Glossy ibis in Derbyshire

Rare ‘Glossy' ibis seen at former coking works
November 2011. A very rare visitor to British shores has been seen at a nature reserve that only five years ago was part of the most contaminated site in Europe.

The glossy ibis, which gets its name from the iridescent sheen on its wings, was recorded by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust volunteers Alan Watts and Ron Turner at The Avenue Washlands Nature Reserve near Chesterfield. The bird has only been recorded around a hundred times in the country since 1954 and only three times in Derbyshire. The reserve, owned by the Land Trust and managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, is on part of the former Avenue Coking Works.

Richard Spowage, the Reserves Manager commented: "It is extremely rare for this bird to turn up in Derbyshire as it's usually found in southern Europe. The Washlands reserve has areas of reedbed and marsh which provide good feeding habitat for the glossy ibis."

Growing bird list
The glossy Ibis is the latest rare visitor to the reserve, which now has recorded an amazing 118 species since recording started in 2007. Included in this impressive list are bittern, little egret, dipper and barn owl.

Most contaminated site in Europe
Euan Hall, chief executive of the Land Trust, comments, "Amazingly only six years ago this reserve was part of what was reckoned to be the most contaminated site in Europe. Thanks to a restoration programme funded by the Homes and Communities Agency's National Coalfield Programme it is now a haven for wildlife as well as a place where people can experience the great outdoors and gain a multitude of benefits while doing so. A lot of credit has to go to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust who have mobilised people to get involved in enhancing the wildlife value of this special space."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/glossy-ibis-uk.html

Suffolk kingfisher migrated from Poland

Record breaking kingfisher found in Suffolk
October 2011. A kingfisher found at the National Trust's Orford Ness Nature Reserve on the Suffolk coast looks likely to have broken the UK record for furthest migration of the species.

The kingfisher was caught and released by members of Landguard Bird Observatory as part of their routine bird ringing studies at the site and is thought to have travelled in excess of 1,000km from Poland.

This breaks the previous record set by a British kingfisher which was ringed in Marloes, Pembrokeshire, and found in Irun, Spain, having travelled around 970km. It is also the most easterly discovery in the UK, with other foreign recoveries coming from France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

Mike Marsh, Volunteer Ringer for the Landguard Bird Observatory, said: "We catch a small number of kingfishers each year at Orford Ness, usually in the autumn, and previously assumed that these had been dispersing juveniles of fairly local origin.

"This will be one of the longest migrations among the kingfishers in the ringing database and we can't wait to get confirmation of the record from the British Trust for Ornithology and hear about the Polish ringing scheme."

A few migrate
Kingfishers are a resident breeding species in the UK but each year a small number migrate here from the continent, probably moving away from places with prolonged freezing conditions in the winter.

The last kingfisher ringed from abroad and found in the UK was on 29 October 2008 and had travelled 819km from Aken in Germany.

Grant Lohoar, Orford Ness site manager for the National Trust, said: "This is a great record for us, but something we wouldn't have known about if this bird hadn't been ringed, thanks to our expert volunteers. This highlights the importance of ringing as a tool for conservation which allows us to identify birds as individuals. Orford Ness is a really important stop-over site for many migrating birds, as they can refuel and rest on the marshes, in the reedbeds or on the many lagoons we have here."

Kingfishers are generally found near still or slow flowing water on perches from where they hunt, commonly swooping down to the water to catch small fish such as minnow and stickleback.

The longest lived kingfisher according to ringing recoveries is four years, six months and 13 days, which was set in 1969.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kingfisher-migration.html

Monarch butterfly lands in Dorset

Monarch butterfly turns up in Dorset
October 2011. A rare butterfly, normally found on the other side of the Atlantic, has been discovered on England's South Coast. The Monarch buterfly, a spectacular black and orange vagrant butterfly, was seen on Buddleia plants in Ringstead Bay, in Dorset. It is not known if the butterfly was blown here as a result of the Indian summer currently gripping the UK or was deposited by hurricane winds from America.

Small populations in Spain
Monarchs are large and unmistakeable with the majority being found in North America, but a smaller population survives in Southern Spain and on the Canary Islands.

Vast migration
Richard Fox, Surveys Manager at Butterfly Conservation said: "Monarchs are one of the wonders of the natural world. At this time of the year they migrate an astonishing 3,000 miles to their over-wintering grounds in mountains of Mexico. But storm systems on the Eastern Seaboard of America can pick them up and deposit them on the West Coast of Ireland and the Southwest of England."

The last few weeks have also seen many rare vagrant birds from North America arriving in the UK as a result of the hurricane season. The last good Monarch year was in 1999 when scores turned up in the UK.

The butterfly was spotted by accountant Shelley Cunningham, 24, from Yeovil and trainee wildlife guide Shane Austin, 39, from Taunton. Shelley, who three years ago was confined to a wheelchair, is walking the South West Coast Path to raise money for the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) who treated her for curvature of the spine.

Shane said: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Monarch, it was feeding on Buddleia with around 20 Red Admirals. It's big and beautiful and doesn't look like any butterflies you see here, it is just awe inspiring when you think how far it has flown."

Shelley underwent three years of surgery to be able to walk again. She is five weeks into the gruelling six-week walk and has raised £3,000 for the charity Above and Beyond.

She said: "The BRI really helped me get back on my feet so this walk is to give something back, seeing the Monarch was just a fantastic added bonus."

Monarch butterflies in North America
Read more about the fantastic Monarch butterfly migration from Canada to Mexico.

For more information about monarch butterflies and their migration, visit www.monarchwatch.org

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/butterfly-monarch.html

American Sandhill crane st RSPB Strathbeg

From America to Aberdeenshire, re-routed rare crane arrives at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg September 2011. It may be playing host to thousands of wintering geese but it is a rare American arrival that is attracting attention at an RSPB Scotland nature reserve in Aberdeenshire. An adult sandhill crane, only the fourth ever to be recorded in Britain, has been spotted at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg.

The species normally breeds in North America and Canada, migrating south in the Autumn months. Staff believe this bird may have been blown off course by Hurricane Katia.

Diana Spencer, Visitor and Publicity Officer at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg said: "We've had a few ‘lost' American birds on the reserve recently, but we've never had one as large as this. It's quite unmistakable, similar in size to a heron with a bright red forehead, and long dark pointed bill. Despite having 12,000 geese on the reserve, all eyes, binoculars and telescopes have been on this new arrival. We're expecting it'll attract a lot of interest over the weekend from birders across the country."

Staff are also keen to hear from a visitor who reported a crane on the reserve on Saturday. It was presumed at the time this was a common crane but it's now thought this may have been the first sighting of the new arrival.

Birds like the Sandhill crane, which turn up miles from where they are supposed to be, are called vagrants. There is no way of knowing where this bird will go next. It has been seen preening itself, which suggests it is moulting. It is therefore likely it will remain at Loch of Strathbeg until it is in perfect condition to continue travelling south.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/strathbeg-sandhill.html

Bird-spotters flock to see American visitor in Exeter

HUNDREDS of birdwatchers from around Britain homed in on one of the boggiest parts of Exeter – to see a robin.

But this was no ordinary red-breasted bird.

It was an American robin, of a type not seen on these shores for nearly 30 years.

A member of the thrush family, the large songbird was a long way from home after being blown thousand of miles off course. It ended up among the red berries growing in the midst of the picturesque Exminster Marshes.

The rain-swept marsh land proved a home from home after the bird travelled over the Atlantic. And word soon got out that it was in town.


It is thought to be the first American Robin to come to Devon since 1982.

Word of sightings quickly spread among the close-knit bird watching fraternity and hundreds flocked from all over the country to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor.

Excitement was high at times as the bird-watchers, loaded with cameras, tripods, binoculars, telescopes and even sound recording gear, tripped over themselves to get the best views.

Though common in North America, there have been only 24 recorded sightings of the bird in the UK since 1950.

Tony Whitehead, RSPB Press Officer in Exeter, said: "It's quite a rare bird, but when they do turn up Devon and Cornwall are the two places that have the majority of records for the American Robin."

The male seen in Exeter over the weekend is thought to have been swept over to England by the same Atlantic storms that brought torrential rain down on the heads of the bird-watchers.

Mr Whitehead said: "They are migrant birds and fly from North America down to South America in winter. Some get caught up in tropical storms or weather systems and get hurled across the Atlantic."

So far it's been a good year for America in Devon as the robin is the third stateside visitor, with birders spotting an American Golden Plover and Carolina Wood Duck recently.


By Rebecca Lomax

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Bird-spotters-flock-American-visitor/article-2896910-detail/article.html