Wiltshire Bird Report 2010: Review of the year.
By Rob Turner Recorder Wilts Ornithological Society
Click here to download a copy of this report
The first weeks of January produced the coldest winter period for thirty years. This forced winter thrushes to visit gardens and many people enjoyed stunning views of Fieldfares and Redwings. There was an influx of Woodcock from the continent. Five Whooper Swans which arrived at East Clyffe in late 2009 remained until mid-March. A Ring Ouzel remained in a Salisbury garden enjoying a rich repast of raisins and grapes.
A Swallow hatched and ringed at Costow Farm in 2006 was controlled at a roost in South Africa. That’s 42,000 miles clocked so far by my reckoning!
Garden feeders continued to be well frequented. At Langford seventy seven Blue Tits and twenty six Great Tits were ringed in three hours.
Short-eared Owls had obviously been displaced and up to eighteen were present in the County.
There was a noticeable influx of Mediterranean Gulls in mid-March.
A Twite at Roundway Hill, was the twelfth County record.
Fourteen Dotterel obligingly remained near Casterley for twenty days in April.
Ospreys showed well with birds at Westbury, Coate Water, Salisbury and Great Somerford. Two Temminck’s Stints were at the Water Park in May, where a remarkable passage of Ringed Plover occurred involving 231 bird days between the 23rd and 29th with a max count of 54 individuals on 25th.
These days only one Hoopoe for a year is quite disappointing but one at Poulshot remained our only record and there was a Bearded Tit by Nationwide House Swindon.
Stone Curlew enjoyed an excellent season, the latest figures available indicating 95 confirmed breeding pairs twice as many as ten years ago. Little Ringed Plover numbers remained stable.
Hobby maintained its current encouraging numbers. Red Kite is also becoming a bit of a flagship Wilts species and breeding pairs are now into double figures though caution and discreetness is still essential in the protection of this species, as in fact it is for all our scarce breeders.
Little Egrets continued to flourish. Raven is at its highest density . Cetti’s Warblers survived the cold well. Wood Warbler, Redstart, Turtle Dove and Whinchat suffered further severe declines and Pied Flycatcher is now no longer a county breeding bird. Dipper now breeds at only two sites.
August saw the post breeding dispersal to the UK of Glossy Ibis with over forty birds involved. The majority were Spanish hatched juveniles and one took up residence in the Water Park constituting the fifth County record.
In September about 200 Wrynecks moved through Britain on a broad front producing an above average showing for the County with birds at Chitterne, Swindon, Aldbourne and Neston.
A Tawny Pipit at the Water Park was only the second County record following the first at Colerne as long ago as 1983.
October was notable for an exceptional and early influx of Lapland Buntings into the UK. In Wilts there were three at Maiden Bradley and singles at Dean Hill, Avebury and Whiteparish.
A Richard’s Pipit was at Dean Hill, like the Tawny also the second County record following one at Wishford in 1986.
A major Waxwing irruption occurred with several thousand pouring into Scotland and the East coast eventually reaching the County. 263 bird days involving at least seven sites gave most people a chance to catch up with this enchanting species at close quarters. Swindon, Westbury and Trowbridge held good numbers into 2011.
In 2010, no new species were added to the County list which stands at 319. In all a total of 190 species were recorded.
Nowadays records come from all directions. Major contributions are from Birdtrack (20,500 records), WOS website (4,667 records) and WOS members record slips (approx 4.000 records).
The full report will be in ‘The Hobby’ 2010 published by Wilts OS in due course.
Rob Turner April 2011
