|
There is growing concern that Hawfinches are declining in the UK. Unfortunately, however, this is a species that is not monitored by any of the national schemes and it is unclear how routinely records are submitted to County and Regional Recorders. Against this background, the RSPB held a workshop in March 2000 at which a number of Hawfinch enthusiasts discussed the situation and what could be done. One of the key points to arise from the meeting was the need to compile all the available evidence for a decline in numbers.
Rowena Langston of the RSPB is collating information to review the status of the Hawfinch in the UK to determine whether there are grounds for concern. Although able to glean a fair amount from county bird reports, she is also seeking to raise the profile of the species at a local level. Hopefully, the Cumbria Breeding Atlas will do much to show the current status of Hawfinch in the county (provided that everyone has submitted all their Supplementary Records!) but, in the meantime, it is important that all records of the species should be sent to the Regional Recorders for inclusion in the annual bird report. The RSPB are particularly interested in records of confirmed/probable breeding and winter roosts and details of food tree species, if known, would be very useful.
Nest predation by Grey Squirrels has been cited as a problem by at least one Hawfinch enthusiast and these ”tree rats• are certainly now well-established in the south of the county. Subjective opinion among Cumbrian birders with whom I‘ve discussed the matter is that Hawfinches have declined both in range and numbers, and this seems to be borne out by the records printed in Birds in Cumbria in recent years, i.e. no flocks of more than five birds reported since 1994 and no confirmed breeding since 1997.
Further information can be obtained from Rowena Langston at the Lodge, Sandy.
Ian Kinley
|