Wirral Bird Club - Newsletter
Newsletter 29 Winter 2010
Common as Muck
Passing my local flock of House Sparrows, I am reminded that they have been a constant part of my environment. I first recorded them in 1978, but they were present long before then. I could not imagine a day when I did not see them and many birders in the past either ignored them or referred to them disparagingly as 'sprogs'. As streams constantly flow, house sparrows were simply always present. But just like the streams of the Sourth East, House Sparrows have disappeared from many areas.
House Sparrows have been noted in Britain for as long as records have been written, being referred to by the Venerable Bede in the 8th Century. Even then their close association with man was noted. For many years the use of horses for transport in cities provided food for them but the change to motor transport reduced this and their numbers fell, although this is poorly recorded. Historically population estimates of common species have often not been recorded. Submiting counts of common birds is never wasted effort. Although we now have clear evidence of a recent dramatic decline, particularly in our urban centres, the reasons for this are unclear.
Birds referred to as 'sparrows' are widespread throughout the world, but in many cases this is applied to any more or less streaky small, brown, seed-eating birds. In North America this has resulted in many birds being called 'sparrow' which are actually buntings and our 'hedge sparrow' is an accentor. The true Sparrows, of which our House Sparrow is one, are closely related to the weaver finches of Africa. Whilst many of the latter are brightly coloured, most have similar streaked markings on the back. The relationship becomes even more apparent on the rare occasions when house sparrows build nests in trees, where they are quite elaborate woven domes.
The House Sparrow is officially listed on the 'red list' of birds of high conservation concern by the RSPB and Nature Conservancy Council. In Britain this list comprises 40 species which have been placed there for a variety of reasons. Some are included due to their rarity as British breeders, others are included because of the extent to which the population has fallen. For the House Sparrow, where the population was initially very high, a dramatic decline has taken place but the birds remain reasonably common in some areas. Thankfully, Wirral is one of those areas.
The Wirral is a superb area for birds. so it is no surprise that many of the red list birds can be seen here. 18 of the species are regular migrants or breeding birds. Instead of looking far afield for special areas we must look after our local habitat first. If we all cherish our local area, our world will be in safe hands. - Tom Giles
BTO Wetland Bird Survey
It is really important that some new counters are attracted to carry on the sterling work that has been carried out by the dedicated WeBS volunteers up to now. If you can help please make contact. More information about WeBS can be found at www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/webs
Waxwings on Wirral - December 2010
Last Friday, 3rd December, I looked out of our landing window and saw a flock of birds fly into a tall tree at the top of our road. My initial thoughts was that they were Starlings, as there have been higher numbers of this species around locally this winter than in recent years. But something about the jizz made me have second thoughts, so I got my binoculars to take a closer look. I was stunned - Waxwings! 25 of them. And a house tick!!
I threw a coat on, collected my camera and ran up the road. I re-counted them and made it 26 birds, settled in the top of the tree in a back garden. After a while, they flew down out of view in an adjacent road on our small estate. Following the path round, I quickly re-located them feeding on a small, white-berried rowan. They fed quickly before returning to the original tree to digest their meals. A lady came out of her house and told me that they had been there the day before too!
On the Saturday, there was no sign, apart from a brief view of 5 or 6 birds. Unfortunately by the time I got back up to the spot, they had disappeared, never to be seen again.
It was a short but memorable experience to enjoy these birds right on my doorstep.
Hugh Stewart
Field Meeting by Coach
Saturday May 7th
Lake Vyrnwy RSPB
Redstarts, Flycatchers maybe Ring Ouzel
Coach pick up points around Wirral. £18
To reserve your seat please telephone 0151 632 4451
Colins's Snippet Sparrow nesting sites
Research undertaken in Britain recently has shown that Sparrows thrive better in poorer areas. This is because these areas tend to have the older houses which provide better nesting sites. Sparrows find it easier to build nests in old houses that still have curved roof tiles and wooden fascia boards, and subsequently it was found sparrows rarely nest in houses built after 1986 or that have had roof repairs.
Spot The Difference
Little Egret and Cattle
Egret
The Little Egret
has now become a bird frequently seen all around the Dee and even some inland
areas on Wirral such as Langfield. Less common but becoming a more regular
visitor and also a strong contender for the next UK colonizer is the Cattle
Egret.
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Slim and elegant, especially with the two elongated neck feathers in breeding plumage. Black legs with contrasting yellow feet. Black bill, In flight, the legs project moderately and wings placed centrally.
