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Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve
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We are lucky to have some amazing winter birds come to stay at Portbury Wharf. Pochard, snipe, teal and others have already been seen on the reserve. While on the estuary and salt marsh there are growing numbers of curlew, wigeon and dunlin. To survive the winter they need plenty of space to feed and rest undisturbed.
So to spread the love for our migrating birds, most of which are endangered, we created this poster. If we can protect nature it will still be here for our children and our children’s children.
PS Sadly the poster, which was on the railings by the salt marsh, has gone missing again!😞
It is great to wander round with binoculars to see if you can find the many snipe hiding in the vegetation surrounding the pools or the birds picking off the berries from the trees. This little ball of fluff can be found at the moment - a Goldcrest - and he lives in the bushes alongside the main path that people walk every day . He is such a tiny little chap as you can see when you campare him with the twigs that he is sitting on
Well the high tides this week have certainly brought about massive changes at the North Pool today, On Monday we had about 60 birds enjoying the peace and quiet but today a swarm of about 1500 Dunlin dropped in and started their murmurations that were so popular last year. There have been over a hundred wigeon, many teal and amongst the Canada Geese was this chap - a Bar-headed goose . a brief video is to follow
A couple of Pochard on the north pool - fairly rare visitors these days and on the red list in terms of conservation priority . you will see a couple of lapwing behind on the island itself
As part of the ongoing work of upgrading the pylons we have received the following update from the Hinkley Connection Team. Please note the temporary closure of sections of the footpath on Wharf Lane from Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November.
Update from the Hinkley Connection Team:
From April next year, Western Power Distribution will start work to install new underground cables and remove the pylons in the north of the reserve. In recent months, WPD has been carrying out ecological surveys and putting measures in place to reduce disruption to local wildlife. To stop protected species from entering construction areas, we need to manage the vegetation in each area. From Monday 2 November, we need to remove vegetation along a section of the footpath on Wharf Lane.
To keep everyone safe during this work, a section of the footpath will be closed from 2 to 6 November, between 9.00am and 3.30pm each day. We’re aware this path is well used and we’re working to reopen it as soon as possible.
Nice to see a Curlew today. Plus a few Red Shank and Dunlin on the mudflats at the start of the Wharf. A handful of Lapwing on North Pool and three or four Stonechat over by the Broadwalk conservation area.
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓!
A 𝗕𝗮𝗿-𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝘄𝗶𝘁 has recently been recorded making a migration flight of over 12,000 km from Alaska to New Zealand.
The bird left Alaska and flew non-stop across the Pacific Ocean for 11 days, averaging about 33 mph, before landing in New Zealand. It sets a new record for the longest recorded continuous migration flight.
Read more here: www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/13/jet-fighter-godwit-breaks-world-record-for-non-stop-b...
There's always the chance of seeing both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits on the mudflats at Portbury Wharf.
Bar-tailed Godwit image by No-longer-here from Pixabay.
The seasonal path will be temporarily closed until 28th October.As part of the Hinkley Point Connection Upgrades, Balfour Beatty (on behalf of WPD) will be carrying out works on the Seasonal Path to improve the ground conditions along this route. This means this path will be closed to visitors between 21st and 27th October inclusive.
Please find an alternative route using the surfaced paths around the reserve. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Birds migrate to find the best ecological conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding and raising their young. When conditions become unfavourable, it is time to fly to regions where conditions are better.
Most birds in colder northern countries migrate south to escape harsh winters. In temperate regions, such as the UK, about half the species migrate. For example birds that eat insects will not be able to find enough food here in winter so they fly south. While tropical birds have less need to migrate as they have a more constant food supply and conditions.
When do birds migrate?
Migratory birds generally migrate twice a year, once in autumn and again in spring. In autumn they will be flying to find a good place to spend the winter and in spring a favourable region to nest and raise their young.
PS the photo is of hundreds of winter dunlin by Portbury Wharf salt marsh.
DID YOU KNOW?
At least 4,000 species of birds migrate, that is about 40 per cent of all the world’s birds. Bird migration is a perilous business as they often have to fly hundreds or even thousands of miles.
The birds that are winging their way to Portbury Wharf in this autumn migration will be escaping the frozen north. Our winters are balmy in comparison to Iceland, Siberia and other northern latitudes!
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Last Updated: November 3, 2020 by Giles Morris
NOVEMBER – What to look out for
Welcome to November!
The clocks have gone back, so dusk comes early in November. The first frosts have arrived and the trees are rapidly losing their leaves….but it’s a good time for wildlife spotting. Winter visitors are streaming in, so there’s lots to look out for!
The North Pools
As the cold sets in further north and east, many ducks fly in to enjoy our milder winters. We do regular monitoring counts on the reserve and the charts of the duck numbers on the North Pools clearly show this happening.
Will this year bring bigger numbers? The October counts looked good, but we’ll have to wait until December or January to know for sure!
The South Pool
Recent management work has opened up the South Pool and the water levels have increased with the wet weather. The South Pool hide is a great place to sit and search for Snipe. Snipe numbers also increase in the winter, but they are hard to spot amongst the tussocky grasses because of their amazing camouflage. They have impressively long beaks for their size and fly away with a zig-zag flight if disturbed.
The Hedgerows
The count on 27th October also saw the first winter thrushes – a flock of Redwings. Look out for big flocks of both Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds on the Hawthorn trees around the reserve as they swoop in to strip the trees of their berries or “haws”. Some years the crop has almost gone by the end of the month!
As well as hawthorn berries there are lots of other seeds to look out for. Keep any eye out for these on the reserve, of course, the hungry wildlife might get them first!
The weather might not always be friendly in November, but a visit to the reserve is always worth the effort. You never know what you might see!
Images: some supplied by “Friends” others are courtesy of www.pixaby.com thank you all!
Category: what to look for
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