Shepway District Council shocked conservation organisations with their
decision on March 3 to approve plans for the extension of Lydd Airport. The RSPB, along with a huge range of other organisations and individuals, has expressed disappointment and concern at the decision by Shepway District Councillors to ignore recommendations of their own officers, Natural England and legal and policy requirements by approving the plans.

Chris Corrigan, RSPB director for South East England, said, “It is difficult to understand how the Councillors can have reached this decision. The Council’s own officers and their independent expert ecological advisors have pointed out the problems and recommended rejection. Natural England, the Government’s statutory advisors on nature conservation, also recommended rejection. In the only public polls carried out, local people recommended rejection. And yet, Shepway District Councillors have decided to approve the plans.

“The RSPB believes that given the wide ranging level of popular and technical opposition, the expansion plans must now be called in for public inquiry so that the facts can face a full and open public examination.”

The RSPB has stated from the outset that Lydd is an entirely inappropriate location for an enlarged passenger airport. As well as being in an amazing place for wildlife, much of which is protected, it has no public transport links and the road network struggles to cope with existing traffic levels, never mind any increase that would have resulted from the expansion plans.

A large increase in air traffic could have an adverse effect on birds at the RSPB's Dungeness reserve as well as those that inhabit nearby Romney Marshes.

Eric Brown

It will come as no great surprise to those kept awake by their yelps and screams, those who discover bulbs uprooted and holes in their lawns or those who sniff their strong aroma. Bexley, it seems, emerged as the most popular London Borough for foxes in an RSPB survey called "Make your Nature Count".

In fact foxes were seen in Bexley gardens more frequently than cats! The fox was reported from 89.34 per cent of Bexley gardens in the summer survey while the cat came second with 86.89 per cent and grey squirrel third with 71.73. After that came the amphibians with frog (47.54 per cent) and toad (21.31). Then came birds with sparrowhawk (12.30) and kestrel 4.10. Hedgehogs may be declining but they were still recorded in an encouraging 3.28 per cent of Bexley gardens with badger a regular visitor to 0.82 per cent. Participants from 11 London Boroughs contributed to the survey with reports received from 161 Bexley gardens.

Bexley’s fox reporting rate far exceeds the national UK average of 27.7 per cent and the Londonwide average 70 per cent. The fox came third in London gardens behind cat and grey squirrel with badger surprisingly reported from as many as 2.43 per cent of gardens.

In the 1950s foxes knew their place – in the countryside stealing farm poultry. They quickly adapted to take advantage of the blooming fast food industry and moved into towns, raiding litter bins for discarded scraps. Free lodgings were available, too, beneath sheds and outbuildings. The dangers of hunting or an angry farmer’s gun have been removed and motor vehicles are now the urban foxes’ greatest enemy. Magpies, who took the same route, were reported in 63.11 per cent of Bexley gardens. Nationwide, more than 62,000 people took part in the survey with one in 10 participants seeing badgers and a quarter of gardens home to foxes and hedgehogs.

More information on Make Your Nature Count at rspb.org.uk/naturecount.

*This article first appeared in the Bexley Times.

ERIC BROWN

The search is on for a new leader of the Bexley RSPB Group. Current leader John Turner, who officially succeeded David James at the 2005 annual meeting, is to stand down after five years in the chair.

If no successor is appointed at the May agm the Group may face closure after 32 years.

At last year’s annual meeting Mr Turner revealed that no-one had answered his appeal for a volunteer to join the committee and "learn the ropes" with a view to becoming the seventh Bexley Group leader. He said a new leader was "wanted urgently".

RSPB regulations state that no Local Group can continue to operate without a leader and Mr Turner added: "The Group has 12 months to find a new leader or it will then be under notice of closure by the RSPB".

Two volunteers have now expressed an interest in the post and members will be asked to elect a new leader.

Eric Brown

The RSPB is involved in talks about managing Pagham Harbour reserve and acquiring more land on Sheppey. West Sussex County Council, which runs Pagham Harbour reserve, first approached the RSPB in Autumn and information is now being gathered on what would be required to supervise the popular reserve successfully.

Pagham Harbour has been a regular venue for Group coach outings over many years, most recently in October 2009 (for report and bird list go to Trip Reports). Chris Corrigan, the RSPB’s South East Regional Director, said: "We are keen that somewhere as important as Pagham Harbour has a secure future, both for its wildlife and for the many people who enjoy it. We look forward to pursuing that goal in the talks ahead."

A piece of Harty Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey is also a focus for the RSPB. Harty Marshes is a small parcel of land to the east of (but not directly connected to) the Capel Fleet viewing point which is regularly visited by members to see harriers, merlin, peregrine, barn owl and occasionally rough legged buzzard and bearded tit as well as other species. It was bought by South East England Development Agency.

The RSPB wants to restore the wet grassland habitat but it is too small and the access too difficult to be a visitor site. Its acquisition will safeguard another piece in the big Sheppey jigsaw rather than becoming birdwatching site in itself. The RSPB wants birdwatchers to continue visiting Capel Fleet or the Swale NNR knowing that some of the birds they will see in the future will be due to their improvements on nearby parcels of land.

It has been reported that the RSPB is hoping to acquire Great Bells Farm near the Elmley reserve to provide extra habitat for waders and wildfowl. There is no public access – except through a prison!

Eric Brown

The RSPB is issuing an open invitation for people to watch a show with a cast of thousands - completely free.

Waders, ducks and geese flock to the Medway over winter and you can witness this amazing spectacle from a viewpoint near Gillingham between 13 and 21 February. The area is of international importance because it attracts up to 300,000 birds which feed on the exposed mudflats at low tide during winter.

The stunning display can be seen from Horrid Hill at Riverside Country Park near Gillingham where there are sweeping views of the water. RSPB personnel will be on hand with telescopes and binoculars to help visitors get a closer look at Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck, Grey plover, Redshank and Oystercatcher. One of the greatest attractions is the flocks of Dunlin, sometimes numbering thousands, flying across the mudflats.

David James, of RSPB North Kent Marshes, said: “Watching a flock of swooping and sweeping dunlin is like seeing a feathered whirlwind. The feeding flurry as they move quickly along the mud is quite spectacular. This makes a great day out for families during the half term. It gets kids outdoors and excited about nature.”

Despite impressive flocks of waders and wildfowl across the North Kent Marshes, many of these species are now Amber Listed as Species of Conservation Concern. This means numbers have declined by at least 25 per cent over the past 25 years or the habitats populations rely on are scarce or under threat.

The event runs from 10am to 3pm on the dates above. Parking & entry free. For more information call 01634 222480, email: northkentmarshes@rspb.org.uk or visit www.rspb.org.uk/reserves

Volunteers from the Bexley Group will be at two venues to distribute forms for the Big Garden Birdwatch taking place over the weekend of 30 and 31 January.

An event in conjunction with Bexley Heritage Trust will be held at Hall Place on 30 January from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. We shall have telescopes trained on birds feeding on the seed and nuts provided, have bird food and feeders available for sale and BGBW forms will be handed out. We shall also have membership forms and information about the RSPB and the Bexley Group as well as free goody bags for children.

Those wishing to collect forms earlier can do so at Pets at Home in Crayford on Saturday 23 January. Survey forms will also be available in some libraries.

Records were set in 2009 with more than 551,000 people taking part across the UK. Nearly 280,000 parks and gardens were surveyed, and 8.5 million birds counted. The more results received, the more the RSPB understands what is going on with garden birds. Since 1979 there have been worrying drops in garden bird numbers; three quarters of the starlings have gone and more than half the house sparrows. This shows the importance of this survey and with public participation the RSPB can help save the birds that are part of our daily lives.

In Bexley we are hoping to raise the numbers of participants from the 983 adults and 82 children who took part last year, in order to exceed the number who took part in 2007 – 1165 adults and 141 children.

John Turner