30th November 2010
November 30, 2010 by wosuser
11 WAXWING - at RWE building, Windmill Business Park, Swindon – birding pagers
29th November 2010
November 29, 2010 by wosuser
10 WAXWING, 60 Siskin – Sudeley Way, Grange Park, Swindon – Phil Deacon
Waxwing - Tony Martin
6 WAXWING – in flight over Salisbury railway station – birding pagers only
40 Lapwing, 150 Common Gull, 200 Fieldfare, 35 Skylark – Codford – John Osborne
28th November 2010
November 28, 2010 by wosuser
10 WAXWING - Sudeley Way, Grange Park, Swindon - Nigel Pleass
Waxwings - Steve Davies
8 Teal – Westbury Pond – John Osborne
65 Skylark, 60 Corn Bunting, Stonechat, 150 Redwing, 400 Fieldfare – Cherhill – Dave Kilbey
200 Redwing, 500 Fieldfare, Water Rail, 8 Siskin – Nightingale Wood, South Marston – Phil & Graham Deacon
27th November 2010
November 27, 2010 by wosuser
SMEW – CWP29 – Jon Mercer
4 Goosander – CWP30 – Jon Mercer
2 Little Egret – CWP301 – Jon Mercer
28 RED-CRESTED POCHARD, Goosander, 33 Wigeon – CWP38 - Trevor Clayson
Stonechat – Upper Wraxall – Stewart Dobson
WHOOPER SWAN - still at Little Wishford – Bob Blamey
2 Marsh Tit, 100 Redwing, 40 Fieldfare – Charlton Park - Robin Griffiths
2 Snipe, 60 Skylark – Cumberwell – Rowena Quantrill
Little Egret, Kingfisher, 49 Gadwall, 9 Shoveler, 5 Wigeon, 2 Teal, Pochard – Langford Lake – Mike Trew
200 Golden Plover – Tilshead – Mike Trew
26th November 2010
November 26, 2010 by wosuser
PEREGRINE, 2000 Fieldfare, 500 Redwing, 2 Siskin, 4 Lesser Redpoll – Nightingale Wood, South Marston – Phil & Graham Deacon
Cetti’s Warbler, Little Owl – Great Wishford – Bob Blamey
PEREGRINE, 2 SHORT-EARED OWL, 2 Red Kite – Stoford area – Bob Blamey
WHOOPER SWAN (1st winter) – between Little Wishford & Little Langford – Bob Blamey
Whooper Swan - Bob Blamey
25th November 2010
November 25, 2010 by wosuser
HEN HARRIER (male) – New Zealand Farm – Rob Turner & Mike Hamzij
MERLIN (male) – Coulston Hill – Rob Turner & Mike Hamzij
PEREGRINE, Snipe, 50 Lapwing, 200 Redwing, 200 Fieldfare, 9 Buzzard – Whaddon, Trowbridge – Pete Truscott
Conference highlights British bird declines
November 25, 2010 by wosuser
Story taken from Birdwatch Magazine website:
Posted on: 24 Nov 2010
As the International Year of Biodiversity draws to a close, the publication of the BTO/JNCC Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside Report highlights the latest increases and declines in UK bird populations.
The need to monitor and maintain biodiversity, the number and variety of species found in habitats across the planet, has been at the fore of the conservation agenda in 2010, culminating in the recent conference in Nagoya. The latest Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside Report, published this week, uses data collected by volunteer surveyors to determine the contrasting fortunes of 117 British bird species over the last 40 years.
“The latest figures show that numbers of one in five of these species have fallen by more than 50 per cent since the 1960s,” explained Dr David Noble, a Principal Ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), who produce the report in partnership with the UK Government’s adviser, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Recent steep declines identified by the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey suggest that Nightingale, Whinchat and Pied Flycatcher may be next in line to join this group.
http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__9954
Update to finding grid references
November 25, 2010 by wosuser
We have received the following communication about finding grid references:
I noticed that you mention our site and have a requirement to find the 3
figure grid reference rather than the 5 figure reference that the site
defaults to i.e. SU 151 762 and not SU 15148 76234. You can now do
this on our site directly by adding the parameter f=<the number of
figures required> to our URL. That is, if you use the following link for
our site you will default to the 3 figure grid reference you require:-
http://www.ukgr.dreamhosters.com/?f=3
Walk around Cotswold Water Park
November 25, 2010 by wosuser
Come and watch the birdies
THE Cotswold Water Park is a regular destination for more than 20,000 waterbirds during the winter months, and staff are urging visitors to come along and see the birds for themselves.
The birds flock to the park away from the freezing temperatures of the Arctic, eastern Europe and northern Russia.
Events and education officer Jill Bewley said: “The range and diversity of these wintering birds is amazing, from the shy smew to the whistling wigeon, and some of the first winter visitors have already arrived – the stunning goldeneye and the gorgeous goosander.
“For those who are keen to get into some bird watching, the Cotswold Water Park is a great place to start, as you are always sure of seeing something – so why not come along with one of our expert walk leaders and see what is out and about on the lakes at this time of year.”
Tony Hawkins, a local birder, will lead a two to three-hour guided walk on Saturday around some of the lakes of the Western Water Park, north of Swindon.
To book a place and find out more contact Jill on 01793 752413 or events@waterpark.org.
Food for thought
November 25, 2010 by wosuser
A quail’s tale: Will these tiny birds soon be landing back on British dining tables again?
They’re delicately flavoured, locally reared and, at £5 a pair, make an inexpensive treat.
On a chilly autumn night, Charlie Swinburn likes nothing more than roast quail for supper. No exotic sauces, just draped with a strip of streaky bacon to keep it moist, and served with a few slices of carrot and some delicately roasted potatoes.
Charlie is not at some starch-tableclothed French restaurant, but at home in her Wiltshire farmhouse. And she’s just four years old. Her father, Tim, has just started rearing quail on the family farm near Devizes, one of just a handful of producers in the country. He’d like to see quail shedding its “posh nosh” image, and becoming as popular as it is in places such as France and the Middle East – or as it was in Britain before the First World War, when wild quail were shot for the pot. At £5 a pair, Tim believes that’s perfectly feasible.
Full story:
