Easy Tiger, I remember reading about them in the Yorkshire Post, when the numbers were higher, quite a few years ago now....I have read (last year) on a certain public website were to hear the released birds that had come back, and they almost certainly bred...

Maybe naive rather than stupid. Not everyone would deem the finding of a Corncrake such a big thing, and I for one have never heard of the Corncrake hotline

Perhaps you could supply us with a list of other birds we shouldn't mention and which have their own hotline so that we also can attain your high moral standards.

Of course, try Schedule 1 breeding birds for a start, it aint rocket science!

I don't think finding a Corncrake calling on the reserve that you mention would be that difficult given that you can't walk very far (and presumably you didn’t). Publicising rare breeding birds on a public forum (even from areas at which they are known to have occurred in the past) is still not particularly helpful - you may as well say 'eggers this way please, plus those of you with tape lures etc’. If the people that manage these reserves want the news of rare breeding birds publicised for whatever reason then they will publicise it, or if they don’t know about the bird in question then at least give them the opportunity to choose.

Corncrake is an exceptionally rare breeding species in Yorkshire. No doubt a large number of people will wish to visit this site to hear the species – how many will be content with just listening without resorting to ‘tape-lures’ or there are enough desperate people to go walking around in the grass in the hope of a flush.

Sorry if I sound harsh but postings of this nature on a public forum are irresponsible, not only for Corncrakes but the whereabouts of any rare breeding species.

Bransholme Sewage Works & Swinemoor Thursday pm
 

Bransholme Sewage Works 1325:
House martin: 15
Lesser black-backed gull: 6
Canada goose: 1

Swinemoor 1350 - 1530:
Garganey: Two
Little egret: 1, flew W at 1510
Ruff: 2
Lapwing: Post-breeding flock of 24
Starling: 240
House martin: Group of 50+ birds

Birdguides seem to be happy enough publicising the corncrake.

It is nothing to do with whether Birdguides is happy to publicise it - presumably they've been instructed to do so by the site warden - maybe because news was leaked on a public forum then it left people with no choice but to publicise the news? Hopefully those who condone publicising news such as this will be offering their services to help warden the site over the coming days/weeks;)

Dear all

I haven't posted on hear for a while so forgive me jumping in here but this is quite a serious issue and one people need to be aware of. Sibechaser is correct in that open public forums are not the place to mention rare breeding bird locations. The use of PM's here would have been much more suitable. In the first instance, contact with the site manager of the reserve, or county bird recorder or bird club recorder would have been a better route for this request/advice.
As the site manager for the site in question, we now have a situation where we have had to re-act quickly to the situation of the un-controlled release of this news. This has involved the organisation of 24 hour wardening and increased survillance on an already stretched budget and staff resource. I am aware that the site is well known (or has been well known) for this species in the past, but news release is often at the end of the season and depends on land ownership, the presence of other sensitive breeding birds and a host of other wardening issues. The only reason it is now on the bird information services is that we had little choice other than too release the news (the news being out anywhay) , once the 24 hour wardening is in place.
This may well have happened anyway but with a little more time to plan it.

Anyway, there are three birds there tonight - please keep only to the footpaths and hides and strictly no use of tapes,- this isnt just a morale issue but a legal one - and lesson to be learnt, keep rare breeding info off here - contact site staff and/or county bird recorders direct.

cheers

Thanks for the update. I hope you can put a collection bucket out so if people must visit you can recoup some costs. I hope they do well.

Sorry, I think I've f*cked up on this one, I didn't appreciate birds were breeding and really just wanted confirmation of what I'd heard. Given the amount of press coverage on the internet I didn't realise that location would be such a huge issue. I guess whoever sent the report to birdguides may've done as a result of reading this on here, so I apologise for the hassle this leakage has created.

Anyway thanks for the info LDV birder.

Got any requests? Would you prefer people to stay away at least until any eggs are hatched? Is the wardening manned by employees or volunteers?

Good luck!

Ok, I'm not condoning anything as Sibechaser may have alluded to. There are some other issues, if Chris didn't put the report on Birdguides then obviously someone else did and why would they if it was hearsay? Whoever did do it was more likely to have been there.
More people will check out Birguides than this thread so why did Birdguides allow it in the first place? Also a calling male is not concrete proof that there are eggs, surely if a male finds somewhere he likes he'll call to attract a female. If there are no females then there are no eggs.
Like I said I'm not condoning it but there's more to it than just one post on this thread.

I think this issue has largely now been sorted out and is proberbly best left to rest. However just to clarify some points so there's no mis-understandings.
With regards to the above, it was likely that Natural England who manage this part of the Lower Derwent valley NNR would have released the news about these birds - given that they are on NE land and that they are possible to hear from the paths and hides. Thats what we do when its possible to do so. We would also have put some degree of wardening in place as we have done, as there have been problems in the past in yorkshire and in the LDV with 'some' birders trying to flush birds and/or playing tapes in an attempt to get a view. There is also the very real threat of eggers in the LDV and we have been targetted before for a host of species - there's a lot of work that goes on in the back ground the general birding public won't be aware of.

It was actually us that released the news to birdguides and information services yesterday afternnon given that it had already appeared on here, and having quickly arranged some wardening/security issuses. Clearly no-one is saying or has said that females and eggs are involved, but no -one can say they aren't.

We all make mistakes from time to time, the important thing is that we learn from them. I think Sibechaser has made a valid point - its not a good idea to post info on rare breeding birds in any aspects (nest, singing males, birds in breeding season etc) on an open forum, at least until contact and discussions have been made with either conservation agencies, local birders or county recorders. Fortunately this was a site where we could react quickly but if it had'nt been it could have been more serious.

Anyway, no harm done, hope that sets all the questions straight and hope you can all enjoy hearing corncrakes rasping away at North Duffield - and who knows - hopefully they will stay, or at least have the chance too

I enjoyed my hour of listening, last night just after 19:35 for an hour. Good to meet you AW.

I agree about not putting such sensitive info out but I didn't like being labelled as someone who thinks it's ok to do it. Maybe I read more into Sibe's comments than he intended. I kept quiet about certain breeding birds near where I live and now the eggs have hatched the info is on the reserve's website.
It was right to ask not to post these things but there are ways to do it without getting people's backs up.
Especially when some people have anger management issues. ;)

Please please someone tell me if the Wryneck in Thornton-in-Craven has been seen since this morning!!!

I am far too poor for a subscription to Birdguides or the like, and that is about ten miles from my house!!! Aaaargh! I have been in exams all day!

In the trees around the village hall at 07:30

SD906484

Swinemoor tonight
 

Five-minute scan from the Corporation Farm viewpoint at 2020: Quiet - usual waders and Shelduck.

Re: the sensitive news published on this thread

If such a mistake - and that's just what it seems to have been - should happen again, then would the following do any good?:

1. Not respond to the post in the thread. This just highlights/duplicates the problem.
2. Contact the poster by PM to politely inform/educate them of the problem and ask for them to edit/remove if the post still exists.
3. PM a forum moderator asking them to urgently remove the offending message, if the original poster hasn't already done so. Note that a list of online staff is available on the forum homepage.

In my experience, the moderators can respond fairly quickly.

Obviously, this doesn't prevent the info going via email to those subscribed to the thread, but that will only show the first new post since a user's last visit, so the problem is minimized.

Yellowhammers still visiting the garden on a daily basis. My garden is not the biggest and not a real magnet for birds being rather enclosed with high hedges, but these guys certainly brighten up the feeder.

Also my House Martins are finally back - was pleased to be woken up by them the other day. Interestingly a few of my neighbours have cleared out the nests and attached a length of cloth or rope to discourage them. I think this has resulted in two pairs trying to utilise my nest. The other day there were two birds on the left and two on the right. It's now quite big and may have two entrances as a new bit was bolted on by birds last year - anyone come across this before? I'm sure ultimately it will reduce to just one pair - but at least they're back.

Swinemoor Saturday
 

Swinemoor 1040 - 1200:

Greenshank: 4
LRP: 1
Teal: 2
Sand martin: 3
Whitethroat: 4 territories
Lesser whitethroat: One calling

Anyone thinking of getting a start up DSLR kit should look at this thread.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=143317

East Yorkshire Redstarts have successfully fledged 4 chicks!

Good news - must be time for another brood!

Any news on the Thornton-in-Craven Wryneck since yesterday morning? This is far too good a bird for that area for noone to have been out for it apart from the finder!