Species Account
Extract from Bird Report 2024
Fairly common resident showing signs of recovery after earlier declines. Included in 20.6% of BirdTrack lists. The East of England long-term trend is increasing +13%. (Amber list).
Widespread and reported from hundreds of sites, there were 2,081 records, though 89% accounted for groups of five or fewer. Larger flocks of over 20 in January were almost exclusively reported from east Bedfordshire and all but one from the Broom GP complex. There were up to 60 at Broom East on the 8th and 80 there on the 16th, all after the first group of 50 at Deepdale on the 1st, though all of those had been present from late in the previous year. The Broom flock remained throughout the period, with regular reports throughout, including another count of 80 there on 19th February and, although numbers dwindled, there were still 35 there on 11th March. At a similar time, and away from Broom, the only other notable records were of up to 25 at Tetworth Hall Estate.
The second winter period was very poor, with just six reports from four sites, representing an 81% fall from that time in 2023. In September, there were 12 at Thurleigh Airfield and counts often at both Henlow Grange and Broom East, and there were a further ten at Sandy Heath on 4th October. The only notable flock of the whole period was at Broom South Quarry with 30 there during 24th–28th December.
