FORK Bird Report – June 2009
In early spring the stretch of the river between Belmont Street footbridge and Kelvinbridge was good for sightings of Dippers, Grey Wagtails and Kingfishers. Up to four Mute Swans were present throughout April and into May. The Goosanders disappeared to their summer breeding grounds, though two pairs were still on the Kelvin in April and a solitary male has been seen since. In early April a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming upstream from Kirklee Bridge.
April brings the pleasure of seeing the first of our summer migrants return to the river. Sand Martins were back at their usual haunt below the Benalder Street bridge – at least eight were seen feeding on 18 April. Chiffchaffs have been calling in the Botanic Gardens along the bank downstream from the Ha’penny Bridge, their repetitive song contrasting with the clear melodic warbling of a male Blackcap nearby. In recent years more of these warblers have been choosing to spend the winter here rather than migrate to Africa, and male and female blackcaps have been seen during the winter months in gardens near the river for several years now. Their numbers in the UK have been increasing, suggesting that this species is benefiting from global warming.
May brought the return of the Swifts, the most truly aerial of birds, feeding, sleeping and mating on the wing. Their nest is made from debris borne on the wind, held together by saliva. When weather is bad adults fly huge distances to find food and may be away for days at a time – swifts in Scotland have been known to fly as far as Germany – while the young survive by going into a state of torpor to conserve energy until the parents can return to feed them. Breeding numbers are difficult to determine and have been estimated at somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 pairs in Scotland with some evidence that numbers are declining. Modern building methods have reduced the number of potential nesting sites, and Glasgow is one area where swift nest boxes have been put up to try and counter this problem. The Scottish Swifts project website gives lots of information about these fascinating birds and explains how to take part in a survey of swift numbers and nest sites in your local area.
Young Great Tits | Picture: Hazel Mills
In the spring sunshine little dramas played out along the river – on 12 May a pair of Mallards were defending their brood of seven tiny ducklings from a predatory Crow, and the following day I found the remains of a little moss and feather nest in the Arboretum lying among a drift of plucked feathers. Great Tits returned to their nest site in the wall near the Ha’penny Bridge and were feeding young on 20 May – the young fledged soon after, about the same time as last year – and on 7 June Long-tailed Tits were feeding fledglings in the Arboretum. The young have more muted markings and shorter tails than the adults, who continue to feed them for about two weeks after they leave the nest.
Summer 2009 edition of FORK News