Hawk Conservancy Trust newsletter Winter 20 Issue 86

04

05

HAWKTALK WINTER 2020 ISSUE 86

HAWKTALK WINTER 2020 ISSUE 86

25 years of Reg’s Wildflower Meadow

Introducing Wallace, Attenborough and Irwin This year our theme for naming birds celebrates famous naturalists, and we’re delighted to introduce you to the newest members of our team; we have a beautiful young Bald Eagle called (Alfred Russel) Wallace and two young Black Kites, (Sir David) Attenborough and (Steve) Irwin. For training, we’ve teamed them up with Simon Christer, Kat Ralph and Ben Cox respectively, so we’ve checked in with each of them to see how they’re getting on.

When we acquired this piece of former agricultural land, we sowed it with two pillowcase-sized bags of seed, containing 19 species of wildflowers and seven species of grasses. Since then, we’ve recorded a stunning 732 plants and animals in the meadow in total. Here, we’ve shared some of our absolute favourites, although of course it is the rich diversity of species that really makes Reg’s Wildflower Meadow so special.

Ben and Irwin

Cowslip: This beautiful plant was once common in traditional hay meadows, woodland and hedgerows, but it has suffered a major decline in abundance due to the loss of these habitats. They’re an important early source of nectar for pollinators. Rough Hawkbit: A member of the Daisy family, these bright yellow flowers cover much of our meadow between June and September. They look similar to Dandelions but are distinguishable by their very hairy stem and leaves. Musk Mallow: If you visit our meadow between June and September, you’ll likely catch the beautiful musk scent from these pretty, pale pink flowers. Musk Mallow was once used as an ingredient in cough syrups and ointments. Common Poppy: The seeds of these bright flowers can lay dormant in soil for years, until disturbed. The Ancient Egyptians and Romans associated Poppies with new life and made garlands with the flowers to celebrate the gods and ensure crop fertility. Pyramidal Orchid: This is arguably one of the most exciting flowers, which we are always delighted to find in the meadow. The stunning purple flowers come out in June and July and attract a range of butterflies and moths, which are important for its pollination. Wild Marjoram: This is the same species as the Mediterranean herb Oregano, though when it grows in the cooler climate of the UK it has a different scent. The numerous small pink flowers offer an excellent food source for many pollinating insects. Common Blue Butterfly: The males of this species are one of the easier butterflies to recognise in our meadow, as their upper wings are bright blue, while the females are predominantly brown. You can see them flying between May and October. Brown Hairstreak Butterfly: This is one of Britain’s rarest and most elusive butterflies. It has declined rapidly in recent decades, due to the loss and over-frequent cutting of hedges. We first spotted it in 2017 and it has appeared in subsequent years.

Wild Carrot: This species takes over the meadow in early autumn, covering it with a spectacular mass of white flower heads. After flowering, the seed heads bend inward, forming a small nest shape, often used by insects for shelter. Dotted Bee Fly: This species is a real treasure. It looks like a small bee but has a long, sharp pointed proboscis with which it drinks nectar. We first recorded it in 2012, and have spotted it every year since, with numbers growing each spring. Roe Deer: Though shy animals, we know that we have regular Roe Deer visit our meadow. We’ve captured them on camera traps and also regularly find their droppings, which look similar to rabbit droppings though are more pointed in shape. Field Vole: You may not spot Field Voles, but you’ll likely see evidence of them with the domed nests and tunnels they make in the grasses. They are prey for a wide variety of animals, including owls, kestrels and other larger mammals. Moths: Since we started monitoring moths at the Trust, we’ve recorded more than 350 species! The most spectacular moths we record regularly are the Elephant Hawk-moth and Poplar Hawk-moth. Both fly at dusk and during the night, and stand out for their intricate wing shapes and colours. There are also moths that fly in the daytime, including the Five-spot Burnet, which offer a flash of bright red as they fly past. Bees: We have hives in the meadow from which the honeybees produce excellent honey. We also have many species of bumblebee and solitary bee such as the Ashy Mining Bee. Evidence of this species can be seen along the left-hand side of the meadow, where they excavate tunnels to their nests leaving their little holes in the path. The commonest bumblebees we see are the Red-tailed and Buff-tailed Bumblebees.

Wallace “Working with Wallace is very exciting because I’ve trained other birds of prey before but never an eagle. It’s interesting to see how different a young eagle is to train compared to something like a Harris’ Hawk or even a Goshawk. Wallace is a very gentle eagle and is slowly becoming more confident, and the more we get to know one another, the more our mutual trust grows. He’s progressing very nicely through his training and is coming along at a good pace. With his great progression, I’m hopeful that he may be able to start making some flying appearances at the Trust next spring. He is currently living away from public view but, as his confidence grows, the plan is to move him to the mews area with the other eagles during the day so, you may be lucky enough to catch your first glimpse of him. In the meantime, we will continue to share updates of his progress on social media for you.” Simon Christer

Attenborough “Attenborough is a great little character to work with. It has been a wonderful experience watching him grow from a chick into the fully-grown kite he is now, alongside his brother, Irwin. He hatched at the end of May this year and, at just shy of three months old, he took his first free flight. It was a nerve-racking experience for my colleague, Ben, and me as anything could happen! But we both felt like proud parents as the kites flew beautifully. I have a lovely bond with Attenborough and that is largely down to the close training work that I’ve done with him. Prior to flying free, the initial training started taking place as soon as all of his feathers were through – the juvenile markings on Black Kites are simply stunning, with lovely blonde and gold colourations on the face, nape and wings. Attenborough took to flying on a creance (a long string-like piece of equipment used prior to flying free) very well and with each training session he would progress to flying longer stretches to the glove. Attenborough is a confident little bird and has already met a wild Red Kite which stooped down at him during a training session! He took it in his stride and it was a good experience for him. Our hope for him in the future is that he’ll join our main team of Black Kites and fly during our 2pm display; it is quite common for a Red Kite (or two) to come and investigate. Attenborough always knows when it’s time for a training session – before entering the aviary, both he and Irwin are incredibly vocal!” Kat Ralph

Irwin “Irwin is a four-month-old Black Kite and one of the prettiest kites I have ever seen, with a stunning juvenile plumage. He is very good at looking after himself with every feather kept in the perfect position. He is a very noisy chap and has a lot to say for himself even when he’s flying; this is because he’s a hand- reared bird and sees all of us as family. He is cheeky, quirky, curious and very gentle in nature. He is a very stylish flyer and, although he is still in training, he is coming on in leaps and bounds. He is very competent in the air with great foot-to-beak coordination (just like his dad who is very sporty). Irwin is a real star for the future and has a very bright future ahead of him at the Trust. It won’t be long before you can see him in our beautiful skies flying with the main team of Black Kites each day in our 2pm demonstration.” Ben Cox

Kat and Attenborough

Simon and Wallace