Although things are quiet on the
RSPB Liverpool events front due to the coronavirus, Chris has still been
contributing to BBC Radio Merseyside in his role of nature watcher. Most
recently, as well as answering listeners’ questions, he discussed a number of
nature-related topics with Helen Jones, including:
·
Screaming
swifts and how to help map them (https://www.swiftmapper.org.uk/).
 |
Common swift – photo from Wikimedia: AlexeySokolov1971/CC
BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
|
·
The
RSPB’s Big Wild Sleepout Lockdown Edition, which took place on Saturday, 23rd
May.
· #NoMowMay, which
some councils have participated in this year, leaving grassy areas uncut so
that wildflowers can emerge, supporting pollinating insects such as bees and
hoverflies. Bees are one of our most important pollinators, and we rely on
their hard work for much of what we eat. They pollinate the flowers that
produce some of our vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and help to spread
colour through our landscape. Bees are vital in keeping up the health of our
ecosystems, so we need to give them the biggest chance possible to thrive.
 |
| Protected verge, Northants – photo from Wikimedia: Michael Trolove, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13472961 |
·
What
to do if you find a baby bird on the ground:
If it looks
healthy and well, like the young linnet in the photo below, leave it alone.
 |
| Fledgling linnet on the ground at Garston Coastal Reserve – photo by @birderjack |
If it’s being fed
by a parent bird, like the young stonechat in the photo below, leave it alone.
 |
| Fledgling stonechat being fed by parent bird, Garston Coastal Reserve – photo by @birderjack |
If it’s in the
nest being fed or looking healthy and well, like the baby song thrushes in the
photo below, leave it alone.
 |
| Song thrush feeding young in the nest – photo from RSPB Images |
However, if it is
definitely injured, seek advice from the RSPCA or a local wildlife charity.
·
Looking
ahead, we should shortly be seeing some of our beautiful native orchids in
flower – species such as the pyramidal orchid and the bee orchid.
 |
| Pyramidal orchid, Formby – photo by Chris Tynan |
 |
| Bee orchid – photo from Wikimedia: Henry Hemming/CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) |
All of the above can be found in
our local area, without having to make a long trip to see them, and one of the
few good things to come out of the coronavirus situation has been the increase
in sightings – and thus knowledge about – of what we think of as ‘uncommon’
species around Merseyside. For example, eider ducks have been spotted flying
along the Mersey and then roosting on a sandbank, then bobbing on the river; a
cuckoo was seen flying along the river – no doubt using it as a navigational
aid; local fields have provided a brief stopover for other birds on their way
to their breeding grounds, etc. Without the eyes and ears of keen local
naturalists who are currently unable to wander further afield, the presence of
some of these species might have passed unnoticed.
If you would like to record your
sightings, Merseyside BioBank has a link to an excellent resource, iRecord (https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/).
Submitted, verified records are available to national recording schemes and
societies, Local Environmental Records Centres, and other individual records
and organisations, thus building up a crucial map of areas of importance for
the wildlife that calls this island home, or which visits for a brief period.
