Upton Warren (44 Viewers)

upstarts1979 · May 28, 2017

Med Gulls

On Tuesday 23rd May I spent 4 hours intensely monitoring the Med Gull nest at the Moors. I struggled to get a clear view of the bird through a heat haze and partially obscured by thick vegetation cover. Finally I managed to get as clear a view as was possible along the west path by placing my scope on the roof of my car. From here I could clearly see the nesting bird it was sitting high which was intriguing. The pair had been incubating for at least 4 weeks and as the birds are both 2nd summers I was thinking that perhaps they had laid infertile eggs as 25 days is the incubation period. However the sitting bird was fidgeting too often for it to be only on eggs, so I perservered. Eventually the sitting bird was joined by its mate and a brief changeover revealed what I was hoping for - a glimpse of a little ball of fluff . Wow!! Ironically I found the first Med Gull in October 1987, the day after the famous Michael Fish weather forecast. :t: John

Birder Gladys · May 28, 2017

Amazing news with the Med Gulls.With my long weekend count now up to 66 birds there are still a few standard ones to get,also notice the mute swan on the moors looks like it has a damaged foot or leg.
pic 1 Chroicocephalus ridibundus brace yourself
pic 2 Fulica atra Island.
pic 3 Turdus merula castle.

Phil Andrews · May 29, 2017

From the Flashes this morning Dave J reports:

48 Avocet + 18 young (3:2:1:2:1:2:3:3:1, latest brood still sitting), 3 adult Mediterranean Gull, 5 LR Plover (+ 1 young), 2 Redshank

Egyptian Goose still at the Sailing Pool

No passage by the looks of things :-C

Phil Andrews · May 29, 2017

From the Moors Pool Dave J reports:

Teal, Gadwall brood reduced to 6 ducklings, 2 second summer Med Gulls (+ 2 young)

Where Bird · May 29, 2017

For Warden Information

Noted at the Flashes p.m.
After being told that there were two chicks in the large metal cage I was intrigued
Checked it out and there were indeed two chicks there BUT they were BHGs!!
Obviously they got in and may get out but when last noted were being fed from the outside by a parent. More concerned with being fed than finding way out.
Cage is large one on the left hand side.

Phil Andrews · May 29, 2017

John - can do the Flashes first thing and check out the situation Phil describes above

wheatearlp · May 29, 2017

Phil Andrews said:
John - can do the Flashes first thing and check out the situation Phil describes above

They were out when I left Flashes at c12.30

Janner Falcon! · May 29, 2017

wheatearlp said:
They were out when I left Flashes at c12.30

We arrived at Flashes gate 12:30 when a lady new to the site asked about 2 chicks in left hand cage - we were puzzled!
Arrived at Avocet hide 12:45ish to see she was right and there were two well-grown BHG chicks inside. First photo timed 12:54.
We left around 15:00 - they were still inside and had been desultorily fed only once. Photo timed 14:44.
Entry point appears to be an easy get-in but not to get out as the wires are pointing inwards and downwards.
They looked as they were in for the night.

wheatearlp · May 30, 2017

Janner Falcon! said:
We arrived at Flashes gate 12:30 when a lady new to the site asked about 2 chicks in left hand cage - we were puzzled!
Arrived at Avocet hide 12:45ish to see she was right and there were two well-grown BHG chicks inside. First photo timed 12:54.
We left around 15:00 - they were still inside and had been desultorily fed only once. Photo timed 14:44.
Entry point appears to be an easy get-in but not to get out as the wires are pointing inwards and downwards.
They looked as they were in for the night.

Ah! In which case they can get out as they were in when I arrived at the Flashes and out just before I left the hide.

Burberaj · May 30, 2017

Some pictures today, from The Moors

My first view of the gadwall family made it a morning well spent.

I saw a couple of young rabbits on the west track by the concrete hide, and a fox ran across in front of the Jacobs hide, after the mallards. it didn't succeed.

Phil Andrews · May 30, 2017

I have assessed the situation of the two Black-headed Gulls trapped in the Little Ringed Plover cage at the Flashes and after discussing the matter with John we have decided not to intervene. We appreciate this is an emotive situation and a disturbing scene to witness so such a decision may not be popular with all therefore it's only fair that we set out our thought process.

In very close proximity to the cage and along the route from the access gate are a number of breeding Schedule 1 species - this includes a sitting LRP, an unfledged LRP chick, two fresh broods of Avocet (with adults still sitting on unhatched eggs) plus three Avocet on nests. Both are Schedule 1 species and it's a criminal offence to disturb them - John, Mike and myself are Schedule 1 holders but this is for the specific and express purpose of caging LRP nests; any deviation away from these actions could result in the withdrawal of the Schedule 1 licence. Each time we are faced with the circumstances to cage we carefully weigh up the pros and cons, including possible disturbance to birds already breeding. In this instance, with sitting adults and very young chicks in situ and thr large gulls having proved already very adept this year at picking off young, we consider the potential "collateral damage" to be too great. To give you an idea the most recent LRP to be caged - closer to the gate and actioned before a number of Avocet hatched / commenced sitting - took nearly 90 minutes to return - such a return time in the current circumstances could result in a high level of losses. Finally there is the sheer numbers game - the latest Rare Breeding Birds Panel report online (2013) noted only 545 pairs of LRP and just over 1,700 pairs of Avocet breeding in Britain compared with 130,000 pairs of BHG (including nearly 400 at Upton Warren alone).

If anyone is unhappy at this stance then please contact the Trust to see if they are willing to intervene although I would most strongly advise it's against the better interests of wider avifauna of the reserve.

upstarts1979 · May 30, 2017

Bird the reserve today.

MOORS:
GCG 3. Little grebe 8 min.
Shoveler pr. Teal male. gadwall 10 +6 chicks. Tufted 50+
Oystercatcher 5 + 2 chicks (2 days old).. Lapwing 4.
Common tern 12 (4 sitting). Med Gull 3 +2 chicks.
Peregrine. Buzzard 8.
Great spotted woodpecker 2. swift 150.
sand martin 10. swallow. house martin 30.
Sedge warbler 6. Reed warbler 20+ ( more than usual in North moors ). Cetti's 3 poss 4 singing. Blackcap at least 3 broods of young. chiffchaff 2 broods.
song thrush 3 singing. tits many broods of young all around the Moors. Greenfinch. bullfinch. goldfinch.
Reed bunting several broods.

FLASHES :
Shoveler 2. gadwall 4. Shelduck 4. tufted 25.
Avocet 48 (10. broods ) 22 chicks. Oystercatcher 2. lapwing 15 . LRP 5 +chick (19days). Redshank 2.
Common tern 2. Med Gull 2.
kestrel. Buzzard causing havoc. It is perching in oak tree then repeatedly gliding down over the meadow trying to drop on to the nest with 3 freshly hatched avocets. The buzzard was attacked by hundreds of birds including -gulls, avocet, lapwing & corvids.
sedge warbler 4. Reed warbler 4. Whitethroat. blackcap. chiffchaff. song thrush 2.
Reed bunting 5.

Where Bird · May 30, 2017

Caged BHGs

Phil
Thanks for taking the time to check out the trapped birds and make your informative and considered report. Just thought that you should be made aware of the situation.
Have no problems with your decision.
Phil E

gary.palmer · May 30, 2017

Thanks for taking time to explain a difficult but well considered thought process - I believe this has resulted in the right conclusion.

Phil Andrews said:
I have assessed the situation of the two Black-headed Gulls trapped in the Little Ringed Plover cage at the Flashes and after discussing the matter with John we have decided not to intervene. We appreciate this is an emotive situation and a disturbing scene to witness so such a decision may not be popular with all therefore it's only fair that we set out our thought process.

In very close proximity to the cage and along the route from the access gate are a number of breeding Schedule 1 species - this includes a sitting LRP, an unfledged LRP chick, two fresh broods of Avocet (with adults still sitting on unhatched eggs) plus three Avocet on nests. Both are Schedule 1 species and it's a criminal offence to disturb them - John, Mike and myself are Schedule 1 holders but this is for the specific and express purpose of caging LRP nests; any deviation away from these actions could result in the withdrawal of the Schedule 1 licence. Each time we are faced with the circumstances to cage we carefully weigh up the pros and cons, including possible disturbance to birds already breeding. In this instance, with sitting adults and very young chicks in situ and thr large gulls having proved already very adept this year at picking off young, we consider the potential "collateral damage" to be too great. To give you an idea the most recent LRP to be caged - closer to the gate and actioned before a number of Avocet hatched / commenced sitting - took nearly 90 minutes to return - such a return time in the current circumstances could result in a high level of losses. Finally there is the sheer numbers game - the latest Rare Breeding Birds Panel report online (2013) noted only 545 pairs of LRP and just over 1,700 pairs of Avocet breeding in Britain compared with 130,000 pairs of BHG (including nearly 400 at Upton Warren alone).

If anyone is unhappy at this stance then please contact the Trust to see if they are willing to intervene although I would most strongly advise it's against the better interests of wider avifauna of the reserve.

Janner Falcon! · May 30, 2017

Some pics from Saturday & Monday.

1. Let me in, it's cold out here!
2. That's my boy!
3. Changeover time.
4. Gadwall family

Janner Falcon! · May 30, 2017

1. Elusive redshank (one of two)
2. Common tern
3. Sedge warbler
4. Reed warbler
5. Egyptian goose

Janner Falcon! · May 30, 2017

1. Swimming through lunch.
2. Are you looking at me? (from W hide!)
3. Gadwall pair.
4. Flashes penguin colony! (wet and windy)

Phil Andrews · May 31, 2017

Many thanks for your comments and support Gary and Phil

billbox · May 31, 2017

Gull chicks

I can't remember the last time I posted it's so long ago,but the decision to leave the trapped Gull chicks has driven me to do so.
If I understand the reasoning behind the decision correctly, it is feared that, if someone goes out to the cage to release the chicks, too much disturbance will be caused to nearby nesting LRP's and Avocets. Surely not!
Was it last year or the year before that Herefords roamed the same area of ground whilst LRP's sat on their nests in the cages and Avocet nests littered the same part of the flashes. When I asked the question "won't the cows disturb the nesting birds", the answer was " not very likely". When two LRP's abandoned their nests the answer was still the same.
There is a massive difference between half a dozen cows wandering around at will and one human being picking his time to approach the cage and release the birds. To not do so is outright cruelty. Come on men; let's, at least, be consistant!

jackied · May 31, 2017

billbox said:
I can't remember the last time I posted it's so long ago,but the decision to leave the trapped Gull chicks has driven me to do so.
If I understand the reasoning behind the decision correctly, it is feared that, if someone goes out to the cage to release the chicks, too much disturbance will be caused to nearby nesting LRP's and Avocets. Surely not!
Was it last year or the year before that Herefords roamed the same area of ground whilst LRP's sat on their nests in the cages and Avocet nests littered the same part of the flashes. When I asked the question "won't the cows disturb the nesting birds", the answer was " not very likely". When two LRP's abandoned their nests the answer was still the same.
There is a massive difference between half a dozen cows wandering around at will and one human being picking his time to approach the cage and release the birds. To not do so is outright cruelty. Come on men; let's, at least, be consistant!

Most wildlife views man as a threat, whereas cattle are viewed as a possible danger, but not an immediate threat. The cattle are in the background all the time and are largely ignored while a person walking out there would cause immediate panic. The decision is correct.

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