Chough report: February 2020

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By Liz Corry

Grey skies in the day, shepherd’s dismay…and the chough’s

Hail on the horizon at Sorel. Photo by Liz Corry.

Storms Ciara, Dennis, and Jorge all paid a visit to Jersey in February bringing hail, sleet, rain, more rain, more hail, and a non-stop supply of gale force winds. Quite a lot for our choughs to handle. They may have been lulled into a false sense of security with the mild winter; thoughts turning to nesting at the start of February. That soon changed when temperatures plummeted and soils became saturated limiting food supply.

Choughs bracing themselves in the winds by standing in the entrance to a rabbit hole. Photo by Liz Corry.

The birds were not the only ones battling the elements at Sorel. The Manx loaghtan have stoically sheltered from the storms under gorse bushes and down in the valley under the trees. They have become quite clingy of late in the false hope of food as we walk to the aviary. Probably cruel of me then to leave the aviary with the rubbish in an old pellet bag. 

Netting struggles

We have now fitted neoprene to the polytunnel poles where the netting was rubbing. Recycling wetsuits for the material attracted local media attention. BBC Jersey Radio did an interview at Sorel for their breakfast show and at the end of the month I was invited on to their Sunday Brunch show. The birds themselves seemed less impressed. I have yet to see them perch on the metal bars since we made the changes. Opting instead for the more bouncy netting (especially in storm force gales).

The choughs do not appear to like the neoprene protecting the netting opting for the bouncy netting instead. Photo by Liz Corry.

Not a great concern. The birds have plenty of other places to perch. As long as it protects the netting we are happy.

Which is why I wasn’t so happy less than a week later when I found holes ripped in the side panel. Part rodent related, part storm force winds pulling at the thread.  

Never-ending story of netting repairs. Photo by Liz Corry.

Additional aviary repairs

‘Dennis’ ripped off the top of a free-standing roost-box. No surprise considering the wood rot after six years in service. Chewbacca (affectionately known as Chewie) uses this box. She is a bit of a loner and we worried that she might struggle to find an alternative roost.

A few days passed before a temporary fix could be made – Flavio’s placement had come to an end and it took a while to find a second person to hold the ladder. Durrell’s carpenter Mick Pope set to work making a new box. He was a bit puzzled when asked him to make it then take it apart, until I pointed out I had to carry it along the cliff path. The new box will go up once the paint dries. Pleased to say, Chewie is still flying around looking as happy as a chough can look.

Choughs foraging under the gorse. Photo by Liz Corry.

New next generation home

We received a pleasant surprise as a result of last month’s report. Crespel Properties read about the new nest-boxes used in the quarry. They have generously donated funds to build another nest-box replacing Green and Black’s pied-à-terre. Hopefully we will see the next generation of choughs emerge from Crespel Cove.

Seedy Sunday in association with Wild About Jersey

Speaking of happy choughs, Birds On The Edge attended the annual Seedy Sunday event at La Rocquier school on 16th February. Cris Sellarés, Tim Liddiard, Flavio/Chough, and myself manned the stall. 

The Birds On The Edge stall at Seedy Sunday 2020. Photo by Liz Corry.

There was a great turnout as usual. Visitors were very interested in seeing the puffin nest-box and learning how they can help protect Jersey’s biodiversity. One way is by signing up to be a conservation volunteer. Deni McGowan (Natural Environment Team) was on hand to explain to people what is involved; from butterfly monitoring to tree planting and of course chough spotting! 

Conservation volunteers have been planting trees for the National Trust at Sorel (top right field). Photo by Liz Corry.

The image below was initially a mock up for promo. Deni clearly worked her magic as Flavio, sorry the chough, ended up filling in the application form! 

Feeling Wild about Jersey? then sign up to be a conservation volunteer. Photo by Liz Corry.

Cakes galore at Seedy Sunday. Photo by Liz Corry.

The event was catered for by Beresford Street Kitchen with tea and cakes provided by some very lovely ladies. Strangely, none made with mealworms so the chough settled for chocolate instead.

I immediately hightailed it down to St Andrew’s Church after the event where I gave a talk to Action for Wildlife. The group partially funded the radio-tracking project in 2015. This was a way to update members and thank them once again. Several have provided sightings and photos of choughs from around the Island and there was lots of enthusiasm to continue helping which is always encouraging.

Have you seen Caûvette?

Finally, a word about sightings. Islanders will start to see adverts going up asking if they have seen Caûvette. Don’t worry we haven’t lost any birds just a way of grabbing attention. With nesting about to start it is really important that we know where all the birds are. Hopefully we can reach out to those Islanders who don’t yet know about choughs but have seen them on walks or on their land.

Choughs can often be found at the Racecourse there are two in this photo) will they start nesting nearby? Photo by Liz Corry.

Reptilewatch training 2020

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People with a passion for nature can learn how to survey and protect our native reptiles and become Wild Volunteers at a free training event on Saturday 14 March.

Reptilewatch JE 2020 (which runs from 9:45am to 4:30pm at La Moye School) will teach people about the four native reptile species that can be found in Jersey, how to survey and assess habitats as well as providing some guidance on the identification other wildlife that they may encounter along the way.

The event is organised by The Jersey Amphibian and Reptile Group, Jersey Biodiversity Centre, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and the Government of Jersey’s Natural Environment Team.

The event will offer two different levels of training for up to 50 volunteers. All volunteers can train for both Level 1 and Level 2, and do not need to have any previous experience:

  • Level 1 will give the volunteers the skills they need to run a 30-minute survey in their own time.
  • Level 2 will give volunteers the skills they need to run a minimum of six surveys between April and October, using more complex methods.

The data collected by volunteers will be used to monitor the health of reptiles and their habitats and record the number of animals within the survey areas.

Nina Cornish, Research Ecologist, said: “We would like to encourage anyone who is interested in finding out more about Jersey’s reptiles to come along and see how they can get involved.  The data collected from citizen science schemes like Reptilewatch is used to evaluate the future trends and action necessary to conserve these protected species.

“We rely on the kind support and commitment of Wild Volunteers, who allow us to run more surveys and gain a better understanding of the health of Jersey’s environment so that we can protect it for future generations.”

Anyone who wants to attend the event can reserve a place online or contact Liz Walsh by email: l.walsh@gov.je. or by phone on 441628.

Please don’t forget to wear appropriate clothing and bring some boots and waterproofs to be able to participate in the field session.

March volunteer activity

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Sunday 8th March 2020 –– St Clement’s Farm, La Grande Route de Saint Clement 10:00-13.00

From Jersey Conservation Volunteers

Task The Jersey Conservation Volunteers are certainly doing their bit for the Climate Emergency this season, and this Sunday, 8th March, we will be joining Jersey Trees for Life

Since 2007 Jersey Trees for Life, in partnership with the Island’s environmental and conservation community, has planted over 50,000 trees and hedgerow whips as part of their ongoing hedgerow campaign. They have been replanting and restoring Jersey’s hedgerows and farmland trees for the benefit of the Island’s biodiversity, as well as providing valuable food and wildlife corridors.

Using the latest priority tree planting routes, Island wildlife and mammal survey data, we have plotted connecting areas accordingly.

This event will focus on several of these priority planting routes, connecting directly with previous planting projects and designed to maximize food corridors as well as providing food for pollinators throughout the season.

Please meet at 10.15 am to enable us to walk the short distance (about 5 minutes) to the planting site. We will finish for 1pm.

If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Jersey Conservation Volunteers email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).

The site Jersey phone directory Map 17, GG21 and Google maps here

Parking There is limited parking at St Clement’s Farm, La Grande Route de Saint Clement by kind permission of Mrs D. Mossop. Please car share if you can!

Tools needed Please bring a garden spade if you have one, and gloves.

Clothing needed Please dress for the weather, coats, sturdy boots/wellies and waterproofs may well be needed!

Children All are welcome, young or old although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age directly supervised by a parent or guardian.

Refreshments At the end of a hard morning’s work, Kim will treat everyone to her renowned home-made cake and a cuppa.

See you there!

Chough report: January 2020

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New year, new decade, what will 2020 have in store for the choughs? Photo by Liz Corry.

By Liz Corry

New year, new start, new friends, with just a few old problems needing innovative solutions. January has been very busy behind the scenes. Flavio and volunteer Jane have done a great job making sure things run as smoothly as possible. Luckily the choughs have also been co-operating keeping themselves alive and well! 

Charity plea for wetsuits for choughs

Don’t think this needs any further explanation.

Jersey choughs made a public plea for wetsuits. Image by Liz Corry.

…apparently the boss is saying it does.

Last month we discovered rips in the aviary netting where the material has been rubbing on the new central scaffold pole. The pole was put in last March along with brand new netting so you can imagine our dismay on discovering the problem.

Holes have been appearing in the netting where it rubs against the metal frame. Photo by Liz Corry.

The metal pole has to stay because it stabilises the tunnel framework. We can sew up the holes. How do we stop the wear and tear?

With wetsuits! I came up with the idea whilst trying to think of suitable padding material to reduce friction. Traditional yellow foam used on scaffold structures is not suitable; birds will peck at it and ingest foam. Neoprene is more robust and should be able to cope with whatever weather Jersey throws at it. 

Cue second light bulb moment. I contacted Durrell’s Charity Shop to see if they had any wetsuits in stock. Angie and her staff were very helpful. By sheer luck, five were donated after I put in the request. Flavio set to work cutting them into strips.

Dismembered bodies…of wetsuits being used to repair the aviary. Photo by Liz Corry.

The States Rangers kindly volunteered to transport our Henchman ladders up to Sorel (they promised to bring them back too!). Flavio and I could then set to work securing the neoprene to the scaffold.

Henchman ladders for safely working at height. Photo by Liz Corry.

Old neoprene wetsuits cut up and fitted to scaffold to reduce friction with the netting. Photo by Liz Corry.

Whilst on the ladders, we noticed another problem with the netting. This time where it joins the timber frame and hoop on the end. More neoprene was added, gaps closed off, frayed ends trimmed and battened down.

Tension in the netting caused some sections to pull away from the timber joins. Photo by Liz Corry.

Netting had frayed and tension, increased by the wind factor, was resulting in gaps along the joins. Photo by Liz Corry.

Gaps in the netting were closed off with cable ties then neoprene fitted over the top to prevent further fraying. Photo by Liz Corry.

They say things happen in threes…we also found new rodent holes in the netting on the last day of fitting the neoprene. Something digging inside the aviary looks to have exited via the netting. 

Rodents at it at again chewing through the netting. Photo by Liz Corry.

Only time will tell if the neoprene works. I will be keeping an eye out for mildew. Hopefully the wind and/or sun exposure will mean it dries out pretty quickly after any rains. We also need to see if the birds are happy perching on neoprene. Thirty of them lined up along a dry stone wall on the afternoon we finished the work (zoom in on the camera phone photo below). Coincidence or the answer to our question? Let’s go with the former for now.

An unusual sight of thirty choughs lined up along a dry stone wall apologies for poor quality phone photo). Photo by Liz Corry.

Gearing up for the breeding season

Tensions are building between the choughs, as pair bonds are reinforced and new ones forged. If you spend some time at Sorel you might witness a few squabbles. They can look pretty intense, but generally over quite quickly with nothing hurt other than pride.

National Trust fields at Sorel shared by choughs and sheep. Photo by Liz Corry.

Several still visit Les Landes and other areas on the north coast. Trying to identify leg rings, and, therefore, which birds, is still problematic. More so when dealing with Jersey cows. Their friendly curiosity is appealing. Their stubbornness when trying to get them to move out of your line of sight not so appealing.

Jersey cows at Les Landes racecourse blocking my view of six choughs feeding 100 metres away. Photo by Liz Corry.

The choughs main focus will soon switch from food to nesting. Preparations are under way in the quarry to carry out maintenance on the nest-boxes used last year. Once again Ronez are being very helpful. Even roping in family members!

Toby’s father Alain Cabaret has a joinery business (A J Cabaret) and very kindly created a prototype nest-box at no cost to the project. The design is based on Oliver Nares’ successful barn nest-box used in Ireland with wild choughs. Oliver provided schematics which Alain then modified for use in a quarry building with guidance from Toby. There is a lid allowing access for ringing chicks with potential to fit a nest camera if a power supply is available.

Entrance of the new nest box is designed to deter other species from using it. Photo by Liz Corry.

Alain used Tricoya extreme which is supposed to be more robust than marine grade ply. Tricoya is more expensive; roughly £100 from one nest box, even after a generous discount from Normans building supplies. However it should last twice as along. Once we find funding we can set to work building another two; one to improve Green and Black’s success rate and one to replace Percy and Icho’s broken home.

Side profile of the new nest-box for the quarry building. Photo by Liz Corry.

New roost site on the north coast

A new roost site has been located at Crabbé thanks to an opportune sighting by the Jersey bird ringers early one morning. Whilst out ringing by the conservation crop fields, they spotted three choughs leaving a farm building heading east towards Sorel.

Flavio and I then staked out the area during roosting time for the next few days. There is a pair roosting at this site. They tend to fly in from the direction of Sorel and go straight to roost either as soon as the sun sets or a few minutes after. No dilly-dallying about in the grazed fields (horses, sheep, and pigs!) or on the roof tops.

We have been treated to some pretty spectacular sunsets. None of which have helped identify leg rings since blue become black, red might be orange, but if you wait a few more seconds that too might look black! 

Sunset at Crabbé. Photo by Liz Corry.

We think we know which pair and they stand a good chance of having their first nesting attempt in the same area. There is a slight catch. Planning permission has been granted at this site. Good news is that the owner is supportive of the choughs and has mitigation plans in place for other species. The development will remain agricultural rather than housing etc., but construction may disturb any nesting attempts. 

A pair of choughs have been roosting at Crabbé for the past few months. Photo by Liz Corry.

We need to develop a working relationship with the landowner and hopefully provide the chough pair with the support they need to raise the first Crabbé chough chicks! I suspect this situation will be repeated as the birds start forming more and more territories away from Sorel. 

Transferable skills

Another species spreading around the island, and not in a good way, is the Asian hornet. I recently spent some time helping Jersey’s Asian hornet team develop radio-tracking skills as a tool to find nests. Locate the nest, destroy the nest, control population growth. 

Dr Peter Kennedy, University of Exeter, is a hornet tracking ‘guru’. He developed the method and came to Jersey last year to demonstrate tag attachment and tracking to Alastair Christie, Asian Hornet Co-ordinator.

The team now have radio tags they can deploy in the field so I was asked to share my knowledge and experience with radio-tracking in Jersey.

If you think you spotted a hornet or indeed a nest please refer to the Government advisory website for identification tips and relevant contact details.

Some of the Hornet Team getting to grips with radio-tracking. Photo by David Ferguson.

Presenting at BIAZA’s Conservation and Native Species Conference

For the past few years I have attended BIAZA’s Native Species Conference listening to talks from a wide range of conservation projects associated with zoos. This year I braved the podium and gave a presentation about the chough project and lessons we can share with others.

BIAZA combined it with their Field Conservation conference for 2020 under the theme ‘Rewilding’. This meant subject matter ranged from pine martens in the Forest of Dean to penguins in South Africa. 

Just a few of the talks at the BIAZA conference held at Chester Zoo. Photos by Liz Corry.

The three day event was held at Chester Zoo. Delegates took part in workshops and had a guided tour of the zoo’s new nature reserve. We even got to muck-in helping repair fencing.

Sarah Bird, Chester Zoo, giving a guided tour of their nature reserve backing onto the Shropshire Union Canal. Photo by Liz Corry.

Growing up in the northwest it was nice to hear about the amazing work on the Manchester Mosses project. Peatland restoration work involving Chester zoo, local Wildlife Trusts, and several other partners has seen the return of plants and invertebrates decimated by peat extraction, property development, and industry.

The rare large heath caterpillar raised at Chester Zoo for release back into Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Lancashire. Photo by Chester Zoo.

I’m pleased to say the chough presentation was well received. Hopefully I did my bit to raise the profile of the species, our work, and of course Jersey!

Croeso i Gymru

Always one to maximise my time on the mainland, I headed over to Anglesey, Wales, prior to the BIAZA conference and met with RSPB staff working with choughs.

The sight of choughs flying around South Stack lighthouse is common – just not on this day. Photo by Liz Corry.

Having studied in Wales, it wasn’t the language I found baffling, but the names of the choughs! Until they explained it to me. ‘Mousetrap’, a breeding female in the area, is named after the rock climber’s route known as Mousetrap Zawn. 

The rugged coastline of Anglesey provides perfect nesting for choughs. Photo by Liz Corry.

South Stack offers perfect habitat for choughs; grassland, dramatic cliff tops, wind swept. Explains why their clutch sizes are so large with hatching success to match.

On clear days you can see Snowdonia from the RSPB office at South Stack. Photo by Liz Corry.

The team’s success was acknowledged last year with the coveted ‘Golden Spade Award’ for “producing lots of chough chicks”. 

Joking aside there is a lot we can learn from them in terms of habitat management in Jersey and population dynamics. In turn, we hope to reciprocate sharing the knowledge we have gained.

We discussed two potential collaborative research areas; GPS use for monitoring home range, habitat use and energy expenditure, and isotope analysis of wild diets. Exciting times ahead for 2020!

The Pollinator Project has launched

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By Sarah Maguire, Jersey Biodiversity Centre, Education and Outreach Officer

The Pollinator Project.JE has launched in Jersey which aims to help Jersey’s pollinators and their habitats. Pollinators move pollen from the flower to another flower, this results in fertilization that produces fruit and seeds. Without pollinators we would not get the reproduction of plants that create food and habitats for humans and other animal species. Pollinators are key for our survival with food security relying on their pollinating skills, so protecting them and helping to improve their environment is vital. Guernsey launched their pollinator project in 2017 and Jersey’s team are working alongside Guernsey and the other Channel Islands to replicate their success bringing together a variety of organisations to help.

Pollinator is a term that encompasses a wide range of species. Our focus is on pollinating insects and they may include many different species of insects such as hoverflies, beetles, flies, butterflies and moths. The decline in pollinating insects has also resulted in a decline in the number of birds across the UK with an 8% decline since 1970. The Pollinator Project will work to address a number of risks associated by disease and invasive species, such as Asian hornets. We will work together in partnership with other groups to support pollinators across the island.

The pollinator project will involve educational work in schools, habitat management and monitoring to help identify our species and habitats so that we can begin to enhance what is already in existence.

Through 2019 we will be sharing information, advice and top tips. So, if you’re into gardening you could plant native pollinator friendly plants such as Lavender (Lavandula munstead), save a space for pollinator native plants in your garden. Soon enough you will see patches dedicated to pollinators popping up over our Island; in schools, parks and gardens, work places and the countryside.

Let us know what pollinators you have spotted by sending a record to the Jersey Biodiversity Centre. This information will be added to a pollinator map for the island. We will also be running dedicated surveys of pollinators in the newly created pollinator patches. For the time being let us know what you’ve seen and add photos to your record to help with the verification of the species.

For more information on the project and how you can get involved please visit pollinatorproject.gg

#PollinatorProjectJE        #Pollinators        #WildFlowers

February volunteer activity postponed

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JCV February volunteer activity at Sorel

Sunday 9th task postponed until 23rd February.

Due to the prospect of storm Ciara hitting on Sunday, we have decided to postpone the event until Sunday 23rd February at the same time of 10.15am for a 10.30am start.

We apologise for any disappointment, but the Met Office has advised that they are expecting gusts of 60mph and driving rain, which is not suitable conditions for the task and does pose issues regarding safety.

Thanks for your understanding and see you on 23rd February.

The NTJ Lands Team

Wild About Jersey

Natural Environment

February volunteer activity

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Sunday 9th February 2020 –– Mourier Valley, St John 10:30-13.00

From Jersey Conservation Volunteers

Task This Sunday will be first opportunity for the JCV to get involved with the exciting Mourier Valley re-wilding project. Help the National Trust for Jersey and Jersey Trees for Life fulfil their most ambitious tree planting scheme ever, planting over 6,000 trees over three years. All plants and materials have been generously sponsored by Jersey Electricity and Jersey Water.

If you have any questions, or if you wish to be added to the Jersey Conservation Volunteers email list, please contact either Julia Clively (tel: 441600; j.clively@gov.je) or Jon Parkes (tel: 483193; jon.parkes@nationaltrust.je).

The site Jersey Phone Directory Map 3, R2 and Google Maps here

Parking There is car parking at Sorel Point, at the top car park or down by the Point.

Meet at the Sorel Point – top public car park at 10am to allow us to walk over to the site and start work for 10.30am. We will finish for 1pm.

Tools needed Depending on turnout, we may be short on spades, so please bring spades and gloves if you have any.

Clothing needed Please dress for the weather and bear in mind how exposed the site is on the North Coast. 

Children All are welcome, young or old although we do ask that volunteers under 16 years of age are directly supervised by a parent or guardian.

Refreshments Kim will be setting up her pop-up cafe to treat you all when work finishes at about 12.30.

See you there!

Garden bird time!

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This weekend, 1st and 2nd February sees the 19th annual Jersey Great Garden Bird Survey (we started in 2002) in conjunction with Action for Wildlife Jersey and the Jersey Evening Post. There goes the weather! Remember the Beast From the East? Apparently (so the UK’s tabloids would have us believe) expect the Pest From the West! Whatever the weather, please count the birds in your garden (instructions below) and use the form which you can download here.

This annual count of the birds in the Island’s gardens has proven invaluable to our understanding of what is happening with many of our favourite species, the ones we often share our daily lives with and cherish. After all, and this may bypass the occasional world leader, what is happening in the birds’ world is happening in ours! 

Method

The method of the count is very straight forward. Basically you just need to look out into the garden for a few minutes (I just look out the kitchen window) and write down what birds you see and the maximum number of each species. And, of course, red squirrels count again as birds this year. Just for one weekend!

Once you’ve counted the birds (and squirrels) on your chosen day please fill out the form (here) and email to BOTE at birdsote@gmail.com or drop off at the JEP office. Alternatively you can fill out the form in the JEP or pick up a form from one of the Island’s garden centres (Ransoms, St Peters, Animal Kingdom or Pet Cabin at Le Quesne’s) and leave it with them.

During last year’s count (read more here) the Top 16 birds recorded were (average per reporting garden):

  1. House sparrow 6.9
  2. Chaffinch 1.8
  3. Wood pigeon 1.77
  4. Starling 1.75
  5. Great tit 1.6
  6. Blue tit 1.6
  7. Collared dove 1.4
  8. Magpie 1.4
  9. Robin 1.3
  10. Blackbird 1.0
  11. Greenfinch 0.33
  12. Song thrush 0.26
  13. Pheasant 0.22
  14. Blackcap 0.16
  15. Great spotted woodpecker 0.12
  16. Jay 0.12.

Our honorary bird, the red squirrel, at 0.4 per garden, would have been 11th.

So, please take part this weekend, enjoy the birds (and squirrels) and consider yourself citizen scientists!

 

Hedge Fund Project 2019/20

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The National Trust for Jersey are looking to appoint a volunteer planter to assist in the planting of bare root hedging and tree whips (45-60 cm) on designated field boundaries working eastwards between the Zoo and Rozel Manor/Fliquet.

  • Once planted the whips will be fitted with spiral guards or trees shelters as appropriate
  • The majority of the 5,000 holes to plant the whips have been dug to allow them to be slot planted. Spiral protection has to be fitted to a lot of the hedging that has already been planted and this type of work is less arduous and would suit those who are not so physically strong
  • There is the potential of work in the summer as well, maintaining the planting in order to control competing vegetation.

The appointee will be responsible to Conrad Evans – Project Coordinator or National Trust Supervisor in his absence. The appointee will need to be:

Responsible for 

  • Own transport to site and meeting at designated working site which will vary as progress is made
  • You will need to wear appropriate clothing, gloves and footwear and provide food and drink for your own welfare
  • Looking after the tools, plants and materials that will be provided
  • Complying with the risk assessment that will be given to all volunteers.

Key responsibilities 

  • Working with minimal supervision from time to time taking care of your own health and safety in line with the likely working conditions to be expected
  • Be respectful of the land, environment and any livestock encountered
  • Deal politely with any public interest
  • To have the ability to work as part of a team to a high standard.

Experience required

  • Being physically fit and able is a vital condition of the task
  • Basic gardening, horticulture or labouring
  • Ability to work under own initiative having been given initial instruction.

 Hours 

  • Monday to Friday between 0830 and 1530
  • Minimum of 4 hours per session to ensure efficiency and a reasonable level of production.

Contact and any necessary medical details will be required but ALL information held with be kept in the strictest confidence.

If you are interested please contact Conrad Evans

Tel: 07797 903895 / email: Conrad.Evans@nationaltrust.je

The National Trust for Jersey, The Elms, La Chève Rue, St Mary JE3 3EN

Chough report: December 2019

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By Liz Corry

Choughs and staff have been battling storm-force gales this month. With fewer insects around most, if not all, of the birds have been appearing at the supplemental feed fuelling their travels around Jersey’s coastline.

Here is what else we’ve been getting up to in December…

Cosmetic surgery on Wally’s Christmas wishlist?

Wally is currently sporting an overgrown upper mandible. Photo by Liz Corry.

Wally and juvenile Dary both have overgrown bills. From observations it looks to be the upper mandible that has overgrown rather than the tip of the lower mandible breaking off. This should not be a major problem, however, it may reduce the effectiveness of their foraging skills. Hopefully natural wear and tear will eventually rectify the situation. Watch this space.

Dary currently has an overgrown upper mandible. Photo by Liz Corry.

Habitat use in December

Plémont pond at the restored headland. Photo by Liz Corry

Observations at Plémont over the Christmas period suggest that the area is no longer being used by choughs as a roost site. To be expected with the disappearance of Earl although it would have been nice for Xaviour to remain there with her new partner. We could do with finding out where she is roosting as it may tell us where she will nest in 2020.

There could be ‘new’ roost sites around the Island that we are not aware of. One chough was observed flying west after the supplemental feed roughly 30 minutes before sunset. Annoyingly, having just come from a fruitless search of Le Pulec to Plémont, all I could do was watch as it disappeared behind the tree line at Crabbé. From there it could have gone in any direction…including back to Sorel.

Watching from the Devil’s Hole cliff path as a lone chough flies off into the sunset. Photo by Liz Corry.

We have had a couple more reports of a pair of choughs around Grantez and the adjacent coastline. One sighting from an ex-chough keeper referenced the land behind St Ouen’s Scout Centre. 

Two choughs spotted at the back of St Ouen’s Scout Centre. Photo by Kathryn Smith.

It is impossible to see leg rings in the photo, but it does show the type of habitat the choughs are willing to explore in Jersey looking for food. There are several houses nearby and the area is a popular spot with dog walkers. Let’s hope we get more sightings reported and the pair’s identity solved. Remember you can send in sightings by clicking here.

Aerial image of the Jersey Scout Centre in St Ouen and surrounding area. Image taken from Google Earth.

Identity crisis?

Kevin has lost his yellow ID ring so for now he is just white left. We will try and rectify this in the New Year when the force 9-10 gales hopefully die down making the catch up less like Mission Impossible.

Kevin can only be identified from his white 2015 year ring after losing his yellow ID ring. Photo by Liz Corry.

Luckily he is easy to spot as he is normally with his partner Wally. A couple of the other choughs are proving harder to ID despite having all their leg rings. Take Morris, he has a grey over cerise ring whilst Baie has pale blue over cerise leg rings. It’s not easy to distinguish the two colours especially when the low winter sun is beaming directly on the birds. There are three of us who work out at Sorel and we have all mistaken one for the other at some point.

All this means we might not realise a bird is missing/dead straight away. As the month (and year) draws to a close we have been trying to determine exact numbers. Where possible both myself and Flavio have headed out to the coast; one staying at Sorel whilst the other heads to a different known foraging site(s). It feels a bit like a wild goose chase…but with choughs. 

Counting choughs…or is it sheep? Photo by Liz Corry

Our best guess is that there are now thirty-five choughs living free in Jersey; twenty captive-reared, fifteen hatched in the wild. We have not been able to account for any extras at Sorel throughout December.

Aviary damage

December’s persistent gales have taken their toll on the aviary. So much so that an external hatch door came off its hinges and landed inside the aviary. The cable-ties securing plastic side panels in place to provide shelter from the winds) snapped off. Not once, but three times. The vertical anti-rodent guttering snapped off. And to top it off, holes appeared in the netting along the top. Possibly rodent-related although this could also be because the netting rubs on the support pole in the winds.

Still, despite the Force 10 battering, it has fared better than the Motocross track whose observation tower and trailer blew over!

Christmas Day at Sorel was a very different picture to the last three weeks of wind, rain, and hail. Photo by Liz Corry.

The one upside to all the rain appears to be how useful the dirt tracks have become to the choughs. Birds were spotted probing the muddy ruts for insects, drinking from the puddles, and hanging out on the field gate. 

Sorel farm track has attracted the attention of the birds this month. Photo by Liz Corry.

 

Heard of a kissing gate? Well this is a choughing gate. Photo by Liz Corry.

Kentish chough developments

At the start of December (when the ferries were still sailing!) I was invited over to Kent to assist with planning the Kentish chough reintroduction. My first day was spent with the team visiting potential aviary locations and discussing suitability.

A view of Dover Harbour from the White Cliffs. Photo by Liz Corry.

Several landowners already work towards restoring habitats that will benefit choughs. The National Trust for example graze ponies to improve the flower-rich grassland. Short grass and insect-attracting dung – what more could a chough ask for? The challenge Kent face is working in such a densely populated area. Dover is a smidge different to Sorel.

The National Trust are just one of the many stakeholders involved in the project. Photo by Liz Corry.

 

Kirsty Swinnerton, Kent Wildlife Trust (and well known to BOTE through her long involvement), pointing out the boundaries of a current grazing project using Shetland cattle. Photo by Liz Corry.

My second day was at Wildwood Trust, home to the captive choughs. A morning of meetings resulted in potential research collaborations and a few ideas for how to manage the Kent releases.

Signage at Wildwood mentions the success of our chough work. Photo by Liz Corry.

Wildwood are also involved in exciting projects to rewild nearby forest as well as several exciting projects around the UK. It was nice to see behind the scenes and talk about something other than choughs! The photo gallery at the bottom shows just a few of the species Wildwood conserve.

I gave a lunchtime talk to staff about the Jersey project and the lessons we have learnt. I gave the same talk on the final day for the Kent Wildlife Trust. That talk was held at the Tyland Barn Centre and streamed live to staff at their other reserve centres. The trust are heavily involved in the public engagement side and particularly interested in how the Jersey community have reacted to the choughs.

Talking to staff at Kent Wildlife Trust about Birds On The Edge and the choughs. Photo by KWT

 

  • Its so fluffy! A wildcat kitten almost fully grown
  • Otters almost went extinct in the UK
  • Foxes, absent in Jersey, feature at Wildwood
  • Wildwood are involved in reintroducing red squirrels into Anglesey
  • Elks are not the best at playing hide and seek