Peregrine night-hunt caught on camera

Derby Cathedral video is World first in showing night hunting Peregrine Falcons

The Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project team, of which Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is a partner, claim to have recorded the first ever film in the UK, Europe and North America showing conclusively that Peregrine Falcons use urban floodlighting to catch prey during the night.

For some years, scientists and volunteers monitoring the spread of Peregrine Falcons into urban areas have found the remains of prey items which they believed to have been caught at night. Reports and articles have been published about this phenomenon, but until now there has been no film footage to prove it conclusively.

The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtiWWr3e8-U

For full report click on link below:

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=news&id=3208

2010 International Year of Biodiversity – Natural England

Throughout the International Year of Biodiversity Natural England is highlighting England’s native plants and animals for which conservationists are making the difference between survival and extinction.

Click on the link below for more information

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/biodiversity/biodiversityislife/default.aspx

23rd January 2010

Water Rail, Snipe, 10 Teal, 5 Wigeon, 14 Reed Bunting, Lesser Redpoll, 24 Lapwing, 40 Redwing, 60 Fieldfare, 600 Rook, 200 Wood Pigeon - Nightingale Wood, South Marston - Phil & Graham Deacon

MERLIN (female) – on roadside bushes along A346 south of Chiseldon – Graham Deacon

Green Sandpiper, 80 Linnet, 350 Wood Pigeon, 26 Corn Bunting, 300 Chaffinch & Goldfinch – Chiseldon – Malcolm Royal & Steve Davies

9 BARNACLE GOOSE - on Cricklade floods east of A419 – Nigel Pleass

Little Egret, 200 Lapwing – Cricklade floods – Steve Davies

2 COMMON CROSSBILL - Stockton Wood – John Fishwick

KUMLEIN’S GULL (adult) – CWP74 roost - Nigel Pleass

2 Raven - Littleton Drew - Stewart Dobson

Blackcap – in a Bradford on Avon garden – Ken Cypher

5 WHOOPER SWAN - at East Clyffe, Stapleford viewed from A36 layby - birding pagers

PEREGRINE, 4000 Starling – at roost Barnfield, Swindon – John Roberts

BITTERN – Langford Lakes in flight from Long Pond to Brockbank Lake - Jennifer & Keith Mortimore

21 Lapwing – CWP301 – Sue & Trevor Clayson

SMEW (male), 2 Goldeneye, 5 Pintail (males), 300 Lapwing – CWP74 -  Sue & Trevor Clayson

4 SMEW (one male), 4 Goosander (redhead), 4 Red-Crested Pochard – CWP28 -  Sue & Trevor Clayson

4 SMEW (2 male) - CWP29 -  Sue & Trevor Clayson

13 Goosander (9 male) – CWP30 -  Sue & Trevor Clayson

7 Goosander (3 male), 2 Goldeneye – CWP38 – Sue & Trevor Clayson

4 Goosander (3 male) – CWP64 -  Sue & Trevor Clayson

PEREGRINE, 2 Raven – Devizes - Anthony Mitchell

22nd January 2010

50 Goldfinch – Lididngton Hill – Mike Ford

2 Red Kite – Berwick St James – Andrew Rose

21st January 2010

Stonechat, 4 Snipe – Blakehill - Robin Griffiths

14 Snipe – Stoke Common - Robin Griffiths

KUMLIEN’S GULL (adult), 2 WESTERN YELLOW-LEGGED GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, 3000 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 500 Herring Gull, 1000 Black-Headed Gull - in flooded fields by River Thames, Eysey Manor at SU115938. Access along Thames path just west of farm buildings - Kim Milsom

White-tailed Sea Eagle found poisoned

Police to investigate new bird-of-prey poisoning case in Angus glens. Fresh case of sea eagle poisoning with banned pesticide suspected on investment banker’s Scottish estate

The white-tailed sea eagle was reintroduced to western Scotland in the 1970s after it became extinct.

Tayside police said today they are investigating a further suspected attack on birds of prey in the Angus glens near Dundee, after a sea eagle was found poisoned by an illegal chemical last year.

The sea eagle was killed with carbofuran, a banned pesticidenotorious for its fatal effects on wildlife, just over a year after it had been released in Fife as part of a government-backed sea eagle reintroduction programme.

The bird was one of 15 that had been donated by the Norwegian government and were welcomed to Scotland in person by the then environment minister Mike Russell.

It was found in August on the Glenogil estate near Forfar. Glenogil has been involved in a series of police raids and investigations into suspected persecution of birds of prey after the discovery of several dead birds and a number of baits contaminated with toxic chemicals on the estate.

Report taken from the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/20/poisoned-sea-eagle-scotland-investigation

20th January 2010

2 Blackcap – in a Hilperton garden – Pete Truscott

15 Goosander (7 male) – Braydon Pond – Make Coller

5 SMEW (one male) – CWP29 – Mark Coller

3 Goosander – CWP30 – Mark Coller

2 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL – CWP74 roost – Mark Coller

19th January 2010

Little Egret – Rodbourne, Swindon - Robin Griffiths

Woodcock – Lydiard Millicent – Matt Pringle

2 Blackcap – in a Chippenham garden – Lynne Hallam

12 Goosander – Shaftsbury Lake, Swindon – Daniel Webb

50 Yellowhammer, 80 Linnet – Liddington Hill - Steve Davies

18th January 2010

CASPIAN GULL (adult) – in flooded fields by River Thames at Eysey with several hundred other large gulls – Nigel Pleass

5 WHOOPER SWAN - in fields with Mute Swans at East Clyffe, Stapleford viewed from A36 layby – Robin Nelson

Little Owl, Barn Owl – Avebury – Robin Nelson

Little Egret, Pintail, 40 Wigeon, 35 Teal, 60 Lapwing – Whaddon, Trowbridge - Mike Hamzij

Little Egret – on the River Ray, Akers Way, Swindon – Paul & Maria Thompson

Peacock Butterfly - in a Swindon garden - Sue & Trevor Clayson

17th January 2010

100 Lapwing - on flooded fields at Inglesham – Phil & Graham Deacon

Green Sandpiper, 47 Wigeon, Gadwall, 7 Teal – on the River Avon, Upper Seagry – Bruce Maxfield

3 Blackcap – in a Wilton garden – David Peart

PEREGRINE, 7 Green Sandpiper, 12 Little Egret, Snipe, 7 Goosander - Britford – Daniel Kronenberg

PEREGRINE (attacking Starlings), 10000 Starling, 3 Little Egret – River Ray at Barnfield, Swindon – Althea & Andrew Nye

6 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Raven, 2 Marsh Tit, 55 Lapwing – Webbs Wood – Robin Griffiths

5 WHOOPER SWAN, 15 Snipe - still at East Clyffe, Stapleford viewed from A36 layby – John Osborne & Bob Blamey

RING OUZEL (first-winter male) – still in a Salisbury garden - Bob Blamey

3 Red Kite – Stapleford area – Andrew Rose

Raven – Avebury – Sue & Trevor Clayson

2 Raven, 9 Lapwing – Barbury Castle – Sue & Trevor Clayson

Red Kite, 4 Raven, 2 Brambling, 4 Marsh Tit – Tollard Royal – Rowena & Bill Quantrill

80 Lapwing – Brinkworth - Ian Searle

4 SHORT-EARED OWL - Stoford area – Malcolm Royal & Steve Davies

12 COMMON CROSSBILL, MANDARIN, 2 Little Egret, 6 Siskin, Raven – Shearwater – Malcolm Royal & Steve Davies

OUT OF COUNTY…….BITTERN – CWP44 (Gloucestershire) – Bob Shepherd & Tim Beattie

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