Autumn arrives at Winnall Moors

Autumn has arrived at Winnall Moors, today the leaves are falling, as is the rain accompanied by a gusty wind however, it is still warm for the time of year. The Horse Chestnut trees in particular are loosing their leaves and have given the impression Autumn has been on its way since mid August with their leaves having started to turn a golden brown since the summer. This is caused by a the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner, a type of moth larvae, that was first discovered in the UK in 2002 in Wimbledon, it has since spread far a wide across the UK. The adult moth lays its eggs on the leaves of the tree and the hatched caterpillars live inside the leave literally mining their way through the leaf to feed. While affected trees can look unsightly the activity of the moths does not appear to permanently damage the tree. There is no easy method to treat the trees however, it is hoped that British native species will adapt to take advantage of this abundant food source. On Winnall Moors I have observed Common Wasps cutting open Horse Chestnut leaves to feed on the leaf miner larvae and Blue Tits have also been seen to eat them. It is also hoped that native parasitic wasp species will adapt to predate the leaf miner larvae providing some measure of biological control.

 

Photo of leaf miner damage on Horse Chestnut Tree.

Today with the group, amongst discussing Autumn, we reviewed the success of the Kingfisher nesting over the summer watching some of the high-lights of our video footage. The third and final clutch of 6 young fledged successfully in September. That brings the total number for the nest to 15 fledglings over the season.

 

Two kingfisher chicks huddle together for warmth. These are the birds from the second brood with the un-hatched eggs visible beneath them.

 

A kingfisher chick is ringed to help obtain data on the species. The picture is out of focus as the camera flash was not used to reduce stress to the bird.

 

The wildlife cameras have now been re-deployed to capture otter activity over the winter, but they will be put back in place to record any Kingfisher nesting next year should they choose to use the same nest.

 

Successful Kingfisher Nesting Recorded on Camera at Winnall Moors

It has been an amazing month at Winnall Moors with all 7 of the Kingfisher eggs hatching, and successfully fledging yesterday. As predicted the eggs hatched on the 12th May and grew rapidly over the nest few weeks being fed regularly by the parents. The female bird did the majority of the brooding, sitting on the chicks to keep them warm day and night. On cold and rainy days the male bird was also more keen to help with the brooding, and often tried to edge the female off the nest so that he could take a turn in the relative warm and dry of the nest chamber and let the female catch some fish for the young. However, this tactic rarely seemed to work and the male even resorted to sharing the nest with the female and young birds during cooler and wetter nights in mid May. This behaviour has rarely been recorded before and is thought to be quite unusual as Kingfishers are not very social birds.

The birds were ringed on the 24th May by Hampshire Wildlife Trust staff Martin De Retuerto ,a licensed bird ringer, so that we can gain more scientific knowledge about Kingfishers, including survival rates of the young and were the birds travel to establish territories amongst much else.

Newly hatched kingfisher chicks.

 

Kingfisher chicks awaiting their first feed.

And below Dad comes in to the nest chamber to feed the chicks whilst Mum watches on.

And here are some links with highlights of the action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAXq_Y4jQoE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHCafqZxvn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_wNu8S76Sc

And lastly here is an adult bird diving and preening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu09Lmmvqz8

The next few days will be critical for the young kingfishers as the parents will only continue to feed them for the next 2 to 4 days before beginning to concentrate on their next brood. It is essential that the young birds teach themselves how to fish during this time or they will starve. Survival rates for newly fledged birds are very low with perhaps only half surviving more than a week and only 1 or 2 making it through the winter.

In non Kingfisher news, there are many other birds nesting close to the Kingfisher nest. Wrens have made their nest of moss in the same root plate that the Kingfishers have used, just a couple of feet above the Kingfisher entrance hole. There is also a Nuthatch nest 10 yards up stream of the Kingfisher nest, they have used an artificial bat roost to nest in. Swans nested on the ground a few yards from the Nuthatches and lastly Blue Tits have used one of the nest boxes we put up in early March. It has most definitely been a busy Spring for the birds on Winnall Moors.

Kingfishers lay 7 eggs at Winnall Moors

The female kingfisher laid her last egg on Tuesday 23rd April bringing the total to 7 eggs. Since then the Kingfisher pair have been taking turns brooding the eggs. During the day they take turns sitting on the eggs so that each bird has time to go fishing. Often the male bird will return to the nest entrance with a fish as a gift for the female cementing the pair bond. At Winnall you can tell when this shift change occurs as you can hear the excited whistle of kingfishers coming from near the nest. Yesterday, through my binoculars, I observed the male land on a branch near the nest hole and call to the female in the nest,  she then appeared from the nest hole and flew upstream. The male sat for a moment or two before flying into the nest to resume his brooding responsibilities. One of the pair, probably the female (though it is hard to tell from the black and white infrared images), now spends the night sat in the nest keeping them warm whilst the chicks develop inside the eggs. It will take approximately 20 days for the eggs to hatch which gives us a due date of around the 12th May.

Over the last month the cameras have recorded  some interesting behaviour showing how unhygienic kingfishers are in the nest!

Kingfisher regurgitating pellet

 

Here are a few links showing some of this behaviour:

Kingfisher regurgitating a pellet into the nest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQEnXyL770

Kingfisher taking a  poo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj4gzrAQBH8&feature=youtu.be

Lastly here is a clip of one of the Kingfishers returning to the eggs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613Egi5IEa4&feature=youtu.be

Kingfisher returns to brood eggs

Watch this space for the latest updates on the nesting kingfishers.

Winnall Moors Kingfishers Lay Eggs!

Some very exciting news this week at Winnall Moors, the female kingfisher laid her first egg on the 17th April. Since then she has laid a further 5 eggs, all of which have been laid almost exactly 24 hours apart, between 6 and 7 in the morning. The eggs are approximately 22mm long and 18mm in diameter and weigh about 4.5 grams, as they are laid at the end of a dark tunnel they need no markings for camouflage or a heavily tapered shape, as found on sea birds that nest on cliffs, to stop them from rolling out of the nest. However, it is thought that the white colour of the eggs may help the adults find the eggs in the limited light from the entrance tunnel. Most commonly Kingfishers lay 7 eggs, but they have been recorded laying as many as 10, at the time of writing there are 6 eggs in the nest.

The female has been settling on the eggs more regulalrly since yesterday however, she will not brood them (sit on them to keep them warm) until she has finished laying all the eggs so that the young hatch at a similar time giving them the same chance of survival. Recordings from the middle of the night show the eggs alone and exposed in the nest whilst a spider makes a web around them. This is not a problem as the un-brooded eggs will lay dormant waiting for the warmth of the adults to kick start their growth.

Kingfisher laying her egg.

Here is the link to the kingfisher laying her first egg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mywX5wS9LcI

Her third egg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0cVG5ZnCqU

And her fifth egg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPtFUMoHDA

As far as I know only once before has a wild kingfisher has been recorded laying eggs by professional wildlife cameraman Charlie Hamilton James in 2012.

Whilst the kingfishers were busy along the river the volunteers cut the grass in the meadow, it was even warm enough for a Peacock Butterfly to sun itself on a molehill. The cuttings were removed to reduce the fertility of the soil and it is hoped that eventually this will encourage a greater diversity of wild flowers to grow.

Watch this space for more news on the Kingfisher family!

Kingfisher Nesting at Winnall Moors?

Since the warmer weather over the weekend activity at the Kingfisher nest has picked up after a lull during the bitterly cold weather. Very excitingly a female kingfisher has been investigating the inside of the nest chamber in the artificial nest. At first only very occasionally visiting, however, since Saturday she has been regurgitating pellets into the nest chamber. These pellets are the bits of fish that the Kingfisher eats that it cannot digest mainly consisting of bones, similar to the pellets that birds of prey regurgitate. So why does the kingfisher do this? Unlike many birds that line their nests with soft bedding such as moss interwoven with spider webs, like a Goldcrest, or a bed of grass mixed with downy feathers, the kingfisher lines its nest with these pellets.

Kingfisher investigates nest chamber

Kingfisher inside nest chamber.

Today the volunteers watched the Kingfishers live through the cameras as they came and went from the nest site. We also rebuilt some bat boxes that needed repairing that can be put up on the reserve at Winnall.

Here are the links to the latest kingfisher footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JfjDd8N2Hg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_G2uOPOaao

And a shot of a Kingfisher and Nuthatch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqVyLOqhekU

It is still too early to say whether or not the birds will nest for certain, but the amount of activity around the nest is very promising.

Winter maintains its hold.

The bitterly cold weather has maintained its icy grip on Winnall Moors this spring and as you might expect appears to have effected the wildlife. The most noticeable effect has been on the Kingfishers which have been showing less interest in the nest hole. I am hoping this is due to the cold weather halting the start of the nesting season, as on the few warmer days we had a couple of weeks ago there was a flurry of activity. The kingfishers are dependant on fish to feed themselves and their young, and unless the temperature rises fish numbers will remain at their winter low. However, the lack of interest in the nest may simply be due to the pair finding a more suitable location or even the death of one of the birds. It is a hard life being a kingfisher and they must eat at least their own bodyweight in fish every day to stay alive.

Here are some links to the Kingfisher activity earlier in the month:

A kingfisher comes into land on top of the camera

The cold weather has also meant that the Water Rail on the reserve are less timid and after weeks of searching I finally say my first Winnall Rail recently. This striking wader, with a bright red beak, walked right in front of me near the board walk and continued to give itself away with its alarming shrieking call which has been compared to that of a squealing pig. They are also know to grunt, groan and make a noise like ” the contented purring of squirrells”!  

Its not just Kingfishers the nest camera has been capturing, we’ve also had wrens and Nuthatches, whilst on the otter cam we’ve been visited by thrush species; see below for links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-FBivHGXEI Wrens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqhYSsvk2QQ Thrushes fighting

Kingfishers investigating our nest and building bird boxes

It has been an exciting two days at Winnall Moors with the remotely placed cameras revealing that a pair of Kingfishers has been investigating the artificial nest tunnel built by Back to Nature volunteers. Initially a lone bird was seen flying into the entrance tunnel, albeit briefly, but yesterday the volunteers saw two birds in the same frame, confirming a pair has found the nest. I also caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher flying past the office window with a fish in its bill with the head end facing out wards. As Kingfishers have to swallow fish head first, so that the scales and fins don’t get stuck in their throat, this must have been a male taking the fish to a female. In Kingfisher courtship the male offers fish to the female to prove his worth as a fisher and potential mate that can provide for food for the chicks when they hatch. 

While I was checking the footage that had been recorded over the weekend I caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher flying into the nest tunnel and a crowd of excited volunteers gathered round me to watch the action. The bird flew off and then quickly back into frame which was greeted with a cheer from everyone looking on. We watched them on the live feed for a few minutes before the birds flew off.

After the excitement died down the volunteers made wooden nest boxes, one for blue tits and one for nuthatches or starlings. The size of the entrance hole dictates what bird will move in, for Blue Tits the recommended size is 25mm and for Nuthatches/Starling its 32mm. Its a little late to be putting up nest boxes (the ideal time is mid winter as birds will remember any suitable nest sites they have found over winter to be ready for spring), but I have put them out this late before and had success with great tits so fingers crossed some birds will move in. 

Drilling the nest box entrance

Finished nest boxes

Nest box in place

Not only did we see Kingfishers yesterday, but also a Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Long Tailed Tits and a male Blackcap. The last bird on that list is normally a summer visitor but it is thought that Scandinavian Blackcaps are over wintering in the UK to avoid the worst of the weather.

 

Here is the link to the first of the Kingfisher footage:

More will follow shortly.

Birdwatching at Winnall Moors

This week the volunteers went birdwatching around the reserve at Winnall Moors. It was an amazing sunny day, especially after the snow of last week, with beautiful clear blue skies. On our walk we saw a Little Egret with its distinctive yellow feet, if you had seen one in Winchester 20 years ago it would have been an astonishing site that would have attracted “Twitchers”, people who travel the UK in search of rare birds. It is thought the Little Egret spread to the UK from continental Europe possibly as a result of climate change. Alas the egret was too quick for me to get a photo. We also saw the usual suspects at Winnall, such as Mallard Ducks, Moorhens, Coots, Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits, Blackbird, Robin as well as some birds that are easy to miss such as the Little Grebe or Dabchick which searches for molluscs, invertebrates and small fish in the river.

Despite carefully scanning the river and listening out for their distinctive whistle we didn’t succeed in spotting a kingfisher. However, a few days previously I did spot a Kingfisher near to the artificial nest hole. I was optimistically looking at the branches near to the nest hole when I spotted a fragment of blue through the leaves of a cherry laurel. In the soft afternoon light it was hard to tell what the source of blue was, could it be litter, as is often the case along river banks in urban areas? Or was it light catching the shiny leaves of the laurel? I thought if I watch this mysterious piece of blue for a minute or so and it moved then I new I had a kingfisher. And move it certainly did, diving into the river then flying to a nearby perch with a fish in its bill, which it preceded to beat on the branch it had just landed on whilst orientating the fish head first into its mouth.

Stomach full the bird flew onto a stake I had placed outside the entrance hole for such purposes. My heart was in my mouth as I watched this brilliant flash of blue dart briefly in and out of the nest tunnel. After dirtying its plumage in the tunnel the bird did a shallow dive into the river shaking off the water and soil from its feathers as it took off.

It is still early in the season and this was just a lone male so this is no definite sign that Kingfishers will use the nest this year, but it is great to know that at least one kingfisher knows the nest box is there. Fingers crossed for the spring.

Kingfisher hunting for fish on Winnall Moors in January. Copyright Dave Eades.

A male kingfisher watching over the river. You can tell its an adult by the bright orange/red toes and that its a male by its lower mandible (lower jaw) is black, on a female this would be orange. Copyright Dave Eades.

Here’s the latest footage from the cameras at Winnall Moors including voles, Blackbirds as well as Otters:

 

 

 

 

 

Spring on its way?

During the week I took 10 minutes out of a busy day to walk around a little of Winnall Moors.  As it was a calm day the birds were in full song, already establishing their territories in readiness for breeding in spring. A Song Thrush has been singing its beautiful song since early January from the top of a poplar tree near the reserve entrance. Some plants are also showing signs that spring is  under way with daffodils and snowdrops in flower around Winchester.

You may think that being so close to the centre of busy Winchester Winnall Moors wouldn’t provide you with much wildlife to spot in early February, but you couldn’t be more wrong. In this brief walk I saw two Roe Deer, Moorhen, Mallard Ducks, a Sparrowhawk, a Water Vole and I also heard a Kingfisher whislting, a Water Rail calling and a Grey Squirrel barking. Just by walking slowly and keeping quiet I had a close encounter with a Goldcrest which was in a small flock of birds predominantly made up of Long Tailed Tits with a few Blue and Great Tits lurking in the twigs as well. Goldcrests are one of my favourites and are Britain’s smallest bird (equally as small is their relation the Firecrest). At 9cm in length and weighing 6 grams they are nearly half the weight of a Wren. The male birds have a bright orange flash of feathers in the middle of the goldcrest on their heads. 

A male Goldcrest looking a little disgruntled after having a bird ring placed on his leg.

Small birds such as Tits and Goldcrests tend to form multi species assemblages as many eyes looking out for danger is better than one or two. One such predator that these birds are on the look out for is a Sparrowhawk. Long Tailed Tits are another bird that brings a dash of colour to a winters day, not only do they have pink plumage but if you get close and look at their eyes through a pair of binoculars you will see that their eye lids are a bright orange colour!

The encounter I had with the Water Vole was probably the best I have ever had. He sat nibbling on some water parsnip not more than 6 feet away from me. I was also able to show the vole to 4 passers by, by raising a finger to my lips to tell them to be quiet they crept closer and together we were able to watch the vole feeding for several minutes before it plopped into the water and swam across the channel before disappearing behind a willow tree.

Near to the entrance of the reserve are many, many otter spraints. This coincides with a higher level of activity recorded on the camera system and otters across the UK have been found to leaves spraints at much higher numbers during January and February. It is thought that this is due fish stocks being at there lowest during late winter/early spring and that an otter within its territory is telling other otters that this patch of river is already being fished so you best find another piece of river to catch food on. This is known as resource partitioning and may reduce the incidence of fighting between otters as they already know who is in the area and who they need to avoid. Otters will also be able to identify individuals from spraints, what sex the otter is and if they are ready to breed. However, we may never know all the reasons for otters marking their territory and what messages are contained in their spraints.

An otter leaves the river to mark its territory.

Otter inside old tree root.

Below are the links to the latest otter footage where you can see an otter make the seamless transition from water to land:

Rain, wind and Kingfishers at Winnall Moors

Today’s activity was put on hold due to the strong wind and heavy rain. The recent cold weather has had a negative effect on our kingfisher nest box. A large part of the root plate has collapsed over the weekend, probably due to the soil freezing and expanding, then as it defrosts shrinking, causing it to destabilise and fall into the river. Fortunately it isn’t a section right next to the nest entrance although the larger the root plate is the more attractive it will be to the kingfishers.

Despite the weather there was some good news today. As I arrived at Winnall this morning I spotted a Kingfisher dart past me along one of the channels that run through and around the reserve. It then dashed over some scrub, I knew that on the other side of this barrier was another water channel, the one on which our kingfisher nest has been built. Very quietly walked to a position where I could look down this channel towards the Kingfisher nest. There, through binoculars, I could just make a male kingfisher perched on a twig over the river less than 5 yards from our artificial nest. I watched him being buffeted by the wind for perhaps ten minutes hoping I might see him inspect the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately he never did fly into the tunnel, instead he dove for a fish, then flew at high speed back up the river past me. Judging by the way he flew I don’t think he succeeded in catching a fish.

This sighting is very encouraging even though the kingfisher didn’t directly check out our nest or catch a fish. In what way was this encouraging I here you ask? Well the kingfisher sat undisturbed for nearly 10 minutes within sight of the artificial nest which, will hopefully convince him that this is a suitable location to raise a brood. Secondly, kingfishers have excellent eyesight and I believe he would have almost certainly seen the entrance hole to the tunnel and nest whilst he was perched so close to it. Lets hope that he successfully pairs up with a female during February and leads her to the nest sight.

How did I know it was a male kingfisher? Female kingfishers have a red lower mandible which is quite easy to spot through binoculars, if the kingfisher sits still long enough for you to get a good look at it!

You may remember from last week that I mentioned I had recorded a domestic cat on the CCTV set up here. We have also recorded a wood mouse and not surprisingly on numerous occasions rats! Below are the links to the footage:

And below is otter footage from the last week:

Due to the bad weather I showed the volunteers the most recent footage of otters and other wildlife recorded at Winnall Moors which I will post shortly. In the meantime here are some stills from the video footage: