No blog activity this week. I've been internet free for a week at the famous (amongst ringers at least) Icklesham site in East Sussex. It's been rather nice having not having to deal with email for a week.
Back on the patch this morning before the rain set in. It was depressing. Highlights were a new brood of
little grebe (three) and a year-tick
stock dove.
It depresses me even more to hear of the new scrapes at Newton coming up trumps with a Stilt Sandpiper. It's brilliant for the
Stringer, he has put a lot of work in there and deserves some good birds. Druridge could and should be pulling in birds like stilt sandpiper. It won't attract any passage waders this autumn and won't again until the Budge fields are properly grazed. The frustrating thing for me is that I can't do anything about the situation....
Here are some photos from today.
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| Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus |
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| Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus |
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| Green-veined white 'on the job' |
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| small skipper on knapweed |
6 comments:
It is very frustrating watching ones own patch habitat being degraded, it's happening here all the time :-(
Sad scenario......i remember large numbers of waders(roaming in and out of the Highland Cattle) on the budge fields not that long ago.
Evening of 2 August 1993, Budge Field
Black Winged Stilt, Pectoral Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Wood, Green and Common Sands, Ruff, plus 5 other more common species.
Low Newton, the new Druridge Pools..?
And to trump Two Cravats - 1986 August Bank Hol ( or there abouts) Budge Fields - 3 Red necked Phal, 80+ Ruff, 7 Curlew Sands, 4 Spotshank, 3 Wood and Green Sands...those were the days.
Hi Stewart. Just before my birding career started. That must have been some sight. Might have needed to remove a cravat...
So, Iain. Time to get our birds back. Is it just a question of money and resources or does it go deeper than that?
I've tried examining the barriers to appropriate management with NWT.
They are seemingly going to take advice from RSPB on how to manage the wet meadow . Once they have a better management prescription, they will know how many cows they will need and can look at purchase costs and management time etc. I have told NWT that they need to identify the barriers to this happening and that I am happy to work with them to overcome any barriers.
Watch this space......
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