Canoe Wales have teamed up with the RSPB Cymru to raise the awareness of avoiding disturbance to birds when we paddle inland waters. RSPB Head of species, Julian Hughes, has taken the time to write this informative blog for us.
During spring and summer Welsh rivers, and our modest number of canals, are a wonderful place to paddle and enjoy the wildlife that calls it home: the splash of a Water Vole entering the water, a motionless Grey Heron waiting for the right size fish, Mayflies ‘dancing’ above the surface on a spring morning. We get to experience aquatic and bankside nature in a way that few others do, so we need to ensure we are giving it respect and maintaining its protection for future generations.
The Paddlers' Code, endorsed by Canoe Wales, is valuable guidance that we should all follow, but is it always obvious where the wildlife is and how we should behave around it? Here are a few things that I think are worth remembering:
Five birds you may see from the water
Kingfisher – if you’re lucky, you’ll see the colourful blur – blue above, orange below – skimming low over the water. Kingfishers are small (25cm wingspan), about the size of a Nuthatch or Bullfinch, and perch on a low-hanging branch over the water, watching for food, without you noticing them. They make a nest in soft river banks, at the end of a tunnel, and are a Schedule 1 species.*
Little Ringed Plover – this small wading bird spends winter in Africa and returns to British rivers from March to August. It’s another Schedule 1 species.* They depend on their cryptic brown and stripy plumage to blend into sand and shingle, where they lay their eggs that are very hard to spot. They nest on gravel shoals and bars with little vegetation in slow-flowing water. The Tywi, Dee and Usk are especially important to the Welsh population, which numbers 150–200 pairs.
Sand Martin – a summer migrant, sandy brown above and pale below with a short, forked tail, these are closely related to Swallows. They nest in colonies in steep, sandy riverbanks free of vegetation, so the entrance holes are obvious.
Dipper – this dumpy little bird is black and brown with a bright white throat and chest. They nest in riverbanks or on a ledge beneath a bridge among fast-flowing water, where they ‘bob’ on a stone watching for insects and molluscs. In winter many move downstream to more coastal reaches. They are an excellent indicator of river health.
Grey Wagtail – named by their grey back, it’s the lemon-yellow underparts that are more striking. These walk along the riverbank or on mid-channel stones, their long tail constantly flicking up and down, in search of insects on the water’s edge.
*All birds in Wales are legally protected from destruction and injury, and so are their nests while in use. Some species, such as Kingfisher and Little Ringed Plover, have extra protection, and it is an offence to disturb them at their nests.
Want to get involved?
The Waterways Breeding Bird Survey is an annual survey of breeding birds along rivers and canals. Volunteers walk between 500 metres and 5km of waterway, noting all the adult birds they see and hear, twice a year, between April and June. We need more rivers in Wales to be surveyed, so if you know your river birds, why not volunteer to help? Visit www.bto.org for more information.
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