Newsletter 2019 Spring

Bath and District Local Group Newsletter

Contents 

1. Group Leader's notes 
2. Bathscape Update
3. Let's help the BTO tawny owl survey
4. Results of Bath's swift survey 2018
5. Wessex Water helps the swifts
6. Lin Perry on Outdoor Events and Raffles
7. Slimbridge's Goose House
8. 'Give Gulls Love, Not Chips
9. Past events 
10. Reports on Outdoor meetings 
11. Reports on Indoor meetings 
12. Forthcoming events 
13. Outdoor meeting dates 
14. Indoor meeting talks - March and April speakers have swapped
15. Your committee

Newsletters are sponsored by London Camera Exchange and Prior Park Garden Centre

The Group welcomes contributions to the Newsletter

Editors 
Digital - Robert Hargreaves              Printed - Val Mead 

Group Leader's notes 

David Robertson writes

The highlights of this Report were summarised at the last AGM on 12 December 2018.

The full text is as follows.

St Andrew’s Community Church continues to provide us with a practical and congenial base for our Indoor Meetings. Attendances have averaged over 70, resulting from Linda Adams’s success in attracting and managing our usual high-quality speakers.

Likewise, Tom Pinckheard, with his dedicated sub-committee, has maintained his reputation for laying on a well-attended, varied and interesting programme of outdoor trips.

Thanks go to Linda, Tom and their colleagues, and to trip leaders for their hard work.

As you will hear from Robert Hargreaves, the Treasurer, our financial position remains sound and the change of banks has settled down. We have deferred making a contribution to RSPB projects this year, as we are conscious of our 50th Anniversary next year and wish to remain in a strong position to finance our celebrations safely.

This position will be reviewed after next year’s events.

Pin badge collections raised £1,753 and sale of RSPB goods made a profit of £123. Alan and Gillian Barrett, and Jean Melksham deserve our thanks for running these schemes. However, Gillian is ceasing to provide the catalogue shop because of lack of users. Everyone seems to be purchasing catalogue goods directly online now, so there is little point in continuing this service.

The General Data Protection Regulations became law in May, so we took appropriate steps to ensure your personal data remains secure and is used only for purposes you agree to. RSPB provided training for those of us handling personal information.

All the Committee continue to have the Group’s interests at heart and work tirelessly to ensure that the Group continues to function effectively.

I restate my personal thanks to them all for their hard work and support.

Membership is healthy, though it dropped slightly to 184, and donations at membership renewal time continue to be very welcome.

The albatrosses benefit considerably from your contributions of postage stamps and, again this year, some special collections and albums have been donated, which added significant extra value. The Albatross Task Force, working in the southern oceans, is achieving huge reductions in bird by-catch through the education of fishermen and the introduction of simple prevention technologies.

We are grateful to the London Camera Exchange (LCE) and Prior Park Garden Centre for maintaining their sponsorship. LCE offers Local Group members discounts on purchases, and this is much appreciated.

Talks on ‘The Work of the RSPB’ and ‘Garden Birds’ have been given to a variety of organisations throughout the year to increase awareness of the work that the RSPB does.

In October 2019, we shall celebrate our 50th Anniversary and we are planning a memorable presentation evening with an eminent speaker. This is in the process of being organised, but details have yet to be finalised.

Bath Swift Group had a successful second survey year, with a doubling of both nest sites and nest numbers. Advice has been given to two churches about installing swift nest boxes in their towers and one box has been placed in the tower of St Mark’s Community Centre. A swift walk was held during National Swift Awareness Week in June, and this attracted 20 people. Again, Stewart Owen was instrumental in organising and presenting all the survey data, as well as designing bespoke swift boxes.

Our six summer events were successful due to the efforts of Lin Perry and other members. We did not attend Iford Butterfly Day this year, as it clashed with the Bath Festival of Nature, but we were present at the Owls of Bath Goodbye Event.

RSPB South West Region held a Local Groups Meeting in April, where representatives of the South West Local Groups met to swap experiences and learn from each other - this proved very useful!


Alan Barrett steps downs from our Committee

On his retirement in 2014 as Leader, Alan is presented with a gift from the RSPB SW office

Photo from the cover of Newsletter 2014.1

On his retirement in 2014 as Leader, Alan is presented with a gift from the RSPB SW office
Photo from the cover of Newsletter 2014.1

Regular attendees will know that Alan Barrett has been a long-standing member of the Group and the Committee. However, he has had some health issues over the past year and has reluctantly decided to retire from the Committee. He has been Indoor Meetings Organiser, Treasurer, Group Leader and Committee Member for many years and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his contribution.

We shall miss his sage advice and experience

Our Newsletter Editor for the last ten years, Val Mead, has also decided it is time to abandon her computer keyboard and retire from the Committee. Val has produced the twice-yearly Newsletter with flair, imagination and humour and has perfected the production process over the years.

With consideration of a digital version also underway, it is an opportune time for a new Editor to take up the role, so if you would like to be considered, or if you know anyone, member or non-member, who might be interested, please contact David Robertson.

The grateful thanks of the Group go to Alan and Val for their highly-valued contributions

I close my report with my thanks yet again to you, the Bath Local Group members, for your support

Bathscape update

Bathscape Landscape Partnership 

is a Heritage Lottery Fund supported project aimed at reconnecting people with the natural landscape surrounding Bath. Bathscape was awarded a development grant from HLF in November 2016 and submitted a Round 2 application in June 2018 to fund delivery between 2018 and 2023. This was successful and a grant of £1.5 million was received. Matched funding has increased this to £2.2 million.

The Bathscape scheme will ensure Bath, with its setting, is better recognised, managed and experienced as a landscape city, the surrounding hills and valleys blending well with the World Heritage Site and actively enjoyed by all. A greater number and wider range of people will feel connected to their local landscape and inspired to explore the outstanding built and natural environments, improving health and wellbeing.

There are 25 projects across four themes.

The scheme will involve the following:

1. Conserving and restoring grassland, woodland, views and vistas.

2. Developing the therapeutic tradition associated with the heritage of Bath to support the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors through greater contact with the landscape and natural environment.

3. Improving access to the landscape and natural environment by reducing physical and other barriers.

4. Learning activities to improve the understanding and skills of target audiences, volunteers and participants.

As the RSPB Local Group, we have been keeping in touch with the overall project and, as it develops, we shall contribute expertise, while also being involved in appropriate events and activities.

Bath RSPB members have been such enthusiastic contributors to the Swift Project (see Stuart’s report below), that we thought you’d jump at the chance to continue helping birds during the winter months!

The BTO tawny owl survey

Bath RSPB members have been such enthusiastic contributors to the Swift Project (see below)that we thought you'd jump at the chance to continue helping birds during the winter months!

WHY WE ARE DOING THE SURVEY
Despite our familiarity with these birds, we know surprisingly little about them. This survey will help us explore the impact of artificial light pollution and other aspects of urbanisation on the likelihood of hearing tawny owls. At the same time, we’ll also look at seasonal changes in tawny owl calling behaviour more generally to see if urbanisation plays a role in this too.


For example:
• Do tawny owls call later in the evening in areas that are more urbanised?
• Do they call for longer throughout the winter months?

HOW TO TAKE PART
• Action: listen for their distinctive calls
• Where: your garden, a local park or area of woodland
• When: 30 Sep 2018 – 31 Mar 2019. (Doesn’t matter if you can’t cover the whole span.)
• Listen: in your garden or from your house through an open window.
• Timing: 20 mins between sunset and midnight.
• Weather: dry and still, but note cloud cover.

    LISTENING - ‘Twit-Twoo’

There are two main calls: the twit (keewick) contact call and the territorial: twoo (hoot); the first usually by the female and the latter by the male. Taken together this duet produces the classic twit-twoo sound. By noting the exact calls you hear, you will be telling the BTO which of the sexes were present.

You can familiarise yourself with the sounds that tawny owls make by listening to the calls on our web- pages:
www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/ project-owl/tawny-owl-calling- survey

Register online at www.bto.org/owls or call us on 01842 750050

Further details:

Please record:

1. The date and the time at which you started your count
You can start the 20-minute survey anytime from sunset on-wards and time it to finish by midnight at the latest.

2. Cloud cover
Provide an estimate of cloud cover by looking up at the sky and
dividing it into eight segments and work out how many segments’ worth are covered with cloud.


3. The type of call: Hooting, kee-wick or both!

Remember that the type of call tells us whether it’s a male or female.

4. Note that zero counts are as important as reports of calling.

Be a zero hero!

Remember that records of ‘no owls’ are just as important as records of ‘owls present’. If you don’t hear any, we still want to know.


HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OBSERVATIONS

You can enter your findings on BTO’s dedicated online site:  www.bto.org/owls

Paper recording sheets can also be provided for those who would prefer to use them. To receive a paper form email us at: gbw@bto.org or call us on 01842 750050.

 BTO are keen to start looking at the data as soon as possible after the survey has finished, so please send in your paper forms before the end of April 2019.

Thank you! And let's help the BTO to find out

Stewart Owen reports on

The Swift

The Bath Swift Group (BSG) carried out its first swift survey in 2017 and was very pleased to be able to repeat the exercise in 2018. This enabled an ongoing comparison, which proved not only useful but encouraging.

The BSG is grateful to the RSPB for continuing to support its work by funding the costs of meetings and providing support information for our survey work. We are also grateful for the information and advice available from both Edward Mayer (via The Swift Conservation website) and from members of the online Swifts Local Network.

Particular thanks are due to the many members of the public in Bath who kindly responded to articles placed by David Robertson, leader of the BSG, in local magazines. In them, he described the plight of the swift population and asked for information to help with the survey.

Last, but by no means least, Stewart thanks all the supporters of the BSG, who took an active part in carrying out the survey, often having to wait on street corners late in the evening, trying to look inconspicuous, whilst desperately hoping not to miss a swift race into its nest site!

Stewart is certain that the work of the Bath Swift Group will help reverse the current downward trend in swift numbers

Subject to the limitations of the survey’s resources, the main findings for 2018 are:

Nest sites
• Swift nest sites were found in 22 of the 50 one-kilometre survey squares covering the Bath survey area.

• Seventy separate buildings were found to be sites of swift occupation, in which a total of 117 nests was estimated. The breeding success of these nest sites was not determined as part of this survey.

• Most (64%) of the occupied sites had just one nest, but one building had an estimated eight nests.

• The vast majority of occupied buildings were domestic dwellings that provided a variety of ways for nest sites to be established; 56% of these houses were built before 1919.

• From the limited data obtained, the least favoured aspect for swift nests was southerly.

• Information from many homeowners was a major factor contributing to the success of this survey, some recounting an association with swifts in their houses for over fifty years.

• Limited data indicate that 11 of the available 57 nestboxes were occupied by swifts.

Swift screaming parties 

• Screaming parties were observed at 50 locations in the Bath area that were in 23 of the 50 one-kilometre survey squares covering the Bath survey area.

• These observations suggest that further, hitherto unrecorded nest sites should be found in future.

Abandoned and missing nest sites 

• Very few of the nest sites recorded in 2017 were unoccupied in 2018; in some cases, swifts had simply moved within the locality. In others, no obvious reason for absence could be determined, but sometimes a lack of observers simply meant that a few nest sites were not observed closely enough.

Conclusion from 2018 Survey 

Thanks to information from concerned residents of Bath and the efforts of the BSG surveyors, the 2018 Survey has resulted in far greater knowledge of the local swift breeding population. Areas showing plenty of swift activity have now been identified with more confidence. These sites will, therefore, become targets for the provision of additional

Editor’s note:
Writing as one who has taken part in the survey, I can vouch for all the meticulous work Stewart has put into masterminding this project!
To offer help with the 2019 survey, contact Stewart on: bathswifts@gmail.com

Double our swift sightings!

Wessex Water helps Bath swifts

Stewart Owen, on the left, organiser of the Bath Swift Survey, and David Robertson, on the right, receive a cheque for £250 from Wessex Water to help with the costs of installing swift nest boxes.

Plans are being made for the best use of this award, well before the arrival of swifts in 2019.


Lin Perry ... 

... who organises our participation in many outdoor events, such as village fêtes and flower shows, wishes to express her thanks to all those that have given their time to helping her.

These events are an excellent way to advertise the work undertaken by both the local and national RSPB. Lin says, however, that the number of these events is dwindling, probably because of ‘a lack of folks to organise them’.

Nevertheless, Lin finishes on a positive note and would like to thank all those members who have so

Bath RSPB is busy on your behalf! 

Goose House - an intriguing historical insight

Our first outdoor meeting of the 2018/19 season began with a most interesting and successful visit to the Slimbridge Reserve - see the report on the page below.

Our first stop was at Goose House which was not, as its title might imply, a place where geese were kept, but an old shooting lodge.



Jackie Harris, Project Manager at Slimbridge writes: 

‘Goose Cottage was originally built about 1800 for the gentry and beaters to use for wildfowling. The house is in two parts – a relatively comfortable room for the gentry and a more basic space for the beaters. Both rooms had log burners. We know that three reigning monarchs have used the Goose House, as they ‘autographed’ the walls. Sadly, these were removed by an over-enthusiastic maintenance man back in the mists of time!

‘Goose House collapsed last winter and we have rebuilt it using the original building techniques – thanks in large part to an HLF grant.

‘We are undertaking other works along the summer walkway: a new viewing platform, shepherd’s hut and, next year, new habitats along the walk itself. The walk has to close in winter to protect the overwintering birds. But the whole walk, including Goose House, will open again to the public in the summer.’

On our visit to Slimbridge, we visited the shooters’ cottage which was being lovingly restored by DMC Building. DaleCurtis, the restorer, explained some of the complexities involved: in past refurbishments metal nails had been used to mend the hut and modern paint had been applied. Neither of these could cope with the fluctuating degrees of dampness and, so, finally, the building collapsed completely.

Consequently, in this restoration, old techniques were being used and inside there is a plaque explaining this intriguing restoration.

Thank you, Jackie, for this fascinating insight!

‘Give Gulls Love, Not Chips’ 

Adapted from an article written by Morwenna Alldis and Tim Hughes of RSPB South West and Llewelyn Lowen, the RSPCA Scientific Officer


Morwenna and Tim say: 
Personally, we love gulls – we like a bird with a bit of personality, and gulls have that in spades. They’re bombastic, cheeky, incredibly adaptable, opportunistic, intelligent and, if there was a prize for ‘bird parent of the year’, the protective urban gull would win it. However, our urban gull is often misunderstood. We need to change the way we behave around gulls and try to live harmoniously alongside them.

© RSPCA

Both the RSPB and RSPCA cite examples of relations that have broken down:
Last summer the RSPCA appealed for information after a gull was discovered on an industrial estate in St Austell with a crossbow bolt through its body. The injuries were too severe for the gull to make a recovery and it was euthanised to prevent further suffering. This sort of attack is not an isolated incident.

Learning to live with gulls

Llewelyn explains: 
Every year, we receive calls about gulls that have been persecuted and become the victims of abusive attacks. Many have stones thrown at them, others are left homeless after their nests are illegally destroyed, and they may be attacked by people with airguns.

© bathnewseum.com

The RSPB says one of the main issues people have with gulls is linked to the birds’ nesting behaviour.... ...

Morwenna and Tim continue: 
May to July is prime gull nesting season and during this period they can be quite noisy, which is an understandable annoyance if they’ve chosen a roof near you. But keep in mind that this period is short-lived. Gulls are also incredibly protective and proactive parents; they have to be, as their chicks are quite worrisome. Before they fledge, gull chicks start to explore their rooftop homes, and this can lead to their falling from the roof and even injuring themselves. When a chick is away from the nest, gull mum and dad will swing into action, protecting their vulnerable offspring from all possible causes of harm ... and that includes us!

If a gull feels that you’re too close to its youngster, and so a potential threat, it will fly over you at great speed and alarmingly close – rarely making contact the first time. This is a warning – it’s meant to frighten you into backing off. If you encounter an anxious gull parent protecting their young, perhaps in your garden or place of work, the best advice is to walk carrying an unfurled umbrella. This is just a temporary measure until the chick has fledged.

For years many people have openly hand-fed gulls; fish and chips on the beach were often shared with a gull eagerly pacing at their feet. Many people still leave bin bags of ripe-smelling food waste on the pavement (not in a bin or gull-proof sack), again an easy meal for a gull. And, with discarded curry containers, soggy burger buns and half-eaten kebabs littering the street outside many local takeaways, it’s little wonder that gulls see us as their free meal ticket. A gull can’t discern between a sausage roll dropped on the floor and the one you’re unwrapping for lunch. Thus, humans have inadvertently taught gulls that our food is their food. We must all stop feeding gulls if we want to recondition their current behaviour.

Llewelyn adds: Unfortunately many see these birds as pests, but all it takes is a little care and understanding to minimise any inconvenience they cause. The RSPCA believes that deterrents and non-lethal methods of control are the best ways to reduce gull-related problems. Not feeding the gulls, disposing of rubbish properly and limiting gulls’ nesting opportunities in urban environments will help to reduce any problems.


A suit of armour comes in useful

Recently a local historian donned his armour to venture onto the balcony of his flat where a fallen gull chick was being fiercely guarded by its parents.


Learn to live with gulls

Past Events

Outdoor Meetings

Saturday 21 July 2018

Newton St Loe and Bath Spa University

Led by Robert Hargreaves
Written by Anne Crowe*

On a sunny morning, 20 of us met on the Hayes next to Holy Trinity Church. It was great to welcome two new members of our Bath RSPB local group and a guest, John Freeman.

Some, who did not know the walk, looked inside the lovely old church, appreciating that it is kept open for visitors. We turned down the lane from the ‘Send-a-Cow’ charity notice board, through woodland. Here, at last, we heard some birds – blackcap was the most easily identifiable song.

Suddenly, keen eyes saw movement high up in the oak trees and a spotted flycatcher 

appeared, then another and another! It was exciting enough for Tom Pinckheard to dash back to the car for his ‘scope to get a better look at the family of five! 

We also saw treecreeper and nuthatch. The weather being rather dry, there was not enough water to encourage grey wagtails; a kingfisher’s piping calls were heard, but it didn’t show itself; several wrens whizzed across from one side of the lake to the other; a song thrush was heard - very pleasing, as we felt we wouldn’t be hearing them for a while, until the seasons changed.

A grey wagtail flew up from the stream and across the lake, while one of the resident pair of goldcrests was heard and then spotted in the conifers overhead. On the lake, were the usual mute swans with their surviving six, well-grown cygnets. In the trees opposite the pavilion, one out of three grey heron nests had been successful: of the three grey herons seen, two looked quite young in their dark grey plumage. 

As we approached the sluice, we heard much twittering and saw that the tract of long grass and wildflowers, below the scrub on the grassy slope opposite, was absolutely full of small birds: a feeding tit flock. We spent some time watching them swing and bob, as they fed on plentiful seeds and insects. They were joined by a chiffchaff and it was good to see coal tits flying up and down from the nearby trees.

✹ Annewritesbeautifully-to read her report in full, log into the RSPB website: ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/bath/reports/458566/

The pavilion provided a good place for a welcome coffee stop and the opportunity for a good look at the lake, the water level of which was unusually low. Nuthatch and gold- crest were seen on our walk round the lake. A bridge gave us a ’look-out’ onto the small pools formed by water running over stones, where tits and other little birds. bathed. Grey wagtails are often seen here.

We had heard green woodpeckers earlier, but it was at the rugby pitch that we were treated to a flash of green, as one flew across and up into trees on the far side. Similarly, we had heard the ‘chipping’ call of the great spotted woodpecker and finally saw four of them. A good place for woodpeckers?

We walked on down through the campus until we came to a path that gave onto a green area, from which we could look down onto the lakes. Here. there were many old trees with holes and nooks and crannies suitable for jackdaw nests and, some years ago, for little owls, which are not easy to see here now. We all stopped at the farm shop and café for refreshments and had time to observe: the many house sparrows; the nesting house martins; swallows, together with the house martins, swooping down to drink from puddles in the pig pen. Three pied wagtails were seen around the buildings, as they seemed to like the low rooftops.

The West of England Falconry is housed here and we took a quick look at a few of their birds. Here was an opportunity for an unusual experience right on our doorstep!

Many of us indulged in a refreshing ice-cream, much needed on a hot day, before wending our way back through this interesting village to our cars. We finished our walk around 13.00. In spite of the heat and the original concern that leaves on the trees and the time of year might not allow us to see very many birds, we all felt that we had enjoyed a great walk and seen and heard plenty of birds.

Maybe some of us will be stimulated to do the walk ourselves at another time of year.

Thanks to Robert for sharing one of his favourite walks with us! A great way to end the 2017/8 season.

Flycatchers were the stars of this great walk!

Friday 14 September 2018

Slimbridge Safari

Led and written by Tom Pinckheard

On an initially grey morning, all twenty booked members arrived at Slimbridge on time to start our private and very special tour. Shortly, a Land Rover arrived at the car park at 09.30 pulling a seated trailer and we all clambered aboard our prime viewing vehicle.

Mobile bird hide! © Dave Newman

Scott Petrek, a WWT warden, was our driver and an excellent guide. The route included the outer limits of Slimbridge that are not open to the public. We made several stops to allow everyone to get out of the vehicle to look for birds. The first stop was near the new Shepherd’s Hut beside the Severn, where the river is very wide, exposing a lot of sand and mud at low tide. On the distant mudflats, we could see a large flock of curlews and some What a fantastic way to start our birding year! shelduck and gulls, including greater black-backed. A wheatear and two whinchats perched conveniently on nearby fence posts.

The tide was coming in fast and covering the mud rapidly, building up the spectacular waves and eddies so typical of the Severn Bore. With the incoming tide, many flocks of birds, mainly shelduck, moved downstream. Some of the group saw a lone bar-tailed godwit.



Further along the high river banks, we stopped to view a group of common cranes feeding in an adjacent field. A pair of kestrels was hunting overhead and one even landed on the ground ahead of the Land Rover, giving us an unusual top-down sighting; soon after we were similarly lucky to have close views of a female marsh harrier in flight. The Land Rover then turned inland through an extensive reed bed where Scott spotted a hobby perched at the top of a dead tree. We passed several, small, fresh-water pools harbouring gadwall, teal and tufted duck, as well as cormorant, little grebe and a great crested grebe. By this time, some of us had also recorded swallow, house martin and meadow pipit.

We returned to the reception building and had lunch either at the Peng Observatory or in the restaurant, before going our separate ways in small groups around the pens and hides, just as the sun appeared.

The Rushy Lake had surprisingly few birds, South Lake offered better fare with many black-tailed godwits, ruffs, redshanks, gulls (mainly black-headed) and an avocet. Dave Newman and the Cook brothers identified a spotted redshank amongst the ‘ordinary’ ones.

Notable birds seen from the Zeiss Hide were a bittern in flight, several yellow wagtails feeding around the Long Horn cattle and brief views of a hobby dashing low over the grass. From the Van de Bovenkamp Hide, we found large groups of wigeon, lapwing and teal; from the Kingfisher Hide, grazing greylag and barnacle geese.

Even at a distance, Linda Adams managed to get this superb picture of an avocet and its reflection.

We all left by 16.30, having enjoyed a really splendid day’s birding: thanks to Tom Pinckheard for organising this super safari!

The group species count was 59.

What a fantastic way to start our birding year!

Thursday 18 October 2018

Marshfield Shire Valley

Led and written by Tom Rogers

We were so sorry that Chris Woods was unable to lead this trip, but very grateful to Tom for stepping into the breach.

Shirehill Valley is situated approximately 3 km north of Marshfield and includes the county boundary of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, which is aligned with Broadmead Brook flowing along the valley bottom. Broadmead Brook is a tributary of By Brook, which it joins at Castle Combe.

On a very bright sunny day, though with a chilly wind, six members and one visitor joined the stand-in leaders.

We started by reminiscing about the trip in 2014, when the valley floor was flooded, and a red- flanked bluetail was found next to Lower Shirehill Farm. Once off the roadside, we walked along the valley in the direction of West Kington, listening to ravens kronking and the calls of some recently released pheasants. Further on, we observed a small flock of fieldfares sitting in the tops of trees on the Wiltshire side of the brook.
Then, we met a fellow birder, who informed us that, behind the dry stone to the north of us were red- legged partridges and corn buntings. We climbed the valley side and did indeed see a number of red -legged partridges scurrying away but, alas, no corn buntings. Just before we turned back to our starting position, we came across a tree blown down by storm Callum. This surprised us because it had been intact when observed on the recce the week before.

The total number of bird species seen was 35.

Local birding proves rewarding!

Corrigendum: Your editor is mortified to realise that this ID error was not spotted in the last edition.




This was what was produced in the last Newsletter:

Even in greyscale, the black hat identifies this as a siskin

 Oops!



Of course, it wasn’t a siskin but a greenfinch with a black shadow on its head.

For comparison here is a REAL siskin.

Apologies! 
And thanks to Robert Hargreaves for putting us straight!

Wednesday 21 November 2018

Cotswold Water Park

Led and written by Tom Pinckheard

Twelve members met at 10.00 in the Cotswold Water Park (CWP) Visitors Gateway Centre on a very cold (5°C), cloudy and intermittently rainy day. A cold wind was coming from Eastern Europe and even snow showers were encountered on the drive North. It was not a promising start.

We met our CWP guide Kim Milsom at the Centre and he drove us to Lake 48 a/b, since the entrance at Fridays Ham Lane was locked to the public. At this point, we were joined by two more members who had been unable to find the Gateway Centre because of a postcode error in the Membership Card that prevented Satnav navigation. (The editor apologises for the inadvertent error in the Membership Card) Kim directed them to us by mobile phone, so we were now a 14-member group.

We walked slowly along the lakeside. which was very long and narrow, for more than a mile. It was, however, full of birds, with rafts of cormorants in the middle and many little egrets on the far side, there being 40 or more in each group. A number of great white egrets was seen amongst them. There were also many ducks: including goldeneye, pochard, tufted duck, gadwall, wigeon, teal and mallard. Great crested grebe swam amongst them and several kingfishers were seen in flight.

As we walked beside the bushy borders of the lake, small birds were seen feeding in the branches of trees and bushes. Kim was particularly good at hearing bird alarm calls and birdsong, and so was able to identify many birds both in flight and in nearby trees. In particular, he pointed out a green sandpiper and a marsh harrier flying overhead, as well as hearing wren, water rail, chiffchaff and bullfinch.

We returned to our cars, via the other side of the lake, for a sandwich lunch. In the late afternoon, the sun finally began to break through, so we thought it worthwhile to drive to the Neighbridge Country Park car park to look at the resident red-crested pochards in Lake 44. They were milling around at the centre of the lake, which gave us good views in our telescopes, but, sadly, they were too far away for the photographers to get a sharp picture.

Waterbirds galore!

We finished the field trip at 15.30 having had a good day’s birding— thanks to Kim’s excellent birding skills.

The group bird species count was 52, which was good considering the poor weather.

The red-crested pochard

As Tom described, the weather was not at all conducive to photography, but nevertheless, these photos tell a story: 



Robert’s photo shows many birds milling about ... 



... but Anne’s photo shows birds are already starting to form pairs.

And this is typical. Pair-bonding begins in the early winter and develops throughout the spring migration, and for the duration of the season the pair are monogamous. Despite their gregariousness in winter, red-crested pochards nest in isolation, usually building raised nests in reed beds.

In England, it is thought that most birds seen in the wild are escapees from private collections.

Waterbirds galore!

Past events

On 19 September 2018

Prof Michael Danson came to give us a talk:

Antarctica: My Journey to the Deep South 

We started our 2018/19 series of monthly indoor meetings with an excellent and thought-provoking talk by Prof Michael Danson. His investigations in the Antarctic were not only on the effects of the extremely cold temperatures on wildlife but also on the ability of scientists to carry out their experiments under these conditions. One only needed to consider the fate of the early explorers to know that great efforts are needed to ensure the very survival of the scientists themselves!

Mount Erebus - an active volcano

Michael has made two trips to the Antarctic. His first trip was to Ross Island, where Mount Erebus is still active and the landscape is, in its way, quite beautiful. It is here that seals alight regularly to pup. The journey took eight hours, but on finally arriving, despite the extreme conditions, he found the accommodation to be surprisingly civilized. 

Another feature that surprised him was the large distance between individual huts, which, he discovered, was to avoid the spread of any fire. A fact that intrigued the audience about a continent containing 90% of the world’s water in its ice-caps was that fire is the worst hazard of dwelling in the Antarctic!

In the course of his talk, Michael showed us images from the excursion to Robert Scott’s 

Scott's cabin

cabin, built in 1902, and where an eternal flame still burns. Remnants from that ill-fated trip remain, not least a seal carcass that is over 100 years old. At Observation Hill, there is a monument to Scott and the other four explorers who failed to return home.

To undertake his work, Michael had to complete a survival course, become competent in the use of an ice axe, be able to build an ice shelter and to tolerate sleeping in boots – vital for a quick getaway in case of fire! More modern accommodation still necessitates the collection of all bodily waste, which must then go back by plane to New Zealand. Cleanliness is paramount to avoid any illness in such an isolated location.

On this visit, he was accompanied by a microbiologist whose objective was to source microbes that might be able to digest oil, especially from spillages. Such microbes were found, and testing for the company ‘Viridian’ is now underway. Also, to determine how the wooden huts could be preserved, timber samples were coated with different substances to see how they would perform.

The transport for Michael’s second visit was a much more up-to-date, American cargo plane. On this trip, he also travelled to an area where at least 100,000 Adélie penguins over-winter. The scientist accompanying Michael this time was collecting penguin faeces to search for microbes! Photos were shown of Adélie penguins and South Pole skua, which attack both penguins - and people!

Michael also explained about the Katabatic* wind and talked about Emperor penguins travelling 70 miles in the dark of winter to reach their breeding ground.

As Michael’s talk demonstrated, the Antarctic is a truly challenging place to visit, but many scientists now go to such extreme environments to look for potential solutions to some of our man-made problems (especially for organisms called ‘extremophiles’ that are adapted to these conditions). We can only hope that they succeed and live to retell their experiences for, as Michael recalled, so many of the early explorers suffered from the cold, swiftly lost their reasoning and perception – and did not return home!

* Katabatic wind, from the Greek katabaino - to go down, is the generic term for downslope winds flowing from high elevations of mountains, plateaus and hills down their slopes to the valleys or plains below. (Wikipedia)

We all agreed that this was such an interesting start to our season ... ...delivered by an excellent, engaging and erudite speaker!

On 17 October 2018

David Kjaer came to give us a talk:

Sandgrouse and Lammergeiers: an Iberian Adventure

David has made many photographic trips to Spain and showed us a selection of his stunning bird pictures, all informed with fascinating details.





These eggs seem far too large for the little ringed plover but, as might be expected, the newly hatched young are relatively big and very fully formed. This means that they can flee the nest and look after themselves at a very young age (nidifugous).








A woodchat shrike catches a huge lizard

far too large to swallow?

The ‘inside-out’ display
of the great bustard

The ‘flutter-jump’ of the displaying little bustard

Pin-tailed sandgrouse are very, very nervous when they come in to drink.

The male on the right is drinking, whereas the one on the left is soaking his feathers to take water back to his chicks.



The colours of the sandgrouse and their sandy background are stunning.




Starlings: spotless and spotted

Black-bellied sandgrouse

Good news—for once! Vultures numbers have increased since the 1980s




A landing griffon vulture displays its air-braking wings





Lammergeier: the rarest vulture, with a VERY acidic stomach!


A whole lamb’s leg goes down!



A lecture packed with David’s beautiful 
and informative photos





On 21 November 2018

Stephen Moss asked us:

What Did Birds Ever Do for Us?

In this thought-provoking lecture, Stephen started by stating unequivocally that we Brits are more obsessed than any other nation with birds. For example, RSPB membership numbers over a million, LPO (the French equivalent) numbers 38,350.

When the BBC decided to make a series called Birds Britannia, they divided it into four programmes: 

1. Garden Birds
2. Waterbirds
3. Seabirds
4. Countryside Birds

1. Garden birds
Stephen asserted that these came top of our list of ‘obsessions’ - viz: Big Garden Birdwatch! Stephen suggested that this tells us something about ourselves: we love ‘sweetie’ birds, but hate those with traits like our own, such as gulls. Even so, this obsession is a surprisingly modern phenomenon, dating only from around 1948.

The house sparrow became our miners’ canary!

Until the 1920s, house sparrows were truly abundant but, by the 1960s, their catastrophic demise was even noted in Parliament when the question ‘Why?’ was posed.

The answer seemed to be a shortage of insects, caused most likely by atmospheric pollution. If so, then what was this pollution doing to us?


2. Waterbirds 
The near extinction of the great crested grebe first drew attention to waterbirds and their habitats. As Stephen pointed out, it proved easier to protect these habitats than the farmlands that are needed to produce food. And so wonderful reserves like Minsmere, Titchwell and our own Ham Wall flourished, with the consequent arrival of avocets, bitterns and egrets.

The example Stephen chose to focus on was the return of the osprey to Loch Garten. Initially, great secrecy was deemed the best way to protect this one nest. But this approach failed: the nest was robbed again and again. So quite the opposite approach was tried: huge publicity! The ospreys’ arrival, the number of eggs laid and hatching of the chicks made the headlines. Visitors were encouraged to visit in their thousands and viewing was made rewarding by installing hides and telescopes. In other words, the public became the ospreys’ guardians.

Editor:
Serendipity must be behind our decision to include an article on urban gulls

3. Seabirds
Another twist in the story of the Brits’ love of birds is the out-of-proportion length of our coast: its twelve thousand miles holds over seven million sea birds! Stephen called it ‘Our Serengeti’. Our relationship with seabirds is an ancient and turbulent one, like our relationship with the sea itself - a story of conflict, exploitation and, finally, understanding.

4. Countryside birds
From news reports of the first sighting of the swallow and the call of the cuckoo to the poetry of Keats, we Brits have used birds to mark the seasons. And, like the demise of the house sparrow, this interest meant that the huge decline in bird numbers did not go unnoticed. And the reason became apparent: loss of woods, heaths and marshes to agriculture, and, of course, use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

This conundrum has yet to be resolved.


The first wildlife recording was in 1924 of Beatrice Harrison playing her cello as a nightingale sang.

After our break, Stephen first took questions such as:

> Why he is an optimist
> The pros and cons of off-shore wind farms
> The conundrum of reconciling farming and food-supplies with wildlife.

Then Stephen talked about his latest books

The Robin: A Biography and The Wren: A Biography

Did you know that
> wrens are our most common bird
> wrens originated in America
> there is only one species in Eurasia
> the males are estate agents - building 5+ nests for different females?

If you didn’t, better buy the latest of Stephen’s amazing books!

How fortunate we are in Bath to have such a knowledgeable and prolific writer and TV programme maker in our midst

Forthcoming events

Outdoor meetings

Booking and Payment
∗ Please note that booking is essential for trips by coach and those where numbers are limited for other reasons.
∗ Obtain booking forms at indoor meetings and/or contact the Leader by phone.
∗ Note that cheques for coach trips will not be cashed until after the event.
∗ Check your booking form for pick-up locations and times.

Grid References
∗ Grid references are given for members driving themselves to particular venues. These may be found on all Ordnance Survey 1/50,000 maps.
∗ Car-sharing can be coordinated through the Leader.

Clothing
For outdoor meetings, it is essential that you wear suitable clothing and footwear, particularly in winter, when conditions can be cold, wet and muddy.

Sustenance
It is recommended that you bring food and drink, as appropriate.

Health Problems
Anyone with a health problem that could affect them during the visit, is requested to warn the Leader in advance.

Editor’s note: Please forgive us for promoting the ‘Nanny State’ by including these notes, but that is the way of the modern world! Also bear in mind the hard work of Tom Pinckheard and all the other leaders - by taking on board these requirements, you will be supporting them.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel,
PLEASE let the Leader know, even if it is on the morning itself.
The Committee is aware that, on occasion, leaders could have filled those empty places from their waiting lists.

Empty coach seats are a cost!

If we need to cancel, for instance, when really bad weather is forecast, then we shall try to contact you by email and/or post a warning on our website: rspb.org.uk/groups/bath

 So, if in doubt, please check!

Outdoor meetings

Tuesday 11 December 2018

Poole Harbour and Wareham Channel (Private Charter) Boat Cruise

Leader: Tom Pinckheard: 07444 699575 and Paul Morton (Birds of Poole Harbour Guide)

Coach: Joint RSPB and BathNats trip

Time: 07.45 Riverside, Avon Street, returning c18.00 Check your booking form for pick-up locations and times

The boat leaves the Brownsea Island ferry departure point at 10.00 for a 21⁄2 hour harbour trip

Lunch and afternoon at nearby Arne RSPB reserve

Booking essential by coach booking form and prepayment

............................

Saturday 12 January 2019

Ham Wall

Leader: Lucy Delve: 07895 191727

Cars: Meet at RSPB park at Ashcott Corner

Time: 10.00, until dusk at c17.00

Map: OS Landranger 182, Explorer141, GR 449 397

No booking required

............................

Sunday 24 February 2019

Prior Park City Walk

Leader: Lucy Delve: 07895 191727

Cars: Meet by the Beazer Maze near Pulteney Weir riverside path

Time: 09.30 - 13.00

Map: OS Landranger 172 Explorer 155 GR 754 649

No booking required

............................

Thursday 14 March 2019

Lansdown Battlefields

Leader: Lucy Delve: 07895 191727

Car or bus: Meet at Lansdown Park and Ride car park

Time: 10.00 - 14.00

Map: OS Landranger 172 Explorer 155 GR 731 682

No booking required

............................

Saturday 27 April 2019

Portland Bill

Leaders: Bryan Cook 07910 764922 and Tony Cook 07775 525236

Coach: Joint RSPB and BathNats trip

Time: 08.00 Riverside, Avon Street, returning c18.00 Check your booking form for pick-up locations and times

Booking essential by coach booking form and prepayment

............................

Saturday 18 May 2019

Slimbridge, Frampton on Severn and Highnam Woods RSPB Reserve 

Leader: Robert Hargreaves 07871 595394 and RSPB guide

Cars, Times and Maps
> 10.30 - 14.30 Meet at Slimbridge car park for morning walk and breeding waders OS Landranger 162, Explorer 0L14, GR 723 047

> 15.00 - 18.00 Meet at Frampton on Severn, a few miles up the A38 close to the car park at the end of the green on the road to the sailing club OS Landranger 162, Explorer 0L14, GR 747 075

> 19.00 to late evening RSPB guide 19.00 - 20.30
Meet at Highnam Woods Nature Reserve car park on the A40 west of Gloucester, about a mile past the A48 roundabout OS Landranger 162, Explorer 179, GR 779 190
No booking required but please bring at about £3 to pay the RSPB guide.

Target birds: Nightingale

............................

Saturday 15 June 2019

Titchfield Haven 

Leader: Jean Melksham: 07712 887457

Coach: Joint RSPB and BathNats trip

Time: 08.00 Riverside, Avon Street, returning c18.00 Check your booking form for pick-up locations and times

Booking essential by coach booking form and prepayment

............................

Saturday 6 July 2019

Avebury, Fyfield Down

Leader: Terry Doman: 07895 723563

Cars: in NT Avebury car park off the A4, (free for NT members)

Time: 09.30: all day

Map: OS Explorer 157, GR 099 695, Post code SN8 1RD

No booking required

Forthcoming events

Indoor meetings

Wednesday 12 December 

2018 AGM followed by a report from the two Lindas and the two Toms on their Autumn Escapade: 

The Isles of Scilly in October

Wednesday 16 January 2019 

Andy Warren 

São Tomé and Príncipe: Endemic Birds in the Gulf of Guinea 

Having never been connected to Africa, both these areas are truly oceanic with the consequence that they have a high level of endemism. Thus conserving these areas is high on the priority list of scientists.



Wednesday 20 February 2019 

Marcus Ward 

Marcus studied intensively the woodland specialists such as firecrest, hawfinch and lesser spotted woodpecker and is a co-founder of the survey organisation called: 

Wild New Forest 

so he is the ideal person to tell us more about this wonderful area.

Wednesday 20 March 2019 

John Martin 

John works for Natural England as a vascular plant specialist and has very wide natural history interests: from recording local birds, moths and dragonflies to the immense diversity of wildlife to be found in the fifth largest country in the world. Come to hear John talk about his eclectic experiences: 

Birds Of Kazakhstan, plus an Overview of What the Avon Bird Recorder Does

Wednesday 17 April 2019 

Dr Daniel Field

Bearing in mind the recent exciting discoveries of fossil birds in China, Daniel’s subject could hardly be more appropriate:

Birdwatching in the Dimension: 

How the Fossil Record Reveals the Origin of Flight, Feathers and the Birds Themselves

Bath RSPB Local Group Committee

Group Leader:  David Robertson

Events and Volunteers: Lin Perry

Field Trips:  Tom Pinckheard

Indoor Meetings:  Linda Adams

Membership Secretary: Jean Melksham  jeanmelksham@blueyonder.co.uk

Minutes Secretary: Joy Franklin

Newsletter Editor: Val Mead

Publicity: John Yates

Treasurer: Robert Hargreaves

Website Manager: Helen Daniels

Committee Member: Alan Barrett

Committee Member: Peter Basterfield

The RSPB is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654