Birds

Barn Owl 

 

THE STATUS OF THE BIRDS OF FOSTON PARISH

Alexander C. Lees, PhD

Zoology Department, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, CP 399, Avenida Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme 66077-530 Belém, Pará, Brazil.



List and current status of all 109 bird species recorded from Foston parish, based on observations by the author between 1988-2012. * denotes species confirmed or strongly suspected to have bred within the parish between 1998 and 2012, † denotes species recorded on less than five occasions. Record of Osprey in square parentheses was not observed by the author.

English name

Latin binomial

Status

Notes

Mute Swan

Cygnus olor

Resident*

 

Whooper Swan

Cygnus Cygnus

Rare passage migrant†

Jan 1991 & Jan 2009

Pink-footed Goose

Anser brachyrhynchus

Scarce passage migrant†

skeins en route Lancs-Norfolk

Greylag Goose

Anser anser

Resident

regular at Fishponds

Canada Goose

Branta canadensis

Rare passage migrant†

 

Wigeon

Anas Penelope

Scarce passage migrant†

 

Teal

Anas crecca

Scarce passage migrant

 

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Resident*

 

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

Resident*

breeds on R. Witham

Goosander

Mergus merganser

Rare winter visitor†

1 record, Fishponds

Red-legged Partridge

Alectoris rufa

Resident*

 

Grey Partridge

Perdix perdix

Resident*

declining

Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Resident*

 

Little Grebe

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Resident*

along R. Witham

Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Resident

along R. Witham

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

Resident

 

Red Kite

Milvus milvus

Scarce passage migrant†

First recorded 2008

Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Scarce passage migrant†

 

Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Resident

 

Buzzard

Buteo buteo

Resident

Recently colonised, may now breed

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Rare passage migrant

One dead under pylons, another recorded 19 August 2008

Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

Resident*

 

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Rare winter visitor†

 

Hobby

Falco subbuteo

Summer visitor

Breeds close to parish boundary

Peregrine

Falco peregrinus

Rare winter visitor†

 

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Resident*

 

Coot

Fulica atra

Resident*

 

Golden Plover

Pluvialis apricaria

Winter visitor

Declining

Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Passage migrant and winter visitor

Extinct as a breeder

Snipe

Gallinago gallinago

Scarce winter visitor

 

Curlew

Numenius arquata

Summer visitor

Breeds in hay meadows along R. Witham

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Rare passage migrant†

along R. Witham April 2005

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Resident visitor

 

Common Gull

Larus canus

Resident visitor

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscus

Resident visitor

 

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Resident visitor

 

Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinus

Resident visitor

 

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Scarce summer visitor

R. Witham and Fishponds

Feral Pigeon

Columba livia

Resident*

 

Stock Dove

Columba oenas

Resident*

 

Woodpigeon

Columba palumbus

Resident*

 

Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Resident*

 

Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Summer visitor*

Probably extinct now as a breeder

Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus

Summer visitor*

Probably extinct now as a breeder

Barn Owl

Tyto alba

Resident

May now breed, recolonised after 2 decade absence

Little Owl

Athene noctua

Resident

 

Tawny Owl

Strix aluco

Resident*

 

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Rare passage migrant†

 

Swift

Apus apus

Summer visitor*

 

Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Resident*

R. Witham

Green Woodpecker

Picus viridis

Scarce visitor

first recorded 2006

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Resident

may now colonise

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos minor

Rare visitor†

now locally extinct

Skylark

Alauda arvensis

Resident*

Declining

Sand Martin

Riparia riparia

Passage migrant

 

Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Summer visitor*

 

House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Summer visitor*

 

Tree Pipit

Anthus trivialis

Rare passage migrant†

 

Meadow Pipit

Anthus pratensis

Passage migrant and winter visitor

Extinct as a breeder

Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Summer visitor*

Declining rapidly

Grey Wagtail

Motacilla cinerea

Scarce visitor and passage migrant

may have formerly bred

Pied Wagtail

Motacilla alba

Resident

 

Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulus

Rare winter visitor†

 

Wren

Troglodytes troglodytes

Resident*

 

Dunnock

Prunella modularis

Resident*

 

Robin

Erithacus rubecula

Resident*

 

Whinchat

Saxicola rubetra

Rare passage migrant†

1 record May 2006

Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Rare passage migrant†

 

Blackbird

Turdus merula

Resident*

 

Fieldfare

Turdus pilaris

Winter visitor

 

Song Thrush

Turdus philomelos

Resident*

 

Redwing

Turdus iliacus

Winter visitor

 

Mistle Thrush

Turdus viscivorus

Resident*

 

Grasshopper Warbler

Locustella naevia

Scarce passage migrant†

1 record Fishponds May 1991

Sedge Warbler

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Summer visitor*

 

Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Summer visitor*

 

Garden Warbler

Sylvia borin

Passage migrant

 

Lesser Whitethroat

Sylvia curruca

Summer visitor*

 

Whitethroat

Sylvia communis

Summer visitor*

 

Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Summer visitor*

 

Willow Warbler

Phylloscopus trochilus

Summer visitor

 

Goldcrest

Regulus regulus

Resident*

 

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striata

Summer visitor

 

Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatus

Resident*

 

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

Resident*

 

Great Tit

Parus major

Resident*

 

Coal Tit

Periparus ater

Resident*

 

Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

Rare visitor†

1 record July 1997

Treecreeper

Certhia familiaris

Rare visitor†

 

Jay

Garrulus glandarius

Rare visitor

 

Magpie

Pica pica

Resident*

 

Jackdaw

Corvus monedula

Resident*

 

Rook

Corvus frugilegus

Resident*

 

Carrion Crow

Corvus corone

Resident*

 

Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Resident*

 

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

Resident*

 

Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Resident*

may be extinct as a breeder

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

Resident*

 

Brambling

Fringilla montifringilla

Scarce winter visitor†

 

Greenfinch

Carduelis chloris

Resident*

 

Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Resident*

 

Siskin

Carduelis spinus

Scarce winter visitor

 

Linnet

Carduelis cannabina

Scarce winter visitor

 

Lesser Redpoll

Carduelis cabaret

Scarce winter visitor

 

Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Resident*

 

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

Resident*

 

Reed Bunting

Emberiza schoeniclus

Resident*

 

Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra

Resident*

Extinct as a breeder