Interesting trends.. Pipits again! (1 Viewer)

[Michael Frankis]

whinchats now very scarce indeed, has anybody else noticed this!!

Yes, very definitely. They've completely ceased to breed in lowland Northumberland (where they used to be widespread in small numbers), and even in the Cheviots they are a lot less common than before (they used to be one of the commonest birds in the Cheviots). I blame agricultural intensification (loss of the lowland breeders, and making feeding difficult for passage birds on their way south from the hills), and also the widespread prophylactic use of ivermectin in upland livestock (makes their dung toxic to dungflies, once an important food for breeding Whinchats)

Michael

 

[Jane Turner]

Spotted Flycather is the species I find has crashed most.

 

[Michael Frankis]

Yep, Spotty Flies too. Used to be the commonest breeding summer visitor on my patch (c.20 pairs), now there's none.

Michael

 

[sparrowbirder]

spot fly is actually quite a rarity now as a migrant at the places i go birding, have heard some authorities blaming sahel again for the loss of eg whinchats but how does that explain the population strength of whitethroats which winter in a similar area!! i think michaels (or another) explanation to be more plausible

 

[Mike D]

All I have logged in my books are the following observations:
Swifts arrive on my patch May 10th +/- 2 days.
Large increase in numbers of Linnets and Goldfinches 2nd week May and 2nd week September.
I am impressed by your cataloging over such a long period, Jane, it shows great dedication and a love of your subject. Thanks.
Mike

 

[HH75]

Hi Jane/Michael,
Must agree,Spotted Flys have become very scarce as breeding birds,even since I began birding in the early 90's.Usually find a few each spring and particularly autumn at the coastal hotspots,but saw my first breeding birds for a while this summer(a pair on UCC campus(!)and a pair near Mallow).
Blackcaps,on the other hand,have never been so common as a breeding bird here:have even found singing males in large suburban gardens throughout the summer(the species was formerly confined to prime woodland,and seem to recall reading that it was only found in a few counties in the early 20th century?)!
Harry H

 

[Jane Turner]

I just crunched the data which shows what I think we all suspected. Spotted Flycatcher numbers 75-86, 87-96 and post 96. Note the complete collapse of the local breeding population and consequent rarity of the species apart from on spring migration.

I believe the arrival dates are getting later too, though these graphs don't show it. I made a decision when I entered the data to not sum int in finer fetail than half months. I might have a look at that sometime!

I suspect that the early autumn peak in the early years were British birds on return migration. The later ones are probably continental. A few migrants at Red Rocks show a distinct twin peak in autumn.