CR5 Issue 168 May 2019

“Blood Wolf Super
Moon”. Lee says
“:This montage of
photos covers the last
45 minutes prior to
maximum totality of
the Lunar eclipse that
took place in the early
morning of 21st January
this year.
They were taken
between 4:30am and
5:15am.
My lens had an
effective focal length
of 630mm at f5.6.
The shutter speed for
each shot was 1/10 of a
second.”
DIARY
7th May Digital Image Competition (3 of 3)
14th May Workshop: Moths, Macro and lenses
21st May Set Subject Competition – “Through the Window”
28th May AGM and Awards
We meet each Tuesday evening at 8pm in Cameron Hall,
Canons Hill, Old Coulsdon.
Visitors £5 (refunded on joining).
Visit oldcoulsdoncameraclub.org.uk, see us on facebook or
contact lynda@oldcoulsdoncameraclub.org.uk
Bird’s Eye View, May 2019
John Birkett, RSPB Croydon Local Group
Swifts spend the winter flying around over Africa
and early May should see them back in areas where
we hope they will breed. Sadly our Group’s bird
survey has shown that the number of gardens
reporting sightings of swifts had dropped from
73% in 1995 to just 42% by 2016 and this trend is
reflected in the BTO's Breeding Bird Survey.
Swifts have a strong affinity with man-made
structures and often nest in eaves flying up to the
building and swooping in through a gap between
the wall and roof. They will also make use of small
holes left by missing bricks.
How can you help? We would like people to report
sightings of swifts in the Croydon area, which will
allow us to monitor where they can be found. We
would appreciate if you could email us
(johnbirkett@hotmail.co.uk) with information
about when and where you saw your swifts, along
with number of birds. Also telling us about what the
birds were doing could help us to establish whether
they are potentially nesting somewhere; birds flying
into the eaves shows there is a nest there, while
birds screaming around a rooftop would suggest
there is a territory nearby. Those wheeling around
high up may either be feeding or trying attract a
mate and some will simply be passing through.
We can use this information to help us decide what
to do next.
Even better, if there are swifts in your area you
could try putting up a swift nestbox or, if you are
having structural work done to your house (or know
a neighbour who is), you could consider having a
swift nesting brick, with integral nest box, installed.
And, if you hear of maintenance work going on
(or scheduled) on a building where swifts nest, try
having a word with the owners to mitigate against
losing the nest site or access to it.
You can find out more about swifts by visiting
https://www.birdguides.com/articles/how-to-helpour-swifts/
To find out more about Croydon’s birds and the
group’s activities visit our website
(http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/croydon/) or come
along to one of our meetings. You could also let us
know what you see in your local area by emailing
johnbirkett@hotmail.co.uk or check out the
Croydon Birders website.
Swift by John Birkett
To advertise call Lucy on 01737 557888 or 07703 209292
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