The Lincolnshire Bird Club

BTO Nightingale Survey 2012



The Nightingale is one of the most treasured of Britain's birds, famous for the rich tone, exceptional musicality and high volume of its territorial song.

Within Britain, its distribution has always been restricted to the southeast. Atlas data since the 1960s, however, have shown a clear contraction of breeding range away from its western and northern limits. Census data also show that numbers have declined strongly in recent decades. BBS indicates that, between 1995 and 2009, the British Nightingale population decreased by 57%. One possible explanation for the decline is that habitat suitable for Nightingales to breed in is becoming scarcer. Nightingales are long-distance migrants, wintering in West Africa, and BTO is also investigating the problems they may be experiencing there and on migration, following a study in 2009, which investigated the movements of tagged Nightingales.

In spring 2012, BTO volunteers will be conducting a full survey of breeding Nightingales across Britain, supported by the Nightingale Appeal. The main aim of the survey is to map all singing males and compare their numbers and distribution with the previous 1999 Nightingale Survey.

Knowing where Nightingales are in 2012, and which habitats they are using, will greatly aid their conservation in future years. For example, there may be opportunities to create woodland habitats, suitable for nesting, in areas where the availability of habitat appears to be limiting population growth, or to give greater protection to Nightingales in key areas.

A completely new element of the 2012 survey will investigate how many males are singing at night later in the spring. New research (Amrhein et al.) suggests that only unpaired males continue to sing during the darkest hours of the night, whereas all territorial males sing in the daytime (especially at dawn and dusk). We hope to discover whether the proportion of night singers varies systematically, for example with Nightingale density, with habitat, or with distance from the edge of the range. Again, any new information will help to focus conservation efforts for this exceptionally charismatic species.

Why not help out? There are FIVE free survey sites in SW Lincs

Maps showing the last few available survey sites can be found at http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/bto_nightingale.html

Southrey Wood TF16L (taken....)
Long Wood TF07R (NE of Washingborough)
Anwick Fen TF15F (taken....)
The Gorse TF17Q (South of Chamber's Farm Wood)
Billinghay Dales TF15X (South West of Tattershall)

Email chairman@lincsbirdclub.co.uk to get involved.



Nightingale at Whisby NP - Image Russ Hayes

_________________
-----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

One down, four to go....

Andrew

_________________
-----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

Another one down, three left......

_________________
-----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

We are now 10 days into the Nightingale survey. I've done 3 tetrads in East Lincs and not had a sniff of a singing bird yet. The only ones I've heard of in Lincs so far are at Whisby.

It has been pretty wet, so hopefully the birds will get dried out today and start singing shortly.

Apart from the formal recording of a sample of tetrads we are interested in all casual reports of singing birds wherever they may be in Lincs and they can be entered into the survey via Birdtrack. If you don't use Birdtrack please put your report on here and I'll make sure it gets picked up.

Any news at all of Nightingales in Lincs would be welcome!

Phil Espin
BTO Regional Representative East Lincs

In South Lincs it's a similar story. Just one singing Nightingale so far and that is from the Bourne Woods area which used to be a stronghold. Unfortunately single birds don't seem to sing very much, when there are several together such as at Whisby they are much more vocal.

Please visit any likely haunts on calm evenings at dusk and let us know if you have success.

Hugh Dorrington

Although Nightingales have returned to Whisby, activity has been far quieter than in previous years with song less pronounced and reserved usually for the mornings and evenings which aren't quite so cold and damp!. Indeed yesterday afternoon, the first decent day weather wise for seemingly ages, Nightingales were singing throughout the afternoon, a time when they are usually having a nap!

So far I have at least 7 singing males, but by now (1st May) I really should be into double figures. I'm hoping that the poor weather southern Europe has been experiencing may have been holding birds back (along with other species, where on earth are all the Lesser Whitethroats for example?) and that the first decent spell of prolonged good weather will see an improvement in recording.

Cheers

Grahame

Due to the unseasonally cold and wet weather the surveying period for the 2 daytime visits has been extended to the 20th of May. Hopefully this will allow more sites to be surveyed and more Nightingales found.

Hugh Dorrington

One was singing on Sun 6th May at the LWT Dawn Chorus event in Snipedales Country Park. This is the third year I think that birds have been present at this site, 2 males were heard singing in 2011. With all the felling that has been going on there recently in the next few years there should be some excellent habitat.

Mike

Despite the continued un-settled weather, most Nightingales have now arrived at Whisby NP and the adjacent North Hykeham Pits (collectively my two main tetrads).

Two new birds today has now put the number of singing males at around 14, the same figure as obtained last year. However there is still more work to do including the nocturnal visits between midnight and 03.00am. Should be fun!

Regards

Grahame

Since Nightingales are very late arriving this year it is not too late to complete early visits in the next week. Recommended dates have been extended.

Peter Overton
RR for BTO in West Lincolnshire