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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| Ringed Plover |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Black-headed Cardinal Beetle |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Common Vetch Growing Close to Ground |
