Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Waxwings And New Born Seals Top Wildlife Popularity Stakes In Northumberland


Local bird watching groups in Northumberland have been updating us on the top arrivals and departures during the month of November, with waxwings undoubtedly walking off with the popularity award.

Waxwings breed in the far northern coniferous forests of Scandinavia and arrive here in small numbers most years. This year a major invasion seems to have occurred with birds arriving in large numbers throughout the region.

In the first week of the month, 150 waxwings were in the gardens of Howick Hall and on November 6, 24 were feeding on Amble Braid. In Alnwick, 25 waxwings were feeding in Royal Oak Gardens on November 8, while on November 9, 20 were in Belle Vue Gardens and 26 were in Ratten Row feeding on sorbus berries.

On November 10, 13 waxwings were gorging themselves on a crab apple tree at Riverside, Rothbury and on November 15, 100 birds were in the Whitebeam at South Farm, Craster. There were also flocks of waxwings seen in Berwick, Wooler, Powburn, Hulne Park and on Holy Island as well as several other widespread localities.

Waxwings are the only birds in Europe that feed exclusively on fruit. On a normal day it is estimated that a waxwing can eat up to 1,000 berries, which is twice its body weight, so it is not surprising that a flock can very quickly strip a tree or bush and be ready to move on.

Meanwhile over at the Farne Islands, more baby seals were born this breeding season than for a decade, according to the ranger who spends three months every year keeping count. David Steel, head ranger on the Farnes for the National Trust, leads a six-strong team who live on the islands, off the coast near Seahouses, for most of the year. The breeding season for seals runs from September to December, and one of the rangers’ jobs is to count how many babies are born each year.

“We’ve been counting them since 1951, and it is the longest running study of grey seals in the world,” David said. “A lot of the knowledge we have about grey seals is based around study on the Farnes.”

This year, around 1,600 pups were born on the islands – a number which has grown every season for the past nine years. Every pup that is born on the islands is marked with dye, and the team use a different colour every few days so they can track the movement of the newborns. The mild autumn has spelled a bumper year for the seal colony, which, at around 4,000-strong, is the largest on the east coast of England.

The National Trust’s main role is to monitor the seal population, but in the 1970s there were major culls to keep numbers down – partly because fisherman claimed the animals, which can weigh up to 310kg, were eating through surrounding fish stocks.

“Attitudes have changed. Seahouses isn’t so much a fishing village – a lot of the boats have gone, and it’s more of a tourist destination. The seals breeding in October and November is actually extending the tourist season,” David said.

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