Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleuca
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Distribution Britain 732 (+34.1%) Ireland 3 (0%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 37,500 Ireland <5 European status: 5,250,000 (1% in Britain and Ireland =9) British population trend: recent evidence of declines How likely are you to record it? 98 squares (2.2%) Ranked 105 |
The Pied Flycatcher can be the dominant breeding species in Welsh oak woodlands now that a super-abundance of nest boxes are present in many areas but it was not always so. A hundred years ago North Wales and North-west England were the undoubted strongholds with birds also breeding in mid-Wales, the Welsh marches, other parts of northern England and on the Scottish mainland (predominately eastern areas). In the last 30 years they have gained a foothold in Ireland with breeding reported mainly in Armagh and Wicklow. In Scotland the main areas are in Dumfries and Galloway and in the Trossachs but they bred sporadically in many other areas. About 50 years ago it was clear that the birds had become well established in mid-Wales and were starting to breed in South-west England. The second Breeding Atlas documented further gains in South-west Wales and England, along the eastern edge of the Welsh breeding area and in northern England. Recently there have been several reports of generally lower numbers using long-established nest box schemes. Fluctuating numbers, possibly because of winter losses or poor productivity, would be nothing new but poor results for over ten years seem to be unprecedented. These reports give cause for serious concern.
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead