SOS Conservation: Helping Sussex’s Birds, Richard Cowser, 2nd March 2022
The recording of this excellent online talk can now be watched on the SOS YouTube channel here. There were lots of great questions, which were largely answered after the talk. Two that were not dealt with, with the answers, are here.
2-3000 Dark-bellied Brent Geese/ day for 73 days is a lot of geese… is this more than candidate SPA?
Yes, I think the 1% threshold would be 1,350.
How significant (potentially) is the Sussex Bay project?
I believe this is the restoration of inshore marine habitat, including Kelp, off Shoreham and Worthing. Great news for the marine environment. Its direct impact on birds is less clear, but should be positive. It is a very welcome project.
Also, there was a request for a reminder of what constitutes breeding evidence. This is given below.
| CONFIRMED BREEDING (C) | PROBABLE BREEDING (PR) | POSSIBLE BREEDING (PS) |
| DD – Distraction-Display or injury feigning | P – Pair in suitable habitat | H – observation in suitable habitat |
| UN – Used Nest or recent broken eggshell | T – Territory holding 1+ week apart | S – Singing male or breeding calls |
| FL – recently Fledged young | D – Display observed in habitat | |
| ON – Occupied Nest | N – visiting probable Nest site | |
| FF – Faecal sac or Food carrying to nest | A – Agitated behaviour suggestive of nesting | |
| NE – nest with eggs | I – Incubation patch (mainly for ringers) | |
| NY – Nest with Young | B – nest Building or hole excavation |
