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Rare bird recognised at reservoir

26th Aug 2009

A rare and unusual sighting of a male ruff at Brent Reservoir (also known as the Welsh Harp), is indicating that, for wildlife at least, summer is well and truly over and autumn is upon us.

The ruff (Philomachus pugnax), a medium sized wading bird, is a special visitor to the North London reservoir, as not only is it a relatively rare spot for the twitchers who monitor the site, but it was also seen about four weeks earlier than expected.

With a long neck, a small head, a rather short slightly droopy bill and medium-long orange or reddish leg the ruff is currently on the RSPB red list. This means that it is currently a globally threatened species and has seen significant decline in the UK breeding population over the past 25 years.

Roy Beddard, Welsh Harp Conservation Group, spotted the ruff with other local birdwatchers. He explains: “Seeing a bird that is in decline visit the reservoir is a welcome sight to any conservation lover. But to see the bird as early in the season as we did here in Brent is very unusual.

“It indicates to us that the birds are starting their migratory season early this year, which in all likelihood is due to the mixed weather in their breeding areas. Essentially they think autumn is here and are undertaking their flights south to get ready for winter.”

The first ruff was sighted in June and was an adult bird still in breeding plumage and was only present for a day before it moved on. Now there are currently two more ruffs at the reservoir, this time juveniles on migration, making this a bumper year for the species.

The birds are most likely to be on their autumn migration route from Scandinavia or Holland to South Africa, which historically hasn’t begun until the end of August and early September.

Leela O’Dea, British Waterways’ ecologist said: “Brent Reservoir is a real gem in the network of canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks that British Waterways cares for. It’s a designated site of special scientific interest with a vast array of birds and even rare bats.

“The Welsh Harp Conservation Group is a wonderful team of volunteers who monitor the site and undertake a huge amount of conservation work to help British Waterways look after this great place.

“The spotting of the first ruff was fantastic news, and it does suggest that autumn is well underway in the wildlife world. The blackberries are out in abundance around the reservoir and there are also acorns and chestnuts appearing on the trees already.”

The Welsh Harp Conservation Group will be hosting a free bird spotting walk on Sunday 6 September at 10am to view more autumn migratory birds. Members of the public can also record their spotting of waterway wildlife as part of British Waterways wildlife survey at www.waterscape.com/wildlifesurvey.

Last updated: 27/08/2009