- Magog Trust News
- Bird Reports 2019
- Bird Reports 2018
- Bird Reports 2017
- Bird Reports 2016
- Bird Reports 2015
- Earlier Bird Reports
See also...
If you are interested in birds, you may also like to read what's on our Birds on Magog Down page.
Bird Club - come and join us!
If you have never given birdwatching a try do come along on the first Saturday of the month (meeting in the car park at 8am from April to October; slightly later at 8.30 am from November to March).
Membership is very informal–– just turn up and enjoy the birding walk. It is a healthy way of getting fresh air and exercise, and de-stressing while learning about birds.
We welcome new members of any age from beginners to life-time bird watchers. Sorry, no dogs
Photo: Skylark (Alauda arvensis) © Garth Peacock 2015
Long-term Survey of Breeding Birds
In February 2012, Bryan Davies and Robin Cox of Cambridgeshire Bird Club proposed a long term breeding bird survey on Magog Down.
Full reports of the first six years of this survey can be found here:
2014 Report of a Long term survey of breeding birds on Magog Down, Stapleford
Bryan Davies and Robin Cox, Cambridgeshire Bird Club
Summary
Of the species breeding in 2013 but not recorded in 2014, three are warblers (Willow, Sedge, and Garden), Mistle thrush and Reed bunting. Of these the Willow warbler and Mistle thrush are of particular concern because in the past they have been regulars on the Down.
Of the UK Red listed birds eg. Song thrush, Greenfinch and Corn Bunting whose numbers nationally have fallen severely in recent decades, the numbers recorded in 2014 were very low, in contrast Skylarks which are also red listed continue to prosper on the Down.
Several well known resident species that prosper nationally continue to do well on the Down of these the Blue tit, Great tit, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Wren are the best known.
Two additional conservation measures were introduced in 2014, eight standard flowering trees have been planted in the western hedge adjacent to the arable to act as Singing posts for corn buntings and yellowhammers, 30 nest boxes in total were put up in Youth, Colin’s and Villedomer woods, and kestrel and tawny owl boxes installed in woodland. In 2015 a bird seed strip will be planted in the eastern section of the arable area to provide food overwinter and to encourage insect populations.
Location | No. of species* |
No. of birds** |
---|---|---|
Car Park and adjacent Picnic area | 7 | 14 |
Colin's Wood, Roadside and Garden hedges | 9 | 20 |
Feoffee's fields and edge of Parish Pit | 6 | 9 |
Feoffee's field hedges | 0 | 0 |
Clunch pits on Little Trees Hill | 10 | 58 |
Cleared woodland and Magog Wood | 10 | 12 |
Shelter belt wood | 3 | 3 |
Sheep paddocks and Collin's bank | 3 | 3 |
Memorial Wood | 8 | 19 |
Arable field | 1 | 2 |
Vestey wood and adjacent mature wood | 14 | 17 |
Western boundary hedge | 4 | 14 |
Villedomer wood | 2 | 2 |
North Down | 3 | 12 |
** Minimum number of birds breeding
Family | Total* |
Locations | UK Status** |
---|---|---|---|
Thrushes | |||
Blackbird | 10 | 8 | |
Song Thrush | 1 | 1 | red |
Mistle Thrush | - | - | amber |
Robin | 8 | 5 | |
Tits | |||
Blue tit | 7 | 4 | |
Great tit | 9 | 5 | |
Long tailed tit | 6 | 2 | |
Finches | |||
Bullfinch | 2 | 1 | red |
Chaffinch | 36 | 8 | |
Goldfinch | 26 | 2 | amber |
Greenfinch | 2 | 2 | red |
Linnet | 1 | 1 | red |
Buntings |
|||
Corn bunting | 1 | 1 | red |
Reed bunting | - | - | amber |
Yellowhammer | 4 | 2 | red |
Warblers | |||
Blackcap | 12 | 9 | |
Chiffchaff | 3 | 3 | |
Common Whitethroat | 10 | 3 | amber |
Garden Warbler | - | - | |
Sedge Warbler | - | - | |
Willow Warbler | - | - | amber |
Larks | |||
Skylark | 13 | 3 | red |
Crows | |||
Carrion Crow | 2 | 1 | |
Magpie | 4 | 4 | |
Jay | - | - | |
Crests and Wrens |
|||
Wren | 6 | 5 | |
Accentors | |||
Dunnocks | 3 | 3 | amber |
Partridges | |||
Red-legged Partridge | 2 | 2 | |
Pheasant | 2 | 2 | |
Woodpeckers |
|||
Green Woodpecker | 2 | 2 | amber |
Pigeons and Doves | |||
Wood Pigeon | [large numbers but not recorded] | ||
Falcons | |||
Kestrel | 1 | 1 |
** Species on the UK red list have shown a severe decline in numbers during last 40 years, species on the UK amber list have declined by 25-49% during the last 40 years.
Birds on Magog Down
We publish the monthly reports of Stapleford Bird club here, plus other occasional bird-related articles; hot links in each report will take you to the RSPB information page for each bird spotted.
The gallery below shows a random six of the birds that have been seen on Magog Down.