Fork Bird Report
June 2008
The headline of this report is that we have a pair of Dippers nesting on the river. You will remember that in the winter report I noted more Dippers than usual on the river, and then in the spring I reported on courtship behaviour. Well, a pair has stayed, and today (9 June) they can be seen carrying food under the former railway bridge (now a footbridge) just downstream from the Great Western Road bridge. This is the first time in eight years of observation that I have found Dippers nesting on our stretch of the river. The nest-site under the bridge is typical for Dippers, though the urban setting is much less typical of this bird of upland streams.
Other water birds nesting successfully include Mallard (two broods presently, one well grown and the other newly hatched) and Moorhen (two chicks on the Park pond). Surprisingly, there are three Goosander (two male and one female) summering on the river, but no evidence of breeding. Sand Martins are here in good numbers at their usual Benalder Street bridge colony. Absent, however, from the lower stretches of the river this year are both Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail – the latter have become progressively scarcer over the past few years. There are plenty of Grey Heron to be seen, but few Cormorants.
Sadly, this is my last FORK report, as I am moving away. The River Kelvin through Glasgow will never be a major site for birding rarities, but for me it has seemed an ideal ‘local patch’ – that is, one to visit frequently, on which to get to know the regular residents and visitors, and to rejoice in the occasional unexpected finding. Long may it remain so for all of you.
Richard Brown
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.
Richard Brown
This Fork Bird Report is taken from the Spring 2008 edition of Fork News
December 2007
In early December I found a Little Grebe diving in the Kelvin under the Clydeside Expressway Bridge. Although I have never actually seen one on the Kelvin before, the find was not entirely a surprise, as they are common on the Clyde itself in winter. Much more unexpected, half an hour later, was finding a second bird on the Kelvingrove Park pond. These two records presumably represent birds leaving their breeding areas on smaller lochs and canals, and making their way to larger, more open bodies of water for winter feeding.
Another bird using the Kelvin for post-breeding dispersal is the Dipper, which has been exceptionally evident on the Kelvin this autumn. In early November there were no fewer than four together below Benalder Street Bridge. There is still (10 December) at least one regularly to be seen, most recently giving superb views on the tree caught on the weir just below the Art Gallery.
Apart from these two stars there are other good winter birds coming in. The Goosander party at the Botanic Gardens bridge is 15–20 strong this year, with several males in superb plumage. The improvements to the Park pond have attracted not just the Little Grebe, but also up to eight Moorhen at a time, with one juvenile as well. The short days now mean that our small resident birds need to feed almost all the daylight hours. Taken with the bare trees this means that on a walk through the Park and up to the Arboretum you have a good chance of seeing all four resident Tit species, Goldcrests (in the Arboretum), and Tree-Creeper as well as thrushes and crows. And there is a Sparrow-Hawk active along the river.
Finally watch out for Waxwings – there is already a small party reported in the West End this winter.
Richard Brown
This Fork Bird Report is taken from the Winter 07 edition of Fork News
September 2007
We all commonly see Grey Herons on the Kelvin. At all times of the year there are usually three or four individual birds spaced out along the river between the Clyde and Dawsholm Park. They always fish individually, as their fishing method involves patient waiting for their prey to come within range, and no fisherman wants another spooking his patch at the crucial moment. When the tide is low you can often see birds both above and below Benalder Street Bridge. Another favourite spot is beside the fish ladder in the weir below Queen Margaret Drive. A Heron needs to catch up to a fifth of its body weight per day, so they can be seen hunting all through the daylight hours. And they will turn to other prey if offered – I have seen a Heron take and eat one of the Kelvingrove Park rats. In contrast to their solitary hunting habits, Herons live in noisy, smelly colonies. I suspect that ‘our’ birds come from the large heronry on the Finlaystone estate at Langbank, where there are thirty or forty nests each year.
Over the summer breeding season there have continued to be tantalising sightings on the river, but not always evidence of successful breeding. I have continued to see an occasional Kingfisher (as have others – thank you for your reports to me), and a Dipper, but no sign of nests. Our Mallards have done well, however, with the biggest mature brood being six near to the Museum. The Moorhen have now bred successfully on the Park pond, after the failure of their first two nesting attempts. Sand Martins occupied eight holes in the wall at Benalder Street this year – a bit less than the usual number. And a pair of Goldcrests were seen building a nest in a conifer in the arboretum, though sadly it appeared to have been washed out in subsequent rains.
Richard Brown
This Fork Bird Report is taken from the Autumn 07 edition of Fork News
June 2007
I will start with the stars of the show who are here. Top of the list is undoubtedly the Goosander, which has bred in the river again after a gap of a couple of years. As I write (10 June) the female is on the river between the Art Galleries and the University, with two half-grown chicks. The young have grown beyond the endearing stage when they leap on mother’s back to move off with her if disturbed.
More of a surprise is the presence of a Dipper at this time of the year – it is usually an autumn visitor. I am trying to observe if it is breeding or not. I described in a previous set of notes the special adaptations it has for underwater pursuit of its insect larvae prey. This bird seems to spurn all that, flying up to take insects in midair, flycatcher style. Our Sandmartins are back at the Benalder Street Bridge. Their numbers are good this year – ten to fifteen in the air at a time – but they seem to be nesting late: there are as yet few comings and goings at the nest-holes. There are a pair of Bullfinch in the arboretum. You have to be patient to spot them in the low branches of the trees, as they are quiet, undemonstrative birds. Worth finding though, as their plumage is stunning, and the different colourings of the male and female complement each other beautifully. Finally, improvements to the Kelvingrove Park pond have not yet attracted much new birdlife, apart from the Moorhens, now up to five adults on the one small pond. They have already had one failed nesting attempt this year (I think the nest sank), but there is now another, more securely built.
Sadly, we have some absentees from the show this summer. I have only had one single Kingfisher sighting, and cannot find any evidence of breeding in the urban part of the river. Grey Wagtails are also much reduced – again no sign of breeding pairs this year. And I’m not seeing Cormorants as often as I did – I continue to wonder if the waterfront roadworks are ‘blocking’ them from coming up the Kelvin.
I suspect that the reason for the ebb and flow of bird species we get from year to year is that the Kelvin is on the borderline as an attractive breeding venue for many species, so that one year we get one half of our possible species present, but the next year it is the other half that appear.
But the surprise element is the half the fun of bird-watching …
Richard Brown
This Fork Bird Report is taken from the Summer 07 edition of Fork News
