gnsadminRed Kites are becoming a more familiar sight with every passing season in the Cotswolds as the Oxfordshire/Berkshire population increases and spreads out. Kites to the west of the Severn though are still relatively infrequent by comparison but they do show up now and then as this photograph of one of two Kites seen circling with a Buzzard over the Woolaston Common area shows. Photo by David Priddis, 20th April 2013
At Cinderford Linear Park & Northern Quarter – a morning field meeting of general interest and birds of the area, meet at Winner Garage on the Forest Vale Industrial Estate – SO 645 151 at 11 am – to be led by Andrew Bluett. Resident birds breeding, migrants becoming established and possible early butterflies if the sun shines…! All welcome.
Cleeve Common: Between 1pm and 2pm
2 Ring Ouzel
4 Singing Willow Warbler
Bill Smyllie Butterfly Conservation Reserve.
2.30pm a Cuckoo. Digiscope record shots below.
Posted on behalf of Ken Cservenka.
Following the post on 16th April 2013 regarding the Dean Forest Voice meeting, the draft minutes of the Forest of Dean District Council have now been published and the questions put to the meeting have been answered. The answers have been placed immediately after each question to facilitate understanding, otherwise the questions and answers are exactly as recorded in the minutes:
From the Draft Minutes of FODDC Meeting 11th April 2013, (subject to approval at the next council meeting).
The following questions have been received from Keith Morgan, 4 Wilkes Meadow, Broadwell, Coleford Glos GL16 7DT:
Responses from Councillor Patrick Molyneux, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration:
Q a) Was the Council aware of the urgent instructions concerning the use of machinery and equipment from the HCA to their contractors to demolish buildings at the Northern United site and the steps they had to take to respect the many rare bats and their habitat which are protected by law?
A a) The Council was not party to the instructions between the HCA and their contractor. It was aware of the requirements of the demolition notice issued by the Council and the subsequent licences granted by Natural England.
Q b) If the Council were aware of this urgent action did they do anything to prevent it?
A b) The Council has well established enforcement policies and protocols. Action would only be taken where it was expedient to do so.
Q c) If not why not?
A c) The Council had given consent for the building to be demolished. The applicant had stated that this would be done by November. Clearly the demolition occurred more recently but it was not expedient to take action as the activity had been licensed by staff at Natural England who were thus content for the work to go ahead.
Q d) Was pressure put upon National England to revoke an earlier hand demolish licence and replace it with a licence to ‘demolish quickly’ by use of machinery?
A d) No
Q e) Was all this urgent action the result of having to meet funding deadlines?
A e) The HCA as the landowner and developer has confirmed that this work is progressing in accordance with a detailed timetable. There is no funding package dependent on the demolition of these buildings.
Q f) Was FoDDC involved in the reporting of these matters in the local Press and the threat of legal action?
A f) No
Q g) If FoDDC are innocent of all this and are appalled by it, what action do they propose to take?
A g) The work being undertaken is to allow delivery of the Cinderford Regeneration Board’s vision. This will see the inward investment of some £100M, the creation of new jobs and new homes to meet local needs. We are determined that this vital development will be done sustainably and in accordance with stringent mitigation criteria. Members of this Council have given strong support for the regeneration of Cinderford as it will be good for both the town and the entire District. We are working very hard to achieve our aim.
Supplementary question
He (Mr Morgan) asked if the council was aware of the destruction to the bat colony recently caused by the demolition of buildings on the site.
Response
He (Cllr Molyneux) replied that the HCA had obtained all relevant licences from Natural England, which had been consulted throughout the process. At all stages the Council had followed the advice of experts.
Comment: It would be very interesting to hear Natural England’s take on this situation but there isn’t a forum for that. The answers given by Councillor Molyneux are not entirely satisfactory, but they are hardly surprising. Perhaps he should be asked whether or not he beats his wife..?
Yesterday I posted comments regarding the increasing bird activity and incoming migrants, today, this little gem arrived in my garden.
I don’t really think it’s an exotic migrant, just an unfortunate escapee…
Eastern Rosella – Platycercus eximius
As will be seen from Mike Smart’s account of the Black Tailed Godwits heading north through Coombe Hill, it is evident that bird activity is increasing now that the chill resulting from the over-southerly position of the Jet-Stream has eased. In the past 10 days or so Swallows amd a few Martins have begun to appear, the Ring Ouzels made their annual Spring appearance at Cleeve Hill, a few other migrants have been seen, particularly over the hilltops to the east of the Severn.
The Blackcap and Dunnock that have been feeding in my garden all winter have now been issuing bursts of welcome song for a couple of weeks,the Blackbirds who have also been daily visitors to my feeding station have chicks in the brambles behind my garden fence.
I heard my first Chiff Chaff singing at Horsbere Brook on 7th April, eight days later on the 15th, I heard the first Willow Warbler singing in almost exactly the same spot.
It reminds me of a childhood rhyme… The Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies iz?
Cuckoos shortly I hope..!
Andrew Bluett attended a meeting of Dean Forest Voice group at Berry Hill Rugby Club on Monday 8th April 2013 on behalf of GNS. The meeting, chaired by Keith Morgan had more than a dozen attendees including GNS members David Priddis (Bats), Simon Glover (Butterflies), Derek & Chris Foster. Also in attendance was Councillor Andrew Gardiner from Forest of Dean District Council, though in a personal capacity and not representing the local authority.
The main business of the evening was to hear from Inspector Richard Boyles of Gloucestershire Police regarding the current state of affairs in respect of a number of alleged wildlife crime related offences all connected to the Cinderford Northern Quarter development site and the activities going on there.
Inspector Boyles summarised the alleged offences and incidents he was aware of and where possible gave an update on progress or outcomes to date. The alleged incidents included the following:
Inspector Boyles listened to a number of other comments and allegations regarding incidents which have taken place and have in some cases been witnessed. Whilst the mood of the meeting was not in any way hostile, he found that a considerable amount of further information from the meeting needed to be conveyed back to Sgt Simon Clement and PC John Palfrey who are the specialist Wildlife Crime Officers dealing with these matters and that feedback would be sought from those officers regarding some of the points made.
To be fair to the police, even the Wildlife Crime Officers are not expert in the way that special interest experts/recorders and GNS members are. They have to work on what they can discover, have to take advice from elsewhere and are limited in what they can investigate when, as is clearly shown above, there are matters that have to be investigated between the licensing authorities and other agencies.
Most of the meeting attendees voiced the opinion that they have no confidence in the way that the various agencies act between themselves, or that internal investigations will be carried out and concluded objectively and most importantly, that whilst some investigation is continuing, so is the work on site. It seems that no-one has the power to halt the works in spite of the whole web of offences alleged to have taken place.
It was also noted that whilst Natural England are supposed to be investigating a number of incidents, there has apparently been an official complaint lodged against Natural England on the grounds that they have not acted properly or have not acted at all in some respects. Similarly, the activities of the Homes and Communities Agency are being investigated on the grounds that they have acted improperly by not providing correct information to other agencies.
The attached items from the Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Review of 10th April 2013 explain fully how the questions originally proposed to be put to the council by Dean Forest Voice were amended on the instructions of the council’s solicitor. These changes were reluctantly accepted by Dean Forest Voice in order that the revised questions could be put forward, rather than lose the opportunity to question the council at all. The most important change was the removal of the word “heavy” before machinery, which as can be seen from the news article, is of some importance.
The questions to be put to the council are as follows:-
In summary, serious questions are being raised about the means and methods being pursued to drive the proposed development on the Cinderford Northern Quarter site in spite of the perceived damage to wildlife and habitats which is believed to be contrary to EU and UK legislation, there is a serious lack of confidence in the way that the investigations are being handled and there is a real fear that by the time these things are brought to a conclusion, irreparable damage will have been done.
When the minutes of the council meeting are published, the answers to the above questions will be revealed.
In the meanwhile, certain people known to GNS who have first hand knowledge and expertise relating to these incidents are helping the police with their enquiries. Unless any member of GNS has specific and clear evidence of any wrongdoing, any thoughts, comments or questions relating to the Cinderford Northern Quarter site should be directed to the Forest of Dean District Council which is the “Competent Authority”. In this context though, the word “competent” should not necessarily be taken as a measure of the council’s abilities…
Black-tailed Godwit is a regular spring passage migrant at Coombe Hill, but the numbers this year are a good deal higher than usual. Comparable records in recent years are 25 from 6 to 8 April 2005, 14 on 7 April 2006, 25-45 in the second half of March 2007; in other years since 2001 numbers recorded in the last ten days of March or the first ten days of April have been in single figures. The Icelandic breeding popuation of Black-tailed Godwit winters in western Europe (particularly in UK and Ireland) and passes through western England in March/April en route to its Icelandic breeding grounds.
On Sunday 7 April at 18h00, five birds were seen, all but one very red (males in summer plumage); five were seen during the morning of Monday 8 April, and on the morning of Tuesday 9 April; none were seen on the evening of Wednesday 10 April, and the five are presumed to have left – though they could have been part of the larger flocks seen later in the week. The five were present at the end of the long period of cold easterly weather, with strong winds, which only began to give way to milder weather with south-westerly Atlantic fronts on 10 April.
The milder weather saw the arrival of much higher numbers, no doubt previously held back by the adverse conditions; other migrant waders showed the same tendency. On Friday 12 April, 51 godwits flew in at about midday. On the morning of Saturday 13 April 66 were counted between 06h30 and 08h30, when they flew off to the west; they included a colour-ringed bird, originally ringed in Iceland (details of life history awaited). This flock was not found later that morning, but a flock of 110 (including the colour-ringed bird) were present from about 10h00 until 13h00 on Sunday 14 April; that evening from 18h00 until dusk, only three birds were left. This group was seen to fly off to the west several times, but returned; perhaps they went to another wet spot at Cobney Meadows; the presence of the colour-ringed bird suggests that the same birds were involved each time. There was movement of this species elsewhere in the county (38 at Walmore, about a hundred in flight over Frampton on 13 April).
On the next morning, Monday 15 April, 95 were once again present at 10h30; they flew off at about 11h00; the colour-ringed bird was not seen in this flock (though some were in deep water, and it could have been overlooked); so this may have been some of those previously recorded, or possibly new arrivals. On Tuesday 16 April, none were found at Coombe Hill, but five were flushed from the flight pond at Cobney Meadows.
Water levels not declining following recent rain (north scrape 0.68, south scrape 0.72); no outflow from the Parish Drain to the Chelt.
At Coombe Hill this morning, clear indications of more migrants passing through, despite the rather windy conditions.
Still a few ducks: 30 Teal, 2 Wigeon, a female Mallard on the canal with eleven newly-hatched ducklings (first of the year), 2 Shoveler , 10 Tufted Ducks; plus 2 Little Egrets.
Among potentially breeding waders: 2 Oystercatchers, 20 Lapwings, 2 Redshank, 4 Curlews.
Among passage waders, the large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits still present yesterday (95 seen in the morning) appeared to have moved on; just five left on Cobney Meadows; the colour-ringed bird seen on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 was definitely ringed in Iceland; full life history not yet received. Two Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe.
Among passerine migrants: 3 singing Chiffchaffs, 2 singing Willow Warblers, 2 singing Sedge Warblers, 3 Wheatears, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 White Wagtails, 30 Swallows, 1 House Martin, 40 Sand Martins. No sign of singing Redstarts yet at the west end of the canal.
It’s clearly worth regular visits to Coombe Hill and other wetlands in the Severn Hams at present.
At the recent British Dragonfly Society Recorders’ Conference and BRC Workshop at Wallingford in Oxfordshire, the meeting was opened with a special award. A signed Ruddy Darter print by artist Richard Lewington, illustrator of a number of field guides, was presented to Ingrid Twissell, British Dragonfly Society Vice-County Recorder for Gloucestershire, by British Dragonfly Society President Pam Taylor. It marked the one millionth dragonfly record to be sent to the Society and arose from Ingrid’s report of a Ruddy Darter at Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire on 9th August 2012.
This landmark achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of many hundreds of volunteer recorders throughout the UK. Back at the start of 2008 when the British Dragonfly Society launched recording for the new dragonfly atlas, the database held just over half a million dragonfly records. To double that total to a staggering one million records in just five years is a phenomenal achievement.
Thanks were expressed to all contributors to the Dragonfly database.
Ingrid with her signed Richard Lewington Print
To read more, follow the link below.
http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/content/bds-recorders-conference-report