Sunday 14th June 2009

These maps include all 2008 SOS records, as well as 2008 TTV, Birdtrack and roving records. The maps do not include ANY records from Garden Birdwatch, the BBS, the nest record scheme or the ringing scheme. These records will be incorporated at a later date.

GARDEN WARBLER – First breeding season (Apr – Jul 2008) provisional distribution map.

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Garden Warblers nest near the ground, often in brambles and nettles. Most clutches are laid in early to mid-May so look out for parents carrying food for young (FF = confirmed breeding) over the next couple of weeks. So far the species has been recorded in 21% of the county’s tetrads, but breeding has only been confirmed in nine tetrads (less than 1%), with probable breeding in 3.7% and possible breeding in 13%. This is therefore a species for which evidence of confirmed or probable breeding is particularly low.

REED BUNTING – First breeding season (Apr – Jul 2008) provisional distribution map.

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Reed Buntings traditionally have nested close to water, in reeds, rushes, grasses and sedge. More recently they have also taken to nesting in cultivated fields (particularly oil-seed rape). First eggs are laid in mid-April so you should see evidence now of parents carrying food for young (FF) or of fledged young still dependent on parents (FL). Both codes denote confirmed breeding. So far 15% of tetrads have breeding records of Reed Bunting, but confirmed breeding has only been recorded in 1.7% of tetrads and probable breeding in another 5.5%. Now is therefore a good time to get stronger evidence of breeding.

JAY – First breeding season (Apr – Jul 2008) provisional distribution map.

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Jays will have laid their eggs in April or early May, so you should soon see families of youngsters with their parents around (FL = confirmed breeding), which will become increasingly noisy as they mature. So far Jays have been recorded in 34% of tetrads, but in only 2.4% has breeding been confirmed, with probable breeding recorded in a further 8% of tetrads. However, in 11% of tetrads no breeding evidence has been recorded at all (hence all the green dots on the map), which is surprising, as this is a particularly sedentary species, which rarely moves more than a kilometre.

Not sure of what the various breeding status codes are? Click here:
www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/bevidence.htm