Bathtime for angels

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)

From a series of shots recently taken in Lancashire ...

Goosander

Goosander (Mergus merganser)

The elegant Goosander (males depicted) is a scarce winter visitor and passage migrant in my home county of Sussex. The British breeding population, located mainly in the Peak District and Scotland, is estimated at around 3,500 pairs, with a wintering population of 12,000 birds. Key sites are the county’s reservoirs, Pagham Harbour, the River Adur and pits around Rye Bay, though it can sometimes be found on any sizeable inland body of water. When birds are recorded in Sussex they tend to be very mobile with many only staying for a single day before moving on.

M. merganser nests in holes excavated by woodpeckers or natural cavities in mature hardwood trees with entry holes usually more than 15m above the ground. It shows a preference for cavities with openings c.12cm wide and internal diameters of c.25cm in trees close to or up to 1km away from water. When natural tree-nesting sites are not available the species will use artificial nestboxes or may nest among tree roots in undercut banks, on cliff ledges, in rock clefts or in dense scrub or loose boulders on islands. Sometimes several females may nest in the same tree, especially on islands that provide suitable nesting sites in lacustrine or coastal locations.

The accompanying images were taken in North Wales.

References:

Cowser, R., 2014. Goosander. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, p. 133.

Wilson, T.J., 1996. Goosander. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 184-186.

BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Mergus merganser. Downloaded from www.birdlife.org on 25th January 2015.

Herring Gull

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Widely distributed along our coastlines, L. argentatus is both an evocative symbol of the seaside but also perhaps one the main species of bird that comes into conflict with people, given its urban nesting habits, loud calls, and sometimes aggressive behaviour during the breeding season. Despite major national population declines, public antipathy to urban nesting has led to various deterrents being employed, with varying degrees of success. Sadly, very few methods tackle the root causes of their success which are that our dwellings offer safe, elevated nest sites and our habits present them with an easily accessible and continuous supply of food. Ongoing human attitudes will affect the spread of this species in the urban environment and changing rules about the way we deal with landfill and fishing bycatch may play their part, as may climate change.

A winter plumaged adult and juvenile are pictured.

References:

Newnham, J., 2014. Herring Gull. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 320-321.

Newnham. J, 1996. Herring Gull. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 320-3

Chevalier aboyeur …

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Despite a lack of any strong colour or pattern T. nebularia is an elegant species and one, which is a fairly common passage migrant and scarce winter visitor to Sussex. Chichester Harbour is recorded as the most favoured site in the county, with an autumn maximum of around 100 roosting at Thorney Deeps. This is about 6% of the national total, making this one of the top six sites in the country. Considerably smaller numbers pass through other coastal wetland sites, especially Pagham Harbour and Rye Bay. T. nebularia is also regularly seen at our larger inland wetlands with groups of up to 10 being recorded at Pulborough Brooks and Weir Wood Reservoir.

A beautiful bird that is often first noted due to its triple piping call …

References:

Barfield, C., 2014. Greenshank. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 283-284.

Smith, D., 1996. Greenshank. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 285-287.

BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Tringa nebularia. Downloaded from www.birdlife.org on 13th December 2014.

Royal command ...

Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)

I. lathonia is an extremely rare immigrant and transient resident to the British Isles with the first recorded specimen coming from Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire in 1710. It was first noticed in numbers in 1818 and was seen every year until 1885 - with the highest total of 50 records in 1872. Since then, sightings are few and far between with an additional 42 records up until 1939. Between 1943 and 1950 an additional 75 records were added and, since then, there has again been a dearth of sightings with no sightings at all in some years. In 2009, 9 individuals were seen near the Sussex coast, including a sighting of a mating pair. Even so, there have been less than 400 sightings in total since it was first discovered. To date there have been just over 50 confirmed accounts from Sussex.

Although females have been seen egg-laying, neither larvae nor pupae have been found in the wild except in the Channel Islands, where larvae were found in 1950. Larvae were again found in 1951 and 1957. However, in 1945, 25 individuals were recorded at Portreath in Cornwall, suggesting that a migrant female had deposited her eggs in the vicinity and that this concentration of adults were her offspring.

The vast majority of UK sightings are from the south coast of England, with a fairly even spread from Cornwall to Kent. There are fewer records further north and several records from southern Ireland. It is believed that the presence of this species on our shores is dependent on individuals originating in northern France. Unfortunately, the number seen there is also decreasing due to loss of suitable habitat and this undoubtedly has a knock-on effect.

The sexes are similar in appearance, although the female is slightly larger, with a shorter, more rounded abdomen than that of the male and a more extended greenish hue around the basal area of the upperside wings; the black markings also tend to be more bold. The characteristic silver spots on the underside hindwings mean that this butterfly is unlikely to be confused with any other species. The four images all depict males.

References:

www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=lathonia

www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Britain%20-%20Issoria%20lathonia.htm

Hulme, N., 2010. Queen of Spain Fritillary in West Sussex - Evidence of breeding by The Queen of Spain Fritillary butterfly (Issoria lathonia Linn.) at Chichester, West Sussex in 2009. Sussex Butterfly Report (2009). Sussex Butterfly Conservation, Issue 2, Spring 2010, pp.12-17.

Pratt, C. R., 2011. Queen of Spain Fritillary. A Complete History of the Butterflies and Moths of Sussex. Peacehaven, East Sussex: Colin R. Pratt, 2, pp. 265-267.

Urban warrior ...

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

A young male Kestrel waits patiently and watches …

Like many British birds of prey, gamekeepers heavily persecuted the Kestrel during the 19th century and numbers fell dramatically. Since then numbers have fluctuated considerably; a variety of reasons for this have been suggested, but they were certainly hit hard by the use of organochlorine pesticides in agriculture in the 1950s and 60s. Kestrel numbers probably recovered to such an extent in the late 1960s and early 70s that it became Britain’s commonest bird of prey. In Sussex, the county population was estimated at 600 pairs in 1964-67, a figure that was revised to 800-1150 pairs in 1980. Numbers nationally have since fluctuated, but appear to be falling once more, with numbers down by 30% during 1995-2011 and an 18% decline in southeast England during 1995-2010.

A beautiful bird and one that evokes fond childhood memories …

References:

Prevost, L., 2014. Kestrel. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 203-204.
Hope, C., 1996. Kestrel. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 202-204.

Chic chicks ...

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

In 20 years, the Little Egret (E. garzetta) has gone from being a rare vagrant in Sussex to a regular breeding bird, present throughout the year. The first record in Sussex was in 1952, when a single vagrant was recorded at Manhood End on 10th June 1952, and nearby, on the eastern side of Chichester Harbour, from 2nd July to 1st September 1952. Thereafter, there were occasional sightings in the county, with a total of 27 birds recorded during 1953-88, mainly along the coast. E. garzetta is now a fairly common resident which has bred in Sussex since 2001. This was just five years after the first UK breeding record - recorded from Dorset in 1996.

In Britain, the Little Egret is at the northernmost limit of its range. A warmer climate is likely to lead to an increase in the breeding numbers found in Sussex, but an exceptionally cold winter will lead to a profound drop in numbers.

An elegant bird and one that is always a delight to see …

References:

Collins, B., 1996. Little Egret. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 120-121.
Watson, B., 2014. Little Egret. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 163-164.