ALL CREATURES GREAT AND LOCAL

After two weekends of cross-country birding, it was time to spend a bit of time catching up on the local action. Monday 1st June was a long overdue day off for me and with a few hours to kill, it made perfect sense to spend some time at Cranford Park.

I have to admit that things were not as noisy as I had hoped for. Busy Blackbirds and Robins were showing well and the occasional alarm call from a Blackcap could be heard as I made my way into the woodland. Blue Tits were probably the most numerous of sightings with Chiffchaff a close second. With conditions overcast but the temperature reasonable, there was no shortage of insect action too, and my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year put in an appearance.
Dominating the air within the woodland however were loads of Longhorn Moths. I think I spent a fair part of my walk through the woods gently waving these long antennaed Lepidoptera from my face.

Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers could be heard and briefly seen, but most tree holes seemed to have been occupied by Jackdaws. Long-tailed Tits and Wren were also seen in the woodland area along with an occasional Dunnock and the ever present Parakeets. The meadows of the park were sporadically busy with shy Whitethroat and a few Goldfinch zipping across the open grassland. There was neither sight not sound of any Skylark. Only the Meadow Pipits were putting in any kind of appearance and this youngster was very obliging.


The River Crane saw a long Grey Heron hunting and a single Kestrel over the Meadows. This female Orange Tip proved elusive to the camera but the final shot has something of an arty look to it so I’ve decided to throw it in!
With Mrs Sausage out at a conference on Saturday morning and some proper summer weather, I made a beeline for Staines Moor. Sightings here had been mixed over the week but there always seems to be something to see on the Moor and a free morning was too good to waste!

The walk down to Stanwell Moor brought Greenfinch, Goldfinch, hidden Goldcrest, a low-level Common Buzzard and this House Sparrow.

Having negotiated some very overgrown nettles, thistles and brambles, Stanwell Moor was awash with white fluffy Salicaceae seeds. A summer snowfall of light, wispy parachutes floating on the breeze. The seeds were sticking to anything and everything, including yours truly. You can just about pick them up on this picture of a singing Whitethroat.

The overgrowth of green foliage on Stanwell Moor was such that I expected to hear cries of help from lost birders any minute! Nettles and greenery over head height did make spotting insects and butterflies quite easy though, and my first Green-veined White butterfly of the year was spotted at eye level!

As I moved onto Staines Moor, I met the very affable Robert Martin. Being fairly new to birding on the moor, it was good to glean some knowledge from a regular. A Common Tern was giving fantastic views as it hunted along the Colne and I could have stood and watched this elegant bird all day long.

Flying back and forth, hovering then plunging into the river on regular occasions it was a lovely sight to behold.
I was also lucky enough to finally get some clear views of the very vocal Reed Warbler I have been hearing on recent visits. Despite the breeze it remained in the open just long enough to get focus and steal a few shots.

I went from the obvious to the elusive in a few moments though as this Common Blue butterfly weaved a path at my feet. However, the closer I got to it with the camera, the lower and lower it descended lower into the grass, before hugging the depths and taking flight. So much for unobstructured views!

A noisy Green Woodpecker was moving across the north east section of the moor and seemed to be everywhere I went in that section, but it was staying grounded almost the whole time and didn’t show for a clear shot. This Kestrel was far more accommodating, resting on the bridge over the Colne just long enough for a few mid-range shots.

Raptor activity continued with a Red Kite over briefly before heading towards the reservoirs. As I made my way around Whitethroat, Goldfinch and Linnet were all spotted. This Linnet was perching helpfully in the open.

My walk back through the jungle of Stanwell Moor also offered the opportunity to get this Banded Demoiselle sitting at head height.

Sighting of the day however was this Little Owl in the horse paddock. Thanks to a heads up from Dominic Pia on Twitter! A short scan of the posts in the paddock brought a quick reward and my first Little Owl of the year!

Woman banned from keeping birds after cramming Harry Potter owls in filthy, tiny cages

Cackie Cullen was so fascinated with owls that she crammed 13 them into tiny            
               
 
where they did not have space to flap their wings. Among her sad collection were two types of eagle owl and also a beautiful, pure white snowy owl.

Fans of Harry Potter know how snowy and eagle owls play a vital role in his battle against the powers of darkness. The boy wizard even has his own pet snowy owl called Hedwig.

Unlike Harry, who kept his owl in the lap of luxury, 67-year-old Cullen imprisoned her birds in filthy conditions where they did not have enough drinking water.

Cullen, who lives in Seahouses, Northumbria, has now been banned from keeping birds for life and ordered to pay £500 compensation after being found guilty of animal welfare offences.

She appeared at Hastings Magistrates' Court on July 3 after an investigation by the RSPCA.

After the case, the RSPCA put out an alert, asking the public to contact their emergency hotline if Cullen decides to collect any more birds. The RSPCA says it is concerned about people keeping exotic animals as pets and reminds anyone thinking about buying one that they must have the knowledge to provide their welfare needs. RSPCA inspector Cora Peeters described how she was left shocked the moment she saw Cullen's tragic menagerie.

"It took my breath away when I walked into that shed and saw the rows of these beautiful birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages," said Inspector Peeters.

Colourful characters prepare for Hamilton bird show

It's never quiet in the Silsbee household in Hamilton.
                                                     

Outside, bengalese, gouldian and zebra  finches flit around in their cages, a symphony of chirps and flapping wings.

Harry the cockatiel courts long-time love Hazel while a pair of quail take their bottom spot in  the pecking order, literally, searching for seed down below.
    Daniel Silsbee 11, will be showing off some of these characters at the Annual Hamilton Cage Bird Club Show on July 4 and 5, at the Hamilton Gardens Pavilion.

"I don't know why I like birds but I've always wanted one since I was really young,"  he says.

Previously volunteering at the show, Daniel says he hopes to enter a few of his birds in the show's open category competition this year.

"I would like to take my bengalese that I bred this year. I don't know how many cages  I can get so it depends on that.

"They judge the birds on different things like the sound they sing in, their colour and  how they sit on their perch," he says.

Daniel credits the Hamilton Cage Bird Club for teaching him how to keep new additions from flying away and how to properly care for his birds so they can breed.

"You keep on learning stuff and it's nice to talk to people that know a lot about  birds," he says.
    Hamilton Cage Bird Club Secretary Clayton Putt says Daniel is the youngest member  of the club, which holds monthly meetings and takes part in shows around the  country.

"He's very keen. He loves his little birds.

"We've got to have younger members coming in, otherwise the club won't be able to  continue and our bird-keeping knowledge will be lost to the next generation," he says.

Daniel's mother Lori Silsbee says they realised Daniel had a passion for birds from a  young age, buying him a New Zealand bird identification book when he was 3 years old.

Swallow's flight is at top of list for birds

Tree Swallows fly with intense intent as they forage over water for insects. This bird was 
                                                                        

photographed in April, when its early return made serious work of finding insects for food. Tree Swallows capture all of their food on the wing. They can share nesting territory with Eastern Bluebirds because the latter feed on insects found on the ground. They don't compete for food, but will compete for nesting cavities, both species using cavities exclusively. You often see what are commonly known as bluebird houses (nesting boxes) set out in pairs. Swallows will take one, then defend the territory from use by other Tree Swallows. This leaves the second box open for use by bluebirds. 

Feathery fossils peg early birds to even earlier date

Scientists in China have described a new species of early bird, from two fossils with intact plumage dating to 130 million years ago.

                               

Based on the age of the surrounding rocks, this is the earliest known member of the clade that produced today's birds: Ornithuromorpha.

It pushes back the branching-out of this evolutionary group by at least five million years.

The little bird appears to have been a wader, capable of nimble flight.

The discovery is reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Birds began to evolve from the dinosaurs some 150 million years ago at the tail end of the Jurassic period. This is the age of the famous but hotly contested "first bird" Archaeopteryx - now considered by many to be a feathered dinosaur.

Some 20 million years later, when the newfound species was wading and flitting through what would become north-eastern China, palaeontologists believe there was quite a variety of bird life.
Bare legs

About half of those species were Enantiornithes, a group of early birds with teeth and clawed wings that eventually all died out.

The other half, including the new find, were Ornithuromorpha - a group that eventually gave rise to modern birds and looked much more like them.

The branching event behind that forked diversity is what the new discovery pushes back in time; previously the earliest known Ornithuromorph was 125 million years old.

Minnesota finds lethal bird flu in two more turkey flocks

Minnesota, the top US turkey producing state, has found two more commercial turkey flocks to be infected with a lethal strain of avian flu, including one in a previously established quarantine zone, the US Department of Agriculture said on Monday.
The state in the past month has found that H5N2 flu, which can kill nearly all the birds in a flock within 48 hours, has infected seven flocks, according to the USDA. In the last week alone, the number of birds to be culled in Minnesota because of the flu has topped 150,000.
The infected flocks were in the state’s biggest turkey-producing counties. Kandiyohi and Stearns counties were the top two turkey-producing countries in Minnesota in 2012, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
Minnesota’s turkey farmers raise about 46 million birds annually accounting for more than $600m in income, according to association. Nationwide, farmers raised about 240 million turkeys in 2013, according to the USDA.
Ninety percent of the turkey products processed in state are exported out of Minnesota, and of that 90%, 15% are exported, the association said.
Recent bird flu infections in states stretching from Arkansas to California have prompted overseas buyers to limit imports of US poultry from companies such as Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms.
The latest US infection was the third case detected in Stearns County, Minnesota, which is northwest of Minneapolis. The infected flock of 76,000 turkeys is already in a quarantine zone established because of a previous infection in the county, according to the USDA. The quarantine limits the movement of poultry in and out of the area around an infected flock.
Another new case of H5N2 flu was detected in a flock of 26,000 turkeys in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, which is west of Minneapolis.
Both flocks will be culled to prevent the virus from spreading, and the birds will not enter the food supply, according to the USDA.
Officials believe the flu is likely being spread by waterfowl, but do not know precisely how the virus is making its way into commercial poultry operations. Molecular testing has shown the H5N2 virus is nearly identical to viruses isolated in migratory ducks, according to the USDA.
Wild birds can carry the disease without appearing sick, and the USDA has advised people to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry and wildlife.
So far, no human infections of the virus have been detected.