Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naevia
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Distribution Britain 1,189 (-36.7%) Ireland 409 (-40.9%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 10,500 Ireland 5,500 European status: 330,000 (5% in Britain and Ireland = 6=) British population trend: serious widespread declines (-59% CBC){-73%} How likely are you to record it? 164 squares (3.7%) Ranked 94 [53] |
One hundred years ago the song of this monotonous warbler, much more often heard than seen, was heard through mainland Britain as far north as the Highland fringe and over most of Ireland except the north-west coast. Over the next 50 years the birds spread through the rest of mainland Britain, parts of the Inner Hebrides, onto the Isle of Man and increased throughout most of Ireland. The plantation breeding sites are useful for about ten years after planting but the traditional sites of damp tangled vegetation are also likely to be drained. This species apparently suffered huge losses between the two Breeding Atlases. Despite a peak in 1980 the general CBC dropped by 59% between 1972 and 1996. Habitat loss through drainage and maturing forestry has been blamed but the birds may be in trouble in their wintering area which seems to be close to the southern edge of the Sahara. The one good omen is a doubling of registrations on the BBS between 1994 and 1998! The BBS increase may herald a welcome return but it is rather too early to be certain.
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead