Woodlands on the Forestry Commission estate in West Somerset have been making room for their annual visit from the pied flycatcher.
These small flycatching birds are summer visitors arriving in mid April and breed mainly in western areas of the UK before leaving in July to spend the winter in West Africa. They nest in mature woodlands and the Forestry Commission has set up nest boxes in five oak woodland locations on the Quantocks and in Croydon Hill.
This is part of a scheme to track different species of birds to see how well they are doing and how different climates and woodland management might affect their numbers.
Forestry Commission rangers will be working with local bird expert, Doug Miller, who is licensed with the British Trust for Ornithology, to monitor the birds by placing small rings around their legs. Each ring has a unique number so that if the bird is seen again or found dead its history and age can be recorded.
In addition, the Forestry Commission is managing tree cover in these locations so that below the tree canopy there is more bilberry and heather and it is not too dense or bare, giving the ideal environment for the birds to forage and set up territory. The nest boxes are numbered and, although their purpose is to attract pied flycatchers, other species such as blue tits, great tits, nuthatch, redstart, dormouse and even bats will use them.
Pied flycatchers feed on insects, such as caterpillars, moths, flies, bees, beetles, woodlice, millipedes and ants. The nest is only built by the female once she has been attracted by a male. The nests are unique constructions built from leaves, bark, moss and lichens all woven together with strips of honeysuckle, grass and animal hair. They will also nest in a hole in a tree or in nest boxes if they can find them. Their pale blue eggs are around 18mm by 13mm in size and are smooth and glossy.
The male pied flycatcher is known as the bigamy bird as he may have several females raising his young within his territory. The female birds incubate the eggs but both male and female feed the newly-hatched young. There are thought to be around 35,000 to 40,000 breeding pairs in the UK.
Nick Salter, Area Forester for West Somerset at the Forestry Commission says:
“Our first day of ringing was on 26 May and we were able to ring almost 100 birds, including great tits, blue tits, coal tits and even a brood of marsh tits. In addition, we found at least six nesting pied flycatchers, all with eggs, so we will monitor these for future ringing over the coming weeks. The last two springs have been wet and cold, which has led to disappointing results but things are already looking better this year.
“The Forestry Commission is involved with a great many conservation projects and this work with the pied flycatchers and other bird species is extremely important. It is invaluable to keep this record of how different conditions affect the birds during the mating season. Pied flycatchers have been used in studies to monitor how migrating birds can adapt to climate change, and the results of this nest box scheme not only gives the Forestry Commission an insight into local trends, but also contributes to national and international understanding of this charismatic woodland visitor.”
Ends
NOTES TO EDITOR
- The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Forestry makes a real contribution to sustainable development, providing social and environmental benefits arising from planting and managing attractive, as well as productive, woodlands. Further information can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/england
- For further information please contact Kirstie Smith, Communications Manager, Forestry Commission on 01392 834249.