Bird usually found in woodlands pays an unusual visit to a Northampton garden

ARLY ROBERTS

Published: 15:04Wednesday 31 October 2018

A Northampton photographer has snapped a rare sighting of a woodland-based bird, which was resting in his garden.

Harvey Fryer of Duston yesterday (October 30) stepped out into his back garden to fetch in his cat Albert when he was stunned to see the feline staring at a woodcock.

He said: "When I first opened the back door I was completely surprised to find my cat staring at this beautiful brown bird with a huge beak."

The birds, which typically live in woodland, have a long bill and brown camouflaged plumage.

He added: "I grabbed the cat, put him inside the house and then looked the bird up on the RSPB website.

"I already knew it was highly unusual and was amazed when I realised it was a woodcock, which normally stays under cover in woodland during the day. I’m not a bird spotter but I do feel really lucky to have seen such a beautiful bird in my back garden in the middle of Northampton.

"When I told the RSPB what I had seen they said I was very, very lucky. The woodcock must have got tired and decided to have had a break in the garden - I’m just glad it eventually flew away to freedom again."

Senior Conservation Officer Colin Wilkinson at the RSPB today added that this breed of bird is certainly an unusual garden visitor for residents who live in Northampton.

He said: "Woodcocks favour wet woodlands where they probe the soil for juicy worms.

"There is a British breeding population, which sadly is undergoing quite a steep decline.

"The fact this one has turned up in a Northampton garden suggests it’s a recently arrived and possibly slightly confused visitor from the continent, one of thousands that join us as mainland Europe begins to freeze.

"It will probably regain its bearings quite quickly and go find somewhere more suitable to spend the winter, perhaps in the willow thickets along the Nene Valley."

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Breeding Woodcock in decline

Birdwatch news team

Posted on: 24 Oct 2015

Results from the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Woodcock Survey show that numbers of the British breeding population of this enigmatic wader have fallen by nearly one third since 2003.

The survey was undertaken in 2013 by the BTO and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). It provides the most recent breeding population estimate, as well as an assessment of breeding range change, since the first survey in 2003.

Woodcock’s breeding population was estimated at 55,241 males, representing a 29 per cent decline since 2003. The percentage of wooded survey squares occupied by the species decreased from 47 per cent in 2003 to 37 per cent in 2013. Annual counts from occupied sites monitored between 2003 and 2013 also indicate a decrease in abundance of 40 per cent during the 10-year period.

Woodcock is currently Amber listed as a Species of Conservation Concern, resulting from recent moderate declines in Europe and Russia. However, the scale of these changes is uncertain due to a lack of accurate data because of the nocturnal habits and cryptic behaviour of the bird.

Continued ...

Help track one of UK’s most elusive birds

Bird watchers across Lancashire are being asked to play a vital role in the conservation of one of Britain’s most secretive birds, the woodcock.

While the bird has been on the decline in recent years, the North of England remains a stronghold for the mysterious, ground-nesting species. And the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust is asking twitchers to go out at dusk counting woodcock during the summer months, when the males are performing their activity to attract receptive females.
In the last survey roding woodcock were encountered in just under one-third of woodlands surveyed. 
Northern and eastern England (68 per cent) northern Scotland (48 per cent) remained stronghold areas. The lowest occupancy levels were recorded in Wales (13 per cent).
The 2013 national breeding survey estimated that the current breeding woodcock population in Britain is around 69,000 males. 
Go to www.gwct.org.uk for more information.

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