Last news update: 13th July 2010

Some Observations of a Local Birdwatcher

Colin Humphrey, a Group member, continues his thoughts relating to local wildlife:

At long last after so many false starts Spring seems to be here.  However the cold nights have held back foliage and some breeding species but now with the arrival of most of the spring migrants things seem to be moving ahead.

The severity of the winter must have taken a heavy toll of some species particularly the smaller ones, Tits, Kinglets, Wrens and Chats, so I have been paying particular attention to such birds on my walks over the last few weeks.  As a ringer after the severe winter of 62/63 in the Chilterns I found Long-tailed Tits all but disappeared and it took many years for them to recover, I feared a similar situation this spring but, I have been very pleasantly surprised to see just how many Long-taileds are around. 

Goldcrests, another tiny bird (you get about six to the ounce) that should struggle in harsh conditions with short feeding days and long freezing nights seem able to cope better than others. Our crests appear to be sedentary however, some of their Scandinavian cousins actually remain throughout the winter on the Norwegian coast where the nights are even longer than ours.  Other Scandinavian crests cross the North Sea to Britain and some further into Ireland and France, returning in March.  They also seem to be around in good numbers, even singing in my garden last week.

Sadly, Stonechats seem to be less robust and suffer in the cold.  Living near to the Jubilee River I often walk there with my dog, where numbers of Stonechats have been rising over the last few years.  A couple of weeks ago I was able to find only one pair.  Stonechats are partial migrants which seems not necessarily weather induced.  Mortality is high amongst those that remain in Britain, apparently juveniles, three or four clutches per year, are more likely to migrate to France and Iberia to return and breed the following spring.

                  Stonechat

I stood quietly this morning with my dog beneath a mature beech tree watching a Buzzard nest building thirty feet above us, repeatedly flying to and from a nearby tree with a dead crown, I was even able hear twigs being broken to be brought to the nest site.  Throughout two kites circled overhead, a Whitethroat sang at the woodland edge and a Tawny Owl called further along the track.  Merle and I slipped away through the new bluebells and fresh beech leaves, the Buzzard seemingly too busy to notice us.

Winter seems finally to have gone................ .       

Car Sharing for Outdoor Meetings

Members have indicated that there is a possible need for an organised car sharing scheme for group trips.  The rationale is that members without transport would be able to join outdoor meetings and car owners would have the opportunity to be driven to the venue sharing the car of another member.

Anyone interested in car-sharing for an outdoor meeting, either as a driver or as a passenger, can contact:

Ken Cottam  on 01628 620473, for those living in the Maidenhead area, or                                                                                                                                John Shelton  on 01628 483750 / 07772 897564, for those living in the Wycombe, Marlow, Bourne End or Wooburn areas who will do their best to accommodate you.

It would help considerably if contact could be made as early as possible before the date of the outdoor meeting.

Braywick Nature Centre

Below is information about forthcoming events which might be of interest to Group members: