Cornish Chough Takeover.

[Pertinax]

News from the Cornish Chough watchers is that the male of the original pair that returned to nest at Southerly Point on the Lizard in 2000/1 and have nested successfully every year since, was 'ousted' by a rival male around June 3rd. Its possible the original male- father of 44 chicks in 12(?)years of breeding- may have been killed, and the new male, which was frequently seen accompanying the old pair, has now paired with the female and is helping rear her two young. Both these facets of behaviour are very unusual it seems.

As all the birds In Cornwall (bar one?)are colour-ringed, and so of known identity, it would be interesting to know the history of the incomer- one of their own offspring, another bird bred from a different nest, or a complete stranger? No information is given on this so far.

 

[IanRRobinson]

I can't help but wonder if some judicious releases of captive-bred birds might help this nascent recolonisation. A number of apparent colonisations in the UK (think Temminck's Stint, Purple Sandpiper, Golden Oriole, Fieldfare, Serin and Scarlet Rosefinch) have fizzled out over the years and it's hard not to wonder whether a lack of genetic diversity might have played its part.

 

[Pertinax]

I can't help but wonder if some judicious releases of captive-bred birds might help this nascent recolonisation.

Paradise Park in Cornwall, have over the years bred a large number of Choughs intended for release to bolster the population and to provide greater genetic diversity( the whole population stems from that one pair), but afaik have been prevented from doing so by the Conservation bodies involved. They have instead provided some of their birds to Jersey Zoo/Durrell for their breeding and release scheme (Jersey presumably having different rules).

Paradise Park actually pioneered a trial release of 6 birds in Cornwall, at about the same time the Lizard birds arrived and started breeding(* see my comment on this). They were fitted with transmitters and started off okay though two were quickly lost(one at least drowned in a cattletrough) and the others disappeared within a few months- another one I know was shot. Unfortunately none of them linked up with the new breeding birds or their offspring, and further releases were then vetoed legally.

* 'Recolonisation'.

The Cornish birds have been DNA tested(from feathers) and found to be of Irish origin. If that is correct, and despite the official line about how they came to be there, I find it difficult to accept the original birds came all the way from Ireland and after a long journey, overflew suitable habitat on the North Cornish Coast, before settling on the extreme Southerly tip. This is a notoriously sedentary species, seldom travelling far and often taking years to colonise even nearby stretches of coastline. I have a nagging suspicion they may have been deliberately introduced- though it will never be proved now..