Yellow Wagtail of Britain

Yellow Wagtails are summer visitors from West Africa who arrive in Britain d between April and May. Pairs breed in damp habitats and then return to their wintering grounds in the late summer.

Experts have estimated that three-quarters of the Yellow Wagtail population has been lost over the last fifty years. Their range in Britain has also declined and are now only found in southern and eastern England. The main factor in their decline is agricultural changes.

The Yellow Wagtail is an elegant bird with a medium-sized tail and the smallest of the European Wagtail species. The Motacilla flava flavissima race breeds in Britain and described as the “most yellow of yellow”. They are also found in the coastal areas of Holland and France.

“The male is a stunning bird with striking yellow underparts that extend up onto the face and greenish-yellow upperparts. Females and young birds are less brightly coloured and may be confused with other wagtail species” (BTO https://www.bto.org/understand…/species-focus/yellow-wagtail ).

Yellow Wagtails spend most of their time running or walking on the ground searching for small insects and invertebrates. Some of their prey is caught in the air.

They often forage for flies, beetles and other insects around livestock grazing in fields.

Yellow Wagtails start to arrive in Britain from West Africa in early April and peak numbers are reached at the beginning of May. The breeding season finishes in August and birds form flocks before returning to their wintering quarters in West Africa.

“Britain holds almost the entire world population of the distinctive race flavissima, so population changes in the UK are of global conservation significance” (BTO – Trends: please see below).

The British Trust for Ornithology have provided a map of the breeding distribution of Yellow Wagtails in Britain - https://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet?id=334

Pairs breed in a variety of damp habitats which include wet pastures and meadows, wetland fringes, marshes and riverbanks. Arable fields, particularly those with potatoes, peas, beans and oil-seed rape, have been increasingly used as nest sites in recent years.

The nest is made of grasses lined with finer materials such as wool and fur in a hollow on the ground.

The female lays five or six eggs which take 13 days to incubate. The young learn to fly after 16 days. Both parents care for their young and may return to West Africa as a family.

The Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava, is classified of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe accounts for approximately 30% of the global range of the Yellow Wagtail. The European population of Yellow Wagtails has undergone a “moderate decline” between 1980 and 2013.

The Yellow Wagtail is a red-listed species of bird in Britain. They were moved from the green-list to the amber list in 2002 and then to the red list in 2009.

“Breeding populations declined by nearly 75% between 1967 and 2013 and data from Bird Atlas 2007-11 reveal that the species has been lost from the margins of its UK breeding range, which is largely restricted to central and eastern England and the Welsh Marches”.

Yellow Wagtails have been also lost from large parts of East Anglia where it was once “a familiar breeding species” (BTO - https://www.bto.org/understand…/species-focus/yellow-wagtail ).

The Yellow Wagtail population declined by 6% between 2017/18 according to the Breeding Bird Survey (Page 15 - https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/bbs-report-2018.pdf ).

Yellow Wagtails have been in “rapid decline” since the 1980s and their range has contracted to central and eastern England. Losses in their range have been reported in southern and western Britain and East Anglia.

“The European trend, which comprises several races of the species, has been of moderate decline since 1980” (BTO – Trends: https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?&s=yelwa ).

Yellow Wagtails are considered rare birds in Northern Ireland. They became extinct as a breeding species in 1968 and only single birds of passage have been recorded in recent years.

The Yellow Wagtail is a scarce breeding bird in the Republic of Ireland where it is amber listed. “The yellow wagtail is a…regular passage migrant, found along southern and eastern Irish coastal locations feeding on lowland rough pastures and wet meadows” (Irish News - https://www.irishnews.com/…/take-on-nature-grey-wagtail-an…/ .).

Agricultural intensification has been blamed for the decline of Yellow Wagtails in Britain. “It is thought that land drainage, the conversion of pasture to arable and a decline in invertebrate numbers (notably those associated with livestock) may be behind the decline” (BTO – please see above).

The BTO believes more research on the migration of Yellow Wagtails to and from their wintering grounds in West Africa may provide more information about the declines in their population.

.For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit

,http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Interesting Articles

Birdguides - Focus on: shades of Yellow Wagtail: https://www.birdguides.com/…/focus-on-shades-of-yellow-wag…/

Belted Kingfisher of Britain and Ireland

The Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, is native to North America and a rare visitor to Britain and Ireland They are known to roam over a wide area the autumn and a few occasionally turn up on the shores of the British Isles.

The male “is identified by its large head with stiff crest plumage, its characteristically long and heavy black bill with a grey base and its tiny feet. Belted kingfishers are notable because the females are brighter than the males – a condition known as reverse sexual dimorphism” (Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/…/punctuated-equi…/2011/jan/10/4 ).

Belted Kingfishers are solitary birds who live near a variety of freshwater habitats in North America such as rivers, streams, lakes, gravel pits and reservoirs. “

Pairs breed “on or near bodies of fresh or brackish water or along coasts throughout most North America” (Guardian – above). They make their nests by excavating burrows in river banks and along the shores of lakes. Both parents look after the young and only rear one brood a year.

“Belted kingfishers live on a diet including sticklebacks, trout, crayfish and insects “They perch along streams, lakes, and estuaries searching for prey and fly quickly up and down rivers and shorelines giving loud rattling calls”

“They hunt either by plunging directly from a perch, or by hovering over the water, bill downward, before diving after a fish they have spotted “

(Daily Mail - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/The-little-birdie-big-appetit… ).

Other prey includes small frogs, tadpoles, and reptiles. Plant material is sometimes eaten.

Most of the population travel south as far as South America during the autumn and return in the spring. Some remain on their breeding grounds in North America for the winter.

Belted Kingfishers “have a reputation for wandering widely during migration and vagrant individuals have been seen as far away as Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom” (Guardian – above).

There are less than ten reports of Belted Kingfishers in Britain and Ireland.

The Belted Kingfisher was first seen in Cornwall in England during 1909. The last sighting of a Belted Kingfisher in Cornwall was in October 1979 when it stayed until June 1980.

The next sighting occurred twenty-five years later in Staffordshire during April 2005. The bird travelled to Howden in Yorkshire and then Peterculter along the River Dee in Scotland. (Birdguides - https://www.birdguides.com/articles/the-belted-kingfisher/ ).

A Belted Kingfisher was reported on the Isle of Scilly in April 2018 (Rare Bird Alert - https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/…/Finders-in-the-field-Blet… ).

The first official record of a Belted Kingfisher in Ireland was along the River Bunree in County Mayo between December 1978 and February 1979.

Another Belted Kingfisher was seen in County Clare in Ireland in the autumn of 1984. The little Kingfisher stayed in County Clare until the winter of 1985 before flying to Country Tipperary where it remained until the spring of 1985.

The most recent sighting in Ireland took place at the Kylemore Abbey estate in County Galway in October 2012. “It is believed to have got caught in a jet stream across the Atlantic on its annual migration south” (Irish Times - https://www.irishtimes.com/…/rare-sighting-of-belted-kingfi… ).

The Belted Kingfisher is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN,

The population of Belted Kingfishers has been stable in North America over the last 40 years.

Kingfisher Mythology

“According to the ancient Greeks, kingfishers built their nests on a raft of fish bones and, having laid their eggs, they set the nest afloat on the Mediterranean sea and incubated the eggs for seven days before and after the winter solstice.

In order to facilitate this it was said the gods always made sure that the seas and winds were calmed during this period.

The Greek name for Kingfisher is halcyon, leading to the term ‘halcyon days’ which was originally a reference to the calm and fine weather at this time in Greece. We now use the term to refer to fondly remembered times in our past.

The name halcyon itself comes from the Greek goddess, Alcyone who was married to Ceyx.

According to legend the couple were happily married but made the mistake of calling each other Zeus and Hera, which angered the real god Zeus who in bad temper killed Ceyx by sinking his ship with a thunderbolt.

On hearing this, Alcyone, wrought with grief, threw herself into the sea and drowned.

Out of compassion, however, the gods later changed them both into beautiful flashing blue halcyon birds named after her and recognised in the kingfisher’s scientific name of Alcedo, after Alcyone.

In Irish folklore it is said that dead kingfishers preserved in a dry place will never decay and if put among clothes and other articles, they will preserve them from moths and give them a pleasant odour.

Another old folk tradition in Ireland and Britain describes how a dead kingfisher hung by a thread from a post will always have its beak pointing in the direction of the prevailing wind.

Shakespeare refers to this in King Lear, writing:

Bring oil to the fire, snow to their colder moods;

Renege, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks

With every gale and vary of their masters

A kingfisher, said to be the first bird to fly from Noah’s ark after the deluge, supposedly received the orange of the setting sun on its breast and the blue of the sky on its back.

It was considered a symbol of peace, promising prosperity and love” (Irish Times - Why the kingfisher is known as ‘the halcyon bird’ by Stephen Cotton: https://www.irishnews.com/…/take-on-nature-why-the-kingfis…/

Swainson's Thrush (or Olive-backed Thrush) – of the UK and Ireland

Photo credit: Minette Layne on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC

The Swainson’s Thrush, Catharus ustulatus, is a “mega rare” visitor to Britain and Ireland from North America. They normally migrate thousands of miles to their wintering grounds in South America. A few of these thrushes become lost in the autumn and fly to the shores of Britain and Ireland.

The first record of a Swainson’s Thrush in Britain was on Skokholm Island off the south coast of Wales in 1967. There have only been 41 records of Swainson’s Thrushes visiting Britain since 1967.

A Swainson’s Thrush was recently sighted along the coast of Shetland in Scotland in October 2019. A garden in Lerwick was the temporary home of a Swainson’s Thrush.

There was another report of a Swainson’s Thrush at St Mary’s in Scilly during October 2019 (Birdguids - https://www.birdguides.com/…/review-of-the-week-9-15-octob…/ ).

Two Swainson’s Thrushes were seen on at South Ulst in the Outer Hebrides and Tiree in the Inner Hebrides in September 2016.

Birdwatchers gathered to spy on a Swainson’s Thrush in Sanday in the Orkney Islands during October 2015.

The first record of a Swainson’s Thrush in Ireland was of a deceased bird at the Blackrock lighthouse in County Mayo during 1956. “To the end of 2014, there are just half a dozen accepted records: in Ireland (Rare Bird Alert- https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/…/WeeklyRoundup2018-43.aspx… ). The last report of a Swainson’s Thrush was at Mizen Head in County Cork during October 2019.

The Swainson’s Thrush is also known as the Olive-backed Thrush.

The Swainson’s Thrush is a medium-sized Thrush with an olive-brown back and white underparts. They can grow up to 8 inches, or 20 centimetres, long and are renowned for their beautiful songs.

The main diet of the Swanson’s Thrush is insects, fruits and berries.

“The breeding habitat of Swainson’s Thrush is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States, also deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coast of North America “

Swainson’s Thrushes are long-distance migrants who fly “to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina” in the autumn.

“The coastal subspecies migrate down the Pacific coast of North America and winter from Mexico to Costa Rica, whereas the continental birds migrate eastwards within North America and then travel southwards via Florida to winter from Panama to Bolivia” ( Daily Express - https://www.express.co.uk/…/Rare-species-visiting-bird-land… ).

The Swainson’s Thrush is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

The global population is thought to be decreasing although the trend is unknown.

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit,

http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Ring OuzeL: A Declining Breeding Bird in Britain and Ireland

Photo credit: Langham Birder on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Ring Ouzels are summer visitors who breed in the rough, open terrain of mountains in Britain and Ireland. They arrive from their wintering grounds in the Mediterranean and North Africa in the spring and return in the autumn.

Very few Ring Ouzels visit Northern and the Republic of Ireland where they are considered a rare bird.

There are concerns about the future of Ring Ouzels in Britain as nearly two-thirds of the population has been lost in the last 25 years. Ornithologists in Ireland believe Ring Ouzels will become extinct in the near future.

The Ring Ouzel, Turdus torquatus, belongs to the Thrush family of birds and is smaller and slimmer than a Blackbird.

Males have black plumage with a pale crescent on the chest and panel on the wing. Females are brown and have a duller chest band.

Ring Ouzels are shy and elusive birds who live and breed the rough, inhospitable terrain of mountains. They are generally found from sea level up to 1200 metres, or 0.75 miles, high.

Pairs make their nests in open places high in the mountains. Nests are made on the steep sides of valleys, crags, ledges of mountains and among the heather of moorland.

The main diet of the Ring Ouzel includes insects such as flies, beetles and leatherjacks, spiders, invertebrates and earthworms,

Fruit and berries are eaten in the autumn and winter. The berries of elders, bilberry, blackberry, hawthorns and rowans are particularly favoured.

“A mosaic of heather patches, as cover and open areas to forage, appears to be important’ for the species” (Irish Examiner – please see below).

Ring Ouzels arrive in Britain from their wintering grounds in the Mediterranean and North Africa between late March and April. Some of those who breed in Scandinavia also stop for a short time along the coast.

Ring Ouzels were not a common or widespread bird in Britain during the twentieth century. Sadly, a recent long term decline in the population has led to a contraction of their range in Britain.

They no longer breed in southern and central England as well as parts of Scotland and Wales. For example, their numbers declined by 70% in some areas of the Scottish Highlands between 1999 and 2007.

Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands remains one of the strongholds of the Ring Ouzel in Britain.

A map of the breeding distribution of Ring Ouzels in Britain and Ireland has been provided by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO - https://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet?id=370 ).

The main breeding sites of Ring Ouzels are Counties Kerry and Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Ring Ouzels once bred in every county of Northern Ireland. Sadly, the population has declined with only 14 reports of breeding since 1974. The Mourne Mountains are the main nesting sites of Red Ouzels.

The areas inhabited by Ring Ouzels include open hillsides where there is heather, grassy knolls and some scrub. Small number of passage migrants are found on areas of short grass along the coast and the sides of steep grassy hills.
The breeding season is between mid-April until mid-July with the first clutches laid in late April or May.

Pairs breed either singly or in loose colonies and aggressively defend their nests. Nest are often found near water.

Nests are made on or near the ground among heather and other vegetation in crags, gullies, ledges and the other rocky places of mountains. Other suitable breeding areas are around hill farms, the edges of forests and old quarries.

Three to five eggs are laid which take 2 weeks to hatch. The young learn to fly after another 2 weeks. Both parents care for the young and often raise 2 broods a year.

Adults moult between July and September before migrating to their wintering grounds.

Most of the population leave Britain and Ireland by late September. Ring Ouzels are seen either singly or in small groups before migration.

Ring Ouzels arrive on their wintering quarters by mid-October onwards. Their wintering grounds are in the Mediterranean and the Atlas Mountains in the North African countries of Algeria and Morocco.

The Ring Ouzel is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe holds 95% of the global breeding population of Ring Ouzels. The trend in Europe between 1998 and 2013 was described as stable.

The population in Scandinavia and southern Europe are reported to be stable.

The Ring Ouzel is a red-listed species of bird in both Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The status of the Ring Ouzel is red in Britain because of a dramatic decline in the breeding population over the last 25 years. Research has shown the decline is ongoing.

The British Trust for Ornithology said the Ring Ouzel population declined by over half, or 58%,, between 1988 and 1991 and 1999. Their numbers declined by another 29% between 1999 and 2012.

The charity stated the reasons for the decline of the Ring Ouzel in Britain remain unknown.
(BTO – Species - https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?year=2019&s=rinou ).

The RSPB reported the “UK range contracted by 27 per cent between 1970 and 1990, and the population is thought to have decreased in number, by about 60 per cent, between 1990 and 1999”.

“Possible causes of this decline include afforestation, changes in ...grazing regimes, and grassland improvement.”
(RSPB - https://www.rspb.org.uk/…/advice/helping-species/ring-ouzel/ ).

Research has shown that Scottish Ring Ouzels have recently moved away from breeding near conifer forests to the steeper areas of mountains.

The danger of predators using forests as cover together with a lack of heather on moorland nearest conifer forests may explain the decline of Ring Ouzels in Scotland
(The Decline of the Ring Ouzel in Britain – see below).

The Ring Ouzel has also suffered declines in the Republic of Ireland where there are fears they are facing extinction.

“Ouzels still breed in Kerry and Donegal, but in pitifully small numbers. Alan Mee found just 11 ‘apparently occupied’ sites in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks during a survey he conducted in 2008. By 2011, there were only four” (Irish Examiner - https://www.irishexaminer.com/…/marginal-ring-ouzel-could-b… ).

Possible reasons given for the decline in Britain and Ireland include competition with blackbirds and thrushes, disturbance by walkers and agricultural changes.

Birdlife International cited a reduction in juniper trees in their wintering grounds may be a factor in the decline in Britain. Juniper berries are one of the main sources of winter food for Ring Ouzels.

The Ring Ouzel was included in priority Bio-diversity Action Plan in the UK in 2002.

The main threats to Ring Ouzels in Europe include human disturbance, development in mountains for the leisure industry, hunting, climate change affecting winter survival, increased number of predators, burning and cutting of moorland, summer floods, afforestation and loss of habitat due to overgrazing,

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit,
http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

References

The Decline of the Red Ouzel in Britain: https://www.researchgate.net/…/229068728_The_decline_of_the…

Golden Pheasant - A Declining Rare Bird in Britain

“Deep in the forests of Norfolk lives the golden pheasant, a bird so beautiful it has been suggested as the origin of the phoenix legend” 

(BBC Radio 4 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s38s0 ). 

The Golden Pheasant,Chrysolophus pictus, is a rare, non-native species of bird which was first introduced to Britain in the late nineteenth century. Some escaped into the wild and established a small, although scattered, breeding population. 

Sadly, wild Golden Pheasant in Britain are disappearing from their old haunts with only a thousand birds remaining. Experts believe the dwindling population is a sign that the Golden Pheasant will be extinct in Britain in the future.

Golden Pheasants are sometimes known as “Chinese pheasants” because they are native to the mountainous regions of China.

Adults are smaller than native pheasants with males displaying brightly coloured plumage and very long tails. Males have a yellow crown tipped with red which extends from their heads to their necks. Females are smaller and duller with brown plumage.

Golden Pheasants are shy and elusive birds who live and breed in dense woodland and forestry plantations. They are usually found s among conifer trees, particularly young conifer plantations. 

The main diet of the Golden Pheasant includes insects, spiders, invertebrates, seeds and the leaves and buds of woodland plants.

Foraging normally takes place at dawn or dush when they walk along the floor of woods and forests searching for food. Golden Pheasants rarely fly in the air and roosting at night takes place high in the branches of trees.

The weary nature of these pheasants together with their ability to move quickly through the undergrowth makes Golden Pheasants difficult to see despite their bright plumage.

Golden Pheasants were first introduced to Norfolk in England as exotic birds in private collections during the 1870s. Some escaped into the wild and established breeding populations in the woods and forests of  England, Scotland and Wales.

Golden Pheasants remain near the areas they were hatched and rarely move more than 500 metres or 0.3 miles

The population of Golden Pheasants has declined in recent years.

“The declining pheasant numbers are now believed to be down to no more than 1,000 pairs of golden” pheasants (Independent - https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/country-garden-golden-and-nearly-gone-1183309.html ).

The strongholds of wild Golden Pheasants are Norfolk and Suffolk. Smaller numbers are also scattered widely over the lowland areas of Britain. 

Wild Golden Pheasants can be seen all year round in Anglesey in Wales, Galloway, Scotland, and the South Downs in England.

A map of the areas where wild Golden Pheasants are found in Britain has been provided by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO - http://s1.sovon.nl/ebcc/eoa/?species1=3960 ). 

The small population of Golden Pheasants in Weyland Woods in the Brecklands in Norfolk disappeared during the early 1990s. Disturbance was given as the reason for their decline. Some are still seen in nearby areas although some of these sightings may be recently escaped captive birds (The Breckland Birder - http://brecklandbirder.blogspot.com/2016/02/golden-beauty-at-thompson-norfolk.html ).

A small breeding population was established in Kirroughtree Forest in Scotland. Their numbers declined between the 1970s and 80s from a high of from 250 birds.

Golden Pheasants can also be found in Tresco on the Isles of Scilly, although most are thought to be new releases (Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/93372558@N00/1562563220 ).

Golden Pheasants sometimes breed with Lady Amherst’s Pheasants both in captivity and in the wild. Hybrids of the two species have been spotted in Britain over the centuries.

Very little is known about the breeding habits of wild Golden Pheasants in Britain as their shy nature makes them difficult to study.

Five to twelve eggs are laid on the ground which hatch after three weeks. The young learn to fly after another 2 weeks.

The Golden Pheasant is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

The global trend for the Golden Pheasant is described as declining with the felling of trees, illegal cage bird industry and hunting cited as the reasons for the decline by Birdlife International.

The status of the Golden Pheasant has not been assessed in Britain. The decline of the population in recent years has led experts to the opinion that wild Golden Pheasants are facing extinction in Britain.

“It has long been recognised that Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, although still present in small numbers in Bedfordshire, is no longer maintaining a self-sustaining population, and the same fate may await Golden Pheasant as no records of confirmed breeding of this species were submitted ” (Birdguides - https://www.birdguides.com/news/lady-a-and-golden-pheasant-nearly-gone-from-britain/ ).

The reasons for the decline are unknown although loss of habitat and an increase in their natural predators such as foxes may be responsible for the fall in their numbers.

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit,

http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

Interesting Articles 

Go Birding: https://www.gobirding.eu/Photos/GoldenPheasant.php