Are Deer a Factor in Woodland Bird Declines?
Deer are a popular topic of conversation in the UK at present with many sources claiming that recent population increases are having a detrimental effect on our woodland ecosystems.
14 Articles found tagged with “British Birds”.
Deer are a popular topic of conversation in the UK at present with many sources claiming that recent population increases are having a detrimental effect on our woodland ecosystems.
When I first started my own birding adventures, ravens were still not easy to find, and only partially through inexperience (ID tips in a nutshell: look for a buzzard-sized, flying black cross with a wedge-shaped tail and a guttural croak for a call).
The jarring from which they take their name, more commonly referred to as churring – an eerie, mechanical sort of noise that’s straight out of a science fiction film, and possibly the strangest noise I’ve ever heard coming from a bird.
Not only are they uncommon in much of England and Wales (and absent entirely from Scotland and Ireland), but they’re hard to find even where they do occur, being secretive birds that can range over large areas.
Groups such as the RSPB welcomed the decision, especially since buzzard populations were once so low in this country.
These birds represent Britain’s sole truly ‘native’ stock, and at the Gigrin Farm feeding centre provide one of the best wildlife spectacles in the country.
It’s a woodland species, but will also be found in parks and gardens with mature trees, and is always a welcome sight: indeed, it’s one of the most common species for non-birders to notice and remark on.
Iceland gulls breed in the Arctic, mainly Greenland and northern Canada, and move south during winter to feed away from the worst of the polar winter.
One of the top five sites for gadwall in the UK is the Thames Estuary – another reason, if any were needed, why dropping a whopping great airport into the middle of it would be a seriously bad idea.
They’re one of the two thrush species which visit Britain in large numbers for the autumn and winter, alongside the handsome and perhaps better known redwing.