News snippets back to home page
The Missing BIRD NOTES
Members will have noticed that the Bird Notes were NOT included with the recent mailing of The Buzzard - this was due to the fact that they were not ready in time for the mailing which had priority because of meeting dates which appeared in the Buzzard, especially notice of the AGM. However a copy is now available and has been placed on this website - a hard copy will be sent out with the June Buzzard. Click here to open up the pdf file.
RECOVERIES OF RINGED BIRDS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE BTO WEBSITE
The BTO has just launched some new pages on it's website which give details of the recoveries of ringed birds reported in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The summaries provide information on the numbers of birds ringed and reports (recoveries) of ringed birds received for the whole Ringing Scheme, covering Britain and Ireland, as well as broken down by country and county. Information is included on birds found during the selected year and for older recoveries (mostly from foreign schemes) that were received during the selected year. This is an invaluable resource so click on the link and select a year and Shropshire from the drop down menus to see the recoveries for our county.
The pages can be found at http://www.bto. org/ringing/ ringinfo/ recovery_ summaries. htm
The old plum hedge by the path to the hides is being replanted and has been the subject of some comment. The management team explain below what they are doing and why -
Hedges are a very valuable wildlife habitat which require regular management; the Society has an ongoing programme of hedgerow management at Venus Pool, which is partly funded through our Environmental Stewardship agreement with Natural England. Maintaining hedgerows is part of good farming practice, and their management is essential if these important landscape features are to retain their high wildlife value.
We are currently restoring two lengths of hedgerow on the Reserve, by cutting some plants off at ground level and some as three to four foot stumps, to encourage regrowth. We will also be rabbit fencing the hedgerows and planting sapling hedgerow plants (such as hawthorn, backthorn, dogrose, hazel, crab apple and wild plum) in the gaps. The resulting hedges should be thick and bushy, and, in time, they will be laid to provide both an impenetrable barrier to sheep and cattle, and a haven for wildlife.
Without appropriate management, hedges grow upwards and outwards and become tall and gappy with nothing in the bottom, and they eventually either fall over or become a line of trees. As part of our ongoing programme of hedgerow management, some of the hedges at Venus Pool, such as the one between the arable field and the little meadow at Cound Stank, are recently planted, whereas others have been partly restored; when you walk along the hedgerow in the arable field, towards the big oak tree, you will see lots of regrowth and new saplings starting to fill the gaps. Other hedges, such as the plum hedge on the way down to the hides, are over-mature and in danger of collapsing; if this happens, we will lose the whole hedge. The current restoration work on the plum hedge should ensure that regrowth takes place and that there is a flourishing plum hedge at Venus Pool in the future.
Unusual Goldfinch at The Rea
Peter Deans caught an unusually marked Goldfinch at The Rea early this month click here to visit the gallery.
ATLAS UPDATE
Want to know how the Atlas is progressing in Shropshire? Then come along to the meeting at Craven Arms Community Centre on Saturday 13 March 2010 - for more details click here
New Courses for 2010
Details of new courses for birdwatchers in Shropshire are now available.
INTRODUCTION
TO BIRD WATCHING AND CONSERVATION 2010
- this course is aimed at
beginners, and people who want to increase their knowledge of birds, and their
ability to find and recognise them in the field. It is organised by The National
Trust, together with the Church Stretton branch of Shropshire Ornithological
Society (SOS), supported by the Biodiversity Training Project.
MORE
BIRD WATCHING
AND CONSERVATION
Lady Scott died on 6th January 2010.
Lady Philippa Scott, widow of the 20th century's greatest conservationist, Sir Peter Scott, has died at the age of 91. For an obituary by Stephen Moss click on the link below
www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jan/10/philippa-scott-obituary
British Birds "Bird Photographs of the Year 2009"
John Robinson, a bird photographer from Bewdley, has taken second and seventh places in this year's British Birds "Bird Photographs of the Year 2009" with photographs of Mistle Thrush and Green Woodpecker. John occasionally ventures over the border into Shropshire and has submitted photographs which have appeared on this website. The photograph below is one that also was a runner up in the BIRDGUIDES Photo of the Year 2008 award. The results have just been published in the August 2009 issue (Vol.102) of British Birds. Congratulations John.
SURVEYORS REQUIRED FOR WETLAND BIRD SURVEY (WeBS)
The Wetland bird Survey (WeBS) commenced in 1947 to: (i) determine the status of wildfowl in the UK and (ii) ascertain any long term population trends. WeBS is presently administered by the BTO in partnership with the WWT-RSPB-JNCC. WeBS has been extended to monitor all waterbird species: divers, grebes, cormorants, herons, swans, ducks, rails, waders, gulls, terns and kingfisher at inland and coastal habitats throughout the year but primarily during September-March. More volunteer observers are required for this important work - for fuller detail click here
CHANGES IN LIST OF SPECIES FOR WHICH A DESCRIPTION IS REQUIRED
Geoff Holmes, County Recorder, has advised the following changes to the list of species for which a written description is required - this list has been amended on this website.
WHOOPER SWAN - Description NOT required for birds recorded in the area of the Severn/Vyrnwy confluence.
HEN HARRIER - Descriptions may not be required for records during the winter months.
EURASIAN DOTTEREL - A description is now required for this species.
YELLOW-LEGGED GULL - Description NOT required for this species.
WHITE WAGTAIL - A description will be required for most birds other than full adult males.
COMMON REDPOLL - A description is now required for this species.
BIRDGUIDES Photo of the Year 2008 award
Members will be pleased to learn that the BIRDGUIDES Photo of the Year 2008 award included two pictures from Jim Almond amongst the 'Runners up'. Well over 26,000 images were submitted and Jim had two in the final 10 shortlist, including one of a Cormorant catching fry taken locally at Venus Pool. The other image featured a Hobby taken at Holkham, Norfolk on arrival for the October SOS field trip. Any one who has seen the fine selection of pictures that he has submitted to this website and displayed on his blog will know that the awards were well deserved. Another 'Runner up' who has supplied pictures for the SOS website was John Robinson with a Green Woodpecker in Wyre Forest. The pictures below have been reduced so to see the winning picture and all the 'Runners up' in top quality together with the judges comments click here
Cormorant at Venus Pool 24 August 2008, juvenile Hobby at Holkham, Norfolk 16 October 2008 (photos Jim Almond) and Green Woodpecker in Wyre Forest 2008 (photo John Robinson)
CHANGES AT CHELMARSH - PERHAPS!
There have been several postings recently on Shropshire Birds (the Yahoo Group) regarding the future of Chelmarsh and the Society “taking it on”. This is premature, and the only involvement so far has been limited.
When Shropshire Wildlife
Trust pulled out of their agreement with South Staffs Water they suggested to
the Company that the SOS may be interested in having a greater involvement
because we had originally been co-signatories to the agreement. As result,
South Staffs Water's agents wrote to Peter Deans asking whether we would have
any interest in the site. In our reply, we have confirmed that we are
interested in working with the Company, particularly in terms of maintaining the
ringing on the site, maintaining the scrape and provided some sort of access.
This is many miles from
‘taking on’ Chelmarsh and we are not even sure that this is something that
South Staffs Water want. They have their own biodiversity duty etc and it
may be that they would wish to retain control themselves, but work with the
Society. From the Society’s perspective, we are obviously keen to
maintain some involvement in Chelmarsh and look to secure improvements.
This may involve entering into an agreement with South Staffs Water, providing
that the terms were not too onerous, but this seems some way off at the moment.
We will certainly endeavour
to keep people informed if there are any developments.
Graham Walker (Chairman,
SOS Conservation Sub-committee).
WHY NO DOGS AT VENUS POOL
We are occasionally asked why we do not allow dogs at Venus Pool - evidence is now available that shows that the presence of dogs can reduce the number of birds present by 41% compared to the effect of walkers which reduced numbers by less tha 20% (that is without the use of hides). Birds see dogs as potential predators and leave the area - not a habit we want to encourage at Venus Pool. The news item can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6978272.stm