{"id":3372,"date":"2019-01-12T19:11:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T18:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/?p=3372"},"modified":"2019-01-13T19:16:53","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T18:16:53","slug":"newsletter-no-1-january-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/newsletter-no-1-january-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter – No 1 \/ January 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Can I first of\nall apologise for the non-appearance of the November newsletter (unavoidable\nbecause I was on a lengthy holiday \u2018Down Under\u2019 \u2013 see holiday report later in\nthis issue!).  I had hoped to put out a\nshort edition in December, but I didn\u2019t get back to the UK until the 10th<\/sup>\nand then the long journey plus Christmas caught up with me!  I do aim to issue four editions this year,\nthough, on a quarterly basis, but rather than wait for the usual first issue\ntiming, February, we have enough to catch up on right now so January it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, this\nearlier-than-usual first issue is useful in reminding members that it\u2019s time to\nrenew memberships.  John Follett, our\ntreasurer and membership secretary will be delighted to hear from you.  The fees remain (as they have for a decade or\nmore) at \u00a37.50 for a single, \u00a310 for family and \u00a31 for junior membership.  Please send cheques \u2013 together with your\naddress and membership number if you know it \u2013 to  John at 8 Buckminster Close, Oakwood, Derby\nDE21 2EA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should also\ninform you that our Annual General Meeting, which usually coincides with our\nJanuary indoor meeting, has been postponed until February when it will precede\nthe indoor meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the AGM, as\nwell as reporting on a relatively busy year and one that has actually seen\nmembership edge up slightly for the first time in several years, we will be\nseeking election\/re-election of committee members \u2013 and one piece of bad news\nis that we are losing our secretary Paul Hicking.  Paul has decided to stand down after a number\nof years\u2019 sterling service.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will leave\nus thinner than ever on the ground going forward … so, in time-honoured\nfashion, I need to ask the membership at large if there is anyone out there who\nwould like to join the committee.  It\ndoesn\u2019t have to be a specific role, and you can begin on a \u2018see-if-I-like-it\u2019\nbasis, but we do need to keep numbers up in order to have a \u2018quorum\u2019 for\nactions and decision-making at committee meetings.  If you want to give it a try, please contact\nme or any of the existing committee (see our details at the end of the\nnewsletter).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile,\nlooking forward, we still have three indoor meetings to go in the current\nseason (see \u2018What\u2019s On\u2019) and initial plans are afoot for another club trip,\nthough the precise location is yet to be decided.  Watch this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gary\nAtkins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LARGE FLOCKS OVER CARSINGTON … AND SINGLE DIVER RETURNS, AGAIN!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detailed statistics\nfor 2018 are presently being compiled, but the157 species recorded across the\nyear is a little below average, the lowest since 2014 though only 16 less than\nthe highest ever. One invariable event, however, was the arrival of \u2018our\u2019 Great\nNorthern Diver, which booked in for its annual winter holiday in early\nDecember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two\nRed-throated Divers dropped in two months earlier but did not stay very long,\nwhile visits by Great White Egrets in both September and October were also\nhighlights.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a\nbusy time for gulls, too, with up to 10,000 Black-headed counted on separate\ndays in November and December and, also in the roost, up to 3,800 Lesser\nBlack-backs and 1,800 Common Gulls.  Of\nmore interest to the gull enthusiasts, however, were Caspian and Glaucous\nGulls, a Kittiwake, and a couple of hybrids (a Caspian type in September and a\nLesser Black-backed\/Ring-billed cross in November) that really tested their\nexpertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have also\nbeen large flocks of our winter thrushes, as 1,210 Redwings were counted in\nDecember and 930 Fieldfares a month earlier. \nBut even these impressive totals were eclipsed by the large daily movements\nof Woodpigeons, which maxed at 6,450 in mid November and the 3,600 Starlings\nlogged on 28 October, when huge murmurations were noted nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An estimated\n1,100 Jackdaws roosted below the dam wall at dusk on 2 October, and another\nlarge flock included 710 Meadow Pipits on 26 September.  Three days earlier 266 House Martins flew\nthrough, en route to a warmer place for winter, while the last migrating\nspecies were a Blackcap on 3 October and, two weeks later, a <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chiffchaff …\nthough further evidence of overwintering warblers came with two Chiffchaff\nsightings in Brown Ale Bay in late December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other winter\nvisitors have included Hawfinch, viewed a few times between 23 and 27 November,\nbut this was not a signal for a repetition of last year\u2019s influx as none have\nbeen noted since.  Four Waxwings \u2013 the\nfirst sightings of this attractive species at the reservoir for six years \u2013\nflew over on 29 December.  Maybe more\nwill follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small parties of\nRuff, Redshank and Dunlin seem to have settled in for the winter, no doubt\nenjoying the wide expanses of exposed mud, while Golden Plover were recorded\neach month from October to December, with an impressive 72 counted circling the\nsite on 10 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Grey\nPhalarope, one of a number blown inland by westerly gales, turned up at\nCarsington on 21 September and stayed for three days.  Up to 500 Lapwings and 47 Snipe were maximum\ncounts during the last four months of the year, and a site record eight Woodcock\nwere roosting at Hopton End at dawn on 24 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coot numbers\nhave hovered around the 1,000 mark throughout the autumn and early winter,\nwhile there have also been good numbers of Teal (up to 460), Pochard, Mallard\nand Gadwall, and among the winter duck arrivals have been regularly-seen\nGoldeneye, Wigeon and Goosander, plus a sprinkling of Scaup, Common Scoter,\nMandarin, Shelduck and Red-crested Pochard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a\nquiet time for raptors with just September records of a Red Kite, two Hobbys\nand an Osprey on several days earlier in the month, plus more regular sightings\nof Peregrine, breaking the steady pattern of more common raptors \u2013 Sparrowhawk,\nBuzzard and Kestrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The welcome\nsound of a Little Owl calling at Hopton End on 17 October was the first Carsington\nrecord for five years of this seemingly scarcer Strigiform<\/em>, while records of the more common Tawny Owl were boosted\nby up to six individuals calling, also at Hopton End, on two dates in\nSeptember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIRD OF THE ISSUE: GREAT EGRET<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ardea Alba<\/em> is being seen with increasing\nregularity at Carsington and other inland lakes and reservoirs, though it is more\nlikely to be seen at or near coastal locations. \nThe RSPB website states around 35 individuals spend the winter in\nBritain, though that number is almost certainly on the increase.  Indeed, this species is heading north rapidly\n\u2013 rather like its smaller cousin, the Little Egret, which until a couple of\ndecades ago was considered a rarity but is now widely recorded, including most\nmonths at Carsington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spread\nnorth should not be that surprising as one or other of the four sub-species of\nGreat Egret (aka Great White Egret, Large Egret and Great White Heron) is found\non most continents of the world, and is a bird you\u2019re just as likely to see in\nsouth-east Asia, the Americas or Africa as well as Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They look\nrather like other family members such as the Little Egret, but are\nsignificantly larger \u2013 about the size of a Grey Heron \u2013 have a different\n\u2018stance\u2019 when feeding (on fish, frogs and insects, primarily) and have black\nfeet (rather than the Little Egret\u2019s yellow feet) and juveniles and\nnon-breeding adults have a yellow rather than dark bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FRAMPTON MARSH IS A HIT \u2013 WHILE BRILLIANT TALKS\nTAKE US FARTHER AFIELD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of\nFrampton Marsh for the club\u2019s latest trip at the end of September got a\nresounding thumbs-up from the dozen members who made their way to the RSPB\u2019s\nLincolnshire site that never seems to fail to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 60\nspecies were recorded collectively by our group, the stars of the show possibly\nbeing a Cattle Egret and a good range of waders including Little Stint, Avocet,\nGolden Plover, Snipe, Ruff, Little Egret, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank,\ntogether with a huge raft of 2,500 Black-tailed Godwits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other\nhighlights included a pair of Stonechats, a Whooper Swan, Egyptian geese and a\nsolitary Brent Goose out on the marsh, while a Merlin on a distant fence post\nwas an excellent spot by one of the group with a scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another trip is\nplanned soon \u2013 probably in early spring \u2013 but a precise date and location are\nyet to be decided … so watch this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, our\n2018-19 season of indoor talks is now in full swing after the first four\nofferings.  Award-winner photographer\nPaul Hobson got us off to a salt-laden start with a tour around coastal and\nisland locations, and this was followed in October by our joint meeting with\nDOS, at which Chris Galvin took us around the globe with his talk Around the\nWorld in 80 birds … though we suspect there were rather more than that number\nof images!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Lamb\nreprised his first-ever trip to Australia, showing pictures of birds and other\nwildlife, and describing how challenging it was going to a country and\nattempting to identify such diverse and vibrant bird species and other wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, at our\npre-Christmas meeting, Andrew Parkinson demonstrated his love affair with\nnature rather closer to home with his talk entitled \u2018British Wildlife through\nthe Seasons\u2019 which, as with all of our speakers, contained some brilliant\nphotographs \u2013 mostly taken at locations just a few miles from his home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOLIDAY REPORT: FIVE WEEKS IN NEW\nZEALAND\/AUSTRALIA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I greatly\nappreciated a sneak preview of Chris Lamb\u2019s talk on Australian wildlife\n(mentioned above), because it demonstrated some of the bird species I was most\nlikely to see in Australia, which was one of my destinations \u2013 along with New\nZealand, with stopovers in Singapore and Bangkok \u2013 when my wife and I set off\non 1 November on a five-and-a half-week adventure to mark our 40th<\/sup>\nwedding anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the\nhighlights are too numerous to list here (I\u2019ll include a longer article,\ntogether with some pictures, on the CBC website) but certainly the wildlife\neverywhere was truly memorable, as was the breathtaking scenery in New Zealand\nand some amazing cityscapes en route \u2013 most particularly the exciting\narchitecture and event venues and forensically clean streets of Singapore.  After 12 flights, 19 accommodations and\nnearly 3,000 miles added to the clocks of three different hire cars in just 39\ndays, here\u2019s a word of advice: when you get past 60, feed in some extra\nrelaxation time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We used\nthorough and efficient Trailfinders to organise the details of the ambitious itinerary,\nwhich included wildlife havens such as Stewart Island, off the southern tip of\nNew Zealand, and Kangaroo Island and Phillip Island which sit at either end of\nthe Great Ocean Road between Adelaide and Melbourne.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stewart Island\nis entirely geared towards wildlife, particularly preserving some of New\nZealand\u2019s rarer and more fragile bird species. \nThe only settlement on an island nearly five times the size of the Isle\nof Wight is Oban, which has a permanent population of just 320 \u2013 so the\nisland\u2019s population density of one person per five square kilometres speaks for\nitself.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only a couple\nof dozen miles of tarmac roads, most of it is remote bush, and is gently\nmanaged for the benefit of the local wildlife \u2013 and is perfect for someone like\nme who could just wander freely and be guaranteed to see something different\nevery time I ventured more than a few yards from our B&B.  Ulva Island, which could be reached by water\ntaxi, was a discrete, quiet location where most of the scarcer species such as\nWeka, Saddleback, Brown Creeper and Kaka (and Yellowheads, which I dipped on) were\nreadily found, while a pre-booked trip a little farther afield netted the\npromised Brown Kiwi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kangaroo\nIsland, 100 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia is also bigger than I\nfirst imagined.  Initially I was a little\ndepressed to see only dead kangaroos at the side of the road and, after seeing\nmore road kill in the form of a dead koala, we decided to visit a wildlife park\nin the centre of the island, which was enjoyable and enabled us to get close to\nsome of the country\u2019s landmark species. \nIronically, after that, we saw plenty more in the wild \u2013 wallabies,\nkangaroos, koalas, emus and even an echidna shuffling down the side of the\nroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\nhighlight was being close to penguins when they came ashore at dusk on Phillip\nIsland.  Unbeknown to us, we were allocated\ntwo of just 10 VIP tickets for the daily \u2018Penguin Parade\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We discovered\nthat this meant we didn\u2019t join the massed crowds on a viewing platform above\nthe main beach, but got right down and dirty onto the sand of a private beach\nabove which large numbers of the Little Penguins nested (along with thousands\nof Short-tailed Shearwaters which whistled around our ears while we watched the\nrafts of penguins waddle up the sand).  It\nwas a true privilege to be so close to the little birds as they filed past us just\nyards away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly,\nwith over 900 species, Australia\u2019s birdlife was rewarding pretty much wherever\nwe went, even in large conurbations including Sydney (where we spent an\nunscheduled day due to a cancelled flight) and Melbourne where I sought out the\ngreen areas \u2013 and where, unlike New Zealand which we\u2019d visited previously, four\nout of each five species I managed to identify were \u2018lifers\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a\nfew species I\u2019d never seen before in New Zealand, too, plus a handful of lifers\nin Singapore and Bangkok, two cities that could not be more different …\nthough both could boast a number of spectacular birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I\nlogged 185 species (83 in New Zealand, 104 in Australia and 20+ in each of the\nAsian cities, but allowing for duplication), of which more than 90 I was able\nto add to my lifetime list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gary Atkins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT\u2019S\nON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a brilliant\nautumn\/early winter programme of talks, we can still look forward to some\nfurther exciting illustrated presentations in the coming months, whisking us\noff to North America, Botswana and into the rarefied atmosphere of hills and\nmountains.  See below for details, and\nremember, talks begin at the Visitor Centre\u2019s Henmore Room at 7.30pm, and the\nFebruary meeting will be preceded (at 7pm) by our AGM:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15 January<\/strong>        Talk by Glyn Sellors: \u2018American warblers in Ohio\u2019  – Henmore Rm, Visitor Centre (7.30pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19 February       <\/strong>AGM, followed by talk from Max & Christine Maughan on \u2018Brilliant Botswana\u2019 – Henmore Room, Visitor Centre (7pm)                      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

19 March<\/strong>          Talk by Paul Bingham: Mountain Man\u2019s perspective on birds\u2019 – Henmore Rm, Visitor Centre (7.30pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are events\nbeing staged at Carsington Water over the autumn and early winter by Severn\nTrent Water or Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.  Some incur a charge or require booking, so check\nwith the host organisation for more details (via STW on 01629 540696 or DWT on\n01773 881188):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Sunday of month<\/strong>     Birdwatching for Beginners                                Meet Visitor\nCentre (10am-12 noon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First weekend of month<\/strong>   Optics demonstrations RSPB shop, Visitor Centre (10am-4pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Monday of month<\/strong>    Nature tots (3-5 years … booking\nessential)          Contact DWT to book<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every Tuesday\/Sunday<\/strong>   Wildlife Centre volunteers on parade                  Wildlife Centre (10am-3pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third Saturday monthly<\/strong>   Family Forest School (charges apply)                  Contact DWT to book <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Saturday monthly<\/strong>     Sheepwash Spinners (wool-craft)                        Information at Visitor\nCentre<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16-24 February  <\/strong> Love Bug Trail (collect packs from reception)       Visitor Centre (10am-3pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n KNOW YOUR COMMITTEE<\/strong> \u2013 Here are the club officials and\n their contact details\u2026\u2026..<\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n  <\/strong>\n <\/td>\n  <\/strong>\n <\/td>\n  <\/strong>\n <\/td>\n  <\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Committee Post<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Name<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Telephone<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Email Address<\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Secretary\n <\/td>\n Paul Hicking\n <\/td>\n 01773 827727\n <\/td>\n paulandsteph@hicking.plus.com<\/a>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Treasurer \/ Membership\n <\/td>\n John Follett\n <\/td>\n 01332 834778\n <\/td>\n johnlfollett@virginmedia.com<\/a> \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Recorders\n <\/td>\n Clive Ashton \/\n Dave Newcombe\n <\/td>\n 01629 823316\n n\/a\n <\/td>\n cliveashton@btinternet.com<\/a> \n danewcombe@hotmail.co.uk<\/a> \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Publications \/ Indoor\n Meetings\n <\/td>\n Gary Atkins\n <\/td>\n 01335 370773\n <\/td>\n garysatkins@aol.com<\/a>\n  \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Events co-ordinator\n <\/td>\n Chris Lamb\n <\/td>\n 01629 820890\n <\/td>\n cflamb@yahoo.co.uk<\/a>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Ex-officio\n  \n <\/td>\n Jon Bradley\n Roger Carrington\n  \n <\/td>\n 01773 852526\n 01629 583816\n  \n <\/td>\n jonathan.bradley4@btinternet.com<\/a>\n rcarrington_matlock@yahoo.co.uk<\/a>\n \n  \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n \u2026..and the website\n address   –   http:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk<\/a>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Webmaster\n <\/td>\n Richard\n Pittam\n <\/td>\n n\/a\n <\/td>\n Contact\n Richard via the website<\/a>\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can I first of all apologise for the non-appearance of the November newsletter (unavoidable because I was on a lengthy holiday \u2018Down Under\u2019 \u2013 see holiday report later in this issue!).  I had hoped to put out a short edition in December, but I didn\u2019t get back to the UK until the 10th and then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-carsington-bird-club","category-cbcnewsletters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3372\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk\/cbc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}