Many British woodland birds are in trouble

THE latest results from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) show that everything might not be as it seems, with many of our woodland birds in trouble. The BBS report, published by the British Trust for Ornithology in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the RSPB shows trends for 111 species in the UK and makes interesting reading. Being a woodland bird in the UK is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, depending on which species you are.

The decline in the willow tit (Poecile montanus) has seen the breeding population fall by 80 per cent, whilst that of its close relative the marsh tit (Poecile palustris) has seen a 41 per cent drop from 1995 to 2015. Long-distance migrants and fellow woodland species spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) and nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) are also in trouble. Spotted flycatcher and wood warbler have declined by 38 per cent and 57 per cent respectively in the UK, and nightingale by 48 per cent in England over the last 23 years.

Source: Crediton Courier Newspaper, 19 August 2017
http://www.creditoncouriernewspaper.co.uk/article.cfm?id=123646&headlin…