Peregrines at Malham Cove - Sunday 17th June

On Sunday 17th June we joined up with the Craven Curlews Wildlife Explorers group for their annual Peregrine watch event at the beautiful Malham Cove.

Juvenile Peregrines at Malham Cove

Beginning at the Yorkshire Dales visitor centre in Malham, we all did a fun activity to learn about different birds of prey, what they eat and how they hunt. Everyone did well in the quiz and got lots of stickers for getting the answers right! We walked the short trip up to Malham Cove, passing an unusual Blue Tit nest site on the side of a pub!

Blue Tit nest in Malham village!

We spotted many different birds along the way and record them on our ticksheets.  As soon as we arrived at the cove we could see two Peregrines flying high above us - what brilliant luck!

 Adult Peregrine in flight at Malham Cove

The stunning Malham Cove

The RSPB volunteers gave us a very interesting talk about peregrines and told us how to tell the difference between the males and females - the females have a much bigger wingspan, this helps them when they are brooding lots of chicks! The two adult birds spent most of the time in the air above us, putting on a great show.

The two juveniles eventually landed at the nest site high on the cliff and we got some great views of them through the scopes. These young birds are more brown coloured to camouflage them until they can look after themselves - eventually this will moult and their adult plumage will grow through. When one of the adults landed we got the chance to see the difference between an adult and a juvenile Peregrine.

 Juvenile Peregrines

Adult Peregrine

At one point a Common Buzzard flew over the Cove, but was soon seen off by the two adult Peregrines! We also saw lots of birds on the nearby feeders, including Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, and this fantastic male Great Spotted Woodpecker!

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker at Malham Cove

There were plenty of other birds around in the fields including a female Redstart, a recently fledged Pied Wagtail, Jackdaw, Swallow, Swift and Robin.

A big thanks to everyone that came - we had a fantastic time watching one of the most incredible birds in the country. If you have any pictures, stories or drawings, please send them in to airedaleotters@gmail.com - they may even be featured in our summer newsletter - keep your eyes peeled!

Rodley Nature Reserve Springwatch - Saturday 9th June

We had a great turn out for our early morning visit to Rodley Nature Reserve for their fantastic Springwatch event.

First, we went to see what had been caught in the moth traps overnight. Amongst many interesting moths, we saw a fantastic Poplar Hawk Moth; there was also the even more impressive Elephant Hawk Moth, which was brown and bright pink!

Poplar Hawk Moth

We then set off on a mammal walk around the reserve with reserve volunteer Maxine. The reserve staff had baited and set 20 traps the night before our visit, and 16 of the traps contained mammals - a great result. These were bank voles and wood mice, both male and female. It was a real treat to get a really good look at these nocturnal animals. Each mammal was then released back into the wild unharmed.

Maxine inspects one to the mammal traps

It's a Bank Vole!

Next, we had great fun making dragonflies from pipe cleaners supplied by the British Dragonfly Society, which was apparently more successful than Andy's Christmas pom-pom robins!

Rodley Nature Reserve has several dragonfly ponds, and some of our group went to see what dragonflies & damselflies they could find, while the rest went for a well earned cup of tea!

Thank you to all the Otters and parents who joined us - well worth it!

Bird Race at St Ives, Bingley - Sunday 13th May 2012

Thanks for all the young birdwatchers who joined us in our Bird Race at St Ives, Bingley, on Sunday 13th May. We split into two teams (Jackdaws and Cuckoos) and set out to find as many bird species as we could in 90 minutes.

In a close-run competition, the Jackdaws won with total of 32 birds seen or heard! The Cuckoos were a close second with 29. Well done to everyone!

The winning team with the Bird Race Cup!

Here's the combined list all the birds we identified:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen, Woodpigeon, Pheasant (with chicks!), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Wood Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Swallow, Carrion Crow, Jay, Magpie, Wren, Song Thrush, Blackbrid, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Starling, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldfinch, and Chaffinch. Phew!

We used our best identification skills, listening for calls and identifying birds by their plumage and behaviour. We visited as many different habitats as possible – something St Ives has lots of: broad-leaf woodland, conifer plantations, a lake, meadows, pasture, heathland and even a bog!

Update on the Nestboxes in Deep Cliff Wood

Friend of the Airedale Otters, Shaun Radcliffe from the Bradford Ornithological Group, has been keeping an eye on our nest boxes in Deep Cliff Wood in Harden. You may remember Shaun from the visit to Stockbridge Nature Reserve last September. He recently visited the wood and sent us this report:

After the early morning rain had cleared, I arrived at the wood bathed in sunshine. Having not been here since I helped to put up the boxes, the wood is now changed in that the ground is covered with plants such as Bluebell and Lesser Celandine, the latter just showing its bright yellow flowers. The Bluebells will be out in about a week’s time.

The whole area was full of bird song and I noted Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Robin, Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Dunnock and Coal Tit were the songsters. The Nuthatch in particular was very vocal.

Two birds that have migrated here from warmer climates were also singing, sometimes in the wood but also moving about to nearby sites. The Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are very similar in size and overall appearance although the Willow Warbler is more yellow but their song is very different. The easiest song to recognise is the Chiffchaff which has a call similar to its name “zip-zap, zip zap” whereas the Willow Warbler’s song is more tuneful with a cascade of fluty notes.

Although I did not see any birds entering a nest box, there is plenty of reason to be hopeful as many birds were seen in pairs. One Blue Tit was collecting some nesting material but I lost track of where it flew off to. The material was old sheep’s wool fluff which is found on the ground and pulled it free to use.

Two other birds seen on the ground were Blackbird and Song thrust, both collecting worms so there may be nests nearby.

Other birds seen in the wood was Woodpigeon and Treecreeper but in the distance I also heard a Green Woodpecker.

It may take some warmer weather to encourage the birds to start a family as they rely on the availability of many insects to feed their young.

St Ives Migration – Sunday 22nd April 2012

Thank you to everyone who came to our Migration event at St Ives, Bingley, on Sunday 22nd April. We learnt loads about migration, and most importantly had loads of fun! The wet weather made us change our plans slightly at the last minute, but it didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm!

First we discussed why birds migrate and, with the help of a large map, found out about some of the journeys birds and other animals make each year. We talked about two bird species that spend winter in Africa and summer near Bradford: Chiffchaffs and Pied Flycatchers (we're hoping that Pied Flycatchers will nest in the boxes we made in January). We learned their calls, and used this to split into teams of Chiffchaffs and Pied Flycatchers!

We migrated across St Ives, looking for the birds’ food as we went. We heard a few Chiffchaffs who were singing in the rain; and with the help of our three Chaffinches (Charlie, Chester, and the quiet one Chesney!), we played some games to learn why birds flock.

The rain came down and some of the Airedale Otters finished the event splashing in the puddles!

More on Migration

There are lots of interesting sites about bird migration on the web. The RSPB have an interactive map showing the incredible journeys made by some animals on their migrations. The RSPB has lots more games on their website.

The RSPB also have a map showing the journeys made by the Ospreys born at RSPB Loch Garten in the Scottish Highlands each year. Click here for more info.

In 2011 the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) attached satellite-tracking devices to five Cuckoos from Norfolk to find out more about their journey to and from Africa. You can follow the cuckoos (called Clement, Martin, Lyster, Kasper, and Chris) on the BTO website.

Bird and Nestbox Survey in Deep Cliff Wood, Harden - Sunday 11th March

Thank you everyone who came to the Airedale Otters event in Deep Cliff Wood, Harden, on Sunday 11th March. The weather was lovely and sunny, and we had great fun finding the nestboxes made by the Airedale Otters at the January meeting and counting the bird species in the wood.

One eagled-eyed spotter found a toad on a stone before we even reached the wood. The toad was very well camouflaged; well done for finding it.

Can you see it yet?

 Common Toad

First we spent some time finding the numbered nestboxes and marking their positions on a map. It took us a while to find nestbox number 6, which was right in the middle of the wood! We checked to see if any birds were using the boxes – none yet, but it’s early days…

Cameron, the Airedale Otters Leader, showed us an old Great Spotted Woodpecker nest he had found.

Old Great Spotted Woodpecker nest hole

 There are quite a few old nest holes in the trees in this wood

We then carried out a survey of the birds in the wood. Wildlife surveys like this are very important in finding out what animals and plants are living in a particular area. The information we gather can tell us if the wildlife is doing well or not. This can help us make sure we are doing the best things for wildlife conservation. We will compare our survey results to one we will do later in the year, so you can see how things change between winter, spring and summer once the migrant species have returned. 

We found lots of birds, many just by listening for the calls. Here’s a full list:
12 Wood Pigeon, 1 Collard Dove, 1 Wren, 4 Robin, 8 Blue Tit, 13 Great Tit, 4 Coal Tit, 3 Pheasant, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Jay, 2 Carrion Crow, 22 Jackdaw, 5 Magpie, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Dunnock, 1 Green Woodpecker, and 1 Buzzard.

 Watching the Pheasant

The highlights were the male Pheasant running across the field looking very proud of himself, and the laughing call, or “yaffle”, of the Green Woodpecker. As we made our way back to the meeting point we eventually saw the Green Woodpecker fly across the field and land in a tree, but difficult to see. Then one of the parents at the back of the group spotted a bird of prey overhead – it was a Common Buzzard! They’re not very common in Harden! A brilliant bird to spot.

 Hawthorn Shield Bug

One Airedale Otter spotted a Hawthorn Shield Bug, which had probably just come out of hibernation. The larvae (the young shield bugs) hatch in May and feed mainly on hawthorn berries, unsurprisingly!

 Ollie the Otter!

Did a Grey Squirrel make these scratches?

We also found really interesting scratch marks on a Holly tree in the wood, which is probably the work of a Grey Squirrel. Well, we think that’s what it is. We’ve been investigating and have asked some experts, but no-one seems sure what could have caused it! Badgers? Deer? Rabbits? A chainsaw?! We’ll ask the farmer for his help, and we may have to send a picture to BBC Springwatch to see if they can help!

Quiz

At the end of the event we gave everyone a quiz about Otters. The quiz is open to all Airedale Otters members. Just complete the quiz by looking up the answers in books or on the internet, and send it back to the Airedale Otters leaders. You can hand in this completed sheet at the next meeting, or send your answers via email. If you answer enough of the questions correctly, we will send you a certificate to prove that you really know all about otters! Good luck!

We will do some more quizzes and practical tests in future, so you can earn more awards to show you are a knowledgeable wildlife explorer.

Remember - spring is here, so keep an eye out for birds building nests, and feeding young; and for birds returning from migration, like Swallows, House Martins, and Chiffchaffs.

The nestboxes are up!

Good news! The nestboxes made by the Airedale Otters at the January meeting are up and ready for homeowners wanting to start a family!

Two of the Airedale Otter nestboxes in Deep Cliff Wood

Airedale Otters leaders Cam, Andy, and Alison, with help from Shaun of Bradford Ornithological Group, braved the winter weather and got the nestboxes up in time for the breeding season (and National Nestbox Week 14th-21st February).

Unfortunately, our event on Sunday 5th February was cancelled, because of the likelihood of bad weather - but the nestboxes needed to go up as soon as possible. Resident birds, such Blue Tits and Great Tits, like to find nest sites early – before the summer visitors like Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts arrive from Africa. So it was important to boxes up in February. The good news is Blue Tits were inspecting a couple of the first nestboxes to go up, even before we’d finished putting up the others!

Getting the nestboxes ready for intallation

The nestboxes are in Deep Cliff Wood, Harden – great habitat for local birds, and (we hope) perfect for Pied Flycatchers. There are 14 boxes in total, so there should be plenty of spare boxes when the Pied Flycatchers arrive in spring. We’ll be keeping a close eye on them throughout the breeding season, and keep you informed of any developments. Of course, we will arrange for the children to visit the woods as soon as we can to see the boxes in place – hopefully at one of our next meetings in March or April.

The nestboxes are numbered registered the name of its builder, so each Airedale Otter will know if their box is used and if any chicks are raised! Once the first breeding season is over, we will come back to the woods as a group to open up the boxes and see what types of nests are inside.