In-flight! Welcome to the Autumn 2015 edition of the Airedale & Bradford Local Group Newsletter. This edition has been edited and produced by Judy Robinson, the next edition is due in the spring of 2016. Any contributions to future editions of this newsletter would be gratefully received: either speak to Judy, Paul (Group Leader) or e-mail abrspb@blueyonder.co.uk. Views expressed in this Newsletter are those of individual contributors and not necessarily of the RSPB. Our Group website not only has a digital copy of this and earlier newsletters, but provides most useful information of what is happening within the group plus tips and ideas of how to increase your pleasure and enjoyment of the wildlife around you.

www.rspb.org.uk/groups/airedaleandbradford/

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no.SC037654

On Other Pages:

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News from RSPB Headquarters

Pin Badges The RSPB pin badge scheme relies on people giving voluntary donations. Although the amount received never quite matches the ‘suggested donation of £1’, for the financial year 2014/2015 the RSPB banked £868,975 from pins and collecting tins. New badges are being produced regularly and many of them are becoming collectors’ items, some of the rarer ones being bought for more than £40. Stamps From 1 April 2014 to end March 2015 the income raised from stamps was a grand total of £12,940.24. Recycling for Good Causes Income raised from Recycling for Good Causes for the financial year 2014-15 was £12,000.00. However, the RSPB’s partnership with Recycling for Good Causes has now ended.

2. Guided Walks

Indoor Meetings Programme

3 Out and About Talk Details

4 Your Group Leader’s Comment

5 Guided Walk Reports

Denso Marston Nature Reserve

Otley Wetlands

Leighton Moss

8. Raw Nook, Low Moor

Indoor meetings are held in The Kirkgate Centre

39a Kirkgate Shipley

BD18 3EH (New Venue for 2015/16)

Meetings commence at 7.30 pm An admission charge of £3.00

(Children free) will apply Meetings are open to both RSPB

members and non-members All talks are illustrated with digital images,

colour slides or film. www.rspb.org.uk

2014 was the 25th anniversary of the first red kite releases in the Chilterns. The population now stands at over 1800 pairs and the latest BBS shows an increase of 805% since 1995. This represents one of the most successful bird reintroductions in the world.

Photo: From rspb images

Guided Walks 2015/16

These will commence at 9.00am. Provisional Programme (subject to

weather conditions) - each walk lasts approximately 2 hours.

Sunday 6 September Rodley Nature Reserve

Saturday 3 October

Fairburn Ings & St Aiden’s Car Share - meet at Shipley Station

8 am (Return 6 pm)

Saturday 7 November St Ives, Bingley

Saturday 26 March

Washburn Valley

Sunday 17 April Low Wood, Riddlesden

Saturday 14 May

Field Trip to Blacktoft Sands Booking Essential (8 am to 6 pm)

May

Dawn Chorus Walk Details to be announced

Directions to the sites and details of other events and trips will be given at Indoor Meetings and on-line at:

www.rspb.org.uk/groups/airedaleandbradford

2015/16 Indoor Meetings

Friday 4 September:

Yorkshire Wildlife: Through the Lens

Paul Miguel

Friday 2 October:

The Extremely Far East - Birds and Wildlife of Kanchalka & Chukolka

in Eastern Siberia Tim Melling

Friday 6 November:

Isla - Queen of the Hebrides Gordon Yates

Friday 4 December:

The Okavango Delta, Botswana Gianpiero Ferrari

Join us for coffee and mince pies

Friday 8 January:

Inspired by Birds - Birds and Music Tom McKinney

Friday 5 February:

Algonquin to Niagara - a tour round the Great Lakes

Dr John Mather

Friday 4 March:

British Owls Peter Smith

Friday 15 April:

AGM at 7.00 pm, followed by: Indoor Meeting

Conservation begins at Home - the story of a wildlife garden

Laurence Rose

Details will also be posted on our Web Site.

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Sunday 25 October: Falling Leaves Event

At Cliffe Castle, Keighley. Join us for wildlife activities.

11 am to 3 pm

Out and About

Last autumn the group purchased a gazebo which enables us to visit various summer events without getting a soaking!

Our first event this year was the Bronte Vintage Gathering in Cullingworth on 9 May. It was not the overhead conditions that caused problems but the underfoot ones! Heavy rain over the previous few days turned the field into a mud bath. We somehow managed to slide the car close to our pitch, set up the stall and waited… and waited …and waited! Quite sensibly, the general public stayed away and the majority of visitors to our stand were fellow stall-holders with nothing better to do. Many stalls remained un-manned throughout the day. Not one of our more successful visits!

In June we were invited to take part in the annual Celebration Day at Denso Marston. Fortunately the rain stayed away and the visitors were able to participate in a wide variety of activities. We passed a very pleasant afternoon listening to a local ukulele band and chatting to passers-by. It was a real family occasion.

At the end of the month we had a stand at the Saltaire Fête held in the grounds of the United Reformed Church and early in June we visited Denholme Gala. The latter was a very windy day with, at one point, Carol and Paul clinging on to the gazebo to prevent it sailing away!

It always amazes us how many people we meet, who have never heard of our local group, but having a stall at local events helps to ‘spread the word’.

Paul has undertaken a couple of talks on the RSPB to outside organisations and is happy to visit other groups for a small donation to the group funds.

Carol Barrett

Talk Details:

Immersed in Nature: A Wildlife Photographer’s Journey by Paul Miguel

A digital presentation of wildlife images taken mostly in Yorkshire with plenty of 'behind the scenes' information. Paul also includes a bit of photograph technique and locations. His blog is Yorkshire Wildlife Photography.

The Extremely Far East by Tim Melling

Tim is a very popular RSPB speaker and we welcome his return to our group. His talk looks at the wildlife in Kanchalka and Ochotsk which is even further than Japan. Very few people have visited this remote area which holds special birds like. Spoonbilled Sandpiper and Steller's Sea Eagle.

Islay - The Queen of the Hebrides by Gordon Yates

Gordon has been a favourite speaker of ours for many years and this is his 'final bow' as a presenter to groups. He has been making wildlife films since 1972 and our records can trace his visits back to 1986. We shall miss him in future programmes. He wanted his final talk to be on his favourite location, Islay, the most southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides where, on average, he spends 9 weeks of the year.

The Okovango Delta by Gianpiero Ferrari

The presentation is about a 17 day trip to the Okavango Delta, where Gianpiero spent the first week up and down the Okavango River photographing the abundant wildlife of the area, especially the birds. The second week was at the Choby National Park, another great place for wildlife. Finally across the mighty Zambesi River, into Zambia for more wildlife and the spectacular Victoria Falls.

Inspired by Music - Birds and Music by Tom McKinney

Professional musician and BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom McKinney has been fascinated by birdsong since his early teens. He has travelled extensively in order to hear and record many of the world's greatest avian singers, as well as undertaking extensive studies into the influence of birdsong throughout music history. Tonight he will demonstrate how listening to music and listening to birds need not be mutually exclusive, and how a full appreciation of bird sound can hugely enhance our enjoyment of birds, and also sharpen our skills as birders. From the composition of a bird-inspired orchestral symphony to counting skeins of migrating Pink-footed Geese, the talk will reflect on just how profoundly bird sound can affect and inspire us.

Denholme Gala Photo: Judy Robinson

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“Greenest Government Ever” – Really?

Cast your mind back to the last few days of campaigning in the General Election: all the political parties made rash promises in the sure and certain knowledge that they could ditch most of them and blame it on their coalition partners.

Imagine, then, the consternation at Millbank when the Conservatives realised they had a majority. What are they going to do about all these promises?

In the case of the environmental policies, the conclusion seemed to be: ditch them and hope no-one notices!

However, at the end of July, leading environment and conservation groups wrote to David Cameron to register their “major concern” at the cancellation or weakening of 10 green policies since he was re-elected.

The heads of the 10 groups, which include the National Trust, Greenpeace and the RSPB, said they were shocked and worried at the changes, and rated the Conservative government’s track record on nature and climate change as woeful.

Since May, the government has ended subsidies for wind and solar power, increased taxes on renewable energy, axed plans for zero carbon homes, and closed its flagship energy efficiency scheme without a replacement. It also made a U-turn on banning fracking in Britain’s most important nature sites, and lifted a ban in some parts of the country on pesticides linked to bee declines.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, which represents 47 local wildlife groups across the UK, said: “This list of recent policy reversals is shocking, and shows disregard for the health and wellbeing of current and future generations, as well as for the environment we all depend on.”

The letter commended the prime minister for signing a joint pledge with Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to take strong action on climate change, and for the Conservative manifesto’s commitment to improving the natural environment. But it warned the decisions made by his ministers since the election ran counter to both.

“We would encourage you to resolve some of the contradictions that have emerged between the stated intentions of government and the actions of your ministers in its first period in office,” the groups said in the letter, which was also signed by Friends of the Earth, WWF, the Wildlife Trusts, and the Campaign To Protect Rural England (CPRE)

They add that no new, positive policies have emerged to take the place of those scrapped or watered-down: “We have, as yet, seen no positive new measures that would restore the health of the environment or grow the low carbon economy.”

The groups note that only one of the changes, an end to subsidies for onshore wind farms, was in the Conservative manifesto. Others, such as changing the system of taxation for new cars so that from 2017 a Porsche will be taxed the same as a Prius after the first year, were announced in the summer budget by chancellor George Osborne.

Dame Helen Ghosh, director-general of the National Trust, described the recent policy changes as “worrying”. The CPRE’s chief executive, Shaun Spiers welcomed the government making better use of brownfield land but said: “its overall record on the environment has been woeful”.

The groups also warned that the scrapping of green schemes could undermine the UK’s leadership at the UN climate talks in Paris later this year.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “This is not the mandate this government put to the country in the general election. And it will be a hard sell to the international community at the climate talks in Paris at the end of the year.”

The president of the AA, Edmund King, joined the criticism, telling BBC News of the car taxation changes: “If the government is serious about trying to get motorists to drive cleaner greener cars, this is really counter-productive.”

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which is responsible for most of the policy changes, said: “The government has been clear that our priority is to reduce emissions in the most cost-effective way, keeping bills as low as possible for hard working families and businesses.

“As a result of world-leading levels of investment in the UK we have seen the cost of many forms of renewable electricity decrease significantly – in those circumstances it is right that we should seek to spend less, rather than more of consumers’ money subsidising these forms of energy.”

Paul Barrett

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Denso Marston Nature Reserve Sunday 15 March 2015

The Warden, Steve Warrillow greeted 26 eager walkers and birdwatchers at 10am on a cold, rather dull morning. The seven acre reserve is situated between the River Aire and the Denso Marston factory in Shipley, West Yorkshire. As its website says, 'created in 1990 on Denso Marston wash land for the benefit of wildlife, community enjoyment and education, it is an urban haven of woodland, meadows and pools with varied wildlife'. Steve told us a little about the history of the site and explained that there is free access to the reserve at all times. Since its creation, over 6000 trees have been planted; log piles and hedges have created different habitats for wildlife. Signs of Spring were evident with primroses and daffodils in full bloom as well as mounds of frog spawn in the pond.

Woodland birds could be heard and seen in the canopy, herring gulls and mallards constantly flew over and four cormorants seem to have taken advantage of a tall pylon where they can 'hang out their wings', alongside the River Aire. For most of the group, there was a first sighting of a mink, along the river bank and swimming in the river. Whereas an otter swims with its head visible above the water, a mink's body can also be seen as it swims along.

A pale mound spotted high up in a tree over the river was identified as a squirrel's drey, with a cosy covering of wool! We had been advised to look out for deer and further along, several of us were fortunate to glimpse a roe deer on the horizon.

Luckily, with the trees not yet in full leaf, we were able to get good sightings of treecreepers and goldcrests flitting about, and the call of chiff chaffs was a welcome sound heralding the forthcoming warmth of Spring.

Beneath carefully laid pieces of wood, there was evidence of short tailed field voles and wood mice nesting, with the remains of tooth-marked cherry seeds. Leopard slugs and a newt were still hibernating too.

We concluded the walk by visiting the 'hut' next to the bird feeding station from where various wildlife courses are run, including a children's Spider Club, Verse on the Reserve and many other wildlife activities. For anyone interested in wildlife, this reserve is a hidden gem.

Birds seen: crow, grey heron, wood pigeon, magpie, blue tit, mallard, moorhen, great tit, robin, chaffinch, herring gull, pheasant, coal tit, cormorant, long tailed tit, goldcrest, tree creeper, goosander, bullfinch, jay, grey wagtail, chiff chaff, goldfinch, wren, dabchick (little grebe), dunnock, blackbird.

Carol Barrett and Debbie White

http://www.dm-naturereserve.org.uk/

Photo: Paul Barrett

Guided Walk Reports

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Otley Wetlands Saturday 18 April 2015

We were delighted to be invited by the Otley Wetland Nature Reserve Trust to visit this 'private access' site on the outskirts of Otley. Peter Riley, the Trust chairman, met 15 of us at the entrance gate before undertaking a two-hour guided walk around the site.

The reserve consists of water areas, recently-planted woodlands and reedbeds, rough grassland and stream edges. It is part of a larger area of complementary uses, including a yachting lake, improved grazing land and mature woodland. First stop was the wildfowl lake. A number of protected species have made the reserve their home, but we were surprised to see an Egyptian goose grazing near the lake. Tufted ducks, oystercatchers, lapwings, cormorants and Canada geese were all sighted. Sand martins and swallows were swooping over the water areas, heralding the first signs of summer and buzzards were soaring in the distance.

From a small clump of reeds planted, a large area has now grown providing a habitat for visiting migrants including reed warblers, sedge warblers and reed buntings, which all breed on the reserve. A chiff chaff announced its arrival with its distinctive song as it landed in the reedbed before us. Dragonflies and damselflies are also a feature of this site, with 21species recorded, of which 14 have bred.

As we walked past hedgerows and alongside wooded areas, orange tip, small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies were all out in the morning sunshine and the wonderful cascading song of the willow warbler was heard. A pair of blackcaps were singing near the stream and several bumble bees were busy on the reserve. The flora throughout the year includes Common Spotted Orchids, Marsh Orchids and some Bee Orchids, Red Bartsia, Creeping Jenny, Changing Forget-me-not and Gypsywort, but the highlight of the morning was an extensive area of bright yellow cowslips which have mysteriously appeared on a bank near the moat!

The perfume of a balsam poplar tree filled the air as we neared a wooded area before retracing our steps along the River Wharfe.

The site now also hosts toads, frogs, shrews (Common and Water), Bank Vole and Wood Mouse, Noctule and Pipistrelle Bats, stoats, otters passing through and, unfortunately, mink. Before leaving, we resolved to visit this wonderful reserve again.

Birds seen: red kite, sparrowhawk, tufted duck, cormorant, oystercatcher, Canada goose, black-headed gull, coot, mallard, magpie, buzzard, swan, wood pigeon, lapwing, sand martin, lesser black-backed gull, heron, Egyptian goose, greylag goose, swallow, great tit, blue tit, willow warbler, snipe, blackcap, reed bunting, greenfinch, jay, bullfinch, robin, blackbird, chiff chaff, treecreeper, crow, dunnock, jackdaw.

Carol Barrett

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Photos: Paul Barrett

Field Trip to Leighton Moss Saturday 16 May 2015

Departing from Shipley a little after 9am, we soon hit the A65 which must be one of the most scenic roads in the country, with the Yorkshire Dales to the north and the Forest of Bowland to the south.

Although it was quite blustery, it was a beautifully clear day and remained so, with none of the promised rain showers making an appearance.

Arriving at Leighton Moss a little before 11am, most of us immediately headed for the well appointed café! Members of our party chose their own route around the reserve, with different groups spotting different wildlife. Huge numbers of greylag geese were dotted around the site and pheasants were unusually confiding.

Lilian's Hide is closest to the visitor centre. The islands in front of the hide were dominated by black headed gulls, but we were able to see a variety of wildfowl, including shovellers, and pochard. The female marsh harriers (three in total) were said to be nesting but we got great views of the two males swooping over the reedbeds, disturbing the peace and quiet of other birds.

The most striking site at the Grisedale hide was a huge flock of black-tailed godwit.

The northern end of the reserve has two hides. The Public Hide, half way along the causeway, looks over a wide expanse of water. A great crested grebe was hanging around here and dozens of swifts and swallows were seen feeding on the wing.

The most distant hide, Lower Hide, enabled some of our group to get distant views of the resident otters.

Many warblers, including Cetti's warbler, were heard around the entire site but were difficult to see. The resident bearded tits were nesting deep in the reeds but they did afford us occasional glimpses. Along the paths, many wild plants were coming into flower.

Towards the end of the afternoon, we hopped back on the minibus and took the short trip to the hides on Morecambe Bay. Gathering in the Allen hide, we were able to see avocets nesting (with occasional glimpses of their chicks). In the fields beyond the pools, we saw shelduck and an egret that appeared to have found a particularly good fishing site.

On the return journey, a chough was spotted in the fields alongside the A65.

Birds seen: black headed gull, shoveller, tufted duck, shelduck, mute swan, pochard, coot, mallard, marsh harrier, greylag goose, swift, gadwall, lapwing, black tailed godwit, swallow, mallard, great crested grebe, black backed gull, bearded tit, heron, avocet, little egret, oystercatcher, bullfinch, wren, great tit, chaffinch, robin, greenfinch, blue tit, black cap, dunnock, blackbird, crow, jackdaw, starling, nuthatch, (chough).

Paul Barrett

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/l/leightonmoss/index.aspx

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Photos: Paul Barrett

RSPB Airedale and Bradford Local Group was established over 40 years ago and is run by volunteers. We hold regular events to which RSPB members, their families and members of the public are all welcome. We would like volunteers to help run our Indoor Meetings and participate in other events that the group organises or is invited to. Our current priority is to find individuals who are willing to make and serve the tea and coffee at our indoor meetings. New committee members are always welcome.

If you wish to volunteer or join our committee, contact us by 'phone or e-mail or make yourself known at one of our Indoor Meetings. To make it easier, anyone joining our committee can be 'without portfolio' for the first few months whilst they find their feet. In addition to the monthly public meetings, the committee also meets once a month to plan activities and discuss wider issues regarding the RSPB.

They are also many other ways in which you can help. See the Volunteering pages -

http://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/opportunities/groups.asp

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The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to

give nature a home

The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International, a partnership of conservation

organisations working to give nature a home around the world

Raw Nook - Low Moor Sunday 14 June 2015

In February last year, our group organised a guided walk at Raw Nook, Low Moor. The weather was terrible and only five of us ventured out. Hoping for better weather, we organised a summer visit to this site - a thirteen acre site owned by Bradford Council, formerly occupied by British Rail.

However, it was a case of deja vu!

So Sunday 14th June, saw a very select group gathered (or rather, huddled in a car) hoping that:

a) The drizzle would stop

b) Some other hardy nature enthusiasts would join us.

By 10.15 it was evident that we were "it" & as the rain had relented a little we decided to have at least a brief walk. We made our way along clearly marked paths, passing mixed copse woodland, heathland & an area of predominantly birch saplings, heading for the pond. There was little bird life in evidence there, but an abundance of tadpoles & a number of fish fry were evident in the clear water when you looked closely.

As the weather had held, we crossed the railway line via a footbridge & ventured out of the reserve itself towards an attractive fishing lake, where the highlight was a female mallard with three healthy-looking ducklings well-camouflaged at the edge of the water. On further observation, nesting coots were spotted on the far side. A swallow swooped low over the surface scooping up insects.

Satisfied by now with our trip, we made our way back to the starting point & had the added bonus of spotting a toad trying to conceal itself at the edge of the path.

Altogether about 20 species of birds were seen, including blackbird, wood pigeon, crow, blue tit & many more were heard calling in the canopy. The variety of habitats were home to a wide range of plant life, including purple vetch, red campion, flag iris, water lilies (not yet in bloom), broom, bluebells & some which are proving challenging to identify! A site certainly worth visiting in better weather.

Debbie White

Airedale and Bradford Local Group Committee

Following the AGM in April 2015, the committee is now:

Group Leader: Paul Barrett Treasurer: Wendy Robinson Indoor Meetings Secretaries: Jenny Cassidy and Debbie White Sales Organiser:- RSPB Goods Carol Barrett Committee members: Eleanor Stoyles, Elizabeth Poynter (Newsletter Editor: Judy Robinson)

All committee members can be contacted, in the first instance, by 'phoning 01274 582078 or by e-mail abrspb@blueyonder.co.uk

Photos: Paul Barrett