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Rare seal’s visit delights Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Newsdesk — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:49:17 +0000

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is delighted that a rare bearded seal visited Beadnell Beach at the weekend – May 29.

This visit is the first ever record of a bearded seal to Northumberland since records began.

The young seal was spotted quite happily lying on the beach and appeared quite fit, fat and healthy. Local wildlife tour guide Alan Tilmouth, from Northumbrian Wildlife Tours waited with the young seal for 90 minutes to ensure the tide washed it back into the sea and to safeguard it against dog attacks.

Kevin O’Hara, Conservation Officer with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and mammals expert said: “This seal was way off course as species of this type normally inhabit the waters around the Arctic. Seals wander the seas and very often get blown off course and my guess is that the strong north westerly winds have altered the water currents and blown it here. There was no cause for concern although it is very unusual for it to make an appearance on a beach in Northumberland.”

The bearded seal, also called the square flipper seal is found in and near the Arctic Ocean. It’s most characteristic feature is the conspicuous and very abundant whiskers.
The bearded seal reaches about 2.25m (7.4ft) to 2.7m (8.9ft) in nose to tail length and from 275kg (606lb) to 340kg (750lb).

Take off for Northumberland’s rare ospreys

Newsdesk — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:02:53 +0000

Northumberland’s three osprey chicks have taken to the air for the very first time.

The young birds, named Aqua, Splash and Spray, and only the second osprey family raised in North East England since records began 200 years ago, have all successfully flown in Kielder Water and the forest park.

Over the past week rangers have been monitoring CCTV coverage beamed live to Kielder Castle Visitor Centre as the chicks exercised their wings and leapt into the air, getting ready for take off. Two of the birds left the nest for the first time some days ago, but the third – the smallest of the brood and possibly a male – proved reluctant to leave and has only fleged in the past couple of days.

Kevin Hudson, Northumbrian Water leisure manager said: “The ospreys’ diet exists almost exclusively of fish. Kielder Water is well stocked with rainbow trout – a favourite dish for these raptors. Visitors to the Park now have a rare opportunity to watch the family of birds hunting as the parents will be showing the three chicks how it’s done. The best place to catch sight of these sensational creatures is from the aptly named ‘Osprey’ Ferry, which sails daily throughout the summer.”

The adult male will teach his offspring to fish – and it really is a crash course. By the end of August they will start a hazardous 5000-mile migration to sub-Saharan Africa when they must fend for themselves or perish.

Martin Davison, Forestry Commission ornithologist, explained: “The chicks need to put on extra body fat to tackle the long flight. Ospreys are expert hunters and will often hover over water to spot fish close to the surface. After fixing on their prey, they take the plunge with legs extended forward and wings swept back to keep them dry, before lifting away with a fish held in powerful talons. It’s amazing how quickly young birds learn, but it is a matter of survival.”

Northumbrian Water’s ’Osprey’ Ferry departs from Leaplish Waterside Park and Tower Knowe Visitor Centre. Booking is advisable on 01434 251 000 or by enquiring on site.

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

Ospreys were once distributed widely, but persecution resulted in the species becoming extinct in England as a breeding bird in 1840 and in Scotland in 1916. Some birds re-colonised Scotland in the 1950s and by 2001 there were nearly 160 breeding pairs (today about 200). The same year saw the first successful osprey nests in England for 160 years by re-colonising birds in the Lake District and re-introduced ones at Rutland Water in the East Midlands. Kielder is only the place in England where the bird has returned to breed naturally.

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.

More happy returns for Northumberland’s bird records

David Pike — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:15:06 +0000

Marsh harrier chicks celebrating life in Northumberland.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce that up to four Marsh Harrier chicks have recently fledged at its East Chevington reserve.

What makes this breeding even more exciting is the fact that this is the first confirmed breeding of Marsh Harriers in Northumberland since circa 1880. This latest news come hot of the heels of the first successful rearing of Osprey chick at Kielder for over 100 years.

The breeding is also excellent confirmation of the success of the reed beds on this reserve, in particular those at the Chibburn end of the site. These habitats are still developing on site following its return from opencast mining in the 1990s.

A female marsh harrier can lay up to eight eggs but four is the usual clutch. They nest on the ground in reedbeds or over shallow water. Their breeding area stretches across northern and eastern Europe and in winter they move to the Mediterranean area or West Africa, although some remain in Eastern England or the Low Countries.

The marsh harrier was once a widespread bird in the UK but stopped breeding here in the late nineteenth century returning in reduced numbers to Norfolk in the 1920’s. Since that time, their numbers have fluctuated – with declines in the 1960s and 70s linked to pesticide use.

In the UK they are currently a reasonably common sight in East Anglia and have been seen ‘en passage’ in the Northumberland area but until this summer, none has ever been confirmed as having bred here. The chicks have now been ringed to help ornithologists monitor their movements.

Duncan Hutt, head of land management at Northumberland Wildlife Trust said: “This is fantastic news for these magnificent birds and is a wonderful follow on from the successful breeding of the ospreys at Kielder after a 200 year wait.”

He continued: “The reedbeds at the East Chevington reserve where the chicks were hatched are attracting a growing number of birds. In addition to Marsh Harriers, reed bunting and sedge warblers are breeding here and the reedbeds along the bay are attracting an increasing number of bitterns in winter. We are working closely with local bird recorders to ensure the safety of the chicks but also to monitor the success of other birds here.”

Ian Fisher, local ornithologist added: “It is tremendous to have these birds breeding again in Northumberland after 130 years. It vindicates the hard work by Northumberland Wildlife Trust and all the volunteers, who over the years, have worked very hard to get the reedbed up and running.”

He concluded: “Should the birds return in future years, a close eye will be kept on them to ensure they have the best possible chance of successful breeding again in the county.”

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Top flight for nature conservation

Newsdesk — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:39:12 +0000

RAF Cranwell cadets help out at Holburn Moss. Photo Derek Hornsby - Click pic to enlarge

North East Nature News…

A group of 16 helicopter cadets from RAF Cranwell touched down at Holburn Moss to help Northumberland Wildlife Trust with the removal of birch trees and ditch damming.

With environmental challenges becoming increasingly important throughout the UK, the group were keen to offer support to the Trust in its work to protect and preserve Northumberland’s natural habitat.

Following a half mile walk onto the peat bog and a talk about the ecology and history of the site, the cadets began removing the tress and building dams, using recycled materials, to raise the water levels and restore the peat and its natural condition, thereby improving the quality of the peat bog. The impact of their work will be seen within weeks.

Holburn Moss is a peat bog which is an internationally designated wetland site. It supports a variety of bog mosses including heather, cotton grass and cranberry and is used in winter by visiting greylag geese. The site is used by red grouse, oystercatchers and snipe as well as the Large Heath butterfly.

Don’t forget to help spread North East Nature Watch news to your friends, family, colleagues and online social network, It’s so quick and easy to do. If you have a Twitter account then simply click on the green Tweet button at the start of the page. You can also click on the “Share This” link below to flag up the page via email, Twitter (again), Facebook, Myspace, StumbleUpon, Digg and any of your favourite social media networks. Go on do it now, it only takes a few seconds. Thanks:)