Feeling the heat

Words and Pictures

by William Bowell

As I write this, in mid-June, some seemingly exciting news has been released by the RSPB. Black-winged Stilts, a rare visitor from mainland Europe, have successfully hatched chicks at their Frampton Marsh reserve, near Boston. This is just the second record of breeding in Lincolnshire so a champagne moment for Toby Collett (the reserve warden) and his team.

Black-winged Stilts are a common sight in much of southern Europe, breeding in salt pans and estuaries. It is a black-and-white wading bird, which sits elegantly on long, bubble gum-pink legs. If the sun catches the black wings, there are greens and other tones. Unmistakable, unarguably beautiful birds.

During May, over50 sites across the country record Black-winged Stilts, mostly pairs, and several toured many sites. These sites included a pair that briefly paid a visit to Baston/Langtoft Pits and another pair that hung around Maxey Pits for a while longer. In a local context Black-winged Stilts have only been seen in our area a handful of times so two records in a spring are remarkable.

With so many in the country, it’s no surprise that some settled and nested. There are perhaps up to a dozen pairs attempting to breed in Britain this summer, surely a record. Indeed, the first successful attempt in Lincolnshire had only occurred a few weeks before the second! Amazingly, this was also at Frampton! At the time of writing both nests have two tiny ‘stiltings’ a piece. The trend of Stilts breeding in Britain has certainly increased over the past decade but perhaps has accelerated in the past couple of summers.

Another colourful Continental bird that has also started to breed in Britain with increased regulatory is the Bee-eater. Bee-eaters are unique looking birds, flying high, often invisible, catching large insects such as dragonflies and (yes, you at the back) bees. A few groups have tried to nest over the past 15 years or so and last year a group nested in north-east Norfolk and successfully fledged young. Happily, this year eight have returned and there is at least one nest at the time of writing, the first time Bee-eaters have returned to the same nest site in Britain in consecutive years!

It’s obviously hugely exciting that these exotic visitors stay and choose Britain as their new home, but what has caused this sudden change? The Channel has been a bridge too far and our climate and habitat just hasn’t been quite right in the past, so why this sudden surge in nesting attempts of these Continental specials?

This spring, temperatures in southern Spain have been exceptionally hot, at around 40°C. This would be perhaps of minor note in July or August but in early May, this is huge. As I write in mid-June, Portugal and Spain are looking as though they are going to be close to or beat the European record temperatures by the end of June.

The impact of this consistent heat is that habitats literally cook. Vital grassland, salt pans and vegetation fry and dry out. Plants die, insects die, and the environment becomes inhospitable.

The same began to happen around us last summer, when we experienced our hottest day ever and months of incredible heat ever. The knock on, combined with a cold spring this year, has been felt this with a dearth of insects, most notably butterflies. And these extreme conditions are becoming the norm with the climate disaster building pace.

Bee-eaters and Stilts are both migrants so, on finding their natural home no longer feasible for survival, let alone bringing up a family, they head north, for cooler, wetter climes. These are less than optimal conditions for these birds but needs must! The warden of Frampton Marsh, Toby, and his colleagues up and down the country will have to adapt to giving these new birds a home in the future.

And what is next to come? Well, I’m sure the Night Heron, a diminutive, shy, blackand white-heron, which has arrived in unprecedented numbers this spring and summer will have bred somewhere in the country this year. Other water birds are perhaps most likely to make the journey in coming years, such as the Squacco Heron and perhaps even Greater Flamingos.

When I was ten years old, I read an article in the kid’s magazine from the RSPB, which explained these birds would perhaps make Britain a home with global warming. 2050 was the year we could expect such things.

Seems like the future is now. And it’s only going to get hotter…

Will works at Grasmere Farm in Deeping St James (with a butcher’s and deli in Market Gate, Market Deeping) but in his spare time enjoys wildlife watching locally and across the country. He is also a keen photographer. Many of his images can be found at http:// justwildimages.blogspot.co.uk/ and photo cards can be found for sale at Market Gate Deli in Market Deeping.