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Richard Low surveys the breeding birds and visits the reserves several times during the breeding season usually early in the morning.  Evidence such as the presence of singing males, nests, sightings of birds carrying nesting material or food for nestlings or sightings of juvenile birds are used by Richard to compile the estimates of breeding pairs.

 

                       
Summary of Breeding bird surveys 2003 - 2011                
                       
  Estimate of number of pairs of breeding birds    
  2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011   Comments
RL JM JM RL RL RL RL RL RL Change
Blackbird 6 6 6-10 6-7 4 8-10 9-10 6-7 8-9 Increase 28 species bred or possibly bred this year compared with 29 last year. 8 have decreased, 14 have no change and 6 have increased.Once again although there are changes from last year with most species, there does not seem to be any significant trends and the overall pattern is probably stable. Worryingly no yellowhammers or greenfinches were recorded singing for the first time. This could be down to limited coverage this year as Richard was unable to survey as much as he would have liked but we will need to monitor this situation. The highlight this year was a nightingale singing for a few weeks although no evidence of breeding was found despite great efforts from Ray to establish breeding status.
Blackcap 2 4 3 2 3 2 2-3 2 P2 No change
Blue Tit 10 NE 6-10 7-8 10 12-15 10-12 8-9 7-8 Decrease
Bullfinch (Red listed)     P   1 P     1-2 Increase
Carrion Crow NL P   P P P 2-3 2-3 2-3 No change
Chaffinch 3 3 4 4-5 3-4 3-4 2-3 3-4 2-3 Decrease
Chiffchaff 8 6-8 4-6 3 4 4 2-3 3-4 2-3 Decrease
Coal Tit       1           No change
Collared Dove NL P         1-2 1-2 1-2 No change
Dunnock 2 5 3 2-3 2-3 3-4 4-5 3-4 3-4 No change
Garden Warbler 1 WBc   1 1 1 2 P1 1 No change
Goldcrest NL 1 1 2 1-2 P2 2-3 1-2 1-2 No change
Goldfinch 1 1   1-2 1-2 2-3 P1-2 1-2 1-2 No change
Great Tit 7 NE 4-6 5-6 5-6 5-6 6-7 4-5 4-5 No change
Great S. Woodpecker     D 1 2 1 1 1 P1-2 Increase
Greenfinch 2 NE 4 2-3 P1-2 1-2 1-2 P1   Decrease
Green Woodpecker       1OR 1OR         No change
Jackdaw       2-3   P P1-2 1-2 1-2 No change
Jay       1P   P P 1-2 2-3 Increase
Lesser Whitethroat NL 3 2             No change
Linnet (Red listed) 2 2 1 1-2 2-3   P P1 P1 No change
Long-tailed Tit             1-2 1-2 2 No change
Magpie NL P   1-2 2-3 1-2 2 2-3 2-3 No change
Mistle Thrush     1     P1 1-2 P1 P1 No change
Nightingale                   No change
Nuthatch 2 2 1 1 1-2 1 1-2 1-2 1-2 No change
Robin 5 9 3-6 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 6-7 7-8 Increase
Song Thrush (Red listed) 3 4 3-7 2-3 3 1-2 2 2 1-2 Decrease
Starling (Red listed) NL 3 1 2-3 Afp   P1-2 1-2 2-3 Increase
Treecreeper NL P   1 2-3 P2 1-2 1-2 1-2 No change
Whitethroat NL 1 2-4 1 P1 1 1 1-2 P1 Decrease
Woodpigeon NL P 3 2-3 2-3 3-4 2-3 2-3 2-3 No change
Wren 5 6 3-6 5-6 4-5 5-6 6-7 5 4-5 Decrease
Yellowhammer (Red listed) 1 2-3 1 1-2 1 1 P1 P1   Decrease
                       
                       
Key                      
Richard Lowe RL                    
John Madden JM                    
Not listed NL                    
Possibly P                    
Drumming D                    
No estimate NE                    
Off reserve OR                    
With Blackcap WBc                    
A few pairs Afp                    
                       
                       
                       

  Cumulative Reserve List as at April 2014   New in 2011 New in 2012 New in 2013 New in 2014
               
1 Blackbird Breeding          
2 Blackcap Breeding          
3 Black-headed Gull Flying Over          
4 Blue Tit Breeding          
5 Bullfinch Breeding          
6 Buzzard Flying Over          
7 Canada Goose Flying Over          
8 Carrion Crow Breeding          
9 Chaffinch Breeding          
10 Chiffchaff Breeding          
11 Coal Tit Breeding          
12 Collared Dove Breeding          
13 Common Swift Flying Over          
14 Common Treecreeper Breeding          
15 Common Whitethroat Breeding          
16 Cormorant Flying Over          
17 Cuckoo Flying over   17-May-11      
18 Dunnock Breeding          
19 Fieldfare Winter Visitor          
20 Garden Warbler Breeding          
21 Goldcrest Breeding          
22 Goldfinch Breeding          
23 Great Spotted Woodpecker Breeding          
24 Great Tit Breeding          
25 Green Woodpecker Possibly Breeding          
26 Greenfinch Breeding          
27 Green Sandpiper Pond          
28 Herring Gull Flying Over          
29 Heron Adjacent fields          
30 Hobby Flying Over          
31 House Martin Flying Over          
32 House Sparrow Seen all Year          
33 Jackdaw Breeding          
34 Jay Breeding          
35 Kestrel            
36 Lapwing            
37 Lesser Black-backed Gull Flying Over          
38 Lesser Redpoll Singing in Centenary Hedge   07-Apr-11      
39 Lesser Whitethroat            
40 Linnet Breeding          
41 Little Egret Flying over Comm Orchard       09-Mar-13  
42 Long-tailed Tit Breeding          
43 Magpie Breeding          
44 Mallard Flying Over          
45 Meadow Pipit            
46 Mistle Thrush Possibly Breeding          
47 Moorhen            
48 Mute Swan Flying Over          
49 Nightingale CO/WFM   20-Apr-11      
50 Nuthatch Breeding          
51 Pheasant Seen once          
52 Pied Wagtail Possibly Breeding          
53 Red Kite Investigating prey in Bloomers field         13-Apr-14
54 Redwing Winter Visitor          
55 Reed Bunting            
56 Reed Warbler Vagrant   21-May-11      
57 Ring,necked Parakeet In oaks by Twitten   12-Nov-11      
58 Robin Breeding          
59 Rook Seen all Year          
60 Sand Martin Feeding over large trees in WFM       09-Sep-13  
61 Siskin Winter Visitor          
62 Skylark Flying Over          
63 Snipe Flying Over       19-Jan-13  
64 Song Thrush Breeding          
65 Sparrowhawk Possibly Breeding          
66 Spotted Flycatcher            
67 Starling Breeding          
68 Stock Dove            
69 Stonechat            
70 Swallow Flying Over          
71 Tawny Owl Calling in oaks by Twitten     12-Feb-12    
72 Waxwing Feeding on berries by pond       16-Jan-13  
73 Willow Warbler Singing in oaks by Twitten          
74 Wood Pigeon Breeding          
75 Wren Breeding          
76 Yellowhammer Possibly Breeding