Running up the emblem

This blogpost is one I didn't want to write. But I knew what was going to happen from the moment, two hours prior, the survey rib flushed a large percentage of the 'low tide South Yantlet creek feeding' Avocet roost over to join the 'low tide Bartlett Creek feeding' roost.

Motney Hill saltings were going to be flushed.

It would be a while. The rib would first have to do the rounds of the eastern basin over the actual high tide. But Motney was then going to be flushed. The timings of the rib are easy to predict, and on a high spring tide such as today, roosts would still be in use when they got back.

I'm lucky enough to be allowed access to private land adjacent to the reserve. If staying for a high count count, I take a chair, arrive early, hole up in the bramble and stay right through the tide (between four to five hours). If I'm really lucky, the birds aren't disturbed by trespassers during the watch. Disturbance is routine on neap tides, but the saltings are harder to access by the shoreline over a spring tide- and WeBS boat counts always seem to be on springs. A lot of the trespass is down simply to a lack of signage. Nowhere is there a 'private - RSPB reserve sign'. Nobody really cares about it any more.

I didn't see/hear the start of the rib's approach, but the wildfowl gave the game away. Duck started to lift at 13:26. At 13:27 the majority of the roosting Avocet lifted. A stealthy poke of the camera above the bramble showed the rib beyond the wreck of the caisson, coming in direct at speed.

By 13:29 the last of the majority of the duck started to lift..

and the rib was still racing in, although not now directly at the main roost, but towards the seawall of the sewage works.

At 13:30 the rib powered down and began to edge slowly towards the main roost area, where the now resettling waders, no longer faced by a 'charging' threat, had started to resettle. But of course, they had to lift again, moving a short distance along the saltings trying to keep a safe distance between themselves and the rib..

13:31 and scattered waders roosting over the rest of the saltings started to flight.

13:34 The avocet that had tried to resettle now flighted again and departed the reserve towards Rainham saltings.

13:35 it all ends as the rib throttled up and away. The birds did not return.

13:26- 13:39. Nine minutes of mayhem The majority of the Motney Avocet suffered two major flights. Some had had to lift a third time during the rib's approach. And a number of these were birds flushed to Motney by same rib on way out two hours earlier - one rib, four flushes.

(There's a trend appearing; a rib racing in towards a roost causes greater disturbance that one coming in at a wide angle..) 

Yes, counts have to be made. Yes, some disturbance may, sadly, occur on a site as complex as the Medway. But taking the BTO WeBS instructions, Birdwatchers' Code of Conduct and the estuary's SPA Codes into account should mean less disturbance than this.

My first blogpost on this subject documented routine wildfowl disturbance around the islands in the eastern basin. That deliberately didn't mention organisations on the rib. Told only way to count was to flush.

The second blogpost, on Little Terns, wasn't published at the time, but a draft was provided to the rib counters to document their disturbance of Schedule One breeders at the end of the season for comment. That too was dismissed as acceptable levels of disturbance.

So, this is strike three. Bluntly, this particular shoreline roost, even on a spring tide, is countable from the shore itself. There is no need for the rib, out counting islands, to see flushing this roost as necessary.

Yes, mid-estuary, some disturbance may happen. Other organisations liaise with island users such as the wildfowlers, and the estuary authorities, to ensure events such as litter picks take place at times which keep disturbance to a minimum. But the survey planning seems muddled. 'We have to get close to see the birds with binoculars' has been followed by 'we couldn't get in close one time so had to count from digital photographs instead.' If you put the birds first, which method do you choose?

A couple of other problems with ignoring the survey instructions as laid out in the WeBS handbook have to be mentioned.

Count duplication
Not all the Avocet deserted one site for another. This is natural behaviour. But a large percentage of the South Yantlet birds ended up using three roosts in three different WeBS count areas because of the rib, the Motney Avocet two. 

Such intra-tidal movements were just the sort of thing I had offered to talk to the Medway counters about a few winters back.

Count coordination

The shoreline counter was out at Rainham saltings. A tweet exchange between us confirmed he was unaware of how such intra-tidal exchanges work.

It could well be his/ the rib's duplications were ironed out, but he had clearly not been briefed as to Avocet behaviour. I have been told in the past that duplicating some birds doesn't matter as presently the counters don't have access to all of the Medway. Sadly, an estuary doesn't work like that - . distribution is never uniform. (A blogpost explaining why assuming regular distribution, what is known to some statisticians as  'orchard distribution' is unusable on the Medway, will follow shortly.)

Code cooperation

The SPA has codes in place. They are there to help reduce disturbance. They were drawn up by a number of interested parties, including the RSPB. They apply to all user groups. The wordings are clear and are for all 'water users'. I quote (my highlightling):

"- Stay away from roosting birds at high tide.

- The islands may seem attractive but they are fragile habitats and one of the only places birds can roost at high tide without disturbance. They are important nesting and roosting sites for protected species so do not land on them at any time.
- Keep noise levels as low as possible and keep to the speed limits.

- Be aware of restricted areas on the Medway Estuary and The Swale where jet skis and water-skiing is prohibited.

- View wildlife from at least 100m away and move away if they become agitated."

The fact that the rib is on view to all and sundry seems lost on those aboard, but the bodies they represent really should be leading by example.


Where we're still up in the air

The uncoordinated count issues have been known for years. Go back to the Kent Bird Report for 1989, when boat surveys were used for mid-estuary during an independent low tide survey, and the coordinator made some important suggestions- not only should counts be coordinated, but also sectors used for counts (high/low) should be promoted to and adopted by birders.

We've known of this problem for more than three decades.

What is clear now is the long time rib counters here do not see coordination as necessary, and no need to try to follow guidelines. I repeat I have been told that routine flushing is the only way to count the birds. 

It really is not.

I have asked specific questions on double-counting issues directly. Their reply? Doesn't matter, anything that is double-counted makes up for birds they miss.

It does not.

Let's take the Kingsnorth seawall roost. With the coming redevelopment of the site, a few weeks ago I raised a qu. over whether the roost, known for decades, was taken into consideration by the developers. It was then I found out it wasn't being counted on WeBS. The rib races along Long Reach, the counters knew this was uncounted in WeBS, but did nothing about it.

I am told that there is no way to count the islands from land. Many can be counted fairly easily. Heck, you can even count that Oystercatcher roost over on the northern seawall fairly easily from Horrid (I have been tweeting pics of it for the past seven years).

A previous blog established the rib does not count Millfordhope, which can be done from shore. This roost flushed multiple times today can be done from shore. It is on the shoreline. Their neighbours have told me they would welcome contact from the RSPB.

Islands flushed. Schedule One birds disturbed at end of breeding season. Onshore roosts flushed. Strike three.

I've tried talking. I deliberately didn't identify the rib in the first blog. I passed a copy of the second draft blog directly to those involved. This third time, tried a tweet nearly a month ago, no comment.

The resultant data quality doesn't justify such levels of disturbance. So, let's put it all out there, where it belongs. There is a debate that needs to happen.

How can keep on you 'moaning' about jetskis, baitdiggers, dog walkers, all of whom may not yet have heard of the SPA's code of conduct, when you yourselves know, but are prepared to ignore, all such codes/ survey instructions? Surely organisations that helped draw up our SPA Code should be the ones setting an example to other user groups?

To finish, here are some pics of the roost, taken from my shoreline spot on the top of the spring tide, during the hour prior to this 'but there's no other way to do it' disturbance.

There really is, if you can be bothered.