Trip reports
Beached Bird Survey
Sunday, 24 February 2008
In terms of important conservation tasks, 'Beached bird survey organiser for South East Hertfordshire' sounds a bit like 'Admiral of the Swiss navy'.
However the South-East Herts Group has been participating in the Beached Bird survey for many years, monitoring a stretch of the Blackwater estuary in Essex, at Tollesbury.
We routinely walk the same section of coast, searching the shoreline for dead birds. This count provides an important baseline dataset for assessing the effects of unusual weather phenomena or oil spills (its original purpose) on seabird mortality around the North Sea. Records are submitted to RSPB regional office in Norwich.
This year the survey, led by Ted Bell, took place on Sunday 24th February, a weekend during which participants from all the countries bordering the North Sea were counting their respective coastlines in an internationally coordinated effort. Six of us assembled at Abberton reservoir before moving to Tollesbury.
The list below shows the birds we saw on the day. The weather was pleasantly fine, which has not always been the case in previous years. Our survey recorded two dead gulls and a goose. This is a typical number for our section of coastline. There was no evidence of oiling on the beach.
The Survey provides valuable conservation data and is a good day out. We often see some very good (live) birds as the list below confirms. No expertise is required in order to come out with us; you can participate in the survey or not as you wish. Please join us and help the Society in its vital conservation work.
If you would like details of the 2009 survey, which is currently scheduled for Sunday 22nd February, please contact Ted Bell at a group event or on 01920 467809.
BEACHED (DEAD) BIRDS:
Common Gull, Herring Gull, Brent Goose.
LIVE BIRDS SEEN:
Red-throated diver, great crested grebe, Slavonian grebe, little grebe, cormorant, grey heron, little egret, mute swan, greylag goose, Canada goose, Brent goose, Egyptian goose, shelduck, wigeon, teal, gadwall, mallard, shoveler, pochard, tufted duck, goldeneye, smew, red-breasted merganser, goosander, ruddy duck, marsh harrier, kestrel, red-legged partridge, pheasant, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, golden plover, grey plover, lapwing, dunlin, snipe, bar-tailed godwit, curlew, redshank, turnstone, common gull, black-headed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, stock dove, woodpigeon, collared dove, little owl, kingfisher, skylark, meadow pipit, rock pipit, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, stonechat, blackbird, fieldfare, song thrush, redwing, mistle thrush, Cetti's warbler, goldcrest, blue tit, great tit, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, reed bunting, corn bunting.
TOTAL = 80 SPECIES
Our thanks to Ted Bell for leading this very important survey each year.