Willow Warbler David Cookson
I'm told of a local bird recorder in East Anglia who has referred to....'a worrying lack of Willow Warbler locally this year'....a feeling I've had myself in and around our area.
The 'Missing' Gallery.
Not to be seen as a suggestion of the decline in the numbers of these three species, but just that despite all the hours of wanderings, I've yet to connect this summer with the Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, and the Tree Pipit.
Lesser Whitethroat. Martin Lofgren @ Wild Bird Gallery
Last year I had seen a Lesser Whitethroat on 10 June at Conder Green - I actually saw a report of one there yesterday - as a migrant breeder in our area, mainly restricted to the coastal fringe.
Garden Warbler Jan Larsson
A Garden Warbler was at Stoops Bridge in Abbeystead on 17 June last year where I see at least one almost annually, a fairly common migrant breeder in our area.
Tree Pipit Antonio Puigg
....and a Tree Pipit at Barbondale on 29 April 2014, where I've neither heard nor seen one in three visits to Barbondale this summer, and didn't find one on my Clougha/Birk Bank visit last week. The Tree Pipit is an uncommon and declining breeder, and is a species on the Red List, all of which has contributed to my not seeing one yet this year.
Thanks to David/Jan/Martin/Antonio for the excellent gallery, and to Warren for the brilliant Redstart header.
I'd sooner be birding!....And when I can, perhaps I'll eventually catch up with these three, but time's running out, the summer solstice has past.
Pete,
ReplyDeleteWillow Warblers ceased breeding here 10 years ago. Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat are now 'X' breeders here and as for Tree Pipit, I have only ever heard one flyover, that was last year, all very sad stuff :-(
All very interesting Warren, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat are in Red List over here, but we get lots of Willow Warblers and the Tree Pipits.
ReplyDelete