Sturnus vulgaris – DRUDWEN – Breeding resident, winter visitor and passage migrant
If you look at the previous starling accounts you’ll see that the 1984-88 atlas showed them to be breeding in 40% of the tetrads (2x2km squares) across the county. By the 2003-07 atlas, that had declined to just under 12%. But what is the situation now?
This map shows where starlings have been recorded in April-June 2011-2020 according to records in BirdTrack. The bright red squares indicate that the observer recorded definite evidence of breeding – nests, birds carrying food, recently fledged youngsters (being fed), for example.
We would like to update this map. The easiest way to do this, is for everyone to note where they see starlings in April and May, and add those records to BirdTrack. In BirdTrack you can pinpoint a location on a map or aerial photo. Then when entering details, click on the ‘highest breeding evidence’ box and select the appropriate code.
If you really don’t want to use BirdTrack, then there is the WWBIC recording scheme either on-line or via their app (part of iRecord) where you’ll have to state in the comments field what you have seen. If all else fails, you can email me, but remember to include the site name, the site grid reference, and the breeding code.
The map will be updated in early June, though records not submitted through BirdTrack may take longer to incorporate so there will be another update later in the year.
Flocks of starlings don’t count for this project (you should still record them, but don’t include a breeding code) – once independent, the fledged chicks quickly form flocks and move away from the nest sites, so could have come from anywhere.
