Bucking the trend? (1 Viewer)

[KenM]

April 17th 2020 (start of Covid), found missus and I, doing our 10k steps over Epping forest land, when to my surprise looking South into a weak sun, I firing from the hip blurted Hobby! (would’ve been my earliest ever).

However, a rapid correction was made upon seeing two small passerines in “hot pursuit” Christ I exclaimed It’s a Cuckoo!!
To put this into some sort of context, I hadn’t seen Cuckoo locally for decades, just heard the occasional bird (distantly) less than annually.
As for seeing one being pursued by small birds, I’d have to go back to the ‘60’s!

Cuckoos have now summered for the last three years! and a thumb through the latest London Bird Report 2019, reveals that although nationally like most Tran-Saharan’s they’ve decreased, with Cuckoos according to the “breeding bird survey” by 39% between 2008-2018, as a contradiction to that, their territories in Herts and Essex have almost doubled!!…

Any chance of Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler, Common Redstart “jumping on the bandwagon” and reclaiming territories “long since gone”, a cause for optimism from a “hard-wired cynic…or just a flash in the pan?

Cheers

 

[Farnboro John]

April 17th 2020 (start of Covid), found missus and I, doing our 10k steps over Epping forest land, when to my surprise looking South into a weak sun, I firing from the hip blurted Hobby! (would’ve been my earliest ever).

However, a rapid correction was made upon seeing two small passerines in “hot pursuit” Christ I exclaimed It’s a Cuckoo!!
To put this into some sort of context, I hadn’t seen Cuckoo locally for decades, just heard the occasional bird (distantly) less than annually.
As for seeing one being pursued by small birds, I’d have to go back to the ‘60’s!

Cuckoos have now summered for the last three years! and a thumb through the latest London Bird Report 2019, reveals that although nationally like most Tran-Saharan’s they’ve decreased, with Cuckoos according to the “breeding bird survey” by 39% between 2008-2018, as a contradiction to that, their territories in Herts and Essex have almost doubled!!…

Any chance of Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler, Common Redstart “jumping on the bandwagon” and reclaiming territories “long since gone”, a cause for optimism from a “hard-wired cynic…or just a flash in the pan?

Cheers

Parasitic birds increase in Essex, shock horror....

John

 

[KenM]

Parasitic birds increase in Essex, shock horror....

John

They escaped from the House of Rares 😮

 

[SlowLowFlyingTurkey]

Any chance of Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler, Common Redstart “jumping on the bandwagon” and reclaiming territories “long since gone”, a cause for optimism from a “hard-wired cynic…or just a flash in the pan?

Apparently RBS numbers are booming in the Netherlands and Belgium, so hopefully they might start recolonising the south-east.

Knepp estate is looking into the possibility of reintroducing them as well.

 

[KenM]

Apparently RBS numbers are booming in the Netherlands and Belgium, so hopefully they might start recolonising the south-east.

Knepp estate is looking into the possibility of reintroducing them as well.

Tremendous news SLFT!!!👍 Where I live now RBS had a small colony barely 200m away in the early ‘60’s….😮

 

[aeshna5]

Tremendous news SLFT!!!👍 Where I live now RBS had a small colony barely 200m away in the early ‘60’s….😮

I read that Knepp are considering the viability of a re-introduction scheme of Red-backed Shrikes.

 

[KenM]

Just a “head up” on this thread regarding “trend bucking”, I received my 2020 London Bird Report last week, showing a 50% increase!!..of Cuckoo sightings on 2019!

Am wondering if there are pressures on them regarding any decline in their regular (main) choice of host species….Mipit?

Which might force them into more sub-optimal habitat (that which was used decades ago) or is this “real expansion” taking place due to success elsewhere?

Unsure what to think, as this appears to contradict the national trend as reported up thread in the first post.
It would be good to look at the national stats. going forward from 2018….whatever the reasons, a great piece of ongoing news for a change!

 

[Himalaya]

As for seeing one being pursued by small birds, I’d have to go back to the ‘60’s!

Cuckoos have now summered for the last three years! and a thumb through the latest London Bird Report 2019, reveals that although nationally like most Tran-Saharan’s they’ve decreased, with Cuckoos according to the “breeding bird survey” by 39% between 2008-2018, as a contradiction to that, their territories in Herts and Essex have almost doubled!!…

Any chance of Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler, Common Redstart “jumping on the bandwagon” and reclaiming territories “long since gone”, a cause for optimism from a “hard-wired cynic…or just a flash in the pan?

Cheers

I just have had my first Cuckoo of the year .....at least 3 weeks later than usual, today. It was pursued by 3 small birds. I thought brave birds pursuing....a Kestrel...Sparrowhawk.....not a Merlin or Hobby........CUCKOO!! I have had them annually since 2015 locally and more recently there are a minimum of 2. Last year I saw my first female being mobbed by Pied Wagtails and in the sort of habitat where they breed.
In the context of sightings what significance is it that it was pursued by small birds? The first time I have seen it like this. I have seen them mob but never pursue for a hundred metres or so.

Spotted Flycatcher locally have gone down from a few pairs 10 years ago to 1. Tree Pipits seem to be doing worse too.
Redstarts are on the up with singing males recorded last few years but no breeding just yet. They last bred over 20 years ago locally.

 

[KenM]

I just have had my first Cuckoo of the year .....at least 3 weeks later than usual, today. It was pursued by 3 small birds. I thought brave birds pursuing....a Kestrel...Sparrowhawk.....not a Merlin or Hobby........CUCKOO!! I have had them annually since 2015 locally and more recently there are a minimum of 2. Last year I saw my first female being mobbed by Pied Wagtails and in the sort of habitat where they breed.
In the context of sightings what significance is it that it was pursued by small birds? The first time I have seen it like this. I have seen them mob but never pursue for a hundred metres or so.

Spotted Flycatcher locally have gone down from a few pairs 10 years ago to 1. Tree Pipits seem to be doing worse too.
Redstarts are on the up with singing males recorded last few years but no breeding just yet. They last bred over 20 years ago locally.

Great info. it would appear the North of England is your area, bit worrying that you too are losing Spot Fly and Tripit as breeders, the former down to c5 pairs in London (2020) with the latter long gone as a breeder.😩