flyingfeathers
Member
Someone mentioned that starlings are scarce in Britain..is that true?
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Starling scarcity...? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter flyingfeathers
- Start date
Jon Turner
Well-known member
In the winter months there are millions from the continent. The resident breeding population has indeed plummeted in recent years. Not exactly scarce yet, but nowhere near the numbers even 20 years ago.:-C
MJB
Well-known member
One related cause is the decline in cattle numbers; studies in Sweden and Finland some decades ago showed a correlation between cattle numbers and Starling population sizes, and further research proved causation, if indirect. Cattle rough up grassland, especially near watercourses, and this allows Starlings to search in the exposed earth for invertebrates, particularly in hard weather; however, Starling breeding populations in Fennoscandia and perhaps also in UK are 'sink' populations, whose productivity is too low to sustain numbers without immigration from 'core' populations further south, that have higher productivity. Once 'core' populations' productivity decreases, few birds are 'exported', and so 'sink' populations decline.
MJB
A2GG
Beth
I'm hearing that both House Sparrows and Starlings are declining in the UK, but their populations are very robust here in N.A. I've heard that the modern houses and buildings being made in the UK are not ideal for House Sparrows to nest in anymore (?) They like to nest in man made structures. We have them nesting everywhere. Each spring/summer they nest right up in the overhang of the local Quick Check (a tiny 24-hour food mart here in the US) while people are coming in and out at all hours and cars are pulling right up to the building just several feet away. The H. Sparrows seem to be comfortable being in very close proximity to people.
flyingfeathers
Member
I think I am serious about making a huge gift of starlings to our British neighbors..I am participating in a kestrel nest project..one area has 18 boxes, half have starlings the other half are empty or full of kestrels...
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
The RSPB website states a British breeding population of 804,000 territories.
i live on a new housing estate , in 5 years living here , i have only had a handful of house sparrows & starlings visit my garden in winter when i feed birds, and none in summer, it is obvious new builds are like a desert to these birds , nowhere for them to nest, and not enough lawns& hedgerows for food, just gravel & wooden fencing, another bird i dont see breeding is house martins, i get good numbers of other species,the estate is built on outskirt of town thus just yards from countryside
