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
|