HOW A WINTER FEED PROGRAMME CAN HELP FARMLAND BIRDS

 

Many of us help birds through the lean winter months by putting out food in our gardens, but the farmland finches and buntings rarely visit garden feeders unless they are in very rural areas. As the winter merges into spring, many birds find it difficult to get enough food. Perhaps strangely, finches and buntings have a particularly difficult time. There are a few reasons. Most significant is the fact that their prime natural food source—ie seeds are in short supply. Lots of birds have been feeding on those plants that still have seeds on them, and most seeds left over in the fields  after harvesting have been eaten. During spring at places at latitudes such as the UK experience mass movements of birds including finches making their way north and east to breed. This put even more strain on scarce supplies of seed. Furthermore, during early spring although the weather is warming, there are often extreme fluctuations and regular frosts; again increasing the demand for food to enable the birds to maintain their body heat and hence their wellbeing. Partly as a result of these factors, and others, many of these species are declining in large enough numbers to be classified as Red Data species, which are deemed to be particularly vulnerable and in need of help. With this very much in mind, Tim at Brewood Park Farm signed up to the Winter Supplementary Feed Programme to see what he could do to provide some help for some of these Red Data, and other species.

 

So which species are we talking about? Here are some of them.

 

 

 

This is a male Linnet

	This is a male Brambling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      This is a female Yellowhammer

 

                                                                                                            

   This is a female Reed Bunting

 

Two years ago, Tim purchased a mechanical seed feeder ( see below) which proved to be successful, so ahead of winter 22/23 he bought two more. All 3 are placed at various areas around the farm-near hedgerows so the birds can fly to and from the feeding area from safe cover.

 

 

The three main benefits of these seed feeders are:-

-- they only need to be topped up with seed once a week so easy to maintain,

-- the timer can be set to replenish seed whenever needed,

-- the spin mechanism spreads the seed out over a large area.

It’s fascinating watching birds gather on the nearby hedges and telegraph wires ahead of the time the spinner is due to spread seed!! 

How successful have these spinners been? We have a lot of data on this but perhaps focussing on data from March 2023 will illustrate the benefit.

We ran 6 ringing sessions at the feeding stations during March. Unfortunately we weren’t able to run any more sessions because of unsuitable weather. Nevertheless, we managed to ring...

177 Linnets (red data)

12 Brambling

44 Reed Buntings

25 Yellowhammer (red data)

14 Chaffinch

Although these are impressive totals, they represent only a fraction of the total numbers of each of these species actually SEEN at the feeding stations. We believe that the Yellowhammers are probably resident birds either nesting on the farm or in the near vicinity. The other species are probably passage migrants since few are seen on the farm during the breeding season. Daily counts show that for Linnet in most days the flock was in the hundreds, Chaffinches and Reed Buntings up to a hundred, and Brambling 20+. Of course, it is impossible to know from day to day how many of these are the same birds as they are actively moving through, as shown by the very small number of birds recaptured This suggests that the total number of birds benefitting from the supplementary feed is likely to be in the thousands.

Having seen such success at his farm, Tim is now wanting to persuade other farmers to get involved in this Winter Feed Programme. He gives regular talks to farmers and agricultural specialists at home and abroad on "no till" farm management and its benefits to wildlife and birds in particular. He will be using the results from his winter feeding success to show others what can be achieved.

From our perspective as birders and ringers, as always it is and big ‘thank you’ to the land owners at Brewood Park Farm and Tim for the interest and enthusiasm and it particular the provision of the mechanical seed feeders.

A good day --at last!!

 For some reason we've been really struggling to ring decent numbers of birds so far this year--and it's not for the want of effort! Feeding stations, sewage works and lamping fields have all proved difficult, even when there's been a lot of birds about, they have been super difficult to catch. I's really pushed our lexicon of excuses about why this is happening to the absolute limits......

Anyway, yesterday dawned cloudy but mild after a night of showers, and pretty soon Pat over at Siskin Towers realised that something special was on. The previous day, Pete and Paul had dropped in to see Pat and had experienced yet another '' why can't we catch anything'' days. But suddenly the feeders were full of Siskin with loads feeding on the ground also. The intrepid Pat opened his net and those of us sitting here in South Staffs were treated to regular updates with pictures until around lunchtime when pat reported ringing around 50 Siskin--with the prize being this bird....

It's a pretty regular Siskin, until Pat realised it was already ringed ( not unusual), but on closer inspection he noticed the ring carried the address in Gdansk--the Polish ringing centre!! So not only had there been lots of birds around--who knows where there came from with this little gem amongst them? This is the first bird the group has controlled from Poland. Pat reports that just after lunchtime the main flock flew off never to be seen again. But by this time he had decided to leave the nets open just in case..... And sure enough another group appeared--but this time with lots of re-trapped birds which he had already ringed, so these seemed much more of a local flock. However there was to be one more twist...

This was a quite intriguing bird. It's a bit like a Siskin but not quite right--and it's a bit like a Redpoll but again, not quite right. So, is it a hybrid between the two-(-a 'Redskin' perhaps??), or is it a Redpoll carrying a genetic mutation producing strange coloured feathers--we'll never know I guess.

Pat eventually finished later in the afternoon, tired but buzzing after an exciting day with 85 Siskin, 3 Redpoll and 1 Robin ringed in the day--superb.

Later that evening an intrepid experimental group headed out to our estate in Teddesley to test out a theory for one aspect of our poor catching recently. It had been suggested that we were going out a bit too early to catch Woodcock, ( we had seen loads but couldn't get near them), and that if we went out later they tended to sit tight after they had had time to fill their bellies with worms.

Unfortunately that theory failed the test........!

However, there were lots of birds about and we ended on a very pleasing total of 18 Skylark, 6 Fieldfare and 1 Woodcock. Just a few years ago, catching 18 Skylarks would have been unheard of ( between 1979 and 2016 I had caught only 2!!) but such has been the game changing impact of thermal imaging. We need more ringers around the UK and Europe to get into this technique so that we can find out so much more abut the movements of this species. A few pics from last night to end with..... 

This is a Fieldfare--the lack of thick black streaks on the head shows this to be a female.

This Skylark shows the long hind claw, characteristic of many ground dwelling songbirds

This gorgeous Woodcock must have been a bit sleepy. They are really stunning birds. Will this one stay in UK to breed or is it one of the many individuals of this species which visit us for norther and eastern Europe....... 

Spreading the thermal word!!

 I need to apologise again for the lack of posts......in my defence it has been Christmas, but most of all we have been a bit consumed in putting together our annual report of ringing for 2022. It's in the final stages now and should be available very soon.

However, a couple of weeks ago, farm manager Tim had a visit from Georgina and Sophie, the farm manager and her assistant manager from the very well known, flagship RSPB Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire. They had come to find out more from Tim about his no-till farming strategy and how it could be adopted by them to further increase the wildlife friendly regime they run at Hope Farm.

During their talks Tim mentioned about the data we provide him from our thermal imaging sessions--things developed, and from that I was invited across earlier this week to demonstrate for them how thermal imagery can be used to monitor the night-time bird and mammal populations on Hope Farm. I was able to let Georgina and Sophie use my imager as we walked their fields--because our very generous supplier, Danel James of Shooting Sports UK, loaned me another imager to enable me to guide them to heat sources. It wasn't long before they got the hang of things and were finding Grey Partridges and Skylarks in the stubble fields, and roosting Reed Buntings, Blackbirds, Redwings and Yellowhammers in the small reedbed and well managed hedgerows. 

Here they are having a practice run before we set out.....

 They've already got smiles on their faces--and that's how a very enjoyable and eye-opening evening continued.

This picture of a Skylark, taken with a mobile phone, amply demonstrated to them how well camouflaged these birds are--and therefore how difficult they are to census without the aid of a thermal imager.

It's right in the middle of the frame--and still quite difficult to see!!

Although the evening went really well, we were all puzzled as to why we hadn't seen any of the woodcock that they had seen regularly coming out of the woodland areas. Until the last field we scanned! We had seen lots of rabbits during the evening, and the initial thought was that there were quite a lot of them in this field too. However, as we moved closer it became clear that although there were some rabbits, there were also 7 superb Woodcock feeding amongst them. As a final thought -provoking moment to end my trip this was perfect. We had been discussing the stark differences in how many and what species of birds we had seen depending on the crop and soil treatment--and this field being so attractive for Woodcock really emphasised the point.

I do hope Georgina and Sophie will decide to join the 'thermal family' -- we'll certainly keep in touch and provide whatever help we can to them and any of their RSPB colleagues. 

A Thermal Evening

We celebrated another successful year of our partnership with Tim the farm manager at Brewood Park Farm a couple of nights ago. Drinks, nibbles and plans for the future filled a very pleasant couple of hours--as you can see from the smiles on the faces of our team--with farmer Tim in the middle......

Not all of our team could make it but part of our planning discussions decided that this should be an annual event so maybe next year we will have a full turn out.

Tim loves to hear about the birds we catch during our thermal imaging sessions, and he was very pleased about the 10 Skylarks, 2 Grey Partridges, 2 Jack Snipe plus other species at our last session. But what really provides him with data to support his approach to farming ( see below) is when we provide him with a field by field analysis of the birds we see. So hearing about the 85 Skylarks, 30 Woodcock, 9 Grey Partridge and 3 Jack Snipe ( among others) we saw in his fields gave him a great deal of satisfaction.

Tim is gaining a national and indeed international profile, and his farming methods have been recognised by the RSPB, who are consulting with him about wildlife friendly farming for their farms. Probably the best way of helping you understand his passion is to have a look at the following video.

 

 

Two new species for the year!!

 It's great to catch large numbers of birds as it increases the chance of some of them being found again--but now and again ( just like in birding generally) it's exciting to ring unusual species or ones that although familiar, are rarely caught.

This week, two of our team, Gareth and Liz had the excitement of new species-which also happened to be new species for the group this year.

Over the last 20 or so years, Buzzards have become so much more common than previously. However, they are difficult to catch--especially in mist nets, because, they tend not to fly low enough, and also because of their size, they tend to flop out of nets in the unlikely event that they fly into one. Imagine the surprise then last Sunday when this fabulous bird was sitting in the bottom shelf of a mist net near one of our feeding sites....

Buzzards are very variable in plumage but this one is pretty typical--an absolute stunner.

Certainly not as stunning in the conventional way, or as big; Gareth's new species was equally exciting and quite unusual in our mist nets. Jackdaws are pretty common in towns and villages, but being members of the crow family they tend to be extremely wary and suspicious of mist nets or any other strange objects in their vicinity. 

Considering crows are regarded as simply fairly large black birds--the subtlety is stunning. The really bright silvery/white iris really stands out; and the grey hood gives the Jackdaw a really distinctive look.

And finally, a portrait of a much underrated bird. Buntings are generally little brown jobs--especially the females--and as such are often overlooked as sparrows in gardens. This is a female Reed Bunting, and as you an see the markings around the head are very distinctive....and not at all like a sparrow. It's worth looking carefully, especially during cold spells because this is when Reed Buntings often visit garden feeding stations.

The last blog of 2022 is coming soon, and will give a preliminary report on how well we have done during the year.

Sorry for the absence!!

 Apologies for the lack of posts for almost 2 months!! It's been pretty manic on several fronts--but that's quite a lame excuse considering all the excellent effort put in by the team. So here is an attempt to redress the balance.

The headline is that in November we ringed an astonishing 1400 new birds! The great majority were Redwings, which finally arrived a couple of weeks later than normal--and teams were out in force to ring them. Actually, the numbers about were unusually variable, but we have still ringed almost 1500 as of now.

Feeding stations and demonstrations have filled most of the rest of the time, and Gareth and Kevin started to get to know one of our sewerage treatment works ( never let anyone tell you ringers don't go to superb places for their hobby......) These first three pictures are from one of their visits to the works:-

This is a very familiar Pied Wagtail--lots of these find plenty of insects on the filter beds...

This very smart bird is a Grey Wagtail--easily identified by its grey back with prominent yellow under the tail.

This is a Meadow Pipit ( related to wagtails) which also find insects on the beds--and although it's cold as I write this, it was very mild when this was caught-meaning lots stayed around. I suspect this frosty weather will have pushed most of them south and west looking for milder conditions.

This is a male Blackcap--a warbler which is increasingly being found in the UK during winter. Milder weather, and lots of available food in gardens seems to be altering the migratory patterns of at least some of these birds--this one was at Patshull while Kev was catching Redwings.

Some people wonder if they have seen a female Blackbird-or a Song Thrush. This is a classic female Blackbird, with brown splodges on a brown background. Song Thrush has black spots on a white background. So what on earth is this............

This is actually a juvenile male Blackbird which has a type of genetic mutation causing some of the feathers to be light brown--a bit weird in the field.

This is a stunning adult male Kestrel. We catch very few of these so this bird was a real treat for the ringers involved--as it was for the audience at the demonstration. Another 'wow' bird turned up at another demo......

Jays are stunning birds--and always impress visitors. They are also very feisty, and the ringer involved always comes away from an interaction with a Jay--with several bloody scars on their hands.

The moon and weather conditions haven't been very good for our thermal imaging catches, but Jen managed to catch this Common Snipe--as can be seen by the very long straight bill. These are particularly difficult to catch so well done to the team.

Pat at his Siskin City garden has not been as active as he hoped after tearing a muscle in a sporting accident. However, he 's been soldiering on --even though Siskins are in short supply so far. This picture of a tiny Treecreeper shows the bill very well,

This illustrates brilliantly how evolution has resulted in this long curved bill--just the job for a bird which feeds on insects and spiders deep in bark crevices--perfect!!

We are nearing the end of the year and the annual report will need to be written soon. We are getting very close to a record catch for a year--but this very cold spell has cut down on our catching so that birds can feed--so we may not make it. I'll post the actual result in my next post--which I promise will be in good time!!

 

Bursting into action!!

 Apologies again for the lack of posts but in truth we have been struggling a little as we wait for the arrival of winter visitors such as Redwings and Fieldfares, which are a good week later this year than recent years.

However, three days ago--after a few false starts--they arrived in a big way and on that morning just two of our teams reported massive migration of Redwings in particular and we ringed over 150 birds. The nearest they have come from is central west Norway--and points north and east Just to remind you, this is the distinctive head pattern of a Redwing...

We are all looking forward to the next few weeks when we hope to be catching large numbers of Redwing--and the hope that one will be carrying a ring from an exotic place to give us a hint about where they come from.

This is a picture of a Lesser Redpoll, some of which have started moving around the country and dropping in to Belvide. Kevin and son Gareth are ringing in Shetland at the moment, and as well as a few great birds, they ringed an Arctic Redpoll.....

A tiny bill, all white breast, almost all white rump and one or two other features identify this as Arctic. One very familiar bird they caught was a young male Blackbird--but you would be forgiven for finding this bird a tad tricky to identify.....

It's very characteristic black bill, almost yellow eye ring and weird, blackish plumage points to a bird from Scandinavia.

Last but by no means least, our groups original founder, Pete, was sent a great letter and gold medal last week--having completed 50 years of membership/ringing for the BTO!! Well done Pete!