Guests check-in to Cambridgeshire’s newest hotel
13 August 2010
Making sure your guests feel at home and catering to their needs is key to running any successful hotel - even when your guests are of the feathered variety.
Today (August 13) Natural England has released pictures of the first kingfishers to breed at a new colony or ‘bird hotel’.
Land owner, Professor Tony Martin, changed his land at Pymoor, near Ely, from arable to a wetland habitat in 2006 with help from Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme.
The site has developed over the years and now boasts a mosaic of more than 25 hectares of wet grassland, reed beds, shallow pools of water and shingle islands.
At the heart of this haven for birds, the newest addition is a carefully sited wall, built to offer bespoke nesting sites for the select guests. The wall is peppered with nearly 200 entrance holes, intended to give sand martins access to nesting boxes behind the façade.
Two of the nest boxes built into the wall are amongst the first in the country designed specifically for kingfishers. They benefit the kingfishers as in the fens the steep, exposed waterside banks they naturally favour are hard to come by.
The snug boxes also offer protection against predators and the availability of food on the doorstep all form part of the recipe for breeding success.
Dr Nigel Russell, from Natural England, said: “While the first sand martins to move in to the brand new complex are eagerly anticipated in the 2011 breeding season, a pair of kingfishers have already arrived and successfully raised a brood of six fabulous chicks, adding a colourful and charismatic addition to an already impressive assemblage of breeding wetland birds.
“This first brood of kingfishers is great news for a site that was reverted to wetland just four years ago. The presence of breeding kingfishers is recognised as an indicator of high quality wetland habitat.”
Kingfishers are territorial and the young disperse to establish their own territories. Prof. Martin, a biologist and licensed ringer with a special permit for this species, provided each of the pictured young with a uniquely identifiable ring. This identification is key to building up a picture of where in the fens these young birds disperse to.
Prof. Martin said: “It is a privilege and thrill to host such iconic birds so soon after completion of the nesting colony. They appeared as if by magic within weeks - unmistakeable in their orange and shimmering blue plumage.”
Other iconic guests checking-into the wetland this year included 40 pairs of breeding avocet. These are distinctively-patterned black and white waders with a long up-curved beak. They eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and worms which they find in abundance in the site’s shallow pools.
Dr Russell added: “Each year wetland birds whose national populations are of concern to conservationists are being successfully raised and ringed in impressive numbers at this small site. Ringing provides an insight into the fortunes of these young birds after they have dispersed from Pymoor.
“In the case of Tony Martin’s ‘home-grown’ avocets, other recorders’ sightings have shown birds appearing at wetland sites across the East of England, the country, and even on the continent.”
-ENDS-
Notes for editors:
For further information contact: Erin Casey 0300 060 4423/ 07917 587303 erin.casey@naturalengland.org.uk Out of hours 07970 098005.
About kingfishers:
As a fairly rare, easily disturbed bird, the kingfisher is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Kingfishers breed in their first year, and pair-formation usually starts in February.
They create small nests, only a little wider than themselves. The nest chambers protect them from predators and have a slight depression to prevent eggs rolling out. 2-3 broods are raised in quick succession, normally in the same nest.
The first 6-7 eggs are laid late in March or early in April. Both adults incubate the eggs, and the chicks hatch 19-21 days later.
Each chick can eat 12-18 fish a day, and they are fed in rotation once a chick is fed, it moves to the back of the nest to digest its meal, causing the others to move forward.
The chicks are normally ready to leave the nest when they are 24-25 days old, but if the fish supply is poor, they can take up to 37 days. Once out of the nest, the young are fed for only four days before the adults drive them out of the territory and start the next brood.
About Natural England:
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife sites, ensuring that over 3,500 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats. We have recently committed £6m to develop wetland areas and have detailed biodiversity action plans covering 75% of England’s species We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
For further information about Natural England please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk
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