Hello Ian,
The birds you refer to will almost certainly breed, as they have done at that locality since at least 1993.
I think that if that flushing episode was your first experience of the species, then its remarkably memorable for all the wrong reasons.
I cant think of one good thing to be said for deliberatly harrassing a species out into the open for others to 'tick' - pants in my opinion.
As for the "Even then they settled........." comment, all the birds are doing after being flushed is trying to find somewhere New to hide!
If they continue to get harrassed continualy, then they move on to a less favourable roosting location nearby, perhaps nearer a busy road or to a location which isnt as well sheltered etc etc. IE the birders will have put the birds in less favourable situation.
What was it about the welfare of the bird must allways come first.....
Nick
Its good to see you have found some Leos & stumbled upon them by chance.
I should imagine that in your rural area the wildlife does not has the same pressures on it as we have here on the urban fringe.
The North East has a poor reputation for cruelty to animals, nevermind to wild birds.
The site in question suffers from many problems for bird species, but especially so for a species which is easily disturbed during its breeding cycle.
Air rifle gangs, motor-scrambling, inappropriate management of trees & vegetation on & around the site, serious egg collectors, irrespondsible rough shooting, arson & twocking, vandalism etc, etc.
Also, Recent developing of the adjoining land for industrial purposes adds more pressure still.
We're 95% certain that the young were moved by the female last year prior to the scrambling/climbing stage, as a result of repeated attempts of people to climb the nest tree. - this obviously does affect the birds more than it affects me!
# So as you can see theres a combination of factors already against the birds,The last thing we need is birders adding additional & completely unnecessary Stresses to the list.
As for the recording point you mention, i previously sent in copious amounts of records, but they weren't being used to any benefit that i could see.
Whats the point in me studying a pair from New Year establishing a territory through to March beginning courtship, display flights etc, putting hours in on site & making detailed notes to have the birds breeding chances jepardised by a few pairs of size 10's who feel they have the right to flush a bird to tick it off their lists ?
You mention both BTO & RSPB...
I dont think the BTO's surveys methodology (from what i've seen of it) ever allows the full picture of a birds status to be show, & by the time they corrolate all the figures.......... well in my opinion ALL records are History the next day anyway.
The RSPB, have had very little interest in the North East Members views or needs for as long as ive known what those letters stand for.
Your comment about birds returning to the same (winter) roost, is a fair one.
Sites i have where theres no disturbance-the birds can sit on the same branch all year.
At the 'disturbed site' the birds are harrassed from thicket to thicket as the winter progresses, they remain in the same general local areas, but not at the same roost site.
The problem is at its worst though, when the winter roost site is also the breeding site.
#Theres no doubting that Leo will tollerate some disturbance at its winer roosts, but what they will tollerate at their breeding site, is another matter entirely.
(Just to give you a little more insight to the problem, we've had a breeding copse cut down as too many birders were viewing it (i was able to watch the birds in great detail here prior to that, witnessed copulation, female wingclapping, 2 males wingclapping at the same time while the female called from the nest etc etc) Also at the back end of last March we had a winter roost of a dozen birds being systematically flushed from one end of a Pine shelterbelt to the other, while the resident pair were trying to incubate their clutch.)
I could go on.......
Hope you can Now see why both the owls & myself are bothered about this disturbance scenario.
Regards StevieEvans.
