Species Account
Extract from Bird Report 2024
Scarce and declining summer visitor. The England long-term trend is decreasing -40%. (Red list).
The first of the year was on 6th April at Stewartby Lake (CP), equalling the earliest ever county record, and was eight days earlier than the ten-year average arrival date. After that, records were received from 13 sites and suggested up to 60 singing birds. Large contributors to that figure were a remarkable 30 at Strawberry Hill Farm and up to 13 around Stewartby Lake (with five of those along the eastern side adjacent to the railway line) and MCP Wetlands NR. Elsewhere, singing birds were at Lidlington (4 males), Coronation ClP, Rectory Wood (2 males), Hawkesbury Meadows (2 males), Biggleswade Common and Waterloo Thorns. The last record of the year was on 23rd June, with two at Waterloo Thorns, although undoubtedly birds stayed longer but, being elusive once their song period ends, are very hard to find.
