Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
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Distribution Britain 1,887 (-8.7%) Ireland 681 (-20.5%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 250,000 — Ireland 110,000 European status: 2,300,000 (15% in Britain and Ireland =3) British population trend: decline now stabilised (-12% CBC){-45%} How likely are you to record it? 530 squares (11.8%) Ranked 61 [36] |
The general distribution of Sedge Warblers in Britain and Ireland has not changed much although they may have colonised more of the Hebrides in the last 50 or 60 years. First breeding on Shetland was proved in 1996 However there are very clear indications of general losses from much of the range between the two Breeding Atlases — possibly more from the west and north of England and from the southern half of Ireland than other areas. The populations seemed to be at a high level in the early 1960s but they suffered a substantial decline in 1969 after the winter drought in their sub-Saharan wintering area. The current 25-year CBC starts after this decline and shows no sign of a proper recovery. Detailed research shows a clear relationship between the survival rates of adult Sedge Warblers and the rainfall index for the wintering area and, unless this consistently improves, a recovery to previous populations seems unlikely. No real sign of increase to previous levels at the moment but, thank goodness, no sign of further steep declines.
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
Sedge Warbler
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead