FORK Bird Report – March 2008
Can I start this report by putting in a word for the Arboretum as a bird-watching venue – an especially rewarding alternative in winter when the river is high and there are few water birds about. The Arboretum is a reliable spot for three of our smallest birds, Goldcrest, Goldfinch and Redpoll. Goldcrests are our smallest British bird (yes, smaller than a Wren), and are highly specialised for feeding on invertebrates between the needles of conifers – hence their frequency in the Arboretum. You are unlikely to hear their call, as it is very high-pitched, but they are hyperactive in winter, and you can soon pick them up by their movements if you look up through the conifer branches. Goldfinches nest in the Arboretum – there was one pair last year, building their deeply cupped nest below the ends of the conifer branches. Redpolls are most commonly seen in winter, with birds coming here from Scandinavia. They favour the birch and alder trees. They move restlessly in small flocks – there has been a party of twelve this winter – clinging nimbly to the tips of the highest branches. They rarely stay in the same place long, and you will often pick them up as the flock moves, calling loudly, from tree to tree.
On the river Dippers have continued to be unusually prominent. I recently watched a pair courting on the stones below Belmont Street Bridge. The Goosander party at the Botanic Garden Bridge has been bigger than usual this year – up to nineteen on one visit I made. If you observe them closely just now you can see how some of the ‘red-heads’ are getting increasing amounts of white in their plumage – in other words they are last year’s male juveniles who are in process of moulting into adult male plumage.
Finally, don’t forget the breeding season is beginning. Early breeders, such as Long-tailed Tits can already be seen collecting feathers. They are particularly common this year, as they had excellent breeding success in the fine early spring weather last year, and have relatively easily come through the mild winter we have had.
This FORK Bird Report is taken from the Spring 2008 edition of FORK News