Suffolk Bird Report for 1958

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SUFFOLK BIRD REPORT FOR 1958. Ninth

Arnual

Report

ALTHOUGH

there were one or two cold spells during the winter they were apparently insufficiently sustained to bring many hardweather visitors. Spring was cold, as is usual nowadays. Summer was cool and wet, culminating in what was probably the wettest harvest in living memory. The result of this poor spring and summer was an extremely poor breeding season, and the mortality rate must have been very high among nestlings, fledgelings, and unhatched eggs. Many, if not most, species appeared to be affected : gamekeepers reported poor success with their birds, young warblers, nightingales, hirundines, in fact, most insecteating birds were scarce, autumn parties of tits were far less numerous than usual, even House Sparrows were said to be down in numbers. Easterly winds blew at the beginning of September, producing a considerable drift movement of passerines, and in October there were some notable migratory movements observed. At the end of the year the weather was mild. WINTER

There were several interesting occurrences, and undoubtedly the most notable of these was the party of four Cranes which spent January and February at Waldringfield. As Cranes have apparently not wintered in the British Isles for at least a hundred years the event was certainly an unusual one, and thanks are due to the Waldringfield farmers who tolerated the birds on their fields for such a long period. Credit must also be given to the changed attitude towards the unusual avian vistitor : not many years ago the birds would barely have touched down before they were shot, and consigned to moulder in someone's collection of skins. However, it must be added that originally five birds were present; one quickly " disappeared" and there were strong rumours that it had found its way into the pot. No information could be obtained as to whether the modern stomach coped as well as the medieval one. An interesting sidelight was the elusiveness of such large birds, and many visitors were disappointed in finding them apparently missing. In fact, most of the time when they were not on the fields visible from the roads, they were resting in a hollow in the middle of a very large fallow field. Here they were both invisible and safe from disturbance, unless anyone actually walked across the field.


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