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Articles in ‘Birdwatching in Britain’

Sugar beet and the Pink-footed Geese

October 16th, 2009

At first light, the sound of huge flocks of honking Pink-footed Geese fills the north Norfolk sky as they fly in from their roosts on the Wash. Back in the 1960s, wintering Pink-foots in the UK numbered about 50,000. Nowadays there are over 200,000 and about half of them are found in Norfolk. Read the rest of this entry

Birds of Britain, Birdwatching in Britain, East Anglia, Farming, Farming and wildlife, Farmland birds of Britain, Wetland birds of Britain | Tags: Birdwatching in Norfolk, migrating birds in Britain, Pink-footed geese in Britain, Snettisham nature reserve, wildlife spectacles in Britain, winter wildlife spectacles|

Best birdwatching locations in Britain

July 8th, 2009

Stephen Moss in the Guardian has put together this useful list of his favourite birdwatching spots in the UK: everything from huge flocks of geese, wild seabird colonies, red kites, rare birds, avocets and home-counties bird fairs. He recommends Caerlaverock, Castle Espie (”the perfect introduction to this avian wonderland”), Exe estuary (a boat trip is the ideal way to experience these wild creatures where they really belong), Farne Islands (”Watch puffins loafing around their burrow entrances, get mobbed by terns, and enjoy a chorus of kittiwakes calling out their name - simply unforgettable”), Gigrin Farm, Isles of Scilly, Loch Garten, Minsmere. Rutland Waterand Slimbridg.

Read in the Guardian

Birds of Britain, Birdwatching in Britain, Nature tourism in the UK | Tags: Best birdwatching spots in Britain, Caerlaverock, Castle Espie, Exe estuary, Famous British birders, Farne Islands, Gigrin Farm, Isles of Scilly, Loch Garten, Minsmere. Rutland Water, Slimbridge, Stephen Moss|

Briefly
Fictional countryside
March 17, 2010
Interesting article by Jonathan Meades in The Guardian. No longer a place of work, the English countryside has been tidied up and made picturesque, based on a mythical rural idyll…Read Reminds me of DH Auden comment in the 1940s on the Lake District. “Am I to see in the Lake District, then….Another bourgeois invention like the piano?”

Swift survey
March 17, 2010
The RSPB is gathering extensive information about exactly where swifts are nesting in the UK. It is suspected that their rapid decline in recent years is linked with a drop in suitable nesting sites, as buildings are modernised. The first year’s survey reveals that of the houses where swifts are nesting:
- Over half (51%) were built before 1919
- Exactly a quarter were built between 1919-1944
- Over half (52%)had been known swift nesting sites for more than 10 years
- Almost a fifth (16%) were considered threatened
- Almost 5% of swifts were recorded in churches
The data will be used to make sure that exhilarating displays of screaming swifts continue being part of British summers.

New Forest conservation
March 17, 2010
A new generation of commoners will receive financial support to ensure animals continue to graze in the New Forest and so conserve its rich biodiversity.
Commoning has shaped the New Forest over hundreds of years. It is because of it that we have this beautiful landscape, a mosaic of pasture, heath and lawn. And it needs to be encouraged - Lyndsey Stride, commoner.
Guardian

Urban bee project
March 1, 2010
The Co-op is further expanding its Plan Bee campaign by providing aspiring urban bee-keepers with free training and equipment. Life in the city can be better for bees than in the countryside, points out Chris Shearlock, the Co-op’s Environment Manager:
They can find flowers in city parks and gardens, and they are away from some of the pesticides that are threatening them on farmland. It’s a misconception to think that they won’t thrive in cities and towns. I’ve heard of honey being sold from apiaries around King’s Cross station in London.
In the end, what’s going to save the British honeybee, whose population has dropped sharply in the last 25 years, is its value to the economy: as fruit-tree pollinators and annual producers of 5,000 tonnes of honey, they’re worth 165m a year. Independent

Landscape blogs
February 24, 2010
There are now some excellent landscape blogs covering Britain. Here are a few:
- Some landscapes Landscapes evoked, depicted or transformed in the arts: painting, literature, music, film, etc. Britain and the rest of the world.
- Walking and writing. by Linda Cracknell. Good stuff in the Robert Macfarlane school.
- British Landscapes Photography with Derek Fogg.
- Write off the map
- Garden history girl
Above painting: J.M.W. Turner, Landscape, c1845

British birds in the news in February
February 17, 2010
Here is a quick round-up of latest British bird news:
- Ravens are not responsible for the dramatic declines in the numbers of wading birds seen in many parts of the UK uplands, according to the results of a new study. The Independent
- Remarkable photo of a flock of starlings in the shape of a rabbit. Daily Telegraph
- Bunting bounces back: one of Britain’s most threatened farmland birds is continuing to fight its way back after nearly disappearing completely, thanks to help from farmers in the south-west. Birdwatch
- Poisoned red kite found on Dumfries road RSPB
Archive of nature articles
February 11, 2010
We’ve put together this monthly archive of the articles on Britain nature.

Allotment fever
February 10, 2010
With more and more people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists. The National Trust have responded to this demand by allocating land for “super allotments” or community farms. In return for a monthly fee, members will decide what should be grown, and have the opportunity to work on the farms, receiving a share of the produce. Daily Telegraph
Nature tourism in the UK
- Britain's oldest road
  
  The 87 mile-long Ridgeway National Trail is remarkable in being the oldest road in Britain and because you can still walk it, following the same route used since prehistoric times by travellers and, herdsmen. The route connects the Dorset and Norfolk coasts, passing over rolling, open downland to the west of the River Thames, and through secluded valleys and woods in The Chilterns to the east. It is littered with historical sites dating back to the iron age. Lots of details from the National Trail website here.
- Children's farms in the lambing season
  
  A trip to a children's farm is a great idea in the lambing season. The Guardian has a list of recommended places in their half-term holiday special, including Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, where they are expecting no less than 300 lambs and 50 piglets to be born in February, with more expected for Easter. They have other attractions such a baby Alpaca called Snowy.
- Houseboat holidays in Devon
  
  These houseboat holidays in Devon look like a gorgeous way of spending a week or two.
  
  "This area boasts 35 acres of unspoilt countryside, offering the opportunity to stay on board a unique houseboat. Each widebeam barge is permanently moored on her own private jetty and sleeps 4 to 6 in ensuite cabins. Watch the busy wildlife right outside the galley window. Land organic rainbow trout for dinner. Be awed by the silent swoop of the barn owl. And in the evening as you watch the sun setting from the aft deck know that it has given its solar energy to power your lighting for the night ahead."
  
  More here
- Ice skating in the Fens
  
  For the first time in many years, the freezing conditions have been perfect for ice skating, allowing the inhabitants of the Cambridgeshire Fens to revel in a centuries-old tradition. The Guardian
  
  The Fens of East Anglia, with their meres and washes, networks of drainage ditches, slow-flowing rivers and easily flooded meadows, form an ideal skating terrain. Skates were introduced into Britain from Holland or France in the seventeenth century. It is not known when the first skating matches were held, but by the early nineteenth century they had become a feature of cold winters in the Fens. The golden age of fen skating was the second half of the nineteenth century, when thousands of people turned out to watch the top skaters. Wikipedia
- Sleeping in an igloo
  
  David Munt from Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire braved the Arctic weather and sub-zero temperatures to spend a night in an igloo in his garden. He decided to sleep in his creation after spending the previous day making the igloo from snow and ice, with help from the children on his street. More here
  - How to make an igloo.
- Ideas for walking in the snow
  
  Yowie snowshoes were designed, fittingly, in Australia. They look like beach sandals attached to rubber flippers with a deep hexagonal tread and metal cleats. Extremely versatile and user-friendly, once you're strapped in, with body weight nicely spread out to avoid sinking, you can enjoy snow walks on the flat or more challenging treks up and down mountains. The material reportedly offers better insulation from the cold than more conventional heavy-duty snowshoes. They are also lighter, cheaper and easier to stow in your ruck sack.
  
  Another idea is to use ice grips - unobtrusive devices you can attach to your usual footwear to radically increase traction on slippery surfaces.
- Herding ducks with the Quack Pack
  
  Meirion Owen is an expert sheep dog handler, who’s been working with Border Collies since he was nine. He now travels around Britain, showing the skills of this intelligent breed at fairs, private parties and, increasingly, corporate days out. The other stars of the Quack Pack are a troop of Indian Runner ducks, who love to charge around at a fast pace in a tight group (with the occasional lone rebel). First of all, Owen gives a demonstration of how it’s done, instructing his dogs with only four commands to herd the ducks through an obstacle course. Then the spectators have a go.
  
  "We never try to embarrass anyone," he says. "I'll always try to help. With duck herding, there is a sense of the unexpected and seeing a manager lose control of his ducks is great entertainment for the staff."
  
  A recent tendency among lowland livestock farmers is to replace Border Collies with quads, and Owen would like to turn this around by promoting the many qualities of this breed. More information
- Living in the Stone Age
  
  The Woodcraft School runs various courses for acquiring skills that pre-historical man needed for survival. Bark, Bone and Antler is a particularly interesting 2-day course that explores the materials available to our primitive ancestors. Those attending will be taught about the sustainable harvest of bark, weaving crafts to make knife sheaths, folding crafts to make baskets and containers, and the preparation of bone and antler.
  
  This particular course will be held in May 2010 in West Sussex, with groups limited to 12, but there are many others to choose from.
- Parahawking in Wales
  
  Paragliders will use birds of prey to guide them to the best thermals. They often report that the birds are not afraid of them and will even approach out of curiosity. Parahawking takes this one step further. You're taken on a tandem paraglider and specially trained birds of prey will accompany you on your flight, rewarded by offerings of food. This unforgettable experience is available in Wales, organised by the Axis paragliding school
- Husky trekking in the Yorkshire moors
  
  With Pesky Husky Trekking you can become a musher for a day. Instead of a sledge, you stand on a specially designed non-motorised scooter. And instead of snow-covered arctic lands, the Siberian huskies whisk you through the Yorkshire countryside. The experience is only available between October and March, after which it becomes too warm for an energetic husky. You can start off on a practice lap or do a more advanced trek of up to two hours.