Editorial: Nick Mason

Nick Mason

Well I think that there is a lot to get your teeth into in this report. 2019 was a good year for new species for Suffolk – three in all. We also have several interesting articles on wide-ranging subjects. Edward Jackson’s weather report, for instance, goes beyond 2019 and looks at the changing climate and its effect on our avifauna. Craig Fulcher, who is secretary of SORC and now the BBRC Suffolk link, has produced a review of the national and county rarities present in Suffolk throughout the year. Nocturnal bird recording might not be your thing – but may become so after reading Phil Whittaker’s explanation of the procedures involved. Spoonbills back breeding in Suffolk is long overdue and the RSPB trio of Aaron Howe, David Fairhurst and Lyndsey Record fill us in on what has been happening on Havergate Island. Three gull articles are included; our good friend John Grant has a short piece on Caspian Gull behaviour at Minsmere, while we have included the first page of Dawn Balmer and Peter Wilson’s experiences of the same species in the west of the county. Additionally, Ed Keeble has produced a well-researched piece on the changing status of Great Black-backed Gulls in Suffolk. There is an article detailing the ongoing research into Tree Pipit ecology in Breckland by Niall Burton, a subject we remember with fondness here in the east of the county! Peter Lack was busy on his local patch in 2019 researching why and when birds sing and has written it up for us here.

It is quite possible that articles like those mentioned above may be in shorter supply for the 2020 report. Therefore, any Covid-related pieces will be well received. Many will have a scientific basis – so don’t be shy in sending them in. Field notes, that some of these would be, are an important, and interesting, part of the Suffolk Bird Report.

Three new species for Suffolk – but only one of them available for most of us. You have to admire the stamina that Henry Page showed in establishing the identity of the Cretzschmar’s Bunting at Minsmere. And he’s at it again - Mark Cornish describes identifying the Two-barred Warbler at Orford which was only seen for a few hours, so it was a shame it had to be on a WeBS day! The Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Dunwich stayed around for some time and was well-observed by many, alongside the interesting Western Yellow Wagtail. Paul Green and Tom Williams first found the bird and Peter Kennerley used real birding skills in getting its identification sorted. There was, amazingly, a second Eastern Yellow Wagtail on Havergate Island. Moving in to a new village and finding a rarity on your doorstep within weeks does not happen often but this was achieved by Craig Shaw who has written-up his finding of the Siberian Stonechat, and how it was finally identified using DNA; this was at Hollesley Marshes and yet another well-watched bird.

Our deepest thanks to all of those who have spent their time producing these articles.

And thanks must go, as usual, to all those who go out to do regular counts and other research. These records are the mainstay of the report and allow our section writers to produce the graphs and charts that are found throughout. As always, the Orfordness Report and the Landguard Report are both a major source of records – we are so fortunate to have them.

Gi Grieco writes the goose and swan section, Andrew Green the ducks. John Davies has three smaller groups i.e. the game birds, the grebes and the rails and crakes. At this point we have to say a massive thankyou to John Grant who has retired from doing his section after a long, long time. John - your sections were always a joy to read and edit. Fortunately, we were able to find two able replacements. Thankyou to our SBG chairman, Chris Courtney, for taking on the divers and shearwaters and Peter Lack the storks to cormorants. Chris Gregory continues with the raptors and falcons. And now we have a new section writer - let’s hear it for Margie Carter our first, and hopefully not last, female writer, who collated the section detailing Stone-curlew through to the plovers. Welcome! Ed Keeble continues with the remaining section of the waders, James Wright the gulls and skuas and Brian Buffery the terns and auks. Pigeons to woodpeckers is covered by Darren Underwood, Phil Whittaker the shrikes, corvids and tits, Nick Mason the larks

and hirundines and Peter Kennerley the warblers. An interesting spread of species including the crests, starlings and thrushes is collated by Richard Attenborrow and a similar spread, involving the flycatchers, chats and wheatears by Steve Fryett. The next group, sparrows, wagtails, pipits, finches and buntings has been written again by Paul Gowen with Adam Gretton finishing up with the appendix species.

Our ringing report, written by Simon Evans, is as good as you will get in any bird report.

As usual, Philip Murphy has put in hours of research helping to make the report both accurate, relevant over time and interesting. David Walsh has badgered people for data and accurate information and made task of the writers a lot easier. Laurie Forsyth has proof-read our work. Phil Whittaker has collated the art work and John Richardson he photographs in the report. Many thanks to Bill Baston who sorted out the photos for a good number of years.

There is always a reminder needed to get those records in to the recorders. Colin Jakes has been doing that task in the west for over 25 years. A big hand for that stalwart! We are very aware that the spread of birds is not so great in the west as on the coast, but do our best to cover avian events in the west and are keen to receive any articles or notes from there. Andrew Green is another stalwart coordinating the records in the north-east for us. I shall have to ask him how long he has been doing the job (since early 2007 apparently). In the south-east we have had a change. Many thanks go to Scott Mayson who has stood down but will continue to sit on SORC. The task has gone to two people – Gi Grieco who will sit on SORC and our grateful thanks go to Steve Fryett who has taken over the sorting of records and getting them out to whoever needs them, in our case the section writers in this report. In his case emailed records should be sent to birds-se@sns.org.uk.

It is worth mentioning again that we receive many thousands of Birdtrack records. While we try to cover all reports it is possible that some of the pertinent ones could get lost amongst the many thousands. So, please send those pertinent records in to the relevant county recorders Some counties do not include Birdtrack records because of the sheer numbers

There are a couple of comments to make about the order we have used in the report. It is the IOC order as it was at the beginning of 2019. Now, please don’t all groan, the order has changed again! So next year’s report will follow the new IOC list, starting with game birds. Much of it stays the same but there will be individual moves in the list – so swifts and nightjars, for instance, are no longer where you might expect them. All this, of course, is based on sound science.

An interesting observation was the lack of any small birds in the appendix section. One assumes that is more to do with people not bothering to send in records of budgerigars, weaver birds and the like?

Now we all know excellent birders and some of the proof of that is in the articles mentioned above. We also know excellent photographers, some of whom are also good birders. However, do we really need to tolerate those few characters with cameras who charge about with little regard for other birders and, more importantly, for the birds themselves? We have every right to call out this poor behaviour. I make no apology for mentioning this again. No individual is the arbiter of birding behaviour, we all are.

I have to mention the great loss of Ernie Lucking who died in the spring of 2020. Ernie was another stalwart of the birding world, a great birder and good friend. A good friend to all in fact. From a personal viewpoint, Ernie was a regular WeBS counter on the Deben. Always active – one of the first in with his data and always prepared to do another count if necessary. Steve Piotrowski has written an obituary in the summer 2020 Harrier. He will be a great loss to Suffolk birding.