Walking in Gisburn Park and walked into a group of deer feeding, all charged up the slope into the woods but keep peering out. Lived here 12 years and first time I've seen a herd. Not an expert but  I think they were a group of adult and young male Sika.

Suffering from the winter blues? These dark, wet, blustery days getting you down? Why not cheer yourself up by looking forward to the warm, balmy days of spring and summer (well we have to be optimistic!) and get yourself signed up for some of the exciting events lined up as part of Festival Bowland, organised by the Forest of Bowland AONB.

Especially look out for In search of Sky Dancers, a series of guided walks on the United Utilities estate run by the RSPB and United Utilities*. You’ll get to see and learn about some of the fabulous species that occupy our amazing upland habitats as well as learn all about the management of the estate, you may also be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a spectacular skydancing hen harrier!

© Amy Challis, RSPB 2008.

We'll look forward to seeing you!

* With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

 

AGH! We love Leighton Moss we seriously do- but my oh my the need to pun is relentless. That said .... It is very hard not to when you're dealing with otters and bitterns. Yesterday was absolutely stunning, frosty, crisp with blue skies and gorgeous sunlight. Unfortunately it was also packed at Leighton Moss. Of course that is great for RSPB and for the many many people enjoying the fantastic sights of our fave reserve but selfishly it was also a bit of a squeeze and the noise levels get out of control. We had some good views of bitterns and harrier and a fleeting view of the otters but left early (about 2.15) :-( Saw the barn owl on Barn Owl hill the other evening - stunning views of him/her hunting in the pinky gold of the setting sun. Too far for pictures of any quality but great to see.

Today was one of those wonderful clear blue sky days here in Bowland and it was the first time this year we have had flocks of lapwing flying over on their pre breeding season " away days "

It's a real treat to have them back even if it's just for short visits, it gives you hope that it won't be too long before they come to stay to breed.

Now just hours later we have the clear black sky that is perfect to see the spectacle of the sky at night, no light polution, it's a wonderful sight!

We were at the top of the hill overlooking Whitewell, and could help noticing a shoot going on the took over most of a neighbouring hill. Lots of beaters and a long line of men with gun dogs. We weren't the only ones to notice the shooting party. This hare ran straight un the road towards us, in the opposite direction to the shoot, and paused a few seconds before tearing into a nearby field.

More otters! 100,000 Starlings!

So what fortunes will this new year bring for the English Hen harriers? The first harriers will be starting to return to the uplands to establish territories in less than 8 weeks now. I am keeping everything crossed that they have a good year here in the Forest of Bowland, the stronghold for breeding attempts in England, but wouldn’t it be fantastic if there were successful nests elsewhere in our uplands this year too?

I am very sad to have to report in my first blog of 2012 that out young male harrier, Martin, has not transmitted any signal since November and is presumed to have died.  Despite fieldworkers being out looking for him in the areas of his last transmissions in Brittany, northern France, no trace has been found so the cause of disappearance is unknown. On a much more positive note, our Bowland female has survived the gales and generally very miserable weather in the Yorkshire Dales over the Christmas period and is still giving good signals. On a couple of recent walks in the dales, I’ve seen lots of evidence of voles so hopefully she has been feeding well and with any luck we’ll see her cross the A65 and return to Bowland in search of a mate in a few weeks time ... not long to wait now!  

Despite driving through fog over the moors this morning today turned out to be glorious and we had a stunning day at the Moss. No bittern today but otters everywhere. Firstly we saw three together from public, we watched until they headed into the reeds and then scooted around to Lower hide in time to see them again right in pool before us. Saw all 5 there. Anyway watched them for a while before the disappeared into the reeds again. Entertained by the marsh harrier until out popped the romp again and we got another hour or so viewing. Finally they disappeared as my fingers began to give up the ghost from cold. We pottered back to Public hide enjoying the golden light and found that the family had arrived just before us and were playing and hunting right in front of public hide again. So we got some lovely views in the early evening sunlight. Before we called it a day we caught the starlings doing their thing against a beautiful sky.

Wild with Pants is one year old today. What a wild year we have had since starting up this blog a year ago. It started with Barn owls and since then we've been extremely lucky to have seen and photographed: Hen Harriers, Marsh Harriers, Sparrow Hawks, Peregrins, Short Eared Owls, Kestrels, White Tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles, Red Kites, Bittern, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Grey and Common Seals, Hedgehogs, Mink, Stoats, Foxes, Hares, Otters and Otters and Otters and Otters... 2011 has to have been the year of the Otter for us as we are now well into the 30s in numbers we have seen as opposed 7 this time last year. We have seen stuff around our beloved Forest of Bowland, Applecross (Wester Ross) North Wales, Oxfordshire, Isle of Mull, the Lake District and Wirral. Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve has been exceptionally good to us this year. Providing some incredible views of Marsh Harriers all year (it seems as I write that one of the females has stayed on and is overwintering at the Moss too!) Also a Bittern Bonanza this last few weeks. Back in April we were delighted when we camped nearby and arrived at Lower Hide at 6am to see our first otter in fresh water (in England in fact) Since then we have seen them at Leighton Moss singly, in twos, threes, fours and twice all 5 together and have had long viewings of upto an hour or more. Of course Leighton Moss has also afforded us the opportunity to witness starling murmurations this year too. An absolute must for everyone at least once. Isle of Mull was a first time wonder for us and did not disappoint. Each day we hit the road by 7.30am and headed all over the island and onto Iona and we were rewarded with the best sightings yet of otters singly and in groups of 2, 3 and 4. Watching 4Golden Eagles together above Carsaig crags was also unforgettable. Back at my childhood stomping ground of Wirral we twice saw hen harriers and after wishing to see them for the longest time we saw our first short eared owl over Burton Marshes (followed swiftly by our second and third) We had a repeat of the experience on the following day too. So what now? MORE! MORE! The wish list for 2012? More hen harrier action in Forest of Bowland would be great, more barn owls (love them) More Shorties too if possible. Otters- well of course. BUT I guess the big wish would be badgers and I would love to see a long eared owl and have an opportunity to photograph a little owl (Seeing fewer and fewer) Photographing boxing hares would be awesome and that is definitely on the agenda for spring. Would also like to photograph some fox behaviour.

Great spot to get out of the rain and see the wonderful views.
Chelsea & Michael

Hot off the press! Click here to download the latest edition of the Birds of Bowland newsletter.

It's full of news about the RSPB’s work in the Forest of Bowland during 2011, with contributions from myself, Gavin Thomas (Bowland Wader Project Officer), volunteers and local farmers.

Happy reading!

 

 

 

Another busy day at Leighton Moss, with many raptors (encouraged, no doubt by the tens of thousands of starlings arriving each evening), a number of bittern sightings, and a surprise visit from a water vole. As soon as we got to the Lower Hide, we were told there were a pair of peregrine falcons resting on a faraway tree, and it didn't take long for one of them to fly off and past us at high speeds. It in turn scared a sparrowhawk from it's perch, so it did a swift turn around the marsh and then flew into the distance. Next came a bittern, followed by the marsh harrier who'd spent the previous Monday hassling an otter. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching bitterns appear suddenly, fly a short way and then disappear into the reeds again, all while the marsh harrier flew around causing panic attacks in coots. A final treat was seeing the head of a water vole peep out of a little hole, look at me, and then pop back in. First time I've ever seen one of these endangered, elusive creatures.

Last day of the school term and it's snowing!

 

British Hen Welfare Trust still have access to a lot of battery hens from farmers who are looking to empty their barren cages before the ban comes in on January 1st and they are trying to rehome as many as they can. The hens are Shavers, a hybrid commonly used in caged systems.
If you have ever thought about keeping a few hens we recommend you contact BHWT to rehome some ex-battery hens and give them a chance of happy retirement whilst enjoying your own supply of free range eggs!
Register your details at: http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/register-your-details/
Rehoming Day Bookings, queries etc (excluding Bank Holidays)
Mon-Fri 9.30 am to 4.00 pm Adele Hall, Haslingden - 0161 408 8355

 

As I wrote last week, harriers are on the brink of extinction in England.

The RSPB is appealing to the government to step up and do more for harriers. The revised England Biodiversity Strategy includes a commitment by Government to avoid any human induced extinctions of known threatened species by 2020. Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director has said: “this bird only has four steps before extinction and the Government has very little time to act to prevent breaking their promise.”

The RSPB and Natural England are also appealing to grouse moor owners to support techniques being trialed to reduce predatory impacts on grouse from harriers. Diversionary feeding, effectively a bird table for harriers, has been trialed as part of a partnership demonstration project at Langholm Moor in the Scottish borders. The early results of this technique look promising, in the last four years, no grouse chicks have been taken into monitored harrier nests. Martin Harper said of the technique “We believe the potential for diversionary feeding will provide a lifeline for the recovery of the English hen harrier and a way for grouse moor managers to maximise the number of grouse.”

We have got to do something, and urgently. To see this magnificent bird of prey, disappear from this country under our watch as a result of man’s actions, will be a national disgrace.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign this epetition which is asking the English Government to introduce Vicarious Liability, something the Scottish Government has already done. This would result in employers being held legally accountable for the actions being taken by their employees. Once signed, please forward to all your friends and ask them to do the same.

Thank you.

 

The RSPB has today released the 2011 breeding figures for hen harriers in England, confirming that the four pairs of harriers that fledged young on the United Utilities estate in Bowland were the only four pairs to successfully raise young in the whole country.

This is believed to be the lowest population in England since they recolonised in the 1960’s after being wiped out in mainland Britain in the late nineteenth century. This extinction was caused as a result of their presence on upland moors being seen as a conflict with the ability to produce large numbers of grouse for upland shoots. Their recolonisation of mainland Britain coincided with the Second World War which left the majority of our uplands unmanaged. However, the last 20 years has seen the perilous decline of an already tiny English population, to the point where we find ourselves with harriers on the brink of extinction in England for a second time.

How can this have been allowed to happen?

• Hen harriers are classified as specially protected, receiving full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

• There are two sites in England, the Forest of Bowland and the North Pennine Moors, which have been designated as Special Protection Areas due to their international importance for harriers – one of these has had no breeding harriers for 5 years.

• The Hen harrier is also listed under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.  This means that it is recognised by Government as one of the species that is of ‘principal importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity’.         It is a priority for conservation action.

• Section 41(3) of the Act requires the Secretary of State to take steps to further the conservation of species on this list and promote others to do likewise. 

Clearly if these measures were working and being acted on, we would be seeing an increasing population; as has already been calculated, there should be at least 320 pairs breeding in our English uplands. The measures are not working and as a result, the hen harrier is now the bird most likely to become extinct in England because of human pressure.

In this day and age this is an incredibly sad state of affairs.

Come back next week to find out what the RSPB is wanting to see done about this situation.

After taking a walk a few days ago to collect greenery to make door wreaths for Christmas I decided to check the young trees in the orchard.
Glancing across to the fence I was surprised to see two alien looking shapes. On closer inspection, they were growing out of the ground, the larger of the two being at least a foot across. They were growing from the roots of a very old fir tree. After consulting my Mushroom and Fungi book I found they were Cauliflower fungus that can grow to 5 kg. described as having a pleasant spicy scent and mild taste.

We have taken in 8 more rescued battery hens - picked them up on Saturday afternoon from a British Hen Welfare Trust collection. They are pale and missing a few feathers but are settling in well with our existing flock. The cock thinks that Christmas has come early - 8 more girls for him to keep charge of!

Crimes against birds of prey are widespread across the UK.

The results of the 2010 National Hen harrier survey showed that the harrier is on the brink of extinction as a breeding bird in England. Since 2004, the English breeding population has declined by 20% and remains perilously low with just 12 pairs attempting to breed in 2010. In 2011 that figure was even lower. The reason for this – illegal persecution.

A paper published by Amar et al. (2011) in the Journal of Biological Conservation, reveals the situation facing peregrine falcons on grouse moors in northern England. The success of breeding peregrines on grouse moors was found to be 50% lower than those breeding on non-grouse moor habitat. In addition, the analysis of wildlife crime data confirmed that persecution of peregrines was more frequent on grouse moors than in other habitat types.

The RSPB 2010 Bird Crime report states that there were 227 reported incidents of illegal shooting, trapping and nest destruction of birds of prey in 2010. Despite this being lower than the figure of 277 in 2009, it is still unacceptable, and almost certainly not representative of what is actually occurring due to the huge difficulty in detecting and gathering evidence of these crimes.

It is clear that bird of prey persecution is occurring on the grouse moors of northern England – there is suitable habitat for over 320 pairs of nesting hen harrier in England, yet there are fewer than 10 pairs – the absence of these birds speaks volumes. This is something the RSPB believes the UK Government and its devolved administrations must act on in order to secure the status of these birds, protected under European law.

The RSPB believes that vicarious liability is required to make the managers and employers of those committing bird of prey persecution also legally accountable. The Scottish Government took a huge step forward in attempting to reduce bird of prey persecution by introducing the criminal vicarious liability offence earlier this year. It is hoped that this will provide a significant deterrent for those carrying out these crimes as the landowner/manager can no longer place the blame on their keeper by denying any knowledge of the activity. Importantly, it will pose no threat to those working on shooting estates legitimately.  

An independent e-petition has recently been posted on the UK government website, calling for Vicarious Liability to be introduced in England.

The RSPB is supporting this campaign, given that it too, would like to see the introduction of vicarious liability in England, and I would ask you to do the same. Please visit this link and add your voice (you will be asked for email verification, so please check your junk email box for this otherwise your name wont be added!). Please circulate and encourage any of your friends and contacts to sign up too.

Thanks for you support.