Thursday 12 May 2016

All Day Birdwatching and Biodiversity

On the 7th May it was the annual spring birdwatching all-dayer. It is a friendly competition between different birding sites across the west midlands. The aim is to spot as many different species as possible in the course of the day. This therefore meant getting up at first light and driving the few short miles to the outskirts of Worcester to the village of Grimley.

Sun Rise Over Grimely at 5am
The day was successful, we as a team spotted 89 species and I personally saw 78 species. This was in fact a record breaking day. Of the 89 species seen there were some very exciting birds. The two standout highlights were 2 male breeding coloured ruff and a singing grasshopper warbler. I get excited about seeing different and varied wildlife as I walk around my birding patch partly as it add to the year list (Ruff) or even life list (Grasshopper Warbler) that I collect.

Ruff Along the Shore. Stunning Summer Plumage

Often you do feel driven by the numbers and lists. Number of species seen in a day, in a year, your life. Bird lists, garden lists, patch lists, butterfly/moth lists; the lists go on. But, there is something quite important behind these personal quests. That is biodiversity!

Great Spotted Woodpecker Feeding off Grubs in the Decaying Wood
Ecosystems are complex environments where plants, animals, fungi and bacteria coexist and rely on each other for survival in complex networks of fascinating interactions. Biodiversity is key to these ecosystems working properly. When a species is removed from the ecosystem that role is not carried out. This has a knock on effect through the food chain. Some species might do really well initially but they do cause an imbalance which only leads to the loss of species. The end product is a dysfunctional ecosystem with low biodiversity.

Ringed Plover 

Comfrey

Seeing 89 species of bird alone might sound like a lot and therefore suggest a healthy ecosystem. But it is surprising how many more species there could/should be in the area: yellowhammer, corn bunting, lesser spotted woodpecker, willow tit to name a few. The primary reason why they are not present is simply habitat destruction and intensive farming methods. Take the yellowhammer and corn bunting. They rely on large bushy hedges to breed and feed. Farmers are inclined to cut their hedges too thin and too frequently. This does not suit those birds and they are lost from the area.  

Orange-tip Butterfly

On the plus side the sighting of the grasshopper warbler did fill me with a little excitement. They do not breed in the area, but they do close by at coney meadow, and they are doing very successfully there. My hope is that they will spread out to Grimley. However, the habitat in the area is perhaps not ideal as they like short dense vegetation where they can nest near the ground and stay concealed from view. It is the range of different habitats that helps increase biodiversity. If the habitat was right I do feel that there would be Grasshopper warblers present. This can only benefit the ecosystem as a whole.

Wasp Showing Why Dandelions are Important

Whilst I was focused on birds on Saturday I did notice a Black-headed Cardinal Beetle. This is slightly rarer and indeed a more striking beetle than the common red-headed Cardinal Beetle. They are very startling to see, this is as a result of their comparatively large size and their colour. They, like many other species have evolved a bright stunning colouration to prevent predation, they are in fact harmless. They spend most of their lives in and around decaying trees, mainly oaks. They feed off smaller insects that live in woodlands such as small flies, other beetles and their larva. They lay their eggs under the bark of dead oak trees. The larva, which have adapted flattened bodies to live under the bark feed off insects that live in the dead and decaying wood.

Black-headed Cardinal Beetle

Clearly a Black Head and a Bright Red Wing Case

It is clear that there are several important ecological connections that are required for these beautiful beetles to exist. First they need the Oak woodlands that have mature trees in them. These trees need to have died (and not been removed!) so the cardinal beetle can lay its eggs under the bark. In addition, they need a multitude of larva of other species to feed off. The adults will require flies and beetles as well to feed. They in turn will provide food for some of the bird life in the area. Birds such as Treecreaper, Nuthatch and Woodpeckers will feed off the larva. You can often see them pecking away at the bark searching for various grubs.

Wild Radish Found In the Farmland 

We need to be increasing biodiversity not reduce it. Simple things to do this are allowing hedges to grow bigger, leaving dead wood on the woodland floor and creating areas of scrub. If we do that we will see an increase in the wildlife present. 

Common Vetch Growing Close to Ground