Birds
The Wryneck
The wryneck was formerly common in central and south-east England, breeding north to Durham and Cumbria, and west to Devon and Wales.
The population declined to 150-400 pairs in south-east England by 1954-1958, 20-30 pairs in 1966 and one pair in 1973. Since then there has been only sporadic breeding in England. Habitat was typically orchards or over-mature woodland close to unimproved grassland rich in ants, their main prey. In Scotland, birds (probably of Scandinavian origin) were first recorded in Highland pine and birch woods in 1951.
Breeding was first confirmed in 1969 with a peak of seven pairs in 1977. Colonisation has since faltered, with no more than one pair confirmed in any year since 1985. It bred successfully in 1993, but there was no recorded breeding in 1994. The wryneck is a regular migrant to sites in eastern Britain. The European population is estimated at 350,000-1,000,000 pairs.
The wryneck is specially protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention. It is protected as a migratory species under the EC Birds Directive.
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The Spotted Flycatcher
The spotted flycatcher is an insectivorous summer migrant which breeds in open wooded habitats throughout the UK. Preferred habitats are mature broadleaved woodland (though it will also use mature conifers), hedgerows with mature trees, parkland and large gardens.
The species is scarcer in the far north and west and is almost absent from the Western and Northern Isles. There are additional gaps in distribution elsewhere but with no clear pattern. The species has been in decline since the early 1960s.
Common Bird Census data show a 62% decline in woodland and a 70% decline in farmland between 1968 and 1991, though the range had reduced by only 6.6% between the two breeding atlases (1968-72 and 1988-91).
The UK population estimate derived from the New Breeding Bird Atlas is 130,000 territories which represents only one quarter of the estimate in the first atlas. The species is a common and widespread summer visitor across mainland Europe, except northern Scandinavia and densely forested, arid or mountainous areas.
Numbers are fluctuating in some countries, such as Sweden and The Netherlands, and there is evidence of recent declines in others including Finland, Germany and Spain.
The spotted flycatcher is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and EC Birds Directive.
Many spotted flycatchers nest in large trees and there has been a large-scale loss of these in woodland, parks and hedgerows (especially following Dutch elm disease), which are favoured habitats. However, there are no quantitative data on the effect of these losses.
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The Nightingale
Best known of all avian songsters, the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a summer visitor to Britain. Unfortunately it has declined drastically in the west of England in recent years but conversely has increased in the east of England over the same period.
The species is scarcer in the far north and west and is almost absent from the Western and Northern Isles. There are additional gaps in distribution elsewhere but with no clear pattern. The species has been in decline since the early 1960s.
Common Bird Census data show a 62% decline in woodland and a 70% decline in farmland between 1968 and 1991, though the range had reduced by only 6.6% between the two breeding atlases (1968-72 and 1988-91).
The UK population estimate derived from the New Breeding Bird Atlas is 130,000 territories which represents only one quarter of the estimate in the first atlas. The species is a common and widespread summer visitor across mainland Europe, except northern Scandinavia and densely forested, arid or mountainous areas.
Numbers are fluctuating in some countries, such as Sweden and The Netherlands, and there is evidence of recent declines in others including Finland, Germany and Spain.
The spotted flycatcher is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and EC Birds Directive.
Many spotted flycatchers nest in large trees and there has been a large-scale loss of these in woodland, parks and hedgerows (especially following Dutch elm disease), which are favoured habitats. However, there are no quantitative data on the effect of these losses.