Species Account
Extract from Bird Report 2024
Very common resident. Included in 49.9% of BirdTrack lists. The East of England long-term trend is decreasing -1%. The long-term trend for Bedfordshire is also decreasing -4%. (Amber list).
In a series of counts from Houghton Brook Pools the monthly peak counts ranged from 16 in February (the highest count from anywhere) to seven in December, with a monthly average across the year of ten. Similarly, regular counts at Priory CP ranged from 12 in March to just two in August, with an average across the year of five. During the Summer Garden Bird Survey, they were in all gardens but with a preference for rural sites in terms of frequency.
