What about Pheasants?



A Splendid cock Pheasant


Now there are really good laws to prevent the introduction of exotic species to the UK.  The debacle of Victorian times has left us with hordes of Canada Geese, Grey Squirrels etc..  Populations now so big that eradicating them is nigh on impossible.  The law also states that if you catch a Grey Squirrel then you may not release it.  It has to be put down.




Grey Squirrel


Where am I going with this you might ask?  Well if the laws are now strong enough to prevent anyone introducing alien species to our precious countryside how come landowners can release 40 million Pheasants into the countryside every year and apparently only shoot 15 million.  Surely this mass of semi domestic alien fowl must have an adverse effect on our native species?  Does the law not cover Pheasants?  Maybe because they have been around a long time some clever shooter has had them accepted legally as a naturalised species.

Should we be concerned?  Should we the nature conservationists be carrying out research to find out what the effects of these birds are?  Should Pheasant shooting be restricted to "wild birds" that have been at large for generations? In the Netherlands I understand this is the case with new releases not permitted.

I think these are all reasonable questions from a nature conservation point of view.

At least it is my belief that no protected native species should be legally removed for the benefit of field sports or any other commercial activity.

Am I dreaming?

People Power rescues Buzzards

Great news today that Ministers have decided to abandon plans to carry out research into controlling Buzzards on shooting estates by catching and removing them or by destroying nests.  The public outcry was such that the plans have been shelved hopefully for good.




Common Buzzard


Many congratulations to all who signed a petition or wrote to their MPs because your action has helped to make this happen.  We have to stay vigilant now because there will be more threats to our wildlife from this Government for sure.

RSPB Dinas - A Welsh Jewel



Dinas


My neighbour Ben West and I decided to go to the RSPB Dinas reserve a half hours drive north of home.  This is a great time to visit this wonderful woodland hanging on a large rock and surrounded by fast flowing streams and great crags.  Arriving we wandered along the boardwalk and soon found a pair of Pied Flycatchers using one of the many nest boxes.  A splendid cock Redstart was also behaving as if it had a nest nearby. We stayed a while and then moved on down towards the river.

Pied Flycatcher at nest box

Grey Wagtails were calling and a Dipper flew past heading upriver.  Blackcaps, Garden and Willow Warblers provided a superb chorus and the scent of bluebells was heavenly.  Concentrating hard we could soon pick out Wood Warblers adding their trilling song to the symphony.  More Redstarts were also singing.  We moved back to the car park and stopped a while to watch an adult Dipper feeding a juvenile by a small bridge.




Adult Dipper



Juvenile Dipper

Moving on we left the reserve and crossed the river walking along the small road which leads to a farm.  Tree Pipits were singing from the wires and more Redstarts from woods on the left. Two species which are in decline in the area cheered me up no end.  First a beautiful male Yellowhammer on the road and then a singing male Whinchat from a small tree on a bare hillside.  We added Wheatear and Stonechat as well as more Wood Warblers and Grey Wagtails. 

Yellowhammer

 



Tree Pipit

As we walked back a Red Kite and a Buzzard sparred overhead and we reflected what a great morning it had been in near Mediterranean weather.

Glorious Skomer with Friends



Dale Princess


Up at 6am and 2 Crossbills flying over my house before heading off to Skomer with my dear friend Javier Hidalgo and his friends Penny Williamson and Keith and Paulette Murray.  As well as being one of the World's top sherry makers Javier is a superb ornithologist and conservationist particularly in his native Spain.  This was to be his first visit to the island.




The Wick


Arriving at Martin's Haven Choughs were very noisy and an amazing flock of 26 flew overhead as we got ready to board the Dale Princess.  I also bumped into a group of birders from Essex which included old pals Annetta Adams and Steve Grimwade of Swallow Birding.  It was so nice to see them again.  We set off full of anticipation as usual.




Chough


Arriving at the jetty the immediate spectacle of hundreds of Puffins stirred the system significantly.  We lugged luggage up to the tractor and walked on to the farm.  More Choughs were very vocal and noisy Oystercatchers chased off predatory gulls.  My friends were staying the night to hopefully witness the spectacular sight of thousand of Manx Shearwaters coming ashore after dark so they had to get there rooms sorted before we could walk.  We made for the Wick where more great Puffin views can be had.  The wind was very strong here but we could enjoy a few Puffins some already coming in with beakfuls of sand eels for their newly hatched young.

Puffin with sand eels

At the Wick we could also observe great rows of Guillemots with Kittiwakes just above them and higher up the cliff nests of Fulmars.  Ravens patrolled the very tops.  We moved on toward Skomer Point and it was Javier who suddenly called Honey Buzzard.  Sure enough there was one of these rare raptors coming in from the west being mobbed by Lesser Black-backed Gulls and we could all confirm its ID before it slipped away under a ridge.  Feeling very satisfied we headed back to the farm for lunch and a glass or two of sherry of course.




Another Puffin with sand eels


I was leaving on the 3pm boat so we all walked back down to the landing stage and spent time watching very tame Razorbills and more Puffins carrying sand eels.



Razorbill

Another superb day of Skomer concluded with a welcome cup of coffee with Annette, Steve and friends at the Clock House.  If you have never been to Skomer go soon before the Puffins leave in mid July.

Has the World gone Mad?

I awoke this morning to the alarming news that DEFRA is to fund research on removing Buzzards nests and indeed the birds themselves from large shooting estates.  No it was not a dream this is real.  Let us interfere and remove a beautiful native species which is currently doing very well so a few well heeled individuals can try and shoot 40 million of an introduced species purely for "sport". I once lived close to a pheasant release pen and every year when they were released dozens were killed by passing traffic. This loss is far more than to raptors.




Common Buzzard


Has Cameron lost the plot?  Does he really feel he is in touch?  More likely he is pandering to his lords and masters.  At a time when the country needs to pull together his government decides to spend £375k on this mindless piece of work. 




Common Buzzard


If you feel like I do then please write to your MP at once extolling your opinion and let us see this ridiculous notion dumped like the forest sell-off.




Buzzard chick in nest

 Where will this end?  Red Kites, Marsh Harriers, Tawny Owls etc!  Government has already allowed the Hen Harrier to face extinction as a breeding species in England largely through inertia and allowing persecution to go unpunished.  If the shooting fraternity feel this research is vital then why are they not paying for it?



Common Buzzard

 I am willing to admit I voted for this lot and the best I can expect is that this "project" is a time wasting exercise that will go on for years and then get forgotten.  My hopes are not high.

Courser and Forest Cameo



Birders at Bradnor Hill - the Courser was still in view on the ground as I took this picture.  As I walked towards them it took flight.


I have been looking at the stunning images of the Cream-coloured Courser at Bradnor Hill in Hereford and knowing I had to go and liaise with a friend in the Forest of Dean decided to go for the bird first.  We found the very attractive if demanding golf course quite easily and arrived at 11.20am.  Right away we noted a male Yellowhammer singing from a nearby tree not something we see often since moving west.  All the faces coming down the hill were grinning so we remained confident and set off.  Kindly golf course staff pointed us in the right direction and warned us to watch out for stray golf balls.  We soon saw the assembled horde with lenses pointed west.  We had to give way to two golfers but finally made it across the fairway.  Suddenly all bins went up and I picked up a beige bird with black wing tips flying up, circling higher then rapidly disappear to the west.  It was great to catch a glimpse but sadly I would be adding no new pictures to any gallery.  I was glad I had seen this species many times before. What was difficult was the walk back meeting expectant faces that found the news hard to take.  That's birding I guess.  A final tribute to the wonderfully friendly and helpful golf course staff and to the golfers for being so positive.




Mandarin at Cannop Ponds


We then headed down via Hereford and Symonds Yat to meet my good friend and neighbour in France Ken Phelps.  He had driven back to UK and handed over 5 boxes of wine which he had transported for us.  We just had time for a stop in the Forest of Dean before heading home.  Cannop Ponds is a favourite venue and I got the chance to photograph one of three spectacular drake Mandarins swimming on the ponds whilst their females sat on eggs in a hole in some tree.  A pair of Mute Swans had three very small cygnets and Beryl's eagle eyes picked out 3 Red Kites high up in the clouds.  Are they nesting here?




Wild Boar in the bluebells


Finally as we left a shape caught my eye in the woods and reversing carefully I discovered a Wild Boar feeding amongst some bluebells.  The animal was quite approachable and I managed a couple of shots.  My first ever Wild Boar in the UK and obviously the first I have photographed here.  What a wonderful hour in this great site.

A Glorious Day

I took a quick look round this afternoon in warm sunshine.  Silage cutting was leading to some good numbers of Red Kites hunting overhead near Cilsan Bridge.  At Mynydd Figyn a lone Tree Pipit sat on overhead wires but I was particularly pleased to find a calling Cuckoo as well.  I have found 3 in Wales this year but did not hear or see one at all in 2011.

Red Kite

I spent an hour in a neighbours wood just south of Taliaris.  The birdsong was glorious with Blackcaps being the most numerous.  A single Garden Warbler was also present as well as Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers.  Around the pond there was a pair of Spotted Flycatchers and 6 Crossbills flew over.