New Curlew recoveries from Poland

Mike Smart (on behalf of the Curlew Forum) writes:

The current BTO map of Curlew recoveries shows (out of nearly 1,800 recoveries of this species) only two movements between Britain and Ireland and Poland, both rather old, one in either direction, as follows: 

FV42986 - Adult ringed on 09.08.1978 at Camel estuary, Wadebridge, Cornwall, found long dead on 23.07.1979 at Drawski Mlyn, Poland 52.52 N 16.06 E.

EN02280 - First year bird ringed on 25.08.2009 at Borety, Lichnowy, Poland 54.07 N 18.52 E and colour ring read on 26.10.2010 at Pegwell Bay, Ramsgate.

The ringing or finding locations of both these birds were close to the Baltic coast, with the birds in Poland in July or August, which suggests that they were on migration from northern or eatern breeding sites to wintering areas along the Atlantic or Channel seaboards in England.

A new national Polish Curlew project, which aims to encourage breeding populations in nine sites across the country, has shown that movements between Poland and Britain and Ireland are more frequent than the old recoveries suggest. The project involves work in river valleys in nine different areas of eastern Poland, where there is collaboration with farmers to avoid destruction of nests and eggs by agricultural activities, artificial raising of chicks in aviaries (‘head-starting’), marking of young birds with colour rings and inscribed flags and the use of satellite markers to record migration routes taken. Lots of extra information is available on the excellent Polish website at www.ochronakulika.pl; (‘Kulik’ is Polish for Curlew); for the English version, just click on the Union Jack.


Release of a satellite-tagged bird on the breeding grounds in Poland. Photo by Dominik Krupiński

The work in Poland has already borne fruit: at least five of the birds marked with colour rings and satellite tags have been recorded in south-east England this autumn: the latest is a bird with a yellow flag M78, ringed in Poland on 14 July 2018 and sighted at Chichester Harbour on 28 September 2018 (see picture below). Another Polish-ringed and satellite-tagged female called Nina has been a regular visitor to Porchfield Cricket Club’s ground, on the Isle of Wight. The map below shows the route taken by one of the satellite-tagged birds.


Polish-ringed Curlew with flag in Chichester Harbour. Photo by Dominik Krupiński

Route taken by a satellite-tagged bird from Poland to southern England

In fact the Poles are clearly carrying out all the actions to encourage breeding Curlews that have been discussed at a series of recent meetings in the British Isles and Ireland – the first in Ireland in November 2016, the second at Slimbridge in February 2017, the third in Wales in January 2018 and the latest in Scotland only recently, in September 2018. Such meetings are crucial, in view of the Eurasian Curlew’s current status on the UK and International Red Lists, and there is indeed an International Species Survival Action Plan under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), which recently held a meeting in Scotland.
 
For details of all these meetings and much more on breeding Curlews in lowland Britain, see the Curlew Forum website at www.curlewcall.org.

And, as if all this was not enough, another recovery of a British-marked bird has just been reported:
FA95802 - adult ringed on 14.12.2015 at Usk estuary, Newport, Wales and colour ring read on 19.04.2018 at Trzyrzecze, Brzozówka Valley, NE Poland 53.31 N, 23.10 E.

This bird was seen and recognised from its colour rings (Black on the left tibia, White over Orange on the right tibia, plus Orange over White on the left tarsus as a marker for all Usk birds) from 19 to 26 April 2018 (see picture below). Note that this bird was recorded not in autumn near the Baltic coast (like the two previous recoveries), but far inland in northeast Poland, close to the Polish border with Belarus, by observers from the Polish project. It had been ringed by a BTO team studying possible effects of tidal lagoons on the Severn estuary near Newport in winter 2015/16. The first reaction was that this bird was perhaps on its way to breeding areas in Finland, but it now seems much more likely that it was a bird preparing to nest in eastern Poland.


Black White Orange Colour ringed Curlew in Poland in April 2018. Photo by Dominik Krupiński

So, it suddenly appears that, whereas we previously thought there was little exchange of Curlews between Poland and Britain and Ireland, there seem to be much more numerous exchanges between breeding grounds in Poland and wintering grounds in southeast England, with the occasional bird going to winter as far west as Wales; and the two older recoveries mentioned above may well have been of Polish nesting birds, rather than migrants from further north. Many other Polish-breeding birds go further down the Atlantic coast to western France where, as reported at the AEWA meeting, there is still an open season for shooting Curlews: 7,000 Curlews were shot in France last winter. 
Further records of metal- or colour-ringed and satellite-marked Curlews may throw even more light on the situation, so please keep looking out for those engraved leg flags.

And a post-script:

It so happens that another bird from the December 2015/January 2016 catch on the Usk estuary has recently been reported (in May 2018) in Finland; there are very many recoveries, according to the BTO map, of British-ringed Curlews in Finland (an enormous 128), or of Finnish-ringed birds recovered in Britain and Ireland (an even greater 238). Given all those movement of Curlews between Britain and Ireland and breeding sites in Finland (and for that matter Sweden too – there are 86 recoveries in Britain and Ireland of Swedish-ringed Curlews and 40 recoveries in Sweden of British-ringed Curlews), surely some of the Finnish or Swedish birds must get recovered in Poland on their way to the Atlantic coast breeding grounds? A check of the Finnish and Swedish ringing atlases, (data kindly provided by the Finnish and Swedish ringing offices), and……  quite crazy results: there is not a single recovery of a Finnish-ringed Curlew in any of the states of the north-eastern Baltic – neither in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania or Poland; all, but all, of the many ringed Finnish Curlews (17,000 birds ringed, nearly all as chicks) migrate along the western (Swedish) Baltic coast to Denmark, then move on to winter along the Atlantic seaboard, mainly in the UK and France. The same is true of Swedish-ringed Curlews; no recoveries whatsoever in the eastern Baltic. Extraordinary that there should be such different migration routes for birds wintering in the same area! More research is needed to find out why!

Many thanks to Polish colleagues Dominik Krupiński and Jerzy Lewtak, and to the Finnish Ringing Office.

Very special Nightingale at Leybourne Country Park

Alan Woodcock writes:

Leybourne Country Park was opened in 2004 and is part of an extensive area of former sand and gravel workings, which was excavated between 1946 and 1977. Much of the area is therefore 'man made' with landscaping and planting having taken place as part of the restoration during the late 1970s. It comprises 93 hectares, of which 65% is water, 10% marshland and reedbed, 15% grassland, 6% trees and woodland and 4% scrub. The Park is sandwiched between the villages of Snodland and New Hythe in the Medway valley about five miles south of Rochester in Kent.

Nightingale became established in the general area of the park towards the latter end of the 1970's. The main Nightingale habitat is hawthorn / bramble scrub and willow / hawthorn / buddleia scrub with adjoining open areas.



Nightingale scrub habitat - photo by Alan Woodcock

In 1980, I recorded three singing birds around a gravel pit (Abbey Meads), which is separated from the Park by the Snodland to New Hythe railway line, and by 1991, the number had increased to ten pairs (five in the Abbey Meads area and five in the Country Park). The count for 2016 was twenty five singing birds, with five in the Abbey Meads area.

The Park now holds a very important population of Nightingale, with up to thirty singing birds in some years. A dedicated team of rangers and volunteers have helped to create and maintained Nightingale habitat throughout the Park.

Footpath by Nightingale habitat- photo taken by Alan Woodcock

Between 1979 and 1992, an area known as Reeds Island Site, which is just across the Medway from the Park, also held a high population of Nightingale (Kent Bird Report 1991, The Burham, Eccles and New Hythe Nightingale). Although Nightingale still breed in the general area, without habitat maintenance and the recent solar park development, the population is now much depleted, which makes the Leybourne Country Park's population even more important.



Singing Nightingale - photo by Alan Woodcock

Good Nightingale habitat - photo by Alan Woodcock

T677063 was ringed in the Pylon territory on 6 June 2008, as a 5 (hatched the previous calendar year) male. Five years later when I re-trapped him on 17 April 2013, he was holding a territory in an area known as Brook House, which is about 300 metres away. He was subsequently retrapped there in 2014 and 2015.

On the early date of 4 April 2016, I heard a bird singing in the territory he held in 2015; I set up a net the following day and caught the bird, but instead of it being T677063, it was an unringed, age 5 male. Although I was disappointed, with it being so early in the season, I felt he still might return. A while later I was told by a bird-watching friend that he had seen a Nightingale with a ring singing in a different area about 400 metres away. On 4 May, I set up a net and managed to catch the bird and on reading the ring number much to my delight it was indeed T677063. He was then re-trapped there on 20 July and it was this capture that made it to the Online Ringing Report longevity pages, breaking the previous British and Irish longevity record for this species.

Ed - Submission of the recapture data for this bird has been delayed and it broke the longevity record for this species in 2016. It wasn't beaten in 2017 so this bird is the current record holder.

"Roll up, roll up". Bird ringing at the fair.

All over the country, qualified bird ringers run demonstrations for individuals, groups or anyone coming to a particular site, such as a nature reserve or a farm. These can be fantastic events for engaging non-ringers, highlighting the scientific importance of ringing and explaining what we can learn from monitoring birds.

One of the biggest ringing demonstrations in the country is at Birdfair (17-19 August). Every year, thousands of people stop by to see how ringing works and to view birds close-up, without the need for binoculars.

Guy Anderson showing the crowd

The Birdfair ringing demonstration runs for the duration of the fair (weather permitting) and, if previous years are anything to go by, should provide visitors with views of some great species. Last year, a Sparrowhawk was caught and really drew in the crowds. The more commonly-caught species include Blackcap, Reed and Sedge Warbler and a whole host of tits and finches.

Anyone want to see a Sparrowhawk?

This site, and locations nearby, are usually ringed by the Rutland Water Ringing Group, and this demo helps to increase the effort on the site and adds to the data already collected from their other projects, including their CES.

And if we don't have any birds to ring, we are usually able to 'ring' people with specially-designed rings... If you are going to the fair this year, do come along and find out what it's all about!

A big jump in Hawfinch Longevity

With the influx of Hawfinch into southern Britain this winter, Jerry Lewis started one of his feeding sites much earlier than usual (in mid January) hoping to try and catch some of the visitors. Despite a decent sized flock of 40+ birds visiting the feeding site, they were mainly coming down to Hornbeam seed, rather than sunflower seeds. After two months, catching had been very slow (just 16 birds caught, at a rate of one every three hours), but after mid March it started to pick up. The largest catches began from mid-April onwards (as happens most years), averaging a 'finger numbing' two birds per hour. 

Despite problems at two of the feeding sites - sunflower seeds being taken by squirrels/wild boar (leaving few for the birds) and a road closure preventing access to a third site, it was Jerry's most successful year to date. By the time his 'catching season' was over he had caught 202 birds, which included 43 that had been ringed in previous years (plus a small number of same-season recaptures). It is unlikely that many (any) would have been continental birds, as migrants had generally left by early April in previous years.

Photo by Vaughan Thomas  Hawfinch NW31779, ringed 1 May 2008 and re-caught 5 May 2018 (10 years, 4 days later)

Five of his recaptures had originally been ringed in 2010, making them comparable with his current British & Irish longevity record of 8 years 1 month 22 days. One female, caught on 5 May 2018, topped these however, having been ringed on 1 May 2008, 10 years and 4 days earlier; a big increase in longevity. This bird was ringed in the northeast of the Forest of Dean - nr Cinderford, was caught twice in April 2010 - near Tintern in the Wye Valley (20 km SSW), before now moving to near Chepstow (7 km further SSW).

What seems to be surprising is how rarely the 2010-ringed birds had been re-caught (three had been caught once since ringing, the other two hadn't been re-caught at all). Jerry's next challenge is to try and understand why these long-lived birds are not re-caught more often.

How long do Red-throated Divers live for?

Dave Okill of Shetland Ringing Group writes:

On  26 April 2018, Mick Mellor was doing a routine Beached Bird Survey for SOTEAG (Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group), when on Urafith beach, North Mainland, Shetland he found a freshly dead Red-throated Diver (RTD) that had a ring on it. He carefully noted the number and emailed me when he got home. 

Not remembering the number, I started to look back through old, almost fading, files and I found that I had ringed it as a large chick on a small remote lochan not far from Nibon, North Mainland, on 27 July 1985. At well over 32 years old, this individual was an old bird. Looking at the BTO longevity records, the oldest-known RTD was a bird ringed in Hoy, Orkney in July 1986 and last caught at the same location in April 2015, 28 years, 9 months and 7 days later; our bird clearly beats that by some margin! Searching through North American and other longevity lists, it seems that our bird is probably the oldest RTD yet recorded anywhere.

Ringed Dead Red-throated Diver, Urafirth Beach, Shetland. Photo by Mick Mellor.

As well as demonstrating essential information on migrations, movements and dispersal, ringing also gives us the ages of different species; both the average age and the maximum age of the oldest individuals. Longevity records usually creep up slowly, so an increase in the maximum age of RTDs by four years is a notable leap. I suspect that divers are long-lived birds and this record will be well beaten in time.

The ringing site and the finding place are only a few kilometers apart and it is likely that this bird was a male returning in spring to nest in its natal area. Male divers return to breed close to the area where they fledged; females disperse widely before they breed and Mainland-ringed females have been found many kilometers from their fledging loch, up to the North Isles and as far as Orkney. Orkney females have also been found breeding in Shetland.

Red-throated Diver. Photo by Manuel Schultz/BTO.

Over the years our bird will have traveled widely but we only know two points in this bird's life. To help us understand divers better, JNCC are promoting a project to discover what divers are doing, especially on their wintering grounds, now especially important with the proliferation of vast off-shore wind farms which displace wintering and moulting birds from their traditional areas. Birds from Orkney, Shetland, Finland and Iceland will be investigated.  

Editor's note: all recoveries of ringed birds help to further our knowledge, so if you find a bird ring, please report the details at www.ring.ac.