Unusual birds reported

At last week's AWEG (Audlem Wildlife & Ecology Group) meeting at the Lord Combermere, sightings reported included a couple of unusual birds for the Audlem area.

A kite had been seen and reported a couple of days earlier at Hatherton. Since the meeting, it's been learnt that these large birds of prey, until twenty years or so a very rare sight only seen in remote areas of mid-Wales, are now being spotted to the south east of the village quite regularly.

Is it going to be like buzzards, which twenty years ago were rarely if ever seen locally, but are now flying over Audlem every day – the record seen at any one moment is thirteen, we understand.

Ravens too are now seen locally. Until recently they were restricted to wilder areas and it required a trip to Wales, the wilder parts of Shropshire or the Pennines to see them.

The second unusual sighting was of nightingales where it was reported that they had nested just south of the village, miles further north than their usual range. Their distinctive song was compared with a downloaded App by a resident and a dead young bird was found – featured on AudlemOnline earlier in the Summer.

AWEG members heard a talk by member Shirley Burton about her years of experience in Botany. Those that have accompanied her on field trips can testify to her amazing expertise and knowledge so it was good to hear how she had gained her experience as a student in SW London to her move north to Cheshire and then working with Keele University and local schools and colleges.

She even brought along her very first flower book as well as a wide range of other reference books.

The next meeting is 18th November at the Lord Combermere although members will also be treated to a talk by Tessa Cole on her work in Scotland on the Future Atlantic Marine Environment on 18th October.

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