We undertook a couple of bird counts this week, which are essential as they inform us whether our conservation management is effective or not. All these bird numbers are then entered onto databases and the figures scrutinised to see if they can tell us anything. All of which is very important. Which is good, because I’m normally averse to any form of mathematics.
This is why I was shocked to watch a television programme starring Bill Oddie when I was a young man, about birding. In the programme, the great man counted some birds from a hide and then went home to his kitchen. He then got his notebook out to look at the numbers and said......... “and now the fun bit”. He was comparing the numbers to those of past visits. I was disturbed by this. How could someone so enthused about the natural world of his own free will, enjoy applying maths to it ? But since then, I have encountered many birders who just love maths, or statistics applied to their bird numbers. To me, a love of the natural world and mathematics just don’t go together, and I’m sure I’m perfectly normal.
Wigeon trying to avoid being counted, by Mark Stokeld
Anyway, I seem to have digressed. One of our targets is to have 3,000 Wigeon grazing on the reserve, which we’ve never quite reached. We came close in February this year with 2843. And this week we have 2780. Conservation management for Wigeon involves keeping grass short around water bodies, as they like to waddle out of the water onto short grass and munch new grass growth like a duck version of sheep. We manage grass swards for Wigeon using cattle and sheep grazing, which is why we have so many here.
Will we finally reach our target as the winter progresses? What will happen if we do ?
I doubt there will be any kind of prize. I suspect we’ll just be given a new target of 4,000.
Not that I should complain about that, as it shows that we really are making a difference, which is why we’re here.