Blogs

The chough chicks at Llechwedd Slate Caverns were ringed earlier this month by a crack team of rock climbers and licensed birds ringers. Ringing took place at the nest and was done as quickly as possible to avoid any unnecessary distress to the chicks.

Ringing birds is important as it helps us to monitor their progress and habits, and gives an indication of where they migrate to over the winter. Sadly, only about one in every 50 birds ringed are ever subsequently found and reported, so every report of a ringed bird is of value.

The ringing system used for chough is a combination of a metal ring, plus a plastic one with a number and a letter on it placed round one leg. The other leg gets two coloured plastic rings, which makes identifying the birds from a distance easier.
 
We also now know that all three of our chicks are girls - this (according to most visitors) explains why they’re so noisy! The chicks are doing very well and growing at a phenomenal rate, it's getting difficult to distinguish the chicks from the parents.

We'll be at the viewpoint until 17 July, so come and see us while you can.

With the telescopes packed away for another year, we take a look at how the peregrines of Chichester Cathedral got on.

With more visitors than ever joining us in Paradise Garden, the peregrines didn't disappoint.

All four eggs hatched, and with three girls and a boy all jostling for food, mum and dad were kept very busy - often both feeding the chicks at the same time, which is something we'd not seen them do before.

As well as beaming live images from the nest to screens at our viewpoint, the chicks even became stars of the small screen. Springwatch came to film the chicks' first flights, and our 10-year-old volunteer, Dan, was on the Paul O'Grady Show to talk about them.

Big thanks to everyone who came to see the peregrines (and us) - we hope you enjoyed watching them as much as we did.

Ospreys are breeding in Northumberland, and thanks to the Kielder Partnership (with help from the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust) you can come and see them.

Visit the viewpoint at the Mounces Forestry Commission car park, off the C200 just west of Leaplish Waterside Park anytime until Monday 27 July.

To protect the ospreys, the viewpoint is two miles from the nest, so close views into it are not possible. But don't worry, you'll still get to see the ospreys as volunteers will be on hand every Friday-Sunday with telescopes.

If you visit the viewpoint on a weekend, please park at Leaplish Waterside Park and take the Osprey shuttle bus to and from the viewpoint. It gets very congested otherwise!

Check out Visit Kielder, or phone us on 0191 233 4300 for further info.

Thanks to Northumbrian Water for providing the telescopes, and also Northumberland National Park who have part-funded the viewing facilities.

Armed with your camera, a trip to Carsington Water this month could see you in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes.

Compose Carsington photography competition is looking from some of your best shots from around Carsington Reservoir.

Your photos don't need to be of rare or elusive species - the judges are looking for creative entries.

You have until 30 June to get your entry in, so why not take a trip there this weekend and get snapping?

Check out the full list of categories and rules.

Good luck!

With the black grouse of Coed Llandegla Forest having strut their stuff for another year, Des James, People Engagement Officer, tells us how their mock charging and strange calls went down with the humans who went to see them.

'The Black Grouse Walks went very well this year. We typically saw eight males on the lek, and were lucky to only have three days of thick mist, when all we could do was hear them.

Over 350 people came on a walk, and feedback from all was very positive. I especially like the following comment left by one of those visitors, as it really sums this experience up for me: 'You can't put a price on experiences like this!'

However, it wasn't all black grouse - we had good views on many of the walks of redpolls and hen harriers. We even saw a cuckoo, which more than made up for not seeing any crossbills this year.

It goes without saying that the black grouse are the stars of the show, but I'd like to end with a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make this project a success, and without whom these walks wouldn't be possible.'

....and we hope they'll be doing it in style on our television screens, with the arrival of roving Springwatch reporter Gordon Buchanan and his camera to the viewpoint tomorrow.

All four peregrine chicks are doing really well, having spent the last few days frantically flapping their wings to build up their muscles.

Their parents are also doing their bit, squawking their heads off and flying around the turrets, as a way of enticing the youngsters from the nest.

If all goes as it should, the chicks first perilous flights will be featured on Springwatch next week. But to make sure you don't miss any of the action, join us at our viewpoint for stunning views of the majestic peregrine falcons of Chichester Cathedral.

We need your help. We're searching for names for the New Forest goshawk chicks that have been keeping people entertained at the New Forest Reptile Centre.

Although we've been calling the parents Mr and Mrs G for sometime now, the chicks are really starting to develop from small fluffy balls into animated chicks bouncing round the nest, and it's high time they had names too.

We're looking for names associated with the New Forest, so get your thinking caps on for some inventive suggestions. One of our woman on the ground, Hester Phillips, likes the names Woody and Heathy but don't let that sway you!

Visit newforestgateway.org before 12 June to post your suggestion.