Sunday 21st 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.

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

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First Little Grebe clutches are laid about late April with a second one in late June, although laying can continue into September. Their nests are anchored in reeds or other emergent vegetation on rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and even in ditches. Look out now for young still dependent on adults (FL = confirmed breeding). To date Little Grebes have only been recorded in 7% of Sussex tetrads, with nearly 2% of records showing confirmed breeding, possible breeding or presence only, and just over 1% showing probable breeding.

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

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Moorhen is one of our most widely distributed waterbird species, so we expect it to be recorded in many more than the 36.5% of tetrads where it has been recorded so far. Look out for family groups on any waterbody, however small (young still dependent on adults, FL = confirmed breeding) and in a few weeks time you may also see first-brood youngsters helping out with second broods. In nearly half the tetrads where Moorhen has been recorded so far, breeding has been confirmed, but in another 15% of tetrads no breeding evidence, or only possible breeding, has been recorded.

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

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The map shows that Kingfisher is a more challenging species to get breeding evidence for! So far it has been recorded in just under 7% of Sussex tetrads, but in only 0.3% of tetrads (three) has breeding been confirmed, and only in a further 0.4% of tetrads (four) is breeding probable. So far, most records are of possible breeding or presence only.

Two good ways to get breeding evidence are:
- seeing adults carrying food to the nest site (FF = confirmed breeding);
- seeing parents chasing the young off the breeding territory, which occurs about 4 days after they fledge. This can be an aggressive and fairly visible affair. If you see a juvenile and an adult interacting in this way use the FL code (young dependent on adult) - even if such dependency is about to change!

Good luck with adding to the number of confirmed and probable breeding records!

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