Hopefully a full sightings blog for June will be available soon - in the meantime here's a couple of updates, first about Kingfishers at the reserve, and then the main feature, a piece from Roving Volunteer Colin, summarising his thoughts on the status of Warblers in the Spring at Rye Meads.
After an almost perfect year for kingfishers in 2022, with three broods at the Kingfisher Hub and two at the Draper Hide, this year has unfortunately been a tricky one for Kingfishers in the area. The year started off encouragingly - with a pair of Kingfishers investigating the old bank at the Hub in the early days of February, fish being passed between them in mid-March in our first signs of courtship, and a few changeovers in the nest bank. Then confusingly, fish passes started again, and around the same time the male Kingfisher was caught and ringed by the Rye Meads Ringing Group. This led visitors to believe there was an entirely new pair, but it appeared it was the same male with a new female, the original assumed to be predated. A few lucky visitors caught interesting behaviour on camera, with the male "cleaning house", removing failed eggs from the nest created with his original mate.
That meant starting again, with courtship between the male and his new mate. Thankfully things seemed to go well for them, with eggs laid in late April and hatching in mid-May, and so we were able to run a series of VIP Kingfisher events for early morning photographers. These helped us notice that things had unfortunately gone wrong again though, with us quickly realising that after 24th May, there were no further sightings of the female, with the male doing double duties feeding his young. Again, we assume the female had been predated.
Yet another female arrived, and we were left wondering what behaviour we would see, with the male Kingfisher simultaneously feeding his young as a single parent, and courting with his third mate (who obviously wasn't interested in the young) in as many months! Sadly we didn't really get to find out. The young fledged on 10th June, and were in the area for a while, however the male Kingfisher was now conspicuous by his absence. Once again, we assume a predator has got involved. The fledglings dispersed after a few days as normal, and sadly, without a male in the territory, the new female also disappeared, presumably to try and find a mate elsewhere, unless she also was predated.
That has unfortunately left us with an unused Kingfisher breeding bank for the time being. At the Draper Hide, there have been occasional Kingfisher sightings, with single Kingfishers investigating the bank there, but nothing has stayed. We've also had sporadic sightings in the wider area, including on the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust's Otter Trail.
Sadly it would be very lucky for a brand new pair to arrive in this breeding season, but we can hope! Our main hope is that as the territory is now available (and it's a very good territory!) a newly fledged male from a brood elsewhere could claim it over the rest of the summer/autumn ready for next season. While its not the Kingfisher breeding season any of us would hope for, still keep your eyes peeled for a flash of blue, and we'll update you again if there is good news!
Many thanks to our roving volunteer Colin for this article on Warblers at Rye Meads!
It was many years ago that I first visited Rye Meads in the Spring, and looked and listened out for the various warbler migrants. I recall Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers with their chattering songs among reeds and waterside vegetation that include some mimicry of other bird calls in their songs, the descending cadences of Willow Warbler, the flutey song of the Blackcap in the trees and the bushes and the distinctive two-tone song of the Chiffchaff. Then sometimes the slightly explosive burst of song of the Cetti’s Warbler that was starting to increase in the UK and that has become a common resident species. I had not visited the reserve for a number of years, so it was with happy anticipation that I started listening out this year for the arrivals of these small songsters in late March on my Monday morning rovings around the reserve.
Even in Feb I heard 3-4 Cetti’s Warblers on visits at a number of locations along the trails by the water edge. More often heard than seen, and with more frequency than I remember from former years. That is not surprising because British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) breeding bird data suggests an increase of 187% in the last 10 years. Chiffchaff and Blackcap were located often towards the end of March-early April, their usual time of spring arrival. The early ones may actually be from winter stop-over because there has been an increased tendency for both species to winter in the UK from Europe but with the second main breeding populations arriving from Africa. So two species being positively influenced by climate change with mild winters, which may now even occur in gardens at bird tables.
I did not locate any Reed Warblers or Sedge Warblers until late April and they seemed to be less often heard from what I remember in former years, with many more Reed than Sedge, predominantly up and down the path from the Ashby Hide to the Turnstile. The saddest to note has been the frequent absence of the beloved cadences of the Willow Warbler. On most visits I have not heard a single song although there have been occasional records since April. Again data is instructive and has shown a big decline in Willow Warbler population, with it on the Amber List, declining in England and Wales but increasing in Scotland. This may be a climate change effect in their wintering grounds because the northern population comes from different wintering areas. Breeding performance in the UK is variable with some increased failures in the South East but it is the over-winter survival in parts of Africa that is a significant cause for concern and affecting their migration. Its part of an increasing complex picture of climate related changes that may be good for some species but worrying for others.
Matt Bartlett
Visitor Experience Manager - RSPB Rye Meads