR8SWOKrCKlSbD4pW62QOUeh_Smmu9YiDW3TVyi9G2S3Nz1TAE2XyYHh_bWGes5ay2NIsGbqu72MlM_8n6Ou1uNr-3b1Dh5QKp0/s1600/Caspian+Stonechat+by+Amy+Robjohns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Caspian Stonechat by Amy Robjohns" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF6J0knZTuqu1xp9WJIYWBiN-TyI8_1hlUU76mKkcuR8SWOKrCKlSbD4pW62QOUeh_Smmu9YiDW3TVyi9G2S3Nz1TAE2XyYHh_bWGes5ay2NIsGbqu72MlM_8n6Ou1uNr-3b1Dh5QKp0/s320/Caspian+Stonechat+by+Amy+Robjohns.jpg" title="Caspian Stonechat by Amy Robjohns" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caspian Stonechat by Amy Robjohns</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
My first thought was that I hadn’t seen a Stonechat around the scrub by the road for some time. It was also a very striking male – dark, black-ish upperparts with a thick white neck patch. The orangey colouration on the underparts seemed paler side on, and didn’t extend nearly as far as I expected. The rest of the underparts were white. I briefly pondered for a second, aware that it wasn’t an ordinary Stonechat but it then flew off back into the scrub and I lost it. In that brief flight, I caught a glimpse of the rump – wow. Large white rump! <br />
<br />
I never did see it again, though admittedly I didn’t look as I was soon distracted by something else. It was then time to leave and finish some coursework, remarking to Ken Martin how nice it would be if a mega would turn up in Hampshire. Little did we know… Pictures were uploaded to Twitter and Facebook, along with emailing them to Dave Wallace and Dan Houghton – two locals whose email addresses I happened to have – and the news of a “possible” Siberian Stonechat was put out on Hampshire’s Going Birding site to alert people to its presence and ask for advice. I knew Dave was likely be about, so might have been able to investigate further, and was hoping he and Dan could offer their views. <br />
<br />
It soon became apparent that, as I suspected, it wasn’t a standard Stonechat, but views of the underwing were needed, along with the rump and tail. I returned at lunch determined to confirm the ID but failed to locate it. Luckily, Dave Stevenson was on duty, so I asked if he could keep an eye out for the bird and try to get the much needed underwing views/footage. He soon got back to me confirming it did indeed have black underwings – excellent! By this point, I was feeling rather satisfied (and shocked) that it was a Siberian Stonechat, so put the news out and got back to work. I hadn’t forgotten that Brett Spencer had mentioned on Twitter the need to check the tail to rule out Caspian Stonechat, but work sadly had to take priority.<br />
<br />
That evening more locals visited, and it was only when checking Facebook that I noticed Mark J Palmer’s photos of its tail. Wow - mega!! Himself, Dan, Simon Ingram and Dave Ryves had managed to see the tail (and being far wiser immediately cottoned onto what the significance of the tail meant), and get the necessary photos to confirm it wasn’t just “any old” Siberian Stonechat, but a Caspian Stonechat! <br />
<br />
A day that began as seeming like a slow birding day, turned into a day I’ll never forget. So what have I learnt? You never stop learning in birding, and it’s always good to ask for help and advice from the wiser birders; the obsession with patch birding and checking the stonechats (I’d convinced myself there would be a Siberian some time by the road!) paid off; and always count the snails – they might lead to something better!! <br />
<br />
Thanks must go to all on Twitter and Facebook who commented on the bird, and the locals - Dave S, Dave R and Mark for getting the necessary video footage and photos to get it’s true identify, and also Simon and Dan for suspecting it was more than just a Siberian Stonechat. It’s been a fantastic year on patch, long may it continue!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amy Robjohns, <a href="https://twitter.com/amythebirder">@Amythebirder</a> </div>
Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-56569050365813665072016-05-03T15:01:00.001+01:002016-05-03T15:01:58.472+01:00Spurn Young Birder of the Year Competition, by Findlay Wilde<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhL1mrCiGOwBWUprPTCvvXe2T9oBEVSQ_wxVdOU2bIbP7Llt7fi465tN2rb-r-6BmwYIMGg1BRDr5bZlIzWQxvnuajRgBkcnYAm595PzXJbtg1mPeAm_rKo3IeYk3jvb__mdPJUU-YMQ/s1600/Spurn+obs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhL1mrCiGOwBWUprPTCvvXe2T9oBEVSQ_wxVdOU2bIbP7Llt7fi465tN2rb-r-6BmwYIMGg1BRDr5bZlIzWQxvnuajRgBkcnYAm595PzXJbtg1mPeAm_rKo3IeYk3jvb__mdPJUU-YMQ/s320/Spurn+obs.jpg" width="320" /></a>Throughout the UK, there are lots of places that are good for birding, there are also many places that are brilliant for birding; however there aren’t many places that just go above and beyond and leave you in wonder, thinking “can you get much better than this”? Not surprisingly that’s exactly how I felt when I made my first ever visit to Spurn on the remarkable Yorkshire Coastline. On one side is the North Sea, on the other you have the Humber Estuary. You are standing on a thin piece of land between the two, making Spurn a magnet for migratory birds and a haven for birders such as myself.<br />
<br />
Every year Spurn has a large scale event called ‘<a href="http://spurnmigfest.com/">MigFest</a>’, short for migration festival. MigFest takes place over a weekend in September and never disappoints. There is a great social network of people to talk to and of course it is a perfect chance to see migration in full swing with the odd rarity mixed in as well. Last year, a new feature was added, the “Spurn Young Birder of the Year Competition”, which I was delighted to take part in.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX50F8DC1VjVxD_rpQk5dRX0BVbhxLPVCbxWmnlVt5FXn2a6yRcSvib6ilNp3rn5pb23jUJo426RbF7Ys8HPBYHDYQB8aAzNQyhSyetYq-dankCBXb1SeJKYowXB-AJA4kcWNHLH870g/s1600/Arctic+Skua+by+Moss+Taylor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Arctic Skua by Moss Taylor" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX50F8DC1VjVxD_rpQk5dRX0BVbhxLPVCbxWmnlVt5FXn2a6yRcSvib6ilNp3rn5pb23jUJo426RbF7Ys8HPBYHDYQB8aAzNQyhSyetYq-dankCBXb1SeJKYowXB-AJA4kcWNHLH870g/s320/Arctic+Skua+by+Moss+Taylor.jpg" title="Arctic Skua by Moss Taylor" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Skua by Moss Taylor</td></tr>
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We only went for the day of the competition, but we still managed to see lots of amazing birds and have an incredible time. I woke up early in the morning eager with anticipation, knowing that just a 3 hour drive stood between me and a day I would probably never forget. I was sort of nervous arriving at Spurn, not because it’s the first time I had been, but because it was the first time I was taking part in an actual birding competition. I arrived for about 7:30am with the actual competition starting at around 9:30am; this gave me a couple of hours or so to catch up with the other young birders taking part; Ellis Lucas and Evie Miller. Whilst waiting for Ellis to arrive, Evie and I did a bit of sea watching. I instantly saw 2 lifers. The first was a group of 4 Sooty Shearwater that flew north quite close in. The highlight however, was a Long Tailed Skua that also flew past north, with 7 Arctic Skuas. What an amazing start to the day!<br />
<br />
Time flies when you’re having a great time birding, and the point soon came for the competition. All 3 of us travelled from the sea watching hut to the old Bird Obs, The Warren, where we met up with Nick Whitehouse who had organised the whole event, and of course our other judges. The competition consisted of 4 stages; the ‘Lab Test’ (certainly the hardest in my opinion), the ‘Field Test’, the ‘Estuarine Test’ and a ‘Sea Watching Test’. The latter was what I started with. My expert trained his scope on a set of wind turbines out at sea, my scope obviously focused on the same place, then anything that flew through the vision I had to identify and I was scored on how many I got correct out of the total number of species. It was challenging, but great fun as I got to see Red Throated Diver, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater and Grey Plover.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mnmNn3ZGVYgXs5yFF2McYmuBVVwnGCfiD5jBZPaoiEAEdbc1-lwxemDBqBOUx7cTx54pj3DloNi1g3Z9QZSYCiLsjush5K9QyBI1NNpEMnJL802K-6D-Rb6jcF4ceSbSTOOyxZeIrfo/s1600/PIFL+by+Findlay+Wilde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spotted Flycatcher by Findlay Wilde" border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mnmNn3ZGVYgXs5yFF2McYmuBVVwnGCfiD5jBZPaoiEAEdbc1-lwxemDBqBOUx7cTx54pj3DloNi1g3Z9QZSYCiLsjush5K9QyBI1NNpEMnJL802K-6D-Rb6jcF4ceSbSTOOyxZeIrfo/s320/PIFL+by+Findlay+Wilde.jpg" title="Spotted Flycatcher by Findlay Wilde" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Spotted Flycatcher by Findlay Wilde</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Every time we finished a stage, we would swap challenge and expert, so next up for me was the Lab Test. This started with me going into a room where the bird ringing at Spurn was done. For this challenge I had to identify specific feather groups on a bird, such as the lores and greater coverts, and also identify 2 bird calls. Once the science parts were completed, I was taken outside again to do some VisMig work, during which I saw Tree Sparrow and Meadow Pipit.<br />
<br />
I haven’t yet mentioned the weather, but at points it really was awful and that unfortunately was the case for my next challenge, Estuarine. I was taken out to view the Humber Estuary watching the waders being pushed forward on the incoming tide, being tested on Dunlin, Redshank and Grey Plover. I was also asked some general knowledge questions about waders.<br />
<br />
My final challenge was the Field Test where I was taken out around the Spurn area to identify any passerine birds in the scrubland and small copses. I managed to get great views of Pied Flycatcher and Tree Sparrow, whilst hirundines such as Swallow and House Martins whirled above my head. And then that was it, all the challenges were done.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrJhs56BXJ8b2B0Y4rfb_WE_XJkam4LXk21irQn2elot0hqXtEYRoZ3TWV6x0r2B7nH3a831dNUhrtIf76tgKwtki0XzUSLoNB1-NTMZHK-trZhPvFXe5NG0ddzRHn8GZCv0QrjTu5ao/s1600/RBShrike+by+Findlay+Wilde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Red-backed Shrike by Findlay Wilde" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrJhs56BXJ8b2B0Y4rfb_WE_XJkam4LXk21irQn2elot0hqXtEYRoZ3TWV6x0r2B7nH3a831dNUhrtIf76tgKwtki0XzUSLoNB1-NTMZHK-trZhPvFXe5NG0ddzRHn8GZCv0QrjTu5ao/s320/RBShrike+by+Findlay+Wilde.jpg" title="Red-backed Shrike by Findlay Wilde" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-backed Shrike by Findlay Wilde</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then had about an hour to wander round whilst the judges swapped notes. I chatted with Ellis and Evie about the answers we had given and what we all saw, it was great to be able to talk to the others and compare notes. During that spare hour, we went to look for the Red Backed Shrike that had been showing well in and around corner field; this particular bird was a lifer for me and certainly didn’t disappoint. The bird showed up about 10 meters from us allowing us a spectacular look at this rare migratory bird.<br />
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It was then time to head back to The Warren to see how we had all done. Nick Whitehouse went through all the answers and explained in a lot of detail the birds we had seen and some we missed. All the experts gave advice on IDing birds in the field and we all learnt so much from them. It was made very clear that although it was a competition, the important thing was the learning experience. And this kept getting said during the day. I can honestly say, it never once felt like I was being tested against the other young birders, it felt more like I was getting an invaluable learning experience, with experienced birders giving up their time to help and support us. It just felt like I was looking at my own skills and seeing where I might need to improve.<br />
<br />
The rest of the day was then free to go birding. During this time we met loads of great birders and kept bumping into the experts, who were interested to know what we had seen. Ellis and I went off to do some more sea watching (which I don’t get much chance to do in Cheshire). Within 2 minutes of arriving at the sea watching hide, we were already witnessing 2 Sabine’s Gull flying north!!! Closely followed by a CORYS SHEARWATER!!!! A very rare bird for Spurn and even better that it was close in, giving spectacular views. Next up on our birding agenda was to go and get another good look at that Red Backed Shrike.<br />
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Time flew by and it soon came to the point where we had to head to Westmere Farm for the evening event. It was a pleasure to meet Martin Garner, an absolutely phenomenal guy; Ellis and I did a few identification challenges with him while we were waiting for dinner. Whilst everyone was finishing dinner I went to see if I could relocate the Barred Warbler that had been seen earlier, however I had no luck.<br />
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For the evening event we all hurried into the presentation room to grab a seat, as the talks are very popular. Martin opened the evening talks by saying a few words about MigFest and how it was great to see so many people there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ef6HVe488iJzgaUWqJUeMofXGgmMdWS7uUx_v5CfGYZtraptWIaQe8peuGS-B3N7rwBOq4W5FG9knf-L1fpTcI4o_6q6Xp8LxUts_O_q40xquMwT7hobBEUEbG63YTyd420M0pMZQZM/s1600/Young+birder+competitors+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ef6HVe488iJzgaUWqJUeMofXGgmMdWS7uUx_v5CfGYZtraptWIaQe8peuGS-B3N7rwBOq4W5FG9knf-L1fpTcI4o_6q6Xp8LxUts_O_q40xquMwT7hobBEUEbG63YTyd420M0pMZQZM/s400/Young+birder+competitors+2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Next up was the Young Birders section of the evening event. Everyone was so supportive of the young birders and we were all made to feel really welcome. The competition was explained to the audience and then the 3 of us were invited up on to the stage where we all received prizes for taking part.<br />
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The team at Spurn were amazing. The competition was fun, stress free and I learnt so much from those few hours spent one to one with some very experienced birders. So if you want to have a go and enter the 2016 competition then just go for it. Don’t worry about winning or losing, it’s about learning and meeting a great group of people (young and old) that you can always turn to in the future for help and advice.<br />
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For details on entering the competition visit:<br />
http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/blog/post.php?s=2016-04-30-calling-all-young-birders<br />
<br />
Findlay Wilde, <a href="https://twitter.com/WildeAboutBirds">@WildeAboutBirds</a><br />
http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/<br />
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-36796505715068483632016-04-25T09:43:00.000+01:002016-04-25T09:57:05.707+01:00My time on the Young Birders’ Scotland Training Course, by Samuel HoodAt the start of July last year, myself and five other young birders (aged between 16 and 24), set off from the small Fife harbour town of Anstruther, heading for a rock barely visible on the horizon. The ‘rock’ in question was the Isle of May and we were off to take part in the Young Birders’ Training Course!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtU7D_F_ERmaMfXqEXBWpe86oSvCUM4kgwh6uVJt2cIqrq-7BZN8puWt5lp1V79MzAkSizfdlXy0WYXJxmy87ck5Pkui5uyHjBI1rmfuTeJ6TEOTW_S4BHPHPkxjtcWDJcTu70BtzRVYI/s1600/Group+Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="The 2015 Young Birders’ Training Course participants and SOC / IoMBO leaders" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtU7D_F_ERmaMfXqEXBWpe86oSvCUM4kgwh6uVJt2cIqrq-7BZN8puWt5lp1V79MzAkSizfdlXy0WYXJxmy87ck5Pkui5uyHjBI1rmfuTeJ6TEOTW_S4BHPHPkxjtcWDJcTu70BtzRVYI/s200/Group+Image+1.jpg" title="The 2015 Young Birders’ Training Course participants and SOC / IoMBO leaders" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">The 2015 </span><i style="font-size: medium;">Young Birders’ Training Course</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><br />participants and SOC / IoMBO leaders</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was around this time last year when I found myself filling out the application form for the opportunity, hoping that I might secure a place on the week-long funded training course which is run by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) and the Isle of May Bird Observatory (IoMBO) on the May. I was delighted to receive an email back not long after, letting me know I’d been successful in my application! I’d never visited the May, but had read about the island and its remarkable record of producing very good birds, as well as its fascinating history. Combined with the thought of a seabird colony during the height of summer, and the experience proved a very exciting prospect!<br /><br />The first chance all the course participants got to meet each other was at the harbour on the morning of departure. None of us knew each other at that point; however with talk soon turning to birding and wildlife, it was clear we’d all get on well! Ourselves and our leaders from IoMBO and SOC, set off for the island soon after, filled with anticipation about the week ahead.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On
approaching the May, the cacophony of sound, as with any seabird colony, was
the first real taste of things to come. Passing beneath the westerly cliffs of
the island, we had fantastic views of Razorbill, Guillemot and Kittiwake, the
birds leaving and returning to the sheer face of the white, guano-covered
cliffs. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqupbP3g5-6sJgl7dX8Pg0xvNXPDlper6uuDQJ7M-_v1eUxFQWpHLxcKpqdPO3A4h84KL6uZulf2bvdwbCRBBBhyphenhyphen59c3CZ5eZ6cDZeQbxhfm0mcDHlAoZdUgStCBDoe5HrIV9BbgIE3-s/s1600/DSC_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Low Light by Samuel Hood" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqupbP3g5-6sJgl7dX8Pg0xvNXPDlper6uuDQJ7M-_v1eUxFQWpHLxcKpqdPO3A4h84KL6uZulf2bvdwbCRBBBhyphenhyphen59c3CZ5eZ6cDZeQbxhfm0mcDHlAoZdUgStCBDoe5HrIV9BbgIE3-s/s320/DSC_0315.jpg" title="The Low Light by Samuel Hood" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">The Low Light by Samuel Hood</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<p class=MsoNormal>
IMAGE OF LOW LIGHT HERE</p>
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IMG 0315</p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>
Caption: <span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:black'>The Low Light</span></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
the RIB pulled up to the island’s jetty and we disembarked, we were greeted by
staff from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Centre for Ecology and
Hydrology (CEH), before heading straight to the island’s bird observatory, which
was to be our ‘home’ for the week. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Observatory is housed in the ‘Low Light’ (one of three lighthouses on the island),
and is the oldest continuously operating bird observatory, having maintained
its official title since its inception (apart from during the war years,
between 1939-45, when the Low Light was used as a billet for troops based on
the island). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our setting
for the training course was therefore, pretty spectacular! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the
next seven days we had the opportunity to get involved in a number of the day-to-day
duties that managing a nature reserve, such as the Isle of May, entails and a
chance to develop our bird survey skills and techniques. We assisted CEH with some
of their ongoing project work, which involved for example, Puffin netting and
studying specific Puffin burrows, as well as doing a stint observing Kittiwake
colonies as part of CEH and SNH’s 24-hour nest watch study of nesting pairs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLj8ktd3Ewmz7h8MQfAu6C0-l1rk_gMzuieUpzccOm8SaYW4a0ECfgL0SwCXsa8TNxX9ApuDjf2MDc7qogrS28NMVt4kigeX8zJ11DZWSID0KGArO2AeFmE2QZQSFYB-kzrgCE357Kd0/s1600/DSC_0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Kittiwake with SOC leader Eilidh and course participant, Ptolemy" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLj8ktd3Ewmz7h8MQfAu6C0-l1rk_gMzuieUpzccOm8SaYW4a0ECfgL0SwCXsa8TNxX9ApuDjf2MDc7qogrS28NMVt4kigeX8zJ11DZWSID0KGArO2AeFmE2QZQSFYB-kzrgCE357Kd0/s320/DSC_0233.jpg" title="Kittiwake with SOC leader Eilidh and course participant, Ptolemy" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Kittiwake with SOC leader Eilidh and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">course participant, Ptolemy</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Over the
course of the week we got the chance to ring a range of different species,
including Kittiwake, Artic Tern, Puffin, Great Black-backed Gull and Starling. Others
tasks carried out during the course included constructing Tern nest boxes and
chick shelters, with the hope of encouraging Roseate Tern back to breed on the
island in the future. The team also spent a night trying to catch Storm Petrel,
without success </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">unfortunately.</span></span></div>
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There were many highlights from my time spent on the island: getting the chance to chat to Mike Harris (co-author of the Poyser monograph, The Puffin) about Puffin and hearing about his more recent work with other auk species; driving Heligoland traps and mist netting for Puffin, but the group’s last full day on the May was to result in arguably the birding highlight of the week.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0i-jevJYgQ3vsfu693HtW9_b3fLz9uKm3mdEo-gPVR4W4vfMfKILLxcFYb2kRrynGFzPwSgB8pRE0nfzCsC4_L5yBzWFnLVNm6lk1jpKihFEFVxFzyUI0fvWYzXOUg9Swk7yOuIsOi4w/s1600/DSC_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Lesser Black-backed Gull by Samuel Hood" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0i-jevJYgQ3vsfu693HtW9_b3fLz9uKm3mdEo-gPVR4W4vfMfKILLxcFYb2kRrynGFzPwSgB8pRE0nfzCsC4_L5yBzWFnLVNm6lk1jpKihFEFVxFzyUI0fvWYzXOUg9Swk7yOuIsOi4w/s320/DSC_0040.jpg" title="Lesser Black-backed Gull by Samuel Hood" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lesser Black-backed Gull by Samuel Hood</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Poor weather conditions in the morning had led to some of us seawatching from the terrace in front of the Low Light. With visibility deteriorating and incoming rain, it was the best seawatching conditions we experienced whilst on the island. Other than a movement of Kittiwake offshore, it was generally ‘quiet’, but a raucous from the Lesser Black-backed Gull colony below alerted us to the presence of something overhead. Lifting from our scopes we found ourselves looking at a single Great Skua, a mere 60 feet from us. We got a fantastic view of the bird and its conspicuous white wing flashes as it cruised over the now very agitated gull colony below. Later that day after returning from a walk around the island, we found ourselves watching a stunning summer plumage Black Guillemot, the bird floating amongst a raft of Guillemot and Razorbill. This was a very welcome addition to the week’s bird list and one that proved to be a ‘lifer’ for several people amongst the group. It was a lovely way to round off our week spent on the May.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKZoMcyoa8M4gBYOM2GfzDlPq6nQoN9G8jVXU2vA8SmW67nEBPJi3E58lVAzxbVo8859Ldf6hX6TdMNxBoGTgA0yx1a38VFimR7Y-pgB6WlqmObk7HHLmXqRpiMGhAWEqEamn_hBmfRs/s1600/YBTC+Tern+boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKZoMcyoa8M4gBYOM2GfzDlPq6nQoN9G8jVXU2vA8SmW67nEBPJi3E58lVAzxbVo8859Ldf6hX6TdMNxBoGTgA0yx1a38VFimR7Y-pgB6WlqmObk7HHLmXqRpiMGhAWEqEamn_hBmfRs/s320/YBTC+Tern+boxes.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
SOC and IoMBO’s Young Birders’ Training Course was a fantastic experience for me and one that I would highly recommend. It helped to further cement the direction I want to follow for a career in conservation and as well as providing a range of excellent experiences, spending a week on the May and staying in the Observatory with reminders of its esteemed previous visitors all around, was unsurpassable. Since the course I’ve taken steps towards getting involved in ringing as well signing up to volunteer on Fair Isle this summer and I’ve continued studying Countryside Management at college. I’d encourage anyone who is keen to further their bird skills and knowledge to apply for a place on the course. <br /></div>
To find out more about this funded-training course and to view and download the application form, visit the SOC website at <a href="http://www.the-soc.org.uk/">www.the-soc.org.uk</a>. The closing date for completed applications is 5pm on Monday 2 May 2016. You can find out more about the Isle of May Bird Observatory, here <a href="http://www.isleofmaybirdobs.org/">http://www.isleofmaybirdobs.org/</a>. <br /><br />Samuel Hood<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874353348277418815.post-83968531018180252892016-04-20T14:50:00.000+01:002016-04-20T14:50:13.916+01:00Mad about nests, by Ellis LucasI’ve been interested in nesting now for about 3 years (this is my fourth year of looking for nests and my third of sending records to the BTO) and it just gets more exciting the more I learn.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg9UoMWX1LvAuD7dJWUAfFhOVyGcLd_HX7LjReW27AvT9eyiTddbFez39gyCNGf9AYLiqSy80fhzITP8s7peT01ndwZwPNLnQZqivfb1aA-wvMgbpC9gAwqNrirlDZmld5XoVeyZPgkM/s1600/Common+Gull+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Common Gull nest by Ellis Lucas" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg9UoMWX1LvAuD7dJWUAfFhOVyGcLd_HX7LjReW27AvT9eyiTddbFez39gyCNGf9AYLiqSy80fhzITP8s7peT01ndwZwPNLnQZqivfb1aA-wvMgbpC9gAwqNrirlDZmld5XoVeyZPgkM/s200/Common+Gull+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" title="Common Gull nest by Ellis Lucas" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Gull nest by Ellis Lucas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I really enjoy seeing new birds and will travel a reasonable distance to see something unusual or a rarity. With nesting it is completely different, the excitement I feel whenever I find a new nest is just as exciting, whatever the bird. To have a peek into its world is great. Watching the dedication of a bird sitting through terrible weather to keep the eggs/chicks warm makes me feel so sorry for them and realise what a comfortable life I have.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6C9ysnSG1WDThX7GjvSZ_Jt4Lr55Yi_Un-OK9UXObcpS8yQviJY0GmBMrk4-cM9_8mbV_oZ9wVMjH1iNgTenmGcMzfQ9k3oO0oO8dH4VbVAYAv1YyUY4NymrH1Mnq-Py6eZCp_7r6_mg/s1600/Common+Sandpiper+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Common Sandpiper nest by Ellis Lucas" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6C9ysnSG1WDThX7GjvSZ_Jt4Lr55Yi_Un-OK9UXObcpS8yQviJY0GmBMrk4-cM9_8mbV_oZ9wVMjH1iNgTenmGcMzfQ9k3oO0oO8dH4VbVAYAv1YyUY4NymrH1Mnq-Py6eZCp_7r6_mg/s320/Common+Sandpiper+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" title="Common Sandpiper nest by Ellis Lucas" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Sandpiper nest by Ellis Lucas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are a number of places I go nesting; from my back garden (not many results unfortunately yet), to local farmland, to the Highlands of Scotland (where I go at Spring Half Term). I always carry the BTO’s <a href="http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/field-guide">Field Guide to Monitoring Nests</a> which gives great info on what to look for and what birds are likely to nest in any given habitat. My favourite record so far and one I found completely by myself was that of a Common Sandpiper. I had noticed a few birds around when walking around a Loch in Scotland and looking through the book provided all the info necessary to understand the bird’s behaviour and know that it was probably on eggs or young somewhere in the area. The book mentioned that they would nest on slopes towards water and sure enough with a little bit of patience, I noticed a Common Sandpiper leave the side of a bank and begin to feign injury – text book nesting behaviour. After a few minutes of searching the area where I had seen the bird, I found my first Common Sandpiper nest! I was delighted.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2GO7rrN6WNReSgLuBOnPhCbwiLWRiy26NeyZKsEh0Srlxqku2VrpNekQ1tts-hI_njUYSegt-_LbU5GkMvYEKwaD1u6jWB1xOd2WU-ZCPepwZCQyJbtp3whAZFPnRxRVUM5_8of0vy4/s1600/Oysterctacher+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Oystercatcher nest by Ellis Lucas" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2GO7rrN6WNReSgLuBOnPhCbwiLWRiy26NeyZKsEh0Srlxqku2VrpNekQ1tts-hI_njUYSegt-_LbU5GkMvYEKwaD1u6jWB1xOd2WU-ZCPepwZCQyJbtp3whAZFPnRxRVUM5_8of0vy4/s320/Oysterctacher+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" title="Oystercatcher nest by Ellis Lucas" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oystercatcher nest by Ellis Lucas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have now submitted more than a dozen records and hope to add to that later this year. The book also gives tips on how to find the nests and the best methods of locating them (sometimes tapping vegetation and sometimes just sitting and watching). I have found nests using both methods and other times I have just been very lucky and walked past a bird which has flown off while I'm near, allowing me to find the nest. Using the car as a ‘hide’ is a brilliant way of watching birds like Lapwings and Oystercatchers which readily fly off their nests, making them almost impossible to find. Being quiet, still and patient are all necessary when watching birds back to their nests.<br />
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One of the best things about nest recording is that it is a hobby which provides good info for the BTO and can be done whenever there is daylight. Even weeks before the nesting season starts, you can check out birds in a particular area and this gives a good indication of a nest attempt. Earlier this year when out for a walk with my dog, I noticed a Moorhen hanging around a really small pond. The pond had some vegetation near the edge and rushes a little deeper. Good spot to nest I thought. This pond was then dredged by the farmer and a lot of the vegetation was removed. This did not look promising but I noticed the Moorhens (2 this time) about a week later still in the area. Earlier this week (Tuesday 13th April), I found my first Moorhen nest of the year with 6 eggs!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP93GMx7jH3L0AAokzL-ib0X4IQsJTAJt-r28TPijsOpNcGq41UXfuqjtmx1yUxg8ZumbdS69gBEHq45RosemCvttcs863f7oZx7EcBFJ_0zMMPsTN6qQun67uVhFvh1N3CGnzN8NbCY/s1600/Dipper+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dipper nest by Ellis Lucas" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP93GMx7jH3L0AAokzL-ib0X4IQsJTAJt-r28TPijsOpNcGq41UXfuqjtmx1yUxg8ZumbdS69gBEHq45RosemCvttcs863f7oZx7EcBFJ_0zMMPsTN6qQun67uVhFvh1N3CGnzN8NbCY/s320/Dipper+nest+by+Ellis+Lucas.jpg" title="Dipper nest by Ellis Lucas" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dipper nest by Ellis Lucas</td></tr>
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The nest record cards are easy to fill in and provide the BTO with info on things like, species, how many eggs/young, success or failure, when in the year the nest was found, how long the eggs took to hatch/the chicks to fledge, habitat and where in the UK. The records I complete are then sent to the BTO in Thetford where the info is taken from many nest recorders around the country and this gives a clear picture of where certain birds are nesting and the variety of birds in a certain area.<br />
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One thing that I am hoping to do this year with the help of a couple of experienced ringers, is to ring the young from the nests I find. I can’t think of anything more exciting than finding a nest very close to home, recording as much as I can about the species (I always make my own notes as well as what the ringer will submit) and learn of its movements. Imagine a Blackbird nesting in your own garden, ringing the chicks and possibly finding out about their presence in another part of the country or even another country if it is recaught. Just incredible!<br />
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So apart from it being an exciting hobby and making sure I get plenty of exercise and fresh air, it is playing a valuable part in gathering information on the nesting birds (migrants and resident) of the UK.<br />
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To see how you can get involved in nest recording, check out the <a href="http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/taking-part">BTO Nest Record Scheme webpages</a> where you can also find the <a href="http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/coc">NRS Code of Conduct</a> for nest recorders.<br />
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Ellis Lucas, <a href="https://twitter.com/ellisethanfox">@ellisethanfox</a><br />
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Ieuanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12199417262520119987noreply@blogger.com1