"Summer's End' Laganscape award winning photo from Ken Orr
David Scott answers all those pressing Lagan questions people have been asking this summer.
How has the nest box programme been going?
“The Laganscape volunteers have been keeping an eye on all the nest boxes put up during the winter. We’ve had mixed success so far. We put up dozens of house sparrow boxes, but have not been able to attract any of these once common little brown birds. However, the volunteers tell me that they have at least one pair of blue tits and many have coal or great tits as well.”
Non-breeders checking out next year's home.
Are swifts setting up home in any of the LVRP nest box sites?
“The swift boxes round our office have had some attention. Swifts have been flashing past the boxes, and a passerby thought they saw one coming out of the entrance hole. We definitely don’t have any nesting, and I would have been surprised if we’d had any take up residence in the first year. The information we are getting in from the other sites is the same, plenty of interest but no nesting pairs. Fingers crossed this means next year will be a bit more exciting on the swift front.”
The story seems to be similar at the RSPB Belvoir Park offices, where the birds are definitely interested but not settling in, so far. Mark Smyth of the Swift Interest Group may able to shed more light on what these swifts are up to so late in the breeding season. He believes that the non-breeding swifts are only arriving now, a bit late due to the poor weather. These young swifts will be scoping out nest sites for next summer. So he’s got his CD lure – playing recorded swifts calls – playing as much as possible. (Bearing in mind the neighbours who may not find it music to their ears!) Only 6 more weeks and that’s it until next year.
This'll do rightly! Swift photos provided by Mark Smyth of the NI Swift Interest Group.
Peek-a-boo! Swift photo provided by Peter McGrattan. For his amazing success story please see the previous blog entries and also check out the comment box at the end of this blog which brings us all right up to date with his budding colony.
Do we need to worry about mink on the Lagan?
It seems we can breathe easier. “Developments on the mink front are encouraging, as there have been no sightings for a few weeks. I’ve spoken to some of our partner organisations and they are saying the same. Hopefully this means that the mink (of which there were at least two) have moved on. Should we get any more reports, I’ll be sure to update blog readers. Likewise, should any of you spot something mink-like in the Park moving through the water or skulking in the undergrowth, please let me know at the usual address david@laganvalley.co.uk. “
Otterly successful at keeping mink out. Photo provided by LVRP.
And what about the Lagan swans who seem to have vanished?
Will we ever see this sight again? The Stranmillis swan back in 2006. LVRP photo.
“As for the ‘Stranmillis swans’, there is still no sign. Many locals and towpath users still ask us where they have gone and will they come back? The answer I’m afraid is we don’t know. The pair that were seen between the weir at Lockview and the Lock Keeper’s Cottage disappeared a few years ago; first one left and the other hung around for a couple of months before moving on as well. This pair had never been successful breeders and maybe this had been the reason for them leaving. Many people think swans mate for life but this is not always the case. If one dies or becomes crippled, the other will try and find a new mate. As the pair had never produced any young I would guess that one of the birds was infertile and they split up to go and find a more productive partner. There were swans further upstream, but even here, none have been successful in producing cygnets for some time and they tend to come and go. So if you spot a swan, please get in touch so we can keep an eye on these much-missed birds.”
Laganscape award winner - Bruce Marshall's Hoverfly on Thistle.
How can you be recognised for your photographic genius?
Easy. “While you are out and about in the Park, don’t forget to take your camera. Laganscape is launching our third photographic competition and you could be in with a chance of winning £100. Check out our website www.laganvally.co.uk for further details. “ Maybe the stunning examples from past winners here will inspire you!
Reflection - Shaw's Bridge by previous Laganscape photo competition winner Peter Soult.
Lots of news as we are deep into nesting season!
Des res. Spotted flycatcher box at Belvoir.
Swifts screeching
The swifts have finally arrived at Belvoir Park, no doubt delayed by the dismal weather. They’re now shrieking and circling around the nest boxes installed at the RSPB HQ. But the 64 million dollar question is – are they viewing or nesting?
Well they are certainly viewing only at the LVRP Park offices. David Scott reports seeing them circling the boxes, but so far none have investigated within.
Swifts are almost continuously airborne, so they provide few photo opportunities. The exception being when they are nesting. Mark Smyth of The Swift Group has been sending me some tremendous footage of swifts nesting, both here and across the water. Plus a truly amazing story from right here in Northern Ireland. Peter had swifts setting up home less than a week after he put up boxes, as you can see from the photos he sent to Mark. Now that is a result!
To see footage of this astonishing beginner’s luck, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9zDElImhqQ or visit saveourswifts.co.uk where a feast of further videos awaits!
Thank you Peter for these brilliant photos of a pair of swifts. As you can see, they are not able to perch, but still manage somehow.
This story is a bright spot in what has been the worst year yet for Mark Smyth’s colony of swifts. Lots of tales of abandoned nests due to the cold. Like all of us, the swifts are still waiting for summer. Hopefully the next blog will have news of swifts settling in and raising their young. But they’d better get a move on! Come July it will be time to think about flying south again.
Urban jungles
Speaking of getting a move on...if you haven’t yet taken part in the RSPB Make Your Nature Count garden wildlife survey, there’s still time. From now until June 12th, the RSPB is asking everyone to spend an hour in their gardens counting the wildlife they see, then submitting the results. The survey includes birds, as well as common, and uncommon, garden visitors such as hedgehogs, frogs, bats and badgers.
Our city and country gardens are oases for wildlife and helped sustain many creatures over the hard winter and rollercoaster spring, so the RSPB is keen to know how nature on our doorstep is doing. It’s easy. Visit (link), get all the information you need, plus wildlife recording forms, then have fun watching what hops, creeps and perches on your patch, and submit the results online.
Gardens can support a huge diversity of wildlife.
Coast to coast to save our seas
The RSPB’s Claire Ferry is completing a month-long odyssey around Northern Ireland to highlight conservation issues. 500 miles on foot through the past month of cold, wet and wind takes some commitment! Along the way, she has been visiting schools and RSPB reserves and collecting signatures on her petition for a Northern Ireland Marine Bill. The rest of the UK has already enacted Marine Bills to protect our coasts, seas and the natural diversity they support. But NI is lagging behind. Our own Marine Bill is desperately needed to protect what we have before its gone forever. Any further delays could spell disaster for populations of seabirds such as puffins and kittiwakes, which have plummeted due to a shortage of food sources.
For the final leg of her walk, Claire will be accompanied by hundreds of schoolchildren, supporters, (and a giant inflatable shark) to present her petition to the decisionmakers at Stormont, It takes place on June 14, so if you care and can be there, please join the throngs. To follow Claire, donate to her trip and learn more about the petition, visit:
www.lovenaturewalkni.org.uk
www.justgiving.com/lovenaturewalkni
lovenaturewalkni.blogspot.com
Source of the Lagan
Not quite up to 500 miles...yet? Why not voyage by shank’s mare to the source of the Lagan? The Lagan Valley people have organised a Return to Source walk on June 16th. It’s a fair hike, but well worth it, especially on a good day when the view is fantastic from the rolling Down uplands. For details contact the Park Office on 9049 1922.
All photos from the LVRP, except for Peter's swift images.
It’s been a rollercoaster few months for wildlife. First a Baltic winter in Belfast, then a Sahara drought, followed by March gales, rain and chills in May. How do animals manage to build nests, breed and raise their young, let alone survive through it all?
With difficulty, according to David at the LVRP:
"The changeable weather, while a disappointment for us over what seemed to be never-ending public holidays, is a real challenge for the wildlife in the Park.
The gales have brought down many trees and the nests our feathered friends spent laborious weeks building in the spring. Thankfully none of the bird boxes put up by our volunteers have come down; the screws must have been long enough after all!
The squirrels (both red and grey) have had the same problem with dreys (yes, squirrels make nests also) being blown down. For many of these animals there is still plenty of time to start again. Squirrels will produce 2-3 litters in a good year.
However, some of our larger birds like the crows, herons and birds of prey need a whole summer to raise their young. Colleagues have told me that some heronries have been decimated and many rookeries are in a bad way. Hopefully this won’t have a huge impact on the species as a whole, but can be devastating to local populations.
Moorhen on a 'lawn' of duckweed
One thing that has been noticed is an abundance of hawthorn flies, sometimes called March flies. Here they normally come out in April when the hawthorn is just starting to flower. These small, slow-flying black flies are a favourite of trout. Some of the local fishermen have told me this has really improved the size and health of the fish after such a hard winter. The kingfishers have taken a bit of a battering thanks to the weather, so this improvement in the fish stocks is welcome news for them, as well as otters and herons amongst others.
So while many creatures within the Park have been having a tough time, others seem to be faring slightly better. We will have to wait and see how things pan out over the summer and any information from you, the reader, is always welcome. If you see something of note please let me know at david@laganvalley.co.uk. The more eyes and ears the better!
It hasn’t been easy for garden wildlife either.
And the RSPB summer wildlife survey aims to find out how our favourite garden residents have coped. They’re sending out a call for all of us to take part and help them create a snapshot of the state of nature on our doorsteps.
Make Your Nature Count kicks off this weekend – running from Saturday June 4th through Sunday the 12th. So there are plenty of chances to spend an hour observing your garden and counting the critters you see. If it hops, perches, flies, scuttles, it can be counted. Make Your Nature Count widens the remit of the RSPB’s January survey Big Garden Birdwatch, in that it also includes frogs, hedgehogs, bats, butterflies, squirrels, badgers, as well as birds.
It's good to share - best buddy bluetits
You don’t even need a garden – patios, local parks, school grounds, the patch behind your workplace – any of these places could be an oasis of wildlife teeming with fluttering, buzzing and nesting activity.
The RSPB launched this new survey after the immense success of Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s largest survey of its type, which attracted over half a million responses. Early June is the time of year when garden wildlife is at its most vibrant: plenty of insects and flowering plants, nesting and breeding birds, returned summer migrants. So it should provide a good indicator of how animals have fared over the last year and if they are recovering from two hard winters in a row.
Yes, it should all be in full swing. But is it? I’ve been getting feedback that this spring has presented plenty of challenges, for the birds anyway. Swifts, which should be back from Africa by now are either arriving late, or coming, finding conditions too cold and wet, and moving on to warmer patches. House martins arrived here only to find a shortage of mud for nest building, and now that they can finally get going, the wet and winds have played havoc with their plans.
I’m also hearing stories about nests blown out of trees by the gales, sometimes with eggs and chicks in them. And with the sun only making fleeting appearances, the same goes for the insects. Leaving birds short of food just at a time when they need the extra nutrients the most. Is it the same story in your garden?
A common visitor to my garden, and maybe yours too! They like catfood.
Even in summer gardens can be important refuges for wildlife, and garden feeders vital food sources!
Fortunately it does look as though summer may finally be in sight (I should have known the good weather would end the day I got out all my sandals and painted my toenails!) But that means wonderful conditions for spending an hour in your garden.
To emphasise that Make Your Nature Count is for everyone, city and country the RSPB will be putting the spotlight on two gardens: a rural garden in county Derry and an urban garden in Belfast (mine!). My garden is no showpiece – pretty ordinary with bald patches in the lawn and football-proof shrubs (and sad, wind-battered lupins), but I am looking forward to being amazed by the biodiversity that can be found even in a typical family garden and learning about all the species that have adapted to city life.
So now that the weather is finally improving (fingers and painted toes crossed), we can all boost the wildlife community on your doorsteps by taking steps now to create a more nature friendly garden. Those colourful blooms buzzing with butterflies are not just appealing for humans. The RSPB website has plenty of ideas.
To take part in Make Your Nature Count, visit rspb.org.uk to find information and wildlife recording sheets to download. Complete the survey, then submit the results online.
P.S. Make Your Legwork Count. Don’t forget the Towpath Challenge sponsored Lagan Walk is this Saturday! Details: www.laganvalley.co.uk.
Photos provided by the RSPB and Lagan Valley Regional Park