Yesterday I made the most of the fine weather to work out how many of our 10 stone-curlew chicks made it to fledging. It has been a tough season for stone-curlew, and indeed all ground nesting birds. The prolonged rain means that incubating birds get water logged, and eggs get chilled. Small chicks are vulnerable to getting cold and wet too, and the parents struggle to keep the chicks sheltered from the elements.
It is impossible to really know for sure how many chicks we have by watching the plots alone. The birds often hide, or head out in to the grassland reversions to feed, and I won’t see a chick for weeks on end - nurturing all sorts of horrid thoughts of perished chicks and failed nesting attempts! However, at 6 weeks old, the chicks are able to fly, and this is the age they have officially “fledged”. With this in mind, I decided the best way forward was to walk the plots and see how many birds took off.
I decided to start with the eldest chicks, on Church Hill North plot. I was very apprehensive as I walked over the field towards the plot, as I had only seen the 2 adults in recent weeks. As I walked across the plot I scanned the horizon and one... two.., three and then four birds took off from the far side. Both chicks fledged! Great start. The next plot was Curtis. Again, I was unsure about the chicks, as I had only seen one on my last few visits. This was confirmed, as only 3 birds took off. The third plot was very easy and I didn’t even have to leave my vehicle – both adults and both chicks were sitting together, relaxing on the plot – a very contented family! The forth plot I looked at, Signal box, was another worrisome plot where I had only seen the two adults recently. But fears were alleviated when I spotted 3 birds gliding off the plot and in to the grass. The very last plot was the worst of all! As soon as the chicks hatched, the parents moved them out in to the grassland reversion, and it is such a huge field, that finding them again was a hopeless task! As I drove in to the field, I scanned across the grass for signs of life, but saw nothing. I tried various spots around the field, but still did not find anything. Getting worried, I finally decided I best check the plot, despite the fact the birds moved off as soon as the eggs hatched. To my amazement and delight two adults and two fledged chicks scooted from one end of the plot to the other – both chicks had survived! All in all 8 out of the 10 chicks have made it, which is absolutely brilliant, especially when taking the weather in to account. All of us on the reserve are delighted, and a drink or two in honour of our birds will be had over the weekend.
More exciting news, we have recently acquired a 6th pair of stone-curlew! They are a rather late arrival, and I expect they are a failed pair from else where. It will be interesting to see whether they decided to have a nesting attempt. Although their behaviour suggests they are interested in doing so, they have not tried yet. Watch this space!
Keeley