The Wild Fishing Forum

Open Forums => Environmental => Open Boards Viewable By Guests => Nature => Topic started by: Wildfisher on March 19, 2010, 11:34:54 AM

Title: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Wildfisher on March 19, 2010, 11:34:54 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8575537.stm

During the harsh winter of 1963 the UK wren population was almost wiped out and other birds suffered badly kingfishers suffering up 90% loses. Looks like this one may have had an especially  bad effect again on  kingfishers. Ironic isn't it with all this alleged  climate warming stuff going on  that a colourful bird that looks like it belongs in a warmer climate appears to have suffered so badly.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: sandyborthwick on March 19, 2010, 12:31:48 PM
Not looking too good for them at all :(.

They have been trying to mitigate things down here in the south by cleaning some fresh clay bank for the Kingfishers.

Sandy B.O.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: River Chatter on March 19, 2010, 02:02:34 PM
A single bird doesn't isn't really telling, but I did see a kinfisher flit past me at the usual breakneck speed a week or two back.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: superscot on March 19, 2010, 04:02:45 PM
We walk doon my local river and came across a couple of the kings ....really braw birds and so fast
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Clan Ford on March 19, 2010, 04:06:56 PM
I doubt your average Scottish kingfisher has had much trouble accessing water, our kingfishers seem to prefer the streams - which will have had less of a problem with freezing.  Still plenty "buzzing" round the Earn, plenty of Herons as well :D

Norm
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Wildfisher on March 19, 2010, 06:00:20 PM
I tried to keep our local speugs fed, but they all buggered off during  the worst of the weather, save the dunnocks. Hardy wee blighters indeed.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: burnie on April 11, 2010, 12:13:15 PM
A lot of the birds we see in winter are from the continent and will have now gone back,I see a lot of this movement sea fishing in the Arbroath area,even flocks of Robins.
Breeding birds seem to be of similar numbers round here,seed eaters like sparrows are helped by the farmers leaving stubble fields for them,they're only now ploughing them in for the next harvest.
I was up Glen Doll yesterday where we saw over a 100 Red deer stags,some with only one antler,which look funny,also saw our first Golden Eagle in Angus.Seems that most of the wildlife has come through ok.
Migrants are back too,Ospreys at Kinnordy fishing,I think it was a Perch one of them had got.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: dazdidge on April 11, 2010, 06:48:38 PM
The wrens had a really hard time of it round my way. They use the swallows nests round our house during the winter to roost in, I have lost count  of the numbers I have picked up over the winter, I have even seen half a dozen of the nests fall down due to the numbers inside them. Unfortunately it's hard to put out feed for  wrens as they don't tend to eat seeds/nuts and I havent found anywhere yet that sell live insect bags for them. I managed to rescue a few and bring them into the house to warm up a while before letting them back out but I doubt many of them survived. They will sometimes eat a little scrambled egg but that's about all you can do for them.

darren
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: tenfootfive on April 12, 2010, 01:08:29 AM
Quote from: admin on March 19, 2010, 11:34:54 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8575537.stm

During the harsh winter of 1963 the UK wren population was almost wiped out and other birds suffered badly kingfishers suffering up 90% loses. Looks like this one may have had an especially  bad effect again on  kingfishers. Ironic isn't it with all this alleged  climate warming stuff going on  that a colourful bird that looks like it belongs in a warmer climate appears to have suffered so badly.
now that the snow has cleared -last week - I havent seen a wren......in fact not since early Jan[they would pickup stuff from under the bird tables] - we have rakes of them in the wood next door...or used to..they were often in our woodshed.....not a sight  :( :(
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Malcolm on April 12, 2010, 10:01:41 AM
Very few wrens this year but there are at least a few. I haven't seen a single kingfisher this year when I used to see them on the river almost every day. The local river was frozen solid over most of it's length for a long time this winter. The other birds don't seem to have been too affected.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Clan Ford on April 12, 2010, 06:17:36 PM
Not quite wildlife but my wife's collegue is married to a farmer, they have had an excellent lambing sesoan and lost fewer lambs than for years and that was with lambing taking place two weeks a go in the snow.  Seems that the lambs were fittest and healthiest born for a while :dunno

Norm
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Inchlaggan on April 12, 2010, 06:29:15 PM
Whilst we had a pretty cold time of it from December 18th to March 10th, there does not seem to be much effect (other than a serious depletion of my logpile).
All of the little birds are back in their usual numbers- if anything slightly more siskins, but then again I could just be seeing more as I fed nearly 50kg of seed and nuts over the period.
Lizards and butterflies are in evidence, there is spawn in the ditches, and ten minutes ago I spotted our returning osprey.
Bullfinches and buzzards are courting, the wagtail is at its usual site under the eaves, blue tits are inspecting the nesting boxes, and the bats are out at around 7pm.
A small amount of fly life, ants are moving, bees I have seen.
The daffodils came out yesterday.
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: paulr on April 12, 2010, 06:42:30 PM
Saw a wren and a kingfisher on the kelvin this afternoon, so there are at least one of each left.Never saw any fish though  :(
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: burnie on April 12, 2010, 08:27:59 PM
Quote from: paulr on April 12, 2010, 06:42:30 PM
Saw a wren and a kingfisher on the kelvin this afternoon, so there are at least one of each left.Never saw any fish though  :(

If they breed will we get wringfishers or kens?
Title: Re: Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Post by: Wildfisher on April 12, 2010, 08:28:10 PM
Quote from: guest on April 12, 2010, 08:25:48 PM
Saw a few of these rising today:



Looks like bloated stockie.

On buzzers were they?   :lol: