euVue - North East Nature Watch » Rspb

We love our garden birds

David Pike — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:55:04 +0000

Valentine’s Day is the perfect launch pad to celebrate our love affair with garden birds.

For February 14 marks the start of National Nest Box Week, an initiative that encourages people to put up nest boxes to protect wild birds and replace sites that continue to dimish and disappearing.

Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s leading wild bird care brands, is celebrating Nest Box Week 2011 by offering top tips for the nesting season and a chance to win a free Nature’s Feast Nest Box.

Now’s the perfect time to put up a bird box in your garden in preparation for the nesting season. It needs to be located in a quiet, safe place away from any other bird boxes. Preferably position your nest box between two and five metres up.

To enter Nature’s Feast prize draw simply email your details to competition@naturesfeast.co.uk. For further information on Nest Box Week 2011 visit the Nature’s Feast website www.naturesfeast.co.uk where you will find plenty of helpful hints and tips on how to provide the best in wild bird care for Nest box Week 2011 and all year round.

*And just to underline the pleasure we get from our wild birds euVue Nature Watch reader Jessie Warrior from Morpeth has been in touch to let us know about a flying visitor to her garden.

“We have been visited (several times especially when there was snow on the ground) by what I am sure is a Grey Wagtail. We have lived up here in the Morpeth area for 16 years but have never before seen this bird!

“Although its wings and back are grey the colour of its breast is a bright yellow with a ‘egg yolk’ colouring under its tail! Due to the extreme cold it had its plummage all fluffed up and looked just like a bright yellow puff ball! Its colour is really a bright and beautiful yellow just like a Canary as a friend remarked. It certainly enjoyed the wild bird food I put out especially the seeds and insect fat balls.

“It appears to be mainly a ‘bottom feeder’ as it spent quite long periods of time on the ground in our back yard with its long tail wagging constantly! There is a stream nearby and I wondered if the extreme cold and ice had forced it to look for food away from its usual habitat. I did consult a book on birds which said it usually lives near streams etc.

“I would love to know if anyone else has seen this species around and if anyone knows if there are many of them in Northumberland plus any other information.

“Also, to our extreme delight, we have seen several thrushes – both male and female in our garden as have our neighbours here in the little village of Linton. They have been a very rare sight in recent years so it was particularly heartening to see them again.”

We will be happy to pass on any comments from our readers to Jessie.

Osprey couple back at Kielder

David Pike — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:31:31 +0000

Kielder Water & Forest Park’s record breaking ospreys are a couple once again!

The Kielder Partnership can reveal that the female bird – who mothered three chicks last year, the first born in the North East of England for at least 200 years – has returned to the same nest she used last year, where she was greeted by her feathered partner who flew in earlier last week.

News that the two are back together has thrilled conservationists.

Footage of the nest – built on a platform high in a tree in the 155,000 acre Northumberland wilderness – is being streamed live to visitors at Kielder Castle, who were able watch as the birds lost no time in getting romantic after the female tucked into a fish supper plucked from Northumbrian Water’s Kielder Water.

Elisabeth Rowark, Director of the Kielder Partnership, said: “There are never any guarantees with wildlife, so the fact that the couple are back safely from sub-Saharan Africa and that they are using the same nest where we have installed cameras is tremendous news. The prospect of more chicks being born in Kielder Water & Forest Park has got everyone very excited and the public will be able to enjoy a grandstand view.”

Osprey courtship often involves the male attempting to woo his partner by providing a tasty fish. The bird stays faithful both to nest and mate.

Live images of Kielder’s ospreys are being broadcast to Kielder Castle and the Dukes Pantry Tea Room between 10am and 4pm daily.

Kielder Osprey Watch 2010 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site. To find out more go to www.visitkielder.com <http://www.visitkielder.com> <http://www.visitkielder.com>

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England

Osprey alert at Kielder

David Pike — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:30:19 +0000

Rangers in Kielder Water & Forest Park are scanning the skies for the return of ospreys which last year nested in Northumberland for the first time in at least 200 years.

The Kielder Partnership says it’s likely that the iconic birds will return to nest once again in the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) Northumberland wilderness, after the pair successfully reared three strapping youngsters on an artificial platform erected for the purpose by the Forestry Commission.

The male is likely to be the first on the scene in late March after migrating back from sub-Saharan Africa, where he will have spent the winter in warmer climes. But despite being a born survivor and having made the long haul trip at least a couple of times before, nothing can be taken for granted, said Tom Dearnley, ecologist with the Forestry Commission.

“The epic 5,000 mile journey these birds make is quite breathtaking, but also daunting and there are many risks which have to be negotiated. But fingers’ crossed they will make it back and the male will soon be scouting out the nest site in Kielder Water & Forest Park. The female generally follows a few days later and providing things go to plan, they’ll re-ignite their romance with an aerial courtship display and settle down to rear young. It would be fantastic to see more English born ospreys fledge from Kielder Water & Forest Park to continue the recolonisation of former haunts.”

With England’s largest Forestry Commission woodland and northern Europe’s biggest man-made lake, managed by Northumbrian Water, Kielder Water & Forest Park is ideal territory for ospreys, which feed on fish and build their nests, or eyries, high in the tree tops. The Kielder Partnership is planning a viewing area in conjunction with the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust, and hope to gain close-up CCTV footage.
But ospreys are not the only stars on show in Kielder Water & Forest Park this spring!

The Kielder Partnership is staging a spectacular series of events as part Wild about Kielder season, starting on Saturday 6 March 2010 with a chance to see magnificent goshawks performing their breathtaking aerial courtship display. Setting out at 9am, the walk is repeated on Saturday 20 March 2010. Booking essential on 01434 220242. Other outings lined up include deer safaris, a dawn chorus walk, bat and owl nights and a chance to spy a badger. Booking is also required for these events on 01434 250209 and full listings can be found at www.visitkielder.com <http://www.visitkielder.com/> The season culminates with a wonderful Family Wildlife Day at Leaplish Waterside Park on Sunday 6 June 2010.

Richard Gilchrist, chief recreation ranger with the Forestry Commission, said: “Kielder Water & Forest Park offers unrivalled opportunities to see some of the nation’s best loved wildlife. This is a fantastic chance to join experts and see owls, bats, deer and goshawks in all their glory set against a dramatic wilderness.”

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England

Des res for Ospreys: Preparing to give last year’s nesting area a spring clean (top right) and the osprey chicks (above left) that made history.

TV presenter backs bid to help threatened woodland birds

Newsdesk — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:46:05 +0000

A County Durham couple have stepped forward to help the region’s threatened woodland birds.

Janice and Michael Baker, whose son Matt Baker presents BBC TV’s Countryfile, have shown that a love of the environment runs deep in the family by pledging to improve an 8 hectare (20 acre) ancient wood on their organic sheep farm near Tow Law for species like Pied Flycatcher and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Matt Baker, from BBC TV?s Countryfile, in woods on his parents farm, near Tow Law, Co.Durham, that are set to benefit from a Forestry Commission grant to help woodland birds.

They have been awarded a £9,000 Forestry Commission grant over three years under the English Woodland Grant Scheme to allow them to create a better habitat for seven bird species under a pioneering joint initiative with the RSPB.

The A68 corridor through County Durham and Northumberland is a hotspot for breeding woodland birds and under the scheme generous grants are available to land owners and managers to carry out improvements.

Work on Janice and Michael’s farm will include providing better access to the wood, planting native trees, carrying out coppicing, cutting back overgrown holly, creating open spaces for natural regeneration, ring barking to provide more dead wood and the erection of different types of bird boxes suitable for different species – all measures known to help endangered birds found locally.

Janice Baker said: “Redstart, wood warbler and willow tit are names which just trip off the tongue. They are such wonderful birds so evocative of the English
countryside that to loose them would be unthinkable. That’s why we want to do whatever we can to nurture a better habitat. When you stand beneath one of our 400 year old oak trees you realise that we are only custodians of the landscape. We want to hand on a better place to future generations and make sure the dawn chorus retains its power to inspire.”

Son Matt was brought up on the farm and is a former Blue Peter Presenter and also works on BBC Radio 4′s Open Country. Backing the scheme he said: “To stand in our ancient woodland is a magical experience. Mum and Dad have always been keen to promote wildlife on the farm, having already planted over 3000 hedging plants and trees over the last 10 years. Its great the Forestry Commission are now helping with this grant to enable them to manage the woodland in a positive fashion.”

Work will start this year and a management plan for the wood has been agreed. Mike Riley, from the Forestry Commission, added: “The wood is tucked away in a quiet part of County Durham in an area once dominated by coal mining. Ancient woods like these are vital for wildlife and the more we can enhance the habitat and link together fragmented woodland the more benefit there will be. The North East was the first region in England to target grants at woodland birds in decline. People like Janice and Mike are helping us set the pace in reversing the fortunes of these marvellous creatures.”

Wild birds are a good indicator of the general health of the countryside and have been chosen as one of the Government’s 15 headline indicators of progress towards sustainable development. However, the UK’s woodland bird population as a whole has fallen by 20 per cent in the last 25 years. Some species, such as the Lesser Redpoll and Willow Tit, have crashed by more than 50 per cent since the late 1960s.

The Forestry Commission and RSPB launched its new woodland birds grant scheme in North East England in 2008 to fund conservation work to help 14 vulnerable woodland species which face an uncertain future. The initiative was based on new mapping data compiled by the Forestry Commission, RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology and Natural England which identified breeding “hotspots” in the region for certain birds. This allows grants to be selectively focused, carrying out specific improvements at certain species where they are known to occur.

Bird lovers choose Kate for president

Newsdesk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:17:51 +0000

Kate Humble

Television presenter Kate Humble has been elected as the new president of the RSPB.

The organisation is confident Kate’s infectious enthusiasm for wildlife and wild places will inspire millions of people to get closer to nature.

She is only the second female President since the RSPB was founded in 1889 – the first, the Duchess of Portland, served for more than 60 years.

Kate is best known for presenting programmes such as Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Animal Park and The Frankincense Trail. Her interest in wildlife stems from a childhood in the country and travels abroad in her late teens.

Kate says: “I’m not an academic or a specialist, but I do love learning new things and asking questions – I’m never afraid to ask. If I can communicate some of the amazing things I learn about wildlife on an almost daily basis and spark the same interest in others, that would be great.

“I’m extremely proud to be asked to be President of such a highly respected and popular organisation. With over one million members behind it, the work of the RSPB is rightly renowned for making a huge difference for birds, other wildlife and the environment.”

Kate’s TV appearances have made her a hit with everyone from serious naturalists to everyday wildlife enthusiasts, a spread that reflects our membership.

In her new role, Kate aims to increase support for the work of the RSPB. In particular, she wants to get more people enjoying wildlife first hand, whether feeding birds in their back garden, walking in the countryside or visiting nature reserves. She will also be promoting campaigns to stop the illegal killing of birds of prey, to save albatrosses from extinction and to protect tropical rainforests.

Graham Wynne, RSPB Chief Executive says: “Kate has a long held passion for nature and wildlife, plus a knack for spreading her enthusiasm to others. She is a great choice for RSPB President.”