The Week

 

So far it has been quite a busy one, I’m trying to keep on top of the Little Owl Boxes in the never-ending saga against Grey Squirrell occupancy, for want of better words they are persistent, destructive little buggers. Not content with having a chew of the entrance hole, the little so and so’s chewed into the internal ledge inside as well.

I suppose it is to be expected, any largish box is fair game and a readymade Drey, just waiting to be filled up with leaves/twigs.

I cleaned out one Little Box last Sunday, this box produced 2 young Owls which we ringed on June 7th this year, however after this it seems the Squirrels took over.

On opening the box, it was wall to wall drey material so turfed this out, it’s now about persistence and checking the box regularly, if they fill it up again, keep turfing them out until they give it up as a bad idea.

After this I checked a Kestrel box, despite rarely seeing any activity in it, something had been using it considerably with lots of guano inside. Possibly Stock Dove but having never seen them in it, I would suspect not. With a juvenile Starling wing in the corner, I would suspect a Little Owl is possibly using it.

I also checked a 2nd Little Owl box during the week, again chewed and yet another Dray, same process, out it came.

Also caught up with a Tit box that had come loose, this had also succumbed to the attentions of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, so very likely the young were taken. I put a metal hole on it, just about covered it so hopefully it will do the trick and protect the young.

                                                                          Drey

                                                                 

                                                        Kestrel Box - occupancy/guano

                                                                    Little Owl Box

                                                                Tit Box - ready to fall

                                                                      Great Spot

                                                        Hopefully do the trick

                                                   Back up

                                             Another Little Owl box, drey turfed out

Another new Peregrine site, featured earlier, has come to light and this week I was lucky enough to place a Nest Tray on Tuesday. They tried to breed this year, but sadly the eggs rolled, the tray has been placed pretty early, so hopefully it will do the trick.

It’s got a roof overhang, so there protected from the weather, fingers crossed.

                                                                Tray and Substrate

                          Ready and waiting - fingers crossed - young even have perching blocks.

                                                 Another site I visited, always watching.

 

 

 

 

Battersea Power Station

 

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As we get nearer a rapidly approaching Christmas, and yet another breeding and licence period for the Peregrines, thoughts again turn to the female’s fertility at the ripe old age of 13+.

This year she failed to lay eggs, despite going through multiple copulation and from this extensive ‘incubation’ in the egg scrape, but sadly she failed to produce any eggs.

She is BTO metal ringed on her right leg and I am keeping an eye out for any change, I check her regularly on the CCTV to see if there is any difference to her, but she is holding on well.

I know from my visits to the Power Station, there are intruding peregrines testing them fairly regularly, this is happening at most sites that I monitor. In the run up to breeding, it will increase, especially from January onwards.

In the last couple of months, the Tiercel has been taking a lot of Ring-Necked Parakeets, nearby Battersea Park provides a good food source, being smaller and more agile than the female, the Parakeets it seems are his top food source at this time of year.

I haven’t seen the Black Redstart for a good while, the eastern area it usually favours has not provided sightings this year, however that’s not to say it’s not here, there are now multiple sedum roofs aloft in a number of areas so I could just be missing him.

Nest boxes, including the Peregrine Nest box now number 23 boxes on the Power Station Estate, this is divided between hole boxes and open fronted nest boxes.

I am waiting for the leaves to drop to expose all the Goldfinch nests, in 2022 I located 11 nests so by far the most prolific breeder on site. Approaching mid-November and still waiting for leaves to drop shows you just how much our climate has changed.

On a recent visit I recorded a large distant flock of Fieldfare, at the time I estimated the flock to be around 70 birds, they were moving southwest, I took a few far off snaps and actually counting them on the photo revealed 95 birds.

                                                                        95 Fieldfare

                                          Modern high rise architecture - little room for nature

                                                                          Falcon

                                                    Falcon flat out after a Feral Pigeon

                                                      One of the regular feeding ledges

                                                           Falcon  with a Feral Pigeon

                                                      Eating on the wing like a Hobby

                                                        Where they spend a lot of time

                                                                      Feeding ledge

It shows how easy it is to undercount, especially on small bird flocks, a good number of birds however hopefully heralds the arrival of far more this winter of this colourful winter Thrush.

Abberton Reservoir

November 3rd 2023



A morning out for me and Chris, decent weather after Thursday’s storm, trying to get out a bit more, tied up of late with Peregrine stuff so an old haunt as we approach winter was always going to be welcome.

Covered both causeways over the course of 2 ½ hours, starting firstly at Layer Breton before moving on to Layer De La Haye and then around the centre.

No real cold weather as yet so winter specialities not present in numbers, from the causeways anyway, however plenty could be out there hidden in the vastness of the reservoir.

Ended the morning on 55 species, missed the Spoonbills unfortunately but did catch up with some Reservoir specials.

2 Great White Egrets, Rock Pipit, 4 Goldeneye, Red Kite, 4 Red Crested Pochard and Raven were the pick of the bunch, but top spot will go to 3 Cattle Egrets, one seen distantly and then 2 feeding in a nearby field.

Duck flocks were vast already, no doubt there were more goodies out there but just a bit of easy birding from the car, very enjoyable.

New Peregrine Box

 

It’s been a busy old week, I finished a new Peregrine nest box which will be installed onto a Balcony shortly, the balcony is a bit narrow so the box has been made slimmer to suit. There is a pair present, and they did fledge 1 juvenile this year, however the balcony is prone to flooding. 

The fact of the matter is that a box gives them – adults/chicks cover from extreme weather, with the substrate also there is no chance of eggs rolling.

As mentioned in previous posts, unless a position has a ‘natural structural overhang’ where a Tray can be placed, I will always use a nest box.

My amigo’s will again help me, truth be told, now at the ripe old age of 66 with a dodgy ankle, I couldn’t do it on my own anyway, so there help and muscle is very much valued. It also gives me a chance to boss them around and nag them a bit, very enjoyable I must admit but it is obviously needed at times……..

I have started setting up the cams again for the winter near the Feeding Station, good coverage over some of the water bowls, Magpies being their usual selves. 

As we get into the colder weather, I would expect the feeding station will really kick in ,however a good number of birds are already using it.

Beckton Kestrel Box

 

Given the success of the Kestrel Box on the Sewage Works, used since 2018 by the pair, it is no surprise, that over 6 breeding seasons it has become ‘guanoed’ up after producing so many young.

It has been a great success, if you recall from past posts, there previous nesting, position in a pipe, put them in danger of being roasted alive as it was an emergency blow out. Thames Water and myself installed the box as mitigation, the pipe had chicken wire placed over it to stop access and they have not looked back since.

On Wednesday 4th , Laing Orourke the site contractor for the new works, working with Thames Water, kindly provided a telescopic Lorry Picker to access and clean the nest box, changing the substrate along the way and removing the guano from the box and adjacent areas.

Over 6 breeding seasons you will likely get a build-up of parasites, especially so now with our mild winters, not very healthy for chicks especially and incubating adults come spring as you can imagine.

                                                                  The chaps and the rig

                                                                         Cleaning

                                                                      A lot of guano

                                                             Guano and old substrate

                                                   New substrate in and box ledge scrubbed

                                                          Before in the morning - 8.17a.m

                                                                      After 11.33a.m

All went very well, the male Kestrel was in attendance before the clean up and then remarkably, just as the Lorry Picker was leaving, he flew straight back into the nest box, the tie to the box is obviously very strong.