London's Wetland Centre sets example to Europe

The London Wetland Centre is providing a glimmer of hope for European wildlife, following a continent-wide report on the state and health of nature.

The European Commission report found that nearly half (48 per cent) of all bird species are declining or depleted, and that the status of nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of all types of wildlife is unfavourable. It said: "The conservation status of and trends for habitats are worse than for species", with three quarters (77 per cent) described as unfavourable. Wetlands are picked out as being particularly hard hit because of the impact of drainage and of agriculture. Europe has lost more than two thirds of its wetlands, they now cover only about two per cent of the Continent.

Wetlands, however, are among the world's most wildlife-rich habitats and the report highlights that conservation work there can make a noticeable difference. Britain has a prime example in the shape of the London Wetland Centre WWT in Barnes, Middlesex/Gtr London, where the number of species is actually increasing. WWT: London Wetland Centre sets and example to Europe (2015).

Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Grove Ferry NNR, Kent
Steve Ashton
14/01/15 

Although wetlands are one of the most damaged landscapes, they are also one of the most repairable. The wetland habitat that is now London,  had all but disappeared,  The London Wetland Centre has demonstrated that it is possible to rebuild healthy wetlands to attract species back to the capital, with plant species increasing from 192 - 440 species and the Bittern returning to the 42 acre site to feed and roost among the reeds.

The WWT has repaired and rebuilt similar habitats including those  in Arundel, West Sussex, Llanelli, Dyfed, Slimbridge and Welney.
The site in Barnes, has 30 habitats which include wet grassland, grazing marsh, immature woodland, and shingle islands each habitat is maintained to ensure optimum conditions for the wildlife. There is also provision for the less abled with great access and spacious hides with large windows and great vantage points.

The centre has SSSI status with introduced water voles beginning to recolonise areas outside the reserve, the site also attracts over 600 butterfly and moth species  (WWT: London Wetland Centre sets and example to Europe 2015).

Information taken from Birdguides
Photograpy by Steve Ashton

Whilst staying in London, I am hoping to visit the Barnes site over the next few weeks, with a new blog of personal  images to follow..

Delaware Shorebird Project

Found on the Northeast side of the United States, Delaware Bay is bordered inland by the States of New Jersey and Delaware and is the estuary of the Delaware River. The bay covers approximately 782 square miles  and the freshwater from the river mixes with the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean. 
Smaller rivers feed into the bay, with marsh wetlands, salt marshes and mudflats to be found here.  In 1992 the Delaware Bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and was the first site classified in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

(Delaware Bay 2015).

The Delaware shorebird Project was set up in 1997 to conduct research and monitoring of the health and status of shorebird populations including Red Knot, Turnstone, Sanderling, and Dunlin.The project is currently managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Programme. The main goals are to identify and protect the resources critical to the successful migration of shorebirds and to reduce threats to those resources (New Jersey’s Delaware Bay Shorebird Project - Celebrate Delaware Bay, no date).

I have been following the Delaware Shorebird Project on Facebook since the beginning of my current SDA, to keep abreast of the migration of wading birds across the globe.

On 15th May, the project recorded the first  'catch of the season' where they managed to catch an early season sample of two of their target species, Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstones, they also sampled Dowitchers, and Dunlins and a single Sanderling. All the bird where checked and then releases back  to continue feeding before they head off for the arctic (Delaware Bay Connection, n.d.).

All images taken from the Delaware Shorebird Project

Pensthorpe Nature Park

Set in the Wensum Valley in Norfolk, Pensthorpe Nature Park was host to BBC Springwatch from 2008 – 2010, with the most important focus of the park being the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats.

Pensthorpe is nationally recognised as a breeding site for many species as well as haven for all wildlife.

 The Park is made up of lakeside environments, wildflower meadows, and structure gardens, a farm and farmland covering nearly 300 acres with 10% of the farm actively managed for wildlife. The River Wensum also recognised internationally and nationally as an important chalk river is a SSSI and SAC, it is also a priority habitat in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Pensthorpe has over 150 acres of woodland on the reserve with 60 acres of wet woodland which is also a priority habitat that has been in drastic decline. The woodlands at Pensthorpe are coppiced with fallen trees left to enrich the habitat, and scrub clearance is carried out to encourage a healthy woodland floor

Pensthorpe runs active breeding programmes one of which is the Red Squirrel with release programmes on Angelsey in North Wales. They also have an ongoing Great Crane Project that was started in 2006 along with the RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Since 2009 healthy young birds bred at Pensthorpe have been released on the Somerset Levels and Moors, with the aim of releasing 100 birds by 2015.

Current projects also include a Corncrake reintroduction project and a Turtle Dove project.

I planned a  visit Pensthorpe to try to capture some close up images of wading birds, I knew from past visits that the reserve had biosecure enclosures where several bird species are in fairly close proximity. My main priority was wading birds, especially the Avocet and the Black-tailed Godwit  and I was not disappointed - it was fantastic to see these birds in closeup and  to be able to capture both detail and their behaviour. 

The black-tailed Godwit is an endangered species identified by the IUCN as a red list species, this wonderful bird only breeds in a couple of places in the UK, one area being the East Coast, along the Wash where conservation strategies are in place to protect their habitat. Although these birds migrate when they return to the same site to breed each year, they are monogamous and time meeting up with their partner to within 3 days of each other. Incubation is shared before the female leaves to migrate back to her winter home, the male remains with the hatchlings for a while longer before he too leaves.

    Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) in winter plumage

Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) in summer plumage

The Avocet is one of the UK's conservation successes, extinct in the UK for almost 100 years, it began breeding again at Minsmere and following a concentrated conservation effort is now increasing in population and has been adopted by the RSPB as their flagship bird. In contrast to the Godwit, the male and female Avocet only stay together for one breeding season, sharing responsibility for incubating their eggs before separating to migrate.

 Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) preening

Avocet Pair (Recurvirostra avosetta)

All images taken by Debra Burgess-Lim (Rights Reserved)

RSPB Minsmere

I was still after the elusive Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit, so I was hoping that Minsmere would not disappoint me. From the moment we chatted to the manager of the reserve my hopes soared - both were on site and in good numbers and I was definitely likely to see them. What I really needed was some close up images if the location would allow for it.

Wet Grassland

Minsmere Nature Reserve sits on the North coast in the shadow of Sizewell Power Station, the site covers 3.75 miles and was established in 1947. It includes reed beds, lowland heath, wet grassland and shingle and  has a diverse range of wildlife and birds, it is known as one of the UK's premier birdwatching sites.

Black-tailed godwit - Limosa limosa

I was bubbling with excitement after my chat with the manager and almost skipped to the first hide where I  spotted the Godwit's as soon as we arrived. (North Hide) I managed to capture this black-tailed Godwit in flight.

Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa

This black-tailed Godwit is in breeding plumage, but was slightly too far away so I have had to crop the image a fair amount to show detail.

We moved to another hide around the lagoon and here the Godwits came closer and I was able to get more detail in my images

 RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk, Bird Hide

 Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa

I think the composition of this image works well with diagonal lines that lead the eye towards the godwit. The water is a little choppy for my project as i am trying to capture wadiing birds with reflections wherever possible.

Black-tailed Godwit- Limosa limosa, in breeding plumage

I was really elated to capture this image of the Godwit, although the foreground is distracting, this is the closest I have managed to get to them and the detail in the plumage is lovely to see.

Another capture that could benefit from the use of a longer lens or the birds coming closer, I have tried not to crop my images too much, and i like the curve of the shoreline and the composition of the birds. Below is an image that I have cropped into, this works well for my online blog but creates a much smaller image that would not enlarge to 12 x 8 without compromising the quality.

It is unfortunate that the hides/birds do not allow for a closer capture.

Black-tailed Godwits - Limosa limosa

I also struggled today to capture the Avocets up close, I had been hoping to see large numbers of the birds together, but only managed to capture them singly or in pairs.

Avocet - Recurvirostra

Minsmere is on the East Coast, and the wind is much colder here, out of the sunshine in the hides with the windows open, allowed the wind to whistle in and it was freezing! Although it was sunny, the waters looked quite murky and there was not a lot of reflection to capture.

These images give an overview of the habitat and landscape at Minsmere, which has several hides set around the lagoons, where the waders feed. There are also Scrapes where they nest, but it was a little early in the breeding season so I did not see any nesting birds.

The Reedbeds provide home for all manner of wildlife and we heard the Bittern several times but did not spot it. I was lucky enough though, to hear and see the Cuckoo, another endangered species, but it was too far away to photograph. I also saw and photographed the Marsh Harrier which was really thrilling having not seen one before.

I did rather concentrate on the Godwit on this visit but it is a wonderful place to go at all times of the year to spot and photograph wildlife. I will definitely be going back, it is a shame the University does not organise a trip here as there is something for everyone.

To finish this post - more Black-tailed Godwits......

 Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa

These are some of my favourite images, although the day was overcast and the water a muddy grey.

Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa

Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa

Godwits - long distance travel

I have been researching the migratory patterns of shorebirds and came across this article about the godwit. The information taken from the article contributes to this latest blog post on their journey and the sites they visit, it highlights their ever diminishing habitats and I hope, raises awareness of the importance of conserving these sites for both their future and ours.

The bar-tailed godwit is one of the greatest travellers with over 90,000 of them flying non-stop for eight days without rest food or water. Every year they  make this epic journey across the Pacific from Canada and Alaska to their wintering sites in New Zealand. On their return journey, they stopover at grounds along the coast of China and the Korean Peninsula

This image was taken by Lawrence Smith of Fairfax New Zealand and records godwits at the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre in Mirance, Hauraki Plains. It shows over 4,800 godwits eating and resting on the ground.

However, the Yellow Sea stopover grounds are suffering from 'the creep of human endeavour' Knight, (2015). Since 1950 more than one million hectares of intertidal wetlands have been lost from the coasts of China and the Korean Peninsula and this development is contributing to the decline of the world's migratory shorebirds.
Whilst there are nature reserves along the Chinese Coast such as the Dandong Yalu Jiang National Nature Reserve, which covers 60km of the coastline, the birds have to fight for space alongside the 30,000 people who live there.
Climate change will have an enormous effect on migratory birds at every stage of their lifecycle, if the habitat in the Yellow sea is not preserved then a lot more birds will be lost.
In 2006 over 40,000 great knots and 1193 godwits were recorded at the  Saemangeum site in South Korea,  a year later there were just 600 knots and 503 godwits found there due to the development of a 33 km seawall which encompassed 41,000 hectares of the coastline (Knight, K. 2015).
In New Zealand, the most important shorebird site is the South Manukau Reserve, access and disturbance to the site is minimal due to its location, but an increase in recreational activities such as kite surfing, and the growing demand for housing in the area is a huge concern. If the land around the reserve is built upon it will disturb roosting birds and if they choose to move to the next major roost (Mangere) they will have to fly across the airport to do so causing havoc and certain death.

The Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, located an hour from Auckand, New Zealand, was formed 40 years ago by a group of Auckland Ornithological Society members.
The trust has a sister site relationship with the Dandong Yalu Jiang National Nature Reserve in North Korea and in 2014 a bilateral agreement was reached with both centres to open up the coast near Pyongyang to four annual shorebird counts, this will enable researcher to see exactly what is happening to the godwits in one of their most inaccessible stopovers. A team from Queensland University have indentified multiple species showing signs of trouble and plan to follow the flight path of the godwits to include the site in North Korea to see what is happening.

All information has been taken from the article written by Kim Knight in March 2015.

Flying High..

Part of my trip to London was to re-visit St James's Park, it has an amazing array of wildlife centred around the lake which extends from Buckingham Palace down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade.

The   black swans were nesting on the small island at the Palace end of the lake, and the coots had set up nest along the edge of the lake.

 Nesting coots  -   Fulica

Australian Black Swan - Cygnus atratus

 The mute swans were in abundance  - one appeared to have adopted 2 white pekin ducks who were following the swan around as do cygnets when they are first born.

Mute Swan - cygnus alor with American Pekin Ducks - Anas Platyrhynchos

The Egyptian geese had hatched their chicks who were running around beside the lake, originally introduced as an ornamental wildfowl species, it escaped into the wild and now breeds successfully in this feral state (www.rspb.org).

Egyptian goslings - Alopochen aegyptiacha

The park certainly has a cosmopolitan feel to it both not only with all the tourists but with the international bird population too!

On my last visit I captured a great image of the Heron standing on the bank, but I wanted to improve on the background which was distracting to the overall image. I found the Herons at the Horseguards Parade end of the lake along with Cormorants and the Pelicans.

The herons, whilst not tame by any means, have adapted to living in an urban environment and are much less disturbed by the constant hord of tourists that flock to see them. Today there were two herons - on on the bank of the Lake and the other smaller bird on a wooden bridge structure.

I took images of both birds and captured the heron on the bank taking off in flight using a hand held 100 - 400mm lens.

Grey Heron     Ardea cinerea

The weather was extremely hot and sunny, the light particularly challenging as it was quite harsh and contrasty, but I feel that my compositions improved and I managed to capture some excellent images of birds in flight including swans and the cormorant.

Mute swan - (Cygnus olor) coming into land