MANCHESTER BIRDING     

GENERAL NEWS ARCHIVES

 

ALL ARCHIVED GENERAL NEWS FROM APRIL 2010 ONWARDS

 

09.11.11

The county rarities committee welcomes a new member.

With Adam Davison now moving full time to bird rich, sunny, warm, beautiful (blah, blah, blah, my heart bleeds ☺) Devon, the committee has welcomed a new member to replace him. On behalf of both the committee and the GMBRG I would like to thank Adam for his sterling work over the years and to wish him all the very best for his new life on the south coast.

Taking into account previous applications for the committee, John Rayner was invited to take up the position and was welcomed aboard during the committee's annual meeting at the Jackson's Boat pub on the 8th November 2011. John will be well known to most county birders and is a well travelled and experienced birder, not to mention an avid twitcher and county lister.

 

17.09.10

Change to the county rarity submission requirements for adult Yellow-legged Gull

The status of adult Yellow-legged Gull in Greater Manchester as a species requiring a description to be provided to the county rarity committee has only ever involved any observer’s first (and only ever their first) sighting in the county. Subsequent adult Yellow-legged Gulls by the same observer have been deemed acceptable without a description on the basis that having had an initial submission accepted, that observer is competent in the identification of the species.

Yellow-legged Gull remains a scarce county visitor with well over 90% of all annual records coming from either Heaton Park Reservoir or Audenshaw Reservoirs due to the regular presence of experienced gull watchers at both sites. The identification and potential confusion  of Yellow-legged Gull in adult plumage is clouded by many variables, not least the existence of ‘Scandinavian Herring Gulls’ (Larus argentatus argentatus) and the seasonal disparity in their appearance coupled with the existence of yellow-legged individuals.

With these considerations in mind a review of the current rarity procedure for adult Yellow-legged Gull found it to be dissatisfactory. That the basis of one submission deems an observer capable of identifying such a potentially confusing and often mis-identified species across a full range of seasons is clearly inadequate in proving competency. Consequently, from the 1st December 2009 all adult Yellow-legged Gulls seen within Greater Manchester will require a description to be provided to the county rarity committee. When faced with a potential adult Yellow-legged Gull, observers should attempt to evaluate and secure the following features:

·       An initial appraisal of the lighting conditions and its potential effect on assessing grey tones.

·       A careful and considered comparison to other similar gull species present if possible.

·       A detailed structural appraisal, particularly of the head and bill.

·       Careful and subjective assessment of the grey hue of the upperparts and wing coverts.

·       Very careful assessment of the extent and pattern of black in the outer primaries.

·       Careful noting of the presence and extent of any head streaking.

·       The state of primary moult if present.

·       The leg colour with consideration to lighting conditions

For any further details or if you have any comments or queries regarding this matter please do not hesitate to contact me at ianmckerchar1@gmail.com

 

09.08.10

UK Ruddy Duck Eradication Programme July 2010 bulletin.

The bulletin can be viewed here.

Thanks to Judith Smith for supplying the document.

 

03.08.10

Additions and removals to the county rarity list.

Following the county rarity committee's annual meeting (in a pub as usual!) the following species were added or removed from the county rarity list, effective from the 28th July 2010:

Additions

  • Twite. Only lowland records will usually require a submission to be provided although the committee reserves the right to ask for a description for any reports where we deem necessary. Twite are now very rare indeed in the lowland areas of the county and there have been several recent incidents of mistaken identity (which have included Linnet and Meadow Pipit). To ensure that we are correctly recording the status of this important county species the rarities committee need to ensure identification criteria are being met.

Removals

  • Little Egret. This species has faced a complete change of fortune within the county over the past years and after the first record in 1989 the species has now become annual. It is now relatively common on the coast around the north-west and there are few observers who lack good field experience. The committee felt that the species affords a comparatively low level of mis-identification possibility and as such that the need for a description to be supplied should be removed. Of course, as with any species on the county list, we once again reserve the right to ask for details of reports of significant value or circumstances (i.e. a large flock).

 

03.04.10

The proposed Lightshaw Meadows project gets the green light.

The partners involved in the proposed Lightshaw Meadows project have recently confirmed that they have been successful in securing their bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. With the green light for the proposed plans to now begin their evolution and implementation it is hoped that the partners and local groups can continue to work together in the common aim to improve the area and secure it's future. On behalf of Manchester Birding I would sincerely like to thanks all those birders who voiced their concern over the initially planned footpath and who have subsequently agreed on the vastly improved and acceptable current version.

 

 

 

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