Basque Red-backed Shrike population in free fall

06/04/2018

Red-backed Shrike is undergoing a severe decline in Spain’s Basque Country, with numbers having dropped by 95 per cent over the last 40 years.

This is the conclusion reached by researcher José Luis Tellería of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, after analysing the status of two populations of the species over four decades. 

The article, published in the scientific journal of SEO/BirdLife, Ardeola: International Journal of Ornithology, also examines a series of possible causes that could be behind the plummeting numbers in these localities, as well as in the Euskadi region, where the bird has traditionally been abundant in rural areas. In fact, in the Bilbao area it is part of a group of 20 species of insectivorous birds, colloquially known as 'txinbos', hunted by the locals in former times but all protected today.

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Rare red-backed shrike causes a flap in Midlands

Birmingham birders are celebrating after a rare bird was spotted in our patch for the first time in 30 years.

Twitchers were stunned to discover a red-backed shrike at Ladywalk Nature Reserve, North Warwickshire - just ten miles from the city centre.

The striking bird was first spotted on tree stumps at the reserve on June 5, causing feathers to flap and sparking a flood of tweets among ornithologists.

David Hutton posted on the West Midlands Bird Club site: “Red-backed shrike at Ladywalk! Distant, but who’s complaining. First for 30 years in the county.”

“Archie’s British Birding Blog” recorded: “At lunchtime this afternoon a stunning adult male red-backed shrike was discovered at Ladywalk Nature Reserve.

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Butcher bird pays a visit to Pontefract

A Red-backed shrike drew twitchers to Pontefract Park on Sunday.

The bird, which normally favours continental climes, took a shine to the hawthorns in the north west corner of the park.

Shrikes have the gruesome nickname of butcher bird due to their habit of impaling their prey, insects or small birds, on thorns to make up a larder of food.

http://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/news/local-news/butcher-bird-pays-a-visit-to-pontefract-1-6642758

Red-backed Shrike breeds again in Dartmoor National Park

Posted on: 01 Oct 2013Expires on: 31 Dec 2013

The RSPB has announced that two Red-backed Shrike chicks have fledged on Dartmoor this year, after the species failed to breed in 2012.

The only breeding pair of the species in England nested this summer at a secret location in the National Park, and have been under close watch to guarantee their safety in a project managed by the charity, with support from the police, the Forestry Commission, Natural England and local conservation groups.

Kevin Rylands of the RSPB said: “This is now the fourth year they have returned to Dartmoor, but they failed to breed successfully last year, probably due to the awful weather. A lone male visited the previous breeding site in May this year but failed to find a mate. Fortunately though a pair was found at a new site in June and this bodes well for the future of the species on Dartmoor.” Red-backed Shrike was driven to extinction as a breeding bird in Britain by the end of the last century and egg collecting remains a major threat.

“As in previous years we used a combination of volunteers, staff and sophisticated wildlife surveillance equipment as part of site protection and monitoring. Although it’s been hard work, the efforts have been rewarded, with two youngsters fledged. We are particularly grateful to the volunteers involved and to Devon Birds for funding some of the cameras used on site as part of Devon and Cornwall Police’s Operation Wilderness.”

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