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| A Cornish Chough |
I have recently heard from Claire Mucklow, who is the RSPB’s excellent Cornwall Chough Project Manager, who sent me the latest news, saying that
it has been a pretty good year for the Cornish Choughs.
She says: “Over in Penwith, the fantastic news is the two
established pairs successfully fledged five chicks each, which is a real
achievement given the harsh winter and delayed spring. And excitingly, after
waiting four years, an unpaired female at last found a mate when a two year old
male appeared around Cape Cornwall in
early spring (he had been spending his time up on the north coast around the
surfing beaches), and they soon got down to nest building.
They successfully fledged one chick, which they were very
protective over, making sure she was well hidden away every time potential
hassle in the feathered form of ravens or crows or the clothed form of homo
sapiens came near - the male chough ‘growling’ quite convincingly at times!”
She then goes on to say that “A chattering of a dozen choughs wheeling around the skies in Penwith is becoming a regular sight—fantastic!”
What a wonderful name a group of chough has – a chattering –
it is exactly what they sound like – a rather "over the top" bunch of youths chatting
excitedly!
Other chough pairs have also produced chicks, so it looks as
though the Cornish emblem is getting firmly established in the county once
again, having been absent for many years. Thanks to Claire’s hard work and the
farmers she advises, who create short, grazed grass along the cliff
tops (with plenty of cowpats!) that these birds need to find their food.
How great to be able to report a success story
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