- 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:
2016 Report of a long term survey of breeding birds on Magog Down Stapleford
Bryan Davies and Robin Cox, Cambridgeshire Bird Club
Summary
Twenty nine species were probably breeding on the Down, a similar number to those in the previous 4 years (average 28). The most abundant species were Wood Pigeon (large number - not recorded), Robin (21), Chaffinch (13), Wren (12), Blackbird (9), Common Whitethroat (9), Great Tit (8), Blue Tit (7), Blackcap (7), Skylark (7), Magpie (6) and Chiffchaff (6).
It is good that three of our summer migrants are all amongst the more abundant species and that the skylark – a UK red listed species in steep decline – is doing well on our grasslands in spite of dogs, badgers, crows and magpies.
Members of the Crow family were recorded in substantial numbers but the Rooks and Jackdaws are visitors from nearby Wandlebury Country Park or further afield and only the three predators Carrion Crows, Magpies and Jays are probably breeding on the Down.
A Willow Warbler was recorded on one occasion only and so it is fairly certain that this species has stopped breeding on the Down. Although no Mistle Thrushes were noted during the breeding season, two were seen on more than one occasion later in the year and are probably still breeding in the Shelter Belt. No corn buntings were recorded this year which suggests that this red listed species may have relinquished its tenuous hold on the Down.
A bird seed strip was established for the first time alongside Lower Memorial Wood providing overwinter food for large numbers of linnets and smaller numbers of reed buntings, yellowhammers and chaffinch. Due to the success of this new venture it has been decided to renew the strip each year.
Field Visits
Two survey visits only were made in 2016: on 19th April before summer migrants had arrived, and on 5th May when all of the summer migrants had returned. The same route was taken as in all the previous years.
Results
See Tables1 and 2.
Location | No. of species* |
No. of birds |
---|---|---|
Car Park and Picnic area | 8 | 9 |
Colin's Wood, Roadside, Garden hedges | 7 | 10 |
Feoffee's Fields and edge of Parish Pit | 4 | 34 |
Felled Shelter Belt, shelter belt and Magog Wood | 7 | 7 |
Sheep paddocks | 3 | 37 |
Memorial Wood | 5 | 5 |
Arable field | 1 | 1 |
Vestey and adjacent mature wood | 9 | 17 |
Western boundary hedge | 6 | 16 |
Villedomer Wood | 5 | 8 |
Clunch Pits | 10 | 18 |
North Down | 8 | 0 |
Family |
Total1 |
Sites2 | Bird Club3 |
UK Status4 |
Thrushes | ||||
Blackbird | 9 | 7 | ||
Song Thrush | 0 | 3 | red | |
Mistle Thrush | 0 | red | ||
Robin | 21 | 6 | ||
Tits | ||||
Blue tit | 7 | 4 | ||
Great tit | 8 | 6 | ||
Long tailed tit | 3 | 1 | ||
Finches | ||||
Chaffinch | 13 | 10 | ||
Goldfinch | 1 | 1 | ||
Greenfinch | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Linnet | 2 | 2 | red | |
Buntings |
||||
Corn bunting | 0 | 0 | 1 | red |
Yellowhammer | 4 | 2 | red | |
Warblers | ||||
Blackcap | 7 | 5 | ||
Chiffchaff | 6 | 3 | ||
Common Whitethroat | 9 | 1 | ||
Lesser Whitethroat | 0 | 0 | ||
Garden Warbler | 0 | 0 | ||
Willow Warbler | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Larks | ||||
Skylark | 7 | 3 | red | |
Crows | ||||
Carrion Crow | 5 | 2 | ||
Jackdaw | 20 | 2 | ||
Jay | 1 | 1 | ||
Magpie | 6 | 5 | ||
Rook | 54 | 3 | ||
Crests and Wrens |
||||
Wren | 12 | 5 | ||
Accentors | ||||
Dunnocks | 2 | 2 | ||
Partridges | ||||
Grey Partridge | 0 | 0 | red | |
Red-legged Partridge | 2 | 2 | ||
Pheasant | 1 | 1 | ||
Pigeons and Doves | ||||
Woodpigeon | [large numbers but not recorded] | |||
Birds of Prey | ||||
Buzzard | 1 | 1 | ||
Kestrel | 1 | 1 | ||
Sparrowhawk | 0 | 0 | ||
Pipits and Wagtails | ||||
Pied wagtail | 0 | 0 | ||
Woodpeckers | ||||
Great Spotted | 0 | 0 | ||
Green Woodpecker | 1 | 1 |
2 See Table 1
3 Species not recorded in our survey but noted during Stapleford Bird Club visits March to June.
4 Species on the UK Red List have declined by >50% in the last 40 years.
December 2016
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.