Foot and Mouth restrictions continue to cause problems
As you may all be aware the restrictions put in place in February this year caused the charity to cancel its remaining research planned for that winter, leaving a limited amount of fieldwork to carry forward to the coming winter. This will be added to the main fieldwork effort for this coming winter which involves a number of structured 'transects' across the Island which will generate data that will allow population estimates to be made for a number of our winter species. Our ability to undertake any fieldwork this winter is however dependent upon restrictions being eased. With further outbreaks in Northumberland and Cumbria the outlook is not good for an early relaxation of access restrictions. This has the potential to cause severe problems for the charity, if it cannot complete its winter fieldwork targets. To try and find a practical way forward for field staff we will be meeting with representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at the end of September. Next summer, in an effort to recoup the lost time this summer, our intention is to secure extra finance that will allow us to employ further staff to undertake the work planned for this summer and next summer during 2002. This will enable us to get back on track to publish the results of our research during 2003. At this stage much depends upon the UK Government ensuring that the outbreak of Foot and Mouth is finally eradicated.

Garden Birdwatch scheme starting to reveal useful information
Many of you are taking part in our Garden Birdwatch (GBW) Scheme, which has been running since November 1999. This popular way of assisting in our work is starting to provide valuable data on the numbers of birds visiting our gardens, especially when our data are compared with data gathered by the British Trust for Ornithology, who have been running an identical scheme for a number of years. GBW participants receive a twice yearly 'Update' report, the latest of which contained a number of charts comparing our results with those in the UK. For a range of species there has been a marked similarity in presence through the changing seasons. The results for a few species are shown overleaf, showing the percentage of participating gardens in which a species is present, both in the UK (dotted line) and IOM (solid line), from November 1999 to the end of March 2001. The gap in Manx data, during the first period reflects a period when our scheme was not running. The first chart shows the results for Blackcap, a warbler that is often associated with presence through the summer period, when they migrate to Britain from further south to breed. The chart shows just how many of these attractive warblers are present in Britain throughout the winter period, often observed feeding on berries and soft fruit. The next chart, for Redwing shows how seasonal records of this winter thrush are, with a marked arrival date of the middle of October, peaking during the cold spell at the end of December/ start of January to tail away more gradually as the spring approached.

By way of contrast the House Sparrow chart shows a very similar level of attendance throughout the changing seasons, with a peak of presence in the immediate post breeding period, followed by a slight decrease, perhaps due to birds dispersing to take advantage of available crops. The final chart shows the results for Siskin, a species of bird that has increased in presence over the last ten years or so. Peaks of presence are evident during both winter periods, both locally and in the UK. Noteworthy is the definite peak of presence locally in July a time when it is known that large flocks of juvenile birds can gather together to feed on insects.

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Garden Hedges
Many of us enjoy the ability to sit in our living room, overlooking the garden, watching the constant activity of a wide range of bird species. Hedges are often the most important feature of the garden, providing shelter for the rest of the garden, a source of food for a number of species and also a place where birds can sit in safety. The way in which we manage our hedges can have a significant impact upon how attractive and useful they are to our garden birds. Most, if not all, hedges need managing but there are things we can do to ensure that when we manage them we take account of the needs of birds. Trimming during the breeding season can cause birds to abandon nests with eggs or young and, if you do it knowing that there is a nest present, you are contravening the Wildlife Act 1990, rendering you liable to prosecution. Over-trimming of a hedge can render it almost useless for birds for a number of years. Some hedgerow species are better for birds than others, being particularly attractive for insects, providing dense cover for breeding or generating a source of winter berries. To help you to manage or create a healthy 'bird friendly' hedge the RSPB have produced a free information sheet, entitled Garden Hedges. To obtain a copy ring 01767 680551, or write to the RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL.

Work undertaken this summer
Despite the restrictions on access to much of the countryside it has been possible to undertake a limited number of surveys this summer, focusing on species where we know we can gain access to the majority of known nest sites. The results for a few are discussed below. The Mute Swan nests in only a few places around the Island, and those sites that we could not visit were monitored by the landowners, who willingly provided the necessary information. Thanks are due to all who helped! This year represented perhaps the most successful for some time, with a total of eight nesting attempts resulting in 14 well-grown cygnets. As part of a UK wide monitoring scheme we hope to catch the young when they are old enough to place numbered rings around their legs to enable us to track their movements. The Arctic Tern, nesting at the Point of Ayre fared well also, with ten occupied nests being located, from which 11 young were ringed. These long distance migrants can travel the equivalent of the circumference of the world each year. Shortly after fledging the young will have left the Island on route for their winter quarters, possibly as far away as the Antarctic! The Little Tern colonies at the Ayres did not fare as well as their larger and more aggressive relatives. Out of a total of 30 nesting attempts it is thought that only one young may have fledged. A combination of factors are likely to be to blame, including a particularly high tide that destroyed five nests and predation by gulls and possibly even Hedgehogs, which are known to hunt over the beach at night. Thanks are due to Ben Jones, Ayres Warden for DAFF, who monitored the colony throughout the summer A complete count of Sand Martin nests was also undertaken, with many more occupied burrows being found along the sandy cliffs around the north of the Island than in previous years. Although the exact number has yet to be established it is likely to be in the region of 1000 nests. Common Gull and Black-headed Gull are both very limited in their breeding distribution, being confined to the Point of Ayre region. A minimum of eight pairs of Common Gull and five pairs of Black-headed Gull bred, though only one Common Gull young was known to fledge.

Species Spotlight - Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla A largish warbler, essentially dusky brown above and pale grey below, with the most obvious feature being a short cap - black in males and brown in females and immature birds. Breeds from late May to early July with eggs laid from the 3rd week of May onwards, the nest usually being in low brambles or shrubs. Incubation takes 11-12 days with fledging 10-14 days after that. During the breeding season they are mainly insect eating , preferring berries at other times. Migration takes place from late August through most of September with our summer birds wintering in France and Iberia. Our winter populations are thought to have bred in continental Europe. They weigh 16-25 grams, but will increase their body weight up to as much as 31gms prior to migrating.

Monitoring migration
During the autumn period, as those who read our monthly newspaper article will know, there is a significant amount of migration through the Island, of birds leaving our shores for winter quarters and birds arriving here or passing through, having bred further north. For many years successive wardens at the Calf of Man have recorded migration at the observatory, trapping birds to place rings on their legs, take a variety of measurements and then releasing them to continue their journey. Their work, combined with that of other observatories dotted around the coast of the UK, has over the years added significantly to our understanding of the manner by which birds migrate. Combined with similar work throughout Europe valuable information is gathered about where key stop-over sites for migrants are located and what routes are taken, all helping to focus conservation effort on key sites that might be under threat from development. Locally we have, since August 1999, been visiting three coastal sites on a weekly basis between August and late October. A set route is walked during which we record all birds seen or heard, with the purpose of developing a greater level of understanding of migration through the Island as a whole, not just the Calf. Obviously, with visits only weekly the data gathered has its limitations, compared to the daily recording taking place at the Calf, however after only two complete autumns work some interesting results are already starting to be revealed. As we move into future areas of work, after completion of the initial five-year research, these regular migration surveys will continue, providing a wealth of valuable data. One of the sites we walk is Langness, recently designated as an 'Area of Special Scientific Interest' or ASSI, partly due to the diverse birdlife that can be found there. Importantly our migration monitoring assists the Island's Government in fulfilling some of its international obligations under the Bonn Convention, dealing with the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds. Shown below are a couple of charts that reveal some of the results gathered for this site over the last two autumns. Solid lines represent data for 1999 and the dotted line represents results for 2000. The first chart, for Linnet, shows two very marked peaks in presence in early and late September, as large flocks of these seed -eating finches gather on the coast. The second gives a clear indication of the late September peak of movement through Langness of the Meadow Pipit. This common bird is widespread throughout the Island during the breeding season, especially on our uplands and many of them migrate during the autumn, with passage through Gibraltar reaching its peak in mid-October to early November.

Thanks for continued support
Although this summer has been a difficult one for us, with Foot and Mouth affecting our ability to undertake our main work, one of the positive aspects has been the tremendous level of help we have received from our supporters. Not only has your continued financial support been very satisfying, the amount of valuable data submitted about birds breeding in and around your homes and farms has been very welcome, especially given the restraints on our fieldwork. Thank you.