EXPERT ADVICE Q&A
Q
I saw this bird of prey (above) in my dad’s garden, off the Upper
Richmond Road in the Roehampton/Putney area of south-west
London. I think it’s a buzzard – the colouring, distinctive bars on
the tail and location all support this. I remember looking up birds of
prey afterwards while its appearance was still fresh in my mind and
thinking I was sure it was a buzzard. Laurence Mitchell, via emailA
David Callahan replies: your image actually shows a Sparrowhawk.
Common Buzzards are still rather scarce in London, would
appear substantially bulkier even if there was nothing to compare the
size to, and – crucially – don’t have an obviously barred tail, merely
a dark terminal band, more obvious in paler birds. The long, bare,
yellowish legs support the Sparrowhawk ID too – a buzzard’s would
be proportionately shorter and have noticeably feathery ‘trousers’ in
such a pose. Its tail is also proportionately thinner and longer than
a buzzard’s would be. The brownish tinge to the plain upperparts
probably indicates that it is a young female, but it’s hard to be sure. ■Q
I saw this warbler (top and above) in my garden in Petts Wood,
Greater London, and took photos through a closed window. I
thought it might be a Garden Warbler, but looking again it appears to
have yellow in the wings, which would rule that species out. Can you
help me? Trevor Baker, via emailA
David Callahan replies: interestingly, despite this warbler’s relatively
dull appearance, it has too much colour and detail to be a Garden
Warbler. That species would be a touch more robust looking, with a
thicker, shorter bill and overall dull brownish-grey plumage, with grey
neck sides being the only relief from this overall khaki tone. This bird’s
yellowish-green tinges to many of its feathers, slighter build and more
needle-like bill mean that this is a Phylloscopus warbler, while its dark
legs and lack of a strong supercilium make it a Common Chiffchaff. ■http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch Birdwatch•October 2017 69
Q
I’m trying to spread the word on the dangers of balloon
releases to wildlife, but it’s very hard to get the message
across about the risks involved to animals. What problems does
this practice cause for wildlife and birds in particular? Ruairi O
Leochain, via FacebookA
RSPCA spokesperson Ginny Reid replies: although balloons
released into the sky make an impressive sight, sadly they can
be lethal to animals.
Birds can get entangled in the attached string and ribbons from
balloons, and this can result in them drowning or getting trapped inthe branches of trees. The Razorbill pictured above was incapacitated
and killed by the trailing strings of such a balloon.
Many marine species have been found with balloons in their
stomachs, probably having mistaken them (as well as plastic bags)
for jelly sh, a staple food for many seabirds – indeed there are
several famous images of plastic among albatross stomach contents.
Ingesting balloons and balloon fragments can cause a slow death
to many wild animals, such as sea turtles and pelagic birds, as well
as farm animals and horses, by blocking the digestive or respiratory
tracts. Even balloons that are classi ed as ‘degradable’ are unsafe, as
they can take weeks to break down so still pose a risk.
The UK and Eire Marine and Turtle Strandings and Sightings Annual
Report 2002 reports a Green Turtle which was found in British waters
with a large fragment of a balloon in its stomach and plastic in its
oesophagus. The cause of death was given as “oesophageal and
stomach impaction” – in other words, having its digestive system
entirely blocked by the foreign material until it starved to death.
The RSPCA, along with other animal welfare groups, is calling for
an end to balloon and sky lantern releases, and as an alternative,
offers creative ideas on how to celebrate or raise money for charity
without releasing balloons outside via its webpage about litter (www.
rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/litter). ■Have you got a question for our experts?
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CHRISTINE MCGUINESS (MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY)1710 p68-69 Q and A FIN.indd 69 14/09/2017 17:56:08