Tuesday 19 January 2016

The Severn Flood Plain at Kempsey

Winter. Cold frosty mornings. Sleet, snow, ice. Well, this year perhaps not! We are currently in the middle of experiencing the warmest winter on record and by mid-january we are seeing quite a few signs of spring. Such is the pleasure of living in the Britain, our weather can be extremely variable! It can be cold and icy one day and warm and wet the next. This does mean that Britain is in an extremely significant position for attracting wildlife in the winter. However, we do need to be aware that the continued increase in temperature, both local and globally, does indicate that climate change is a very real thing that needs to be addressed fast!! 

The Flooded River Severn


A kingfisher Enjoying the Feeding Opportunities 



As far as our climate is concerned, we are a massive attraction to migrant birds whose breeding areas are covered in snow and ice this time of year. The warm(ish!), wet winters we all complain about are ideal hunting grounds to a massive range of birdlife. This is clearly seen if you take a walk in the country side during the winter months. The trees, fields and hedgerows are full of winter migrants. Birds that have travelled to Britain to avoid the ice and snow in their breeding country. There are species like Redwings, Fieldfairs, Bramblings and Redpolls. In addition to this there are the Geese, Ducks and various Waders. We also get an increase in the numbers of more common species such as Blackbird, Robin and Wood pigeon.

The Malvern in The Rain


A Robin


One of my favourite activities in winter is watching the large numbers of winter duck in the lakes and ponds. Some of the numbers can be quite significant. However, this year there has been a migrant that has taken top spot for me. On the 3rd of January I spotted a tweet from @Worcsbirding that just south of Kempsey there were 3 Short-eared Owls. I was excited. On the Saturday, despite the cold showers, I set off to take a look. I stood for just under two hours looking and waiting. In that time there was no Owls, I gave up! The frustrating thing is that when I arrived home I learned that someone arrived about 10 minutes after I left and had some excellent sightings of the Birds. I returned the following day and had the pleasure of watching 3 of them. The experience was quite breathtaking.


The Flooded Severn at Kempsey

A Kestrel

In Britain we do have some breeding pairs of Short-eared Owl's. However, they are found in northern England and Scotland. These Kempsey birds will have probably come from further north, i.e Scandinavia. They feed off small mammals, in fact they have a bit of a liking for voles. This means that when it snows in northern Europe their prey are more difficult to hunt. This does prove a bit of a problem. The only answer is to migrate. Here in Britain they do not have such a problem due to our lack of snow. It is not unusual for there to be sightings all over Britain. The best behavioural characteristic of the Short-eared Owls is the fact that they are diurnal. This means they hunt during the day. Due to having a taste for voles they have to hunt when voles are about, which is during the day.

The Best Shot of a Short-eared Owl
A Banded Snail

The flooding of the river severn had created lots of small islands across the flood planes. This would have resulted in small areas that are filled with prey for the owls to hunt. Ideal for both the Owls and us as it has given such great views. The peak numbers seen at any one point has been 6 individual Owls.

Short-eared Owl Taken by Gert Corfield

Sunset Behind the Malverns


Whilst I was at Kempsey I reflected on the flooded fields that stretched out before me. There has been a lot of publicity about the negative aspects of flooding for both home owners and farmers. However, I could not help but be amazed by the benefit that it was having for wildlife. It is clear that the floods bring with them huge amounts of food for the birds. In my time at Kempsey I managed a total of 35 species of bird. Some of the other highlights were 3 pink-footed geese, 12 goosanders, and a small flock of wigeon, some teal, a kingfisher and 1000's of gulls.

Flocks of Gulls
Really sorry not to have any better photos of the Owl's. Thank you Gert Corfield for your shot.