The Status of the Birds of St.Margaret’s With reference to historical records in the writings of Ticehurst (1909) and Harrison (1953) A Summary of Species Recorded at St.Margaret’s ..................................................................... 2 Divers to Herons 1977 – 2002 ..................................................................................................... 2 Wildfowl 1977 – 2002.................................................................................................................. 7 Birds of Prey 1977 – 2002 ......................................................................................................... 12 Game Birds to Bustards 1977 – 2002........................................................................................ 18 Waders 1977 – 2002.................................................................................................................. 20 Skuas to Auks 1977 – 2002 ....................................................................................................... 25 Pigeons to Woodpeckers 1977 – 2002...................................................................................... 30 Larks to Accentors 1977 – 2002 ................................................................................................ 34 Chats to Thrushes 1977 – 2002................................................................................................. 39 Warblers 1977 – 2002................................................................................................................ 44 Flycatchers to Crows 1977 – 2002 ............................................................................................ 53 Sparrows to Buntings 1977 – 2002............................................................................................ 59 Contributors................................................................................................................................ 69 Acknowledgements:................................................................................................................... 69 Probable Escapes and Feral Birds ............................................................................................ 70 25 Years of Bird Ringing and Migration at St.Margaret’s .......................................................... 71 References:................................................................................................................................ 75 1 of 75 A Summary of Species Recorded at St.Margaret’s A review of the birds of the St.Margaret’s area, covering the period from 1977 to 1989, was written in 1991 (Hodgson 1991). It included historical records from various sources such as the writings of Ticehurst in 1909 and Harrison in 1953, with the aim of summarising the occurrence of each of the 251 species then known to have occurred at the South Foreland. As at the end of 2002, the number of species known to have occurred in the area had risen to 280 and the following species accounts bring up to date the known status of each. Divers to Herons 1977 – 2002 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata Red-throated Diver is listed in the Kent red data book since the Kentish wintering population of 500-2500 individuals represents over 20% of the numbers estimated to occur in British waters each winter (Waite 2000). Autumn birds begin to appear offshore from mid September and although up to 54 have been recorded in early November, it is more typical for numbers to increase to significant levels during December, when peaks have included 466 on Dec.11th 1990 and 223 on Dec.26th 1994. Winter numbers vary considerably each year and from day to day as birds move in response to the availability of food in the Channel; mostly shoals of sprats. The largest numbers on record include up to 470 in January 1995, 699 on Jan.3rd 1997, 463 on Mar.9th 1996 and 753 on Jan.7th 2002, although in most years many fewer are evident. Although hundreds of individuals pass Dungeness each spring, divers presumably move past the South Foreland well out at sea. Although the separation of spring migrants from lingering winter birds is difficult, most have more or less disappeared by the end of March, though 18-22 have been recorded in the first week of April in two of the years under review and in 1996 up to 96 were evident in the first week of April, with up to 17 in the first half of May. These unusually large numbers followed an influx of over 450 in early March. Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica 80% of the Black-throated Divers seen from St.Margaret’s have been recorded in spring or autumn. The first appear at the end of September, though three on Oct.23rd is the earliest record of more than one. The largest movements include six on Nov.9th 1992 and three on five dates between Oct.23rd and Dec.23rd. Apart from three on Jan.12th 1998, sporadic ones and twos are more usual in winter, but February records are very few. Spring passage stands out clearly as a result and migrants have been noted between Mar.6th and May 19th. Three were seen as early as Mar.18th in 2001, but most pass by in April and May. Peak periods of activity at this time include 18 bird-days from Apr.24th-28th 1995 (including five on the 25th and nine on the 28th), six individuals between May 11th-18th 1996, eight between May 5th-11th 1997 and five between May 1st-7th 1999. BLACK-THROATED DIVER Monthly distribution of records 1977-2002 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 24 4 21 43 35 5 17 49 16 59% 41% Great Northern Diver Gavia immer The scarcest of the three divers, Great Northern has most in common with Black-throated, occurring principally in autumn and spring, with relatively few winter records. Autumn migrants have been recorded from Sept.14th, with the majority in October and November, and spring passage has been recorded from Mar.18th to May 11th. Almost all occurrences relate to singles, although two were seen on May 5th 1996 and on May 11th 1997. GREAT NORTHERN DIVER Monthly distribution of records 1977-2002 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 8 3 1 10 9 2 4 6 1 48% 26% Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis This common species of lakes and gravel pits has been recorded here on only three occasions. Singles were seen sitting on the sea on Nov.4th 1990 and Nov.20th 1999 and one was seen on the pond in Pines Gardens on Jan.22nd 2000. 2 of 75 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Winter numbers vary considerably each year. The largest flocks on record include 84 in January 1985, 111 in January 1993, 127 in February 1996 and 64 in January 1997, each of these influxes coinciding with periods of very cold weather, though this was not the case in February 2002 when 91 were seen offshore. There have been suggestions of spring passage, with small flocks suddenly appearing offshore in late February or early March and although most have left by early April, some linger into spring or later, including two on June 8th 1996 and one on July 16th 1998. The first birds of autumn occur from late August but it is unusual for substantial numbers to accumulate before the turn of the year. A gathering of up to 15 in late December 1996 was the largest record in the final quarter of the year. Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena Breeding on shallow, well-vegetated lakes eastwards from the Baltic into central Europe and Fennoscandia (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997), Red-necked Grebes occur in Kent on passage and during winter. Autumn migrants have occurred here as early as Oct.2nd. Most subsequent records involve singles, except for one record of two in March and an exceptional cold-weather influx in February 1996, when there were eight records and a total of 24 bird-days, including 14 on Feb.11th. Although few have been recorded beyond mid March, spring migrants have been seen as late as Apr.23rd. RED-NECKED GREBE Monthly distribution of records 1977-2002 JAN FEB MAR APR OCT NOV DEC Number of records 4 8 3 2 7 3 2 Total bird-days 5 25 4 2 7 3 2 Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus This species, which breeds in shallow lakes across boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997), is the most northerly of the grebes that visit Kent in winter. It has been identified with certainty only twice in the Channel off St.Margaret’s. A party of three flew downchannel on Nov.5th 1994 and a group of four was seen on the sea with three Red-necked Grebes P.grisegena during freezing weather on Feb.27th 1996. However, there have been three occurrences of distant small grebes that were either Slavonian or the similar Black-necked P.nigricollis. These include three flying SW on Dec.22nd 1984, one on Oct.30th 1988 and two on Feb.11th 1996. Fulmar Fulmaris glacialis St.Kilda, 80km west of the Outer Hebrides, is thought to have been the Fulmar’s only British breeding haunt until 12 pairs were found in Shetland in 1878, following expansion in Iceland and settlement on the Faeroe Islands from the mid 18th century (Sharrock 1976). St.Margaret’s was first mentioned in historical records in May 1953 and by 1960 up to 50 are known to have summered, although breeding was not confirmed until 1966 (KOS 1981). Numbers remained stable throughout the 1980s, with around 15 breeding pairs between Langdon Cliffs and St.Margaret’s Bay each year, increasing to 32 occupied nest sites in 1994. Since then, however, there has been a steep decline, and only seven-eight pairs were present in 2000 and 2001. This might be attributable to a reduction in suitable nest sites as a result of an increased level of cliff