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Good News! (1 Viewer)

Himalaya

Well-known member
There has been quite a bit of good news with regards to some breeding birds in Britain:-

1. Cattle Egrets have bred in Sussex and Norfolk this year for the first time. In Sussex I believe quite a few pairs bred and they are not too far from where they bred in Hampshire last year. Could be same birds moving or could be a new lot hopefully.

2. 3 pairs of Great White Egrets have bred at Holkham, Norfolk raising 6 young. I knew they bred somewhere in Norfolk in 2017 but thought that was a one off. They are expanding here.

3. Common Cranes breeding in Lincolnshire. The first time in 400 years?

4. Black Winged Stilts breeding at WWT Stear Marshes in Somerset - the most western record ever.

5. Pallid Harrier have bred in France at a place not that far form the English Channel. I know it is not the UK but it is not that far and still an excellent record!

Have I missed anything ?
 
There has been quite a bit of good news with regards to some breeding birds in Britain:-



Have I missed anything ?

Red-back Shrike in Scotland - pair with nestlings
Marsh Warblers - Foula
Purple Heron nested again at Dungeness (no updates)
Spoonbills also did well this year.

Sign of the warming times.
 
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Apparently Zitting Cisticola have bred at Alderney ?

interesting. always had these down as a possible colonist akin to Cetti's but despite how common they are across the channel it always seemed that that short stretch of water was a bridge (or lack of) too far for them. Obviously as a resident, non migratory species colonisation is less likely than for some others such as stilts, egrets etc.
Will be interesting to see if this is a one off or the start of a trend.
 
The crossing to Alderney is only about half the width of the Channel at its narrowest, that'll make the crossing significantly easier for them!
 
....and not forgetting Black-winged Kites having bred for the first time in Belgium this year....just a skip and a jump from Blighty! :eek!:
 
Are they not similar to Cetti's in the sense they are not really that migratory?

interesting. always had these down as a possible colonist akin to Cetti's but despite how common they are across the channel it always seemed that that short stretch of water was a bridge (or lack of) too far for them. Obviously as a resident, non migratory species colonisation is less likely than for some others such as stilts, egrets etc.
Will be interesting to see if this is a one off or the start of a trend.
 
5. Pallid Harrier have bred in France at a place not that far form the English Channel. I know it is not the UK but it is not that far and still an excellent record!

Do you have a link for any info on this? The possibility of Pallid breeding in France was raised in another thread.

I don’t personally have any updates on Dungeness (without phoning people!) - it might well be public info is being suppressed due to Covid and the consequential lack of staff/volunteers to monitor them - the last time I saw breeding PH at Dungeness some years ago, they were having to be closely monitored to prevent disturbance and tracks down to the reed bed were closed.

Paul Longland said:
interesting. always had these down as a possible colonist akin to Cetti's but despite how common they are across the channel it always seemed that that short stretch of water was a bridge (or lack of) too far for them...
Will be interesting to see if this is a one off or the start of a trend.

They might make it if they don’t try and sing at the same time :-O
 
Spoonbills breeding successfully in Orkney in 2018? That is a big jump North and possibly the most Northern breeding record ever ?
 
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