Category Archives: Europe

House Sparrow Tops Dutch Garden Bird Count

Volunteers counted back yard birds throughout the Netherlands last weekend and the winner again this year is the House Sparrow.

The top three birds remained the same as last year: 1) House Sparrow; 2) Great Tit; and 3) Blackbird.

The one newcomer to this year’s list is the Wood Pigeon, replacing the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

Source: Huismus weer meest gezien

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus indicus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus indicus) by Lip Kee, Creative Commons on Flickr

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More Birds Breeding In Dutch ‘Harderbos’

It was revealed that this year three new bird species have been breeding in the forest ‘Broekbos’, part of the larger Harderbos natural area in Flevoland, the Netherlands. At least 61 different species are known to raise chicks in the woods.

Of the 61 species of birds breeding in the Broekbos, twelve of them are rare or endangered, including Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) and Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus).

Forest management for the woods has made the environment more appealing for birds by increasing the amount of water in the area. Forest workers have also repaired the reedbed to make more enticing habitat. Because of efforts like this, the Bearded Reedling has increased from one breeding pair to five breeding pairs in three years.

The Broekbos has also been successful in appealing to migratory birds to use the area as a stopping off point during their trek. In October and November this year 375 Red-Crested Pochards were counted in the waters of Broekbos, which accounts for about 2% of the global population.

Natuurmonumenten has created four routes for visitors to walk through the Broekbos, ranging from 2.5 to 9.5 kilometers. Because the trails can be wet, it is recommended to wear waterproof shoes or boots. There is one bird hide along the routes.

Source: WEER MEER BROEDVOGELS IN HET HARDERBOS

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French Migrants Not Leaving

Like the Netherlands, France has recorded record high temperatures this fall, and the migratory birds that normally only spend the summer months in the country are still there in mid-December.

This autumn was the warmest in France since 1950, with temperatures almost 3 degrees Celsius higher than normal. For example, warblers have been seen all over the country, although they normally head for Africa in August or September.

Read the full article Birds bask in warmest French autumn since 1950.

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Stone Curlew Numbers Up In Britain

The number of Stone Curlews breeding in Britain has risen in the last few years, with a record number of at least 300 pairs recorded last year.

The success is due partly to the RSPB joining up with farmers in Southern England to create appealing habitats for the picky birds to nest. Government grants and EU subsidies reward farmers for creating and protecting the habitats.

Read more about the Stone Curlew in Britain.

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Inside The Bizarre World Of Egg Thieves

Egg collecting is a dangerous and illegal activity that began when Victorian-era explorers returned to the U.K. with exotic treasures from around the world, including bird eggs. Today the ‘sport’ is practiced by an alarming number of furtive obsessives who break the law each time they add to their collections.

A special police task force dubbed Operation Easter was started in the late 1990’s, when egg thieves appeared to be on the rise. At that time, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds received about one nest theft report per day. Last year, the RSPB received just over 50 reports. Taking wild eggs has been illegal since 1954, and imprisonment became a possible punishment in 2001. Still, the threat of fines and jail time does not discourage the most hard-core egg collectors, some of whom have been living with their obsession since childhood.

Read The Guardian’s investigative report.

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Leiden Study: City Birds Sing A Different Tune

A recent study indicates that birds living in urban environments sing faster, shorter songs than their country counterparts. The study was conducted by Dr. Hans Slabbekoorn of the University of Leiden.

Songs of Great Tits in different European cities were recorded and compared to songs from the same species in nearby natural areas. City birds were found to use higher frequencies in their songs, and to sing faster.

Read more about this fascinating study.

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Opposition To Proposed Scottish Golf Mega-Resort

Donald Trump has big plans to build a two course golf resort in the northeast of Scotland. The plan is opposed by various environmental groups, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The area near Balmedie is home to thousands of seabirds, ducks and divers. A wide range of invertebrates, plants and breeding birds inhabit the coastal sand dunes, and the RSPB is determined to protect the environment from Trump’s development, estimated to cost over 300 million pounds.

Read the full story in The Scotsman.

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Cats Unwelcome In New UK Neighborhood

Developers building 50,000 homes in the heaths of Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire have proposed to force future homeowners to sign an agreement never to own a cat. Cats kill approximately 55 million birds in the UK each year.

Imposing a cat ban for homeowners is the only way real estate developers would be allowed to build the homes close to the nesting areas in the heathland. The plan is designed to protect such birds as the Dartford Warbler, Nightjars and Woodlarks. The RSPB is backing the plan, though they are skeptical that a ban on cat ownership would remove a threat to the nesting birds.

Read the full story in This Is London.

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Dutch Youth Sentenced For Cormorant Abuse

The juvenile court in Lelystad, the Netherlands, has sentenced three youths to public service for the abuse of two cormorants.

The youths, all younger than 21, dragged the birds behind motorized bikes and threw stones at them.

Two of the youths must perform 25 hours of pubic service. The third youth, who already had a record with the court, was given a sentence of 80 hours. A fourth suspect, an adult, is still to be tried. The birds were targeted because they depleted the fish population in the canals of Urk.

Source: Jongeren veroordeeld voor mishandeling aalscholvers

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Dutch Environment Groups Request More Money For Birds

Various environmental groups in the Netherlands have called on the Dutch parliament to invest money in bird protection. Last week Natuurmonumenten and the Dutch partner of BirdLife International, together with five other agencies, sent the strong message to the Minister of Landscape, Nature and Food Quality.

The number of meadow birds in the Netherlands is declining dramatically. The Meadow Bird Alliance (Weidevogelverbond) was created to slow or reverse this trend. On 15 June this year, various parties involved in the well-being of these birds created an action plan. Groups in attendance included forest rangers, land-management groups, volunteer groups and government agencies. The alliance’s plan hopes to halt the decline of meadow birds by 2010.

Public support for protecting the birds is great, in large part due to successful information campaigns conducted by various environmental groups over the years. The Netherlands is a great breeding ground for many migratory birds and therefore does have a regional and global responsibility to take care of the birds that breed and raise their young in Holland.

Source: Eensgezinde oproep aan Kamer: investeer in weidevogelbeheer

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