Newsletter Oct 2004
Once again it’s time to say hello and I hope that you have enjoyed some good birdwatching through the summer months. I have quite enjoyed the long evenings which have once or twice given me the opportunity after a trying day at the office to take myself off to the North Norfolk Coast. I look forward to the time that I can retire and give my birdwatching more “quality” time. I know what all you retired folks say about being busier in retirement than you all were before you retired, but I have a sneaky feeling that you are only saying that for the benefit of your partners who you hope will feel sorry for you all and allow you more “free” time instead of finding you jobs to do!
THANKS once again to all of you who have been kind enough to help at, or organise, or contributed in any way to the enjoyment of, our meetings both indoors and in the field. As a society we are blessed with one or two regular helpers who stay in the background but contribute hugely to the success and smooth running of our meetings. Thank you also to those who have submitted articles for the Newsletter
FIELD MEETINGS
In July, Ray Gribble and Allan Hale demonstrated to those members who chose to attend, the practise of ringing (banding) birds. Those who attended the ringing session had the opportunity of observing birds in the hand at very close quarters. Many thanks to Ray and Allan for allowing members to attend their ringing session. I will not go into bird ringing in great detail here because Ray has kindly agreed to put together a small article for publication in a later newsletter.
On Thursday 19th August a trip to Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve had been organised. Alwyn has kindly let me have the following report: -
“Fifteen members attended on what was a fine evening. The reserve is managed by the Hawk and Owl Trust and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It consists of reed bed, valley fen, alder carr and woodland with a rich bio-diversity of flora and fauna. An agreement with English Nature will enable the Hawk and Owl Trust to restore the reed beds and the areas of fen vegetation, which have become encroached by scrub. We started by walking round the extensive boardwalk through the woodland area and spent a short time in the hide where we managed to both hear and see a Marsh Tit. Upon returning to the main entrance to await the arrival of Lindsey, (a volunteer warden), we observed a juvenile Marsh Harrier flying into the valley as well as a Sparrowhawk, a couple of Swift feeding with numerous House Martins and Stock Doves perched on some power lines nearby.
When Lindsey arrived we were taken on a tour of the rest of the reserve which is not open to visitors at present. Lindsey was able to show us at first hand what the extensive management work had already achieved in the restoration of the saw-sedge beds. Marsh Harriers have already returned to breed on the site and it is hoped that wintering Hen Harrier will also utilise the site in the coming years. Whilst making our way through the reed beds we heard and then saw a flock of up to 50 Long-tailed Tits accompanied by three Chiffchaffs emerge from a small elder bush. We moved on to view the newly dug scrape, situated near the river, which had already attracted several Green Sandpipers during August but sadly not during our visit. Whilst strolling back to the main entrance we had excellent views of a Barn Owl quartering the adjacent meadow.
Although we had not seen a great number of bird species the evening was considered to have been an interesting one by all those present and our thanks go to Lindsey for his excellent guided walk around this superb reserve”.
Many thanks for leading that trip Alwyn.
On Sunday 5th September Alwyn and Ray led a trip to the North Norfolk Coast, searching for migrants. Despite being under considerable domestic pressure throughout September, Ray did kindly find time to put together the following report: -
“Eight of us met at Safeway car park Fakenham at 9am then headed off to Titchwell on an extremely hot morning. Two new members, Colin and Pamela Martin, joined us and benefited from the binoculars we bought with part of the “Awards for All” grant. (If you have friends without binoculars who are interested in birds do encourage them to come along and use the club binoculars. If indeed you would like to borrow them on a field trip please do say so). Not everyone stayed the full day on this trip as they had other commitments or they were just exhausted by the heat. (Nobody must ever feel obliged to stay the whole course but must feel free to break off or join us at any point). After Titchwell four of us went on to Holme but perhaps the best bird came when we were nearly home when we had views of an Osprey circling over “smelly hill”, Lenwade for four or five minutes before drifting off to the north-east.
During the day seventy-six species were seen in total. Some of what I consider were the better birds were Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Tern, Great Skua, Little Egret, Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt, Yellow Wagtail, Bearded Tit, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Red-backed Shrike, Osprey.”
Many thanks Ray.
INDOOR MEETINGS
On Thursday July 15th Stephen Spawls gave a talk entitled “Birds of South-East Africa”. This was an excellent presentation. Stephen had spent many years working in the area and he obviously had a wonderful knowledge of the fauna and flora. He enthralled all those present by recounting some of the local myths and legends associated with the animals and plants, and splendid photographs (including the ones taken by his wife) captured the true essence of Eastern Africa. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The indoor meeting on Thursday August 19th was in fact the outdoor “field meeting” at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve!
On Thursday September 16th Peter Lambley (from English Nature) gave a talk entitled “Managing Change on the North Norfolk Coast”.Unfortunately I missed what I am told was a well presented and interesting talk on a subject which I guess will become increasingly relevant .
HOLIDAYS
Ray and Chris Gribble earlier this year walked the Wye Valley. Ray has kindly let me have the following article: -
“The Wye Valley Walk through Wales is one of the many long distance walks in Britain. From its source at Plynlimon, north of Llangurig, the Wye winds through some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain to Chepstow where it runs into the Severn estuary 136 miles later.
After at least one false start many years ago (when the walk was 38 miles shorter!) we set out in mid-June to make a start. Although the official guide starts in Chepstow and ends near Plynlimon we all know water runs downhill so I decided to start near the source. No point in walking up more hills than you need to. We were to make our base at Rhayader where we would camp and use taxis to take us to one end of each days walk and walk back. On the drive across we had 2 Red Kites cavorting in the skies above the A14. On arrival at Rhayader we went into the Tourist Information Office to enquire about taxis only to be told “We used to have one but when the driver passed away we have not got a replacement”. Plan One straight out of the window. “Are there any buses?”. “Oh yes” was the reply, handing me several different timetables from different coach companies. To be studied later, first thing now is to decide where to camp – a large caravan/camping site with all facilities or Gigrin Farm with minimal facilities but where they feed the Red Kites. No contest – waking to magnificent views and returning to 30+ Red Kites wheeling in the air with Buzzards and Ravens above Gigrin Farm won easily.
After studying the bus timetables we had a master plan and on the Saturday morning we caught the bus from Rhayader to Llangurig via the scenic route for £1.20 each. The Welsh must enjoy better subsidies than we do in Norfolk. We then walked the 12 miles back to Rhayader. Although this was not a birding holiday I did take a pair of binoculars, no surprise there. In addition to many of the common birds we would expect in Norfolk I soon saw Red Kite, Buzzard, Raven, Wheatear, Redstart, Wood Warber, Dipper, Siskin and Pied Flycatcher.
On Sunday we drove further up the Valley to Sweet Lamb Farm and did the walk from here to Plynlimon and back, 8 miles. The habitat was mainly moorland consequently fewer birds were seen but I did add Tree and Meadow Pipit, Sparrowhawk and Spotted Flycatcher to the holiday list.
Monday was bus to Newbridge and walk the 10 miles back. New birds of note were Grey Wagtail, rather surprising this took so long, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Redpoll, Snipe and Peregrine.
Tuesday bussed to Builth Wells and walked the 7 miles back to Newbridge. Fewer birds left to add now but we did see Grey Heron, Goosander and Common Sandpiper.
Wednesday is when the master plan went totally pear-shaped. There is only one bus a week from Builth to Hay-on-Wye on a Wednesday. We were going to catch this as far as Boughrood for a 13 mile walk. It was absolutely bucketing down with no sign of letting up all day. I don’t mind showers but continuous rain when you are camping – no thanks!! So we did a 7 mile fill in between Sweet Lamb and Llangurig then cut our losses, decamped and headed home having completed about 40 miles of the route. During this walk I saw 67 species and thoroughly enjoyed the walking. I am sure Chris and I will return and complete the walk in the next year or two.
The spectacle of scores of Red Kite with Ravens and Buzzards is not to be missed. I can recommend a visit to Gigrin Farm at Rhayader where you can also see the other Welsh specialities – Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Dipper and Peregrine – either on the farm walk or nearby. There are toilets, and a gift/tea shop as well as hides to watch the feeding raptors from. It costs £2 or £3 to visit but is well worth it. The farmer, Eithel Powell, his wife Lena and son Chris will always make you welcome but don’t mention the taxman to Eithel if you want to avoid a long conversation!!”
Many thanks for that Ray and having ably demonstrated your literacy you now have no excuse for not letting me have an article on “bird ringing” and another following your visit to Canada with Allan (Hale) next year!
Brenda Palmer has kindly written the following article about a trip that she and John took to the Isles of Scilly: -
“Out of Season Birding on the Isles of Scilly”
John and I took a trip to the Isles of Scilly early in June this year, never having been before. It was a package tour with a local coach company and we were based in Hugh Town, St. Mary’s, right next to the harbour and very central for everything. As all you experienced birders will know, June is not a good time for birds there, but this was a convenient time for us and we wanted to “get a flavour” of the Islands, having heard so much about them.
The weather was extremely kind; in fact it was the short heat-wave experienced by most of the country at the beginning of June. However on the Isles of Scilly this brought in some rather heavy mists, although it was still very warm. We are not into guided tours and bus trips, so we took ourselves off with our rucksacks and binoculars to see what we could find. We explored the whole of the coastal path and the inner Nature Trails and hides and were generally rewarded with very little that could be called “unusual”. However, what was very captivating was the number of Song Thrushes. We encountered them on almost every path we took, running ahead of us and hopping off to the side to let us pass. They are so trusting, they will eat from your hand and stand close to your feet, or even perch on the picnic tables, waiting for titbits. They can be heard singing everywhere. In addition, we were told by one guide that the number of Wrens on the Island is greater than the Herring Gulls (of which there are many). This again was evident as they could be heard singing from the top of every bush, post or high point everywhere. House Sparrows are also numerous and very cheeky, hopping on and around the picnic tables, often joined by Chaffinches and Song Thrushes.
Our walks near to the beaches produced a couple of Rock Pipits, a few Oystercatchers, a family of Shelducks, hundreds of Gulls, Lesser, Great Black Backed and Herring. A few Common Terns, which we saw on a boat trip, when we were also fortunate to see Puffins, Guillemots, Gannets, Razorbills, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Cormorants, Shags, Grey Atlantic Seals and a Peregrine Falcon. A rare treat one day, whilst sitting on a bench having a break was an enormous flock of Linnets! We were told later that they are common on St. Mary’s and are often seen.
Obviously, we saw no rarities but it was encouraging to see large numbers of “common” birds which have become less so in our area”,
Brenda, thank you so much for taking time out to let me have the above. May your example shine like a beacon to every other single member of the Society!
Now I really couldn’t ignore China could I?
In May Ray, Alwyn, Allan, myself and Malcom Rains (a member of Nar Valley Ornithological Society and our October speaker) joined a Sunbird trip to China. The five of us met up at Downham Market Railway Station, Allan having been delegated the task of organising the rail tickets. Since Allan had some sort of rail card that entitled him to buy tickets at a considerable discount for himself and a travelling partner Allan purchased two tickets followed by a further two tickets followed by a single ticket. The whole cost was added together and split by five and we each made a considerable saving. Unfortunately after having taken our seats on the train and shortly after the train had left Downham Market Station we were asked to produce our tickets. This we duly did. The tickets obviously have some marking or code which indicates that they have been purchased with the aid of a railcard. The guard asked for production of the railcard. Allan of course had left it at home! He and Allan then indulged in a very deep discussion about railcards and railcard conditions which resulted half an hour later with Allan having to stump up a considerable amount of dosh because one railcard can only purchase two concessionary tickets. As good a salesman as he is Allan totally failed to “sell” on this occasion.
The following morning, having spent the night at one of the airport hotels, we joined up with ten other Sunbird birders at Heathrow Airport and joined our flight to Beijing (the capital of China, formerly known as Peeking) travelling via Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris. We were met at Beijing Airport by the Sunbird leader, Paul Holt. Dumping luggage at our hotel in Beijing Paul then did a whistle stop tour of Beijing taking in Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and McDonalds before a short introduction to Chinese birding in a nearby park. Here we encountered our first Red Billed Blue Magpies, Azure Winged Magpies, Large-billed Crows, Red-rumped Swallows, Pallas’s and Yellowed-browed Warblers and Eastern Crowned Warblers. After a couple of hours birding we went back to our hotel, cleaned up and went for our first Chinese meal in the hotel restaurant. Now I don’t “do” stress. For me a meal is something to enjoy. It follows therefore that I don’t “do” chopsticks either. I am, as Allan says, a “very wise man”. I had packed a knife, fork and spoon. Therefore I thoroughly enjoyed my first Chinese meal. As was to invariably be the case throughout our stay in China, the food was excellent and plenty of it. The beer was most acceptable as well. Being a well educated and well brought up Englishman and having impeccable table manners I did, on finishing my meal, very neatly place my knife, fork and spoon side by side on my plate. I went to bed; and my cutlery went to the kitchen, the cutlery never to be seen again. Oh well. Anyway, I had an excellent night’s sleep, but apparently Ray and Alwyn were not so fortunate having somehow managed to block their en-suite toilet (oh horrors!!)
Day two in China saw us travel from Beijing through to Beidaihe via the (fairly) new arterial highway which, for the most part, was dual carriageway. On the way we stopped for a picnic breakfast and undertook a little more birdwatching, ticking off Grey Capped Woodpecker,Yellow Rumped and Elisaes Flycatchers, Daurian Redstart, White-browed Chinese Warbler, Plain Laughing Thrush, Common Rosefinch, and Godlewski’s, Chestnut-eared, and Little Buntings to name but a few.Our journey then continued and on arrival at Beidaihe I must confess to being extremely surprised at its size. I had imagined a small, somewhat laid back quiet Chinese town. Not a bit of it. It is huge. It is difficult to accurately assess the size of the place but my feeling was that it was much akin to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth lumped together. It was busy, bustling and noisy. But the hotel and the birdwatching were both excellent. Although perhaps in need of a lick of two of paint and a little general tidying up the hotel was (certainly in Chinese terms) modern. Ray and Alwyn however again managed to block their toilet. Well, when the system was flushed certainly nothing went down and a murky tide came in. Being in urgent need, Ray thought he would nip down and use the toilets near the reception area only to find that those toilets too suffered a similar malaise!
Anyway, the birdwatching in and around Beidaihe was absolutely excellent. We visited places such as Radar Marsh (which is now almost not a marsh being progressively “landfilled”), Wet Boot Marsh (which is rapidly being turned from marsh into cultivated rice fields), Lighthouse Point (from where we were evicted by the military as a result of our using high powered telescopes and photographic equipment), the Sandflats (which we think is the training ground for Chinese cockle diggers and at which place adjoining areas of former marsh have been or are being filled with rubble and rubbish), the reservoirs (an inspection of which explains why it is not sensible to drink tap water) and the Lotus Hill which from once being a good quiet birding location will soon be readily accessible to all and sundry as a result of the growing population of Beidaihe and the fact that there seems to be some industrial operation being carried out at the Lotus Hills which has resulted in tracks being made into the hills large enough for heavy lorries.
Despite all this we did enjoy some brilliant birding, ticking off many species of which
Von Schrencks Bittern, Yellow Bittern, Daurian Starling, White-cheeked Starling, Light-vented Bulbul, Red-throated (Taiga) Flycatchers loads of Gulls & Waders (can’t you just tell they do little for me – well they ain’t so pretty), Fork-tailed Swifts, and White-throated Neddletails (one of the sights of the holiday), and a massive ‘fall’ of Brown Shrikes were among the highlights. Tree Sparrows were everywhere, probably the most common bird. I had worried that I would not see birds such as Siberian Rubythroat, Red-flanked Bluetail and Siberian Blue Robin. Well, I did, and what cracking birds they turned out to be!!
After spending a few days at Beidaihe we travelled south to Happy Island where we stayed three nights. {I don’t know whether any of you have seen any birding videos showing Happy Island. If you have, things have improved – slightly). Ray and Alwyn, Allan and Malcolm (who room shared at other places) and I (who otherwise managed to get a room to myself) shared a chalet. I made jolly sure that I was always up and about and in and out of the toilet before anybody else got a chance to block it. The chalet was comfortable and plenty large enough. Once again the birdwatching was excellent. Among the birds that we ticked during our stay were Large Hawk Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Saunder’s Gull, Relict Gull, and amongst the Thrush sp. We saw Eye-browed, Siberian, Dusky and Naumann’s. Perhaps one of the highlights for me was almost treading on a Lanceolated Warbler which shot out from a tussock of grass under my feet, into another tussock of grass. From here it slowly worked its way out in typical mouse like fashion and actually worked its way between the feet of one of the surrounding circle of birders.
From Happy Island back to Beidaihe for a day or two and then we travelled north and stayed two nights in the hills at “Old Peak”. The journey up into the hills was breathtaking. The road wound its way snake like slowly, and it seemed interminably, upwards. We finally reached our hotel which again was a modern hotel and very acceptable. Perhaps not so acceptable is the huge dam which they seem to have almost completed but which now seemed to have been abandoned and which unfortunately was something of a blot on the hillside. Never mind though, the birding once more was superb. Here we managed to catch up with Grey-backed Thrush, Grey-sided Thrush, Red-billed Chough, White-bellied Redstart (what a stunner!), Chinese Nuthatch, and one of the birds I enjoyed the most, Asian Stubtail.
After our stay at Old Peak we travelled back to Beidaihe where we spent the rest of our trip. We travelled back to Beijing early on the morning of our last day. We paid a visit to the Imperial Palace where we enjoyed our final birding in China and where at long last Alwyn managed to catch up with Red Breasted Crake.
A wonderful trip, a wonderful experience, wonderful friends and wonderful birding. In addition to that Paul Holt was a wonderful leader. The total species list was 234 or 235 depending upon whether or not one was happy to “tick” a bird on a half second sighting! Me? I think it was 234 but I was happy with all of my sightings. Some I would have liked better and longer sightings of but on the whole I was well satisfied with what I saw and cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who thinks of birding China. I am reliably informed that if they go again Ray and Alwyn are proposing to enrol on a plumbing course and to take with them their own Dyno-Rod kit!
BIRD SIGHTINGS
We are currently encountering some difficulty with the retrieval system for the bird sightings and so I am afraid that bird sightings for May 2004 onwards will have to appear in the next Newsletter. Apologies about this but “normal service will be resumed as soon as possible”.
MEMBERSHIP
Please bring along as many friends/new members as you can. We need the money!
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
At our October indoor meeting “WildSounds” are kindly attending and will have for sale a good range of books, tapes, videos, CDs, et cetera. Now is the time to buy him/her/them that Christmas present.
Don’t forget the “Wild About Norfok” Conservation Fair which this year takes place at Broadland High School, Hoveton on Saturday 9th October from 10am to 4:30pm. If you haven’t previously been to the Wild About Norfolk event do come along. It’s a good day out. There is lots of interest for absolutely everybody. It takes in a number of wildlife interests and activities. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information about this event there is a contact telephone number 01508 538166. Television’s Nick Baker is to be this years “special guest”.
WHAT’S ABOUT?
Well migration is again in progress. A lot of our summer “visitors” have disappeared. Others are on the move. Some (for example House Martins and Stone Curlews) will linger for a few more weeks. Soon we shall be hearing and seeing Redwings Fieldfares, Bramblings, and Winter Geese and Ducks as they arrive for their winter stay. Have you noticed how corvids (i.e. Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws) are now flocking together and beginning to go into their large roosts. Similarly I have noticed increasing numbers of Greenfinches going into roost. I am told its all out there if you look for it!
WENSUM VALLEY STUDY AREA
A number of people have apparently encountered difficulty in determining whether or not their bird sightings have been within the study and recording area. Given the unusual shape of the area that we currently study this is not surprising! For this reason the Committee have, after some deliberation, come to the conclusion that it would really be sensible to extend the study area so that on the map it is a clear rectangle. This will of course mean increasing the area covered by the Society, but hopefully it will then make it much more obvious whether bird sightings/records are within the area or without. The suggested new co-ordinates are TF800 320 (Tattersett in the north-west corner), TF800 100 (Sporle in the south-west corner), TG200 100 (Erpingham in the north-east corner) and TG200 320 (Costessey in the south-east corner).
We would like your views. There is at the end of this Newsletter a slip which perhaps you would be kind enough to complete and then either hand in at our October indoor meeting or send back to Alwyn (Jackson) at Mandola, Mill Street, Elsing, Dereham, Norfolk NR20 3EJ. If those of you who receive the Newsletter by e-mail would prefer to e-mail the reply, please feel free to do so. If you could just make the effort to complete and return the form it really would be helpful. Thank you.
FINALLY
Well I hope that this Newsletter hasn’t been too much for you! Do remember to keep sending your bird sightings in. Don’t forget that the “e-group” is a good way of exchanging views and information and also asking any questions.
Your Committee are currently working on next year’s programme for both indoor and outdoor meetings. We are trying to arrange a good mix of local and not so local topics. We are hoping to organise a January and also a June “bird race”. These are fun days out birdwatching. They are only as competitive as you wish to make them. Do join in. We try to mix and match less proficient bird watchers with those perhaps more proficient. The January bird race will be on January 8th. Make a note of it in your diary. It would be helpful if you can let us have some indication at our November or December meetings if you can join in so that we have some idea of numbers. We are proposing that for those who would like to, we can, at the end of the “race” enjoy a pub meal. Last year we finished at “The Bridge” Public House, Lenwade. Of course if you prefer not to you don’t have to stop for a pub meal.
The Committee are also considering the possibility of running a “bring and buy” stall (perhaps every other monthly indoor meeting). Is there anybody out there willing to volunteer to undertake the running of such a stall?
AND REALLY FINALLY
Alwyn has just sent in the following: -
“Your Local Patch
I am often asked how you go about improving your bird identification skills and apart from
· Reading about the ID features of birds in field handbooks
· Becoming familiar with the ID features and the songs and calls of the birds in your garden
· Going with experienced bird watchers on birdwatching trips and asking them questions like “How do you know that little brown bird in that bush is a Whitethroat?”
· Using every opportunity to test your ID skills like trying to identify birds in magazines or books before looking at the caption
there is no better way than developing knowledge of the birds in your local area. Every place is worth exploring for its birdlife and by getting to know your local and common birds thoroughly you will give yourself an excellent grounding when you visit areas further afield – so forget the rarities and concentrate on common birds.
Birdwatching can easily be combined with other activities, the daily walk with the dog, fishing, the weekly shopping trip or even the journey to work, but do take care if your driving! Get into the habit of opening your eyes and ears to the birds around you wherever you happen to be. Your senses will soon become sharper.
Choose a suitable area that is within easy reach of your home, somewhere you can walk or cycle to. An area like a patch of rough ground, a piece of woodland, an old gravel pit, a fishing pond, a country lane, a path along a disused railway line like Marriott’s Way or a riverside walk. Ideally somewhere that has a mixture of habitats is likely to produce a good variety of birds through the year. With successive visits you can gradually build up a picture of the population – what occurs where and when.
Be careful not to take on more than you can manage. If you enjoy no more than a gentle half-mile stroll, that’s fine. The important thing is that your chosen area should be close enough for you to visit frequently, if not every day then at least once or twice a month.
Keep a record of what you see, write down the date, the species seen and the number of birds in a flock as well as a few notes about the weather. In this way you will begin to relate the birds to the prevailing weather conditions so you gradually create a more complete impression of local bird populations and their movements. On the subject of records, don’t forget to send any significant sightings to our recorder so the Society can also build up a picture of the birdlife in the valley through the year.
Its never too late to get started so have a go and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Just get into the habit and gradually those ID skills will develop”.
Anyway, thank you for reading this. I look forward to seeing you all at our indoor meetings and/or our field trips.
Best wishes.
David Pelling
I/We do/do not agree to the proposed change to the Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society study area to the coordinates set out in the Society Newsletter of October 2004.
Name:…………………………………….
Name:…………………………………….