T he end of another year for our local

group – and this one seems to have

flown by quicker than ever. The Big

Garden Birdwatch results are in and

those for my garden look normal for this area. If you

haven’t already seen them, you can find Oxford’s

results on page four.

I am eagerly waiting to find out if “my” blue tits raise a

family this year. We have a nestbox camera and last

year, soon after the eggs were laid, the male

disappeared. The female hatched five babies, but she

could not bring in enough food and one-by-one they

perished. It was so sad to watch. This year we have

eight eggs and again have not seen the male for a

while – maybe he is still around outside nest-guarding.

She has just started incubating so hopefully I will have

better news in September! I am also watching the nest

cameras at Loch Garten where female osprey, EJ,

now in her 20th year, already has two eggs with her

partner, Odin.

At this time of year I like to say “Thank you”. Charles,

Cecelia, Michael and Sue (with additional help from

Kathy) kept us supplied with tea and coffee at our

meetings. Our committee all worked hard but thanks

must also go to those who come along to talks and on

trips, and make the planning worthwhile. I must make

a very special mention of Keith Neale who, despite his

health problems, continued valiantly in his role. I really

appreciate all that he has done for the group.

Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you

at our meeting in September when we visit Lesvos.

Best wishes

Roy (RSPB Oxford Local Group Leader)

Next trips: Seeking songbirds

Inspire

RSPB Oxford Local Group Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 2

May 2017

Our last trips of the season leave from the car park of

the Sports & Leisure Centre, Court Place Farm, Marsh

Lane, Marston, OX3 0NQ - just off the Oxford northern

by-pass.

Paxton Pits Nature Reserve

(21 May) is a mosaic of wildlife

habitats: lakes, riverside,

meadow, reedbed, scrub and

woodland, in the Great Ouse

valley. Famous for its

nightingales, it is also host to a

wide variety of other birds,

insects, mammals and flora.

You can buy light refreshments

and snacks in the Visitors’

Centre, where you can also pick up maps and

information leaflets. The Friends of Paxton Pits Nature

Reserve post the latest sightings on:

http://paxtonpits.blogspot.co.uk/

Our mid-year car trip to the Berks, Bucks and Oxon

Wildlife Trust reserve at Greenham and Crookham

Commons (11 June) is very much a fixture in the

calendar. But we thought we

would make a change this year

and see it in daylight, so please

note the departure time is 8.30

am.

It means that we will probably

miss out on crepuscular species

like nightjar and woodcock. But

this reserve, our nearest large

tract of open heath, gives us a

chance to look out for heathland

specialists such as woodlarks

and Dartford warblers. Little ringed plovers, ringed

plovers and lapwings also breed on the sparsely

vegetated ground and the shrubby woodland is home

to tree pipits, although these are now scarce.

The RSPB is a registered charity in England & Wales 207076, in Scotland SC037654

Nightingale - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

When I started bird watching, the

archetypical little brown job was called

the “hedge sparrow” but, although

superficially similar to house sparrows,

they belong to a family called the

accentors. Its vernacular name is “dunnock”, which

translates from Old English as

“small brown bird”. All of its

close relatives live in

mountainous areas and the

family name – accentor –

refers to its singing ability. So

it is a little bit of a mystery why

our British accentor is an

almost ubiquitous garden bird,

seen in over 50% of Oxford’s

gardens during this year’s Big

Garden Bird Watch.

At this time of year the dunnock sheds its dull, brown

image and instead of scuttling, mouse-like, beneath

the bird table, picking up scraps and foraging for

insects, it shows off its singing ability on high perches.

Its song is quick, delicate and high-pitched, not as

strident as a wren’s but surprisingly carrying for such

an insignificant small bird.

But it’s the dunnock’s private life that shows it is a

much more colourful character than its plumage

suggests. Both males and females defend territories,

often independently of each other and, rather than just

pairing up as male and

female, their relationships can

be very flexible indeed! The

possible combinations can be

one male with two or more

females; one female with two

or more males or even several

males and females together.

No doubt our gardens provide

such a rich resource for

dunnocks that territories can

be small. It is, therefore, possible for a male to support

several females or a female to attract several males.

As both males and females sing, the sexes are difficult

to distinguish, so even if you see them chasing each

other around your garden it is difficult to tell who is

chasing whom!

Focus on

the “little

brown

job”

State of the UK’s Birds 2016

Dunnock - Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

Last month, State of UK Birds 2016 was published.

It’s a fabulous publication collated by a partnership of

government bodies and charities based on data

collected by many thousands of volunteers who give

their time for free. It contains both good and bad news.

In Oxford we are very much

aware that the bittern is in

recovery, as our local RSPB

reserve at Otmoor hosted

Oxfordshire’s first breeding

bitterns for 150 years in

2016. Elsewhere, species

recovery programmes have

helped cirl bunting, golden

eagle, nightjar and

woodlark. Other Otmoor

visitors such as turtle doves

and curlews have not fared

so well.

The UK supports up to 27% of the global curlew

population, and the long-term trend shows a 64%

decline from 1970 to 2014. This, combined with the

bird’s global status of Near Threatened, suggest that

the curlew along with other upland species could be

considered one of the most pressing bird conservation

priorities in the UK. Although Otmoor hardly fits the

description “upland” it does provide the wet conditions

curlews enjoy and, as such, is a haven in the midlands

for these threatened birds.

Farmland birds remain a serious concern. Twelve

farmland species are Red-

listed as Birds of

Conservation Concern and

the turtle dove, which is

highly dependent on

farmland for foraging when

breeding in the UK, is one

of the species that

continues to decline. No

new farmland birds joined

the Red list in 2015, but that

simply reflects that those

likely to be impacted

adversely by modern farming practices are Red-listed

already. It is uncertain whether turtle doves bred on

Otmoor last year and at the time of writing we are

anxiously awaiting their return.

You can read the report in full here:

State of UK Birds 2016

Bitte

rn - A

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pb-im

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Oxford Swift City takes flight by Lucy Hyde

Swifts have now returned to the UK after their long

migration from Africa. These charismatic birds are

recognised throughout the UK as a sign of summer.

They also have a long cultural association with Oxford

as a symbol of knowledge and dexterity. However, the

national swift population has fallen by 42% since 1994,

due to a lack of nesting sites and food.

The Oxford Swift City project

hopes to turn this around, by

monitoring and protecting

existing nests, and encouraging

householders and developers

to incorporate swift-friendly

accommodation into buildings

as Oxford continues to grow.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery

Fund, the RSPB-led project is

supported by many local

partners, including Oxford University, Oxford

University Museum of Natural History, Oxford City

Council, Thames Valley Environmental Records

Centre, Environment Resources Management and the

Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, BBOWT.

The project partners also want to inspire the Oxford

community to take action to help give swifts a home in

their own gardens. There are many ways to get

involved, including: installing a nest box in your home,

encouraging your local school or community group to

take action, volunteering for the Oxford Swift Survey,

or planting wildflowers in your back garden to

encourage insects for swift food.

You can also join a local swift

expert on a number of “swift

walks” through Oxford over the

summer. Alternatively if you like

getting creative, stay tuned for

details of our “Swift Tower”

competition, open to all ages.

The new “Swift Tower” will be

constructed in Oxford next year,

and will provide ideal nesting

spaces for swifts. The winning

design will be voted for by the public and will be built in

the Oxford University Parks, combining conservation

and art into a public landmark.

To find out more about Oxford Swift City and how to get

involved, contact Lucy Hyde, Oxford Swift City Project

Officer, by emailing oxfordswiftcity@rspb.org.uk.

Calendar competition – final call

This is your last call for entries in

our photographic competition for our

40th Birthday calendar. Here’s a

quick reminder of what we want.

We’re particularly looking for photographs with a

strong seasonal flavour and a landscape format is

preferable. The 12 best images will be used to create

the calendar and will be published to celebrate our

40th anniversary in 2018.

Each photographer can submit up to four images and

should supply a few words about their photographs

(e.g. when and where it was taken and why what it

captures is so special). Digital images only please

(however, if you have a print or slide that you think

would be of special interest, please discuss submitting

it with a member of the committee) – competition

closes at 12 noon on 30 June 2017. Full terms and

conditions can be found on our website:

www.rspb.org.uk/groups/oxford/

Bird Fair raises over £4 million

We know that a lot of RSPB Oxford Local Group

members visit Birdfair at Rutland Water because we

often bump into each other there. In March, Tim

Appleton (one of the co-founders of Birdfair) revealed

that £350,000 had been raised from last year’s event.

This will support the BirdLife International partnership

work for Important Bird Areas in Africa.

This means that since it started in 1989, Birdfair

(which is jointly organised by the Leicestershire &

Rutland Wildlife Trust and the RSPB) has raised

£4,246,152 for conservation projects around the world

– a remarkable achievement by the organisers, the

sponsors, exhibitors and all those who attend the

festival.

This year, funds raised will contribute to the

restoration of islands in French Polynesia including

Rapa Iti, home to internationally important populations

of seabirds and the endangered Rapa fruit dove.

Birdfair is developing every year, with informative talks

and discussions as well as the more commercial stalls

aiming to sell you new kit and holidays in exotic

locations. If you are looking for something to do before

our next season starts and haven’t been before, do go

along to Rutland on 18-20 August.

Snippets

Sw

ift

© R

oger

Wyatt

RSPB Oxford

Local Group

Committee

Group Leader

Roy Grant

Treasurer

Roy Jackson

Secretary

Anne Clark

Other committee

members and

volunteers

Petula Banyard

Reg Cox

Lyn Ebbs

Charles Merry

Cecelia Merry

Linda Neal

David Rolfe

Alan Sherman

Please visit our

Group Website www.rspb.org.uk/groups/oxford/

If you have comments

about Inspire or would

like to contribute,

please contact the

Editor, Lyn Ebbs

Email:

lynebbs@btinternet.com

Front page pictures:

Hoywell Street cyclist;

Lizard, Otmoor; St Michael

slaying the devil, St Michael

Street © Lyn Ebbs

BGBW 2017 - Oxford’s Top 20

The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.

www.rspb.org.uk

House sparrow - Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com) Blackbird - Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com) Starling - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com) Woodpigeon - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) Blue tit - Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com) Goldfinch - John Bridges (rspb-images.com) Robin - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com) Long-tailed tit - Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com) Great tit - Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com) Collared dove - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

Dunnock - Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com) Chaffinch - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com) Jackdaw - Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com) Magpie - Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com) Carrion crow - Nick Upton (rspb-images.com) Coal tit - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) Wren - Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com) Greenfinch - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com) Feral pigeon - Steve Round (rspb-images.com) Rook - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

Here are Oxford’s top 20 birds in 2017’s Big

Garden Birdwatch. This January event is an

interesting snapshot of Britain’s bird-life but

it reflects what happened in the seasons

before.

Last June we had cold, wet weather after a

mild spring. Species like blue tits were

drawn into nesting early but the following

cool conditions meant there then weren’t

enough caterpillars to feed the young

broods and many nests failed.

The fact that we had a waxwing winter was

an indicator that there were a lot of winter

migrants from Scandinavia around,

including many of the blackbirds we saw.

Taking these two facts together could

explain why blue tits dropped from 2nd

place in 2016 to 5th place this year and

blackbirds moved the other way.

For the full results go to: birdwatch/results