The Breeding Birds of Fingle Woods
Across its 342 hectares, Fingle Woods supports a fantastic array of wildlife, from tiny invertebrates you can only identify with a microscope all the way up to large mammals such as Roe and Fallow Deer.For visitors to the site, the most conspicuous members of the animal kingdom will likely be the birds, especially during the Spring months when the dawn chorus is a complex tapestry of songs as resident and migratory species compete for territory, food and mates.Over the last three years, I’ve had the fantastic privilege of working with the Woodland Trust to monitor the bird population at Fingle and record how the ongoing restoration of the site from conifer plantation to broadleaf woodland is affecting the many species which make their homes in the area.Between April and June each year I make 21 visits to the woods, starting each one just after sunrise. Walking along the network of paths and tracks which criss-cross the site I record every bird I see or hear – usually 300 or more records in a single visit. A standard system of codes and symbols allows me to quickly record both species and behaviour on large-scale maps – essential when you can often hear several birds singing at once!When the survey work is completed in late June, the maps are scanned into a computer and each individual record is added to a database of sightings. Once this process is complete, the data for a particular species can be viewed, and clusters of activity around a certain area will reveal the locations of likely breeding territories. The results of this analysis are summarised in an annual report to the Woodland Trust, and also feed into the wider Dartmoor Bird Report produced each year by the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society.My first year of surveying in 2018 got off to a rather rough start. The prolonged cold spell popularly known as “The Beast From The East” had swept across western Europe during February and March, severely affecting resident bird populations as well as many of the migratory species making their way north from Africa. Populations of many species were significantly lower than those recorded by the previous surveyor in 2017. Fortunately a spell of fine weather in late spring and early summer enabled many birds to successfully fledge large broods, helping the populations to recover quicker than might otherwise have been the case.2019 saw a marked improvement, in fact the number of Pied Flycatchers breeding at Fingle reached record numbers, and many other species continue their recovery towards pre-2018 levels.2020 looked set to be another good year, following mild weather over winter. But just as I started preparing for the main survey season to begin on April 1st, the COVID-19 lockdown hit and the Woodland Trust took the decision to temporarily suspend all non-essential site work. The first few weeks of April were spent getting better acquainted with the wildlife in my garden, but towards the end of the month I was given clearance to return to the woods.With such a late start to the survey season many of the migratory species had already arrived by the time I started my visits, in particular the Pied Flycatchers which had such a successful breeding season in 2019. Although the 20 territories recorded this season didn’t break the 2019 record of 22, it was encouraging to discover pairs in new locations including the regenerating Oak woodland in Halls Cleave.Other Oak woodland species also did well, with Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Redstart both showing an increase in recorded territories. During the survey work I located four Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker territories, and reports from other observers suggest there are at least two more potentially present in the woods. With the UK breeding population estimated to be around 800 pairs this shows just how important Fingle is for this elusive species.As the season wore on the later arrivals started to make themselves known. Garden Warbler, which have been slowly declining on the site over the past few years, had a resurgence with 6 territories recorded. As a species of scrub and young trees they are no doubt benefitting from the regeneration now beginning to take place in areas which were felled four or five years ago.One of the last species to arrive each year is always the Spotted Flycatcher. Much more discreet, both in plumage and behaviour, than their Pied relatives, they tend to reach Fingle during the last weeks of May, but often don’t start singing until early June. This year was particularly good for the species, with nine territories recorded. Several other individuals were heard singing, but their late arrival means it’s often hard to gather enough records to confirm the presence of a territory before the end of the season!Most of the other breeding species had a good year, with numbers either stable or showing slight increases. Sadly 2020 was the first year with no records of Wood Warbler at Fingle – this species has been in a severe decline across Dartmoor for several years for reasons which aren’t yet well understood. The last breeding records date back to 2017 but singing males did visit the site in 2018 and 2019.As well as the morning surveys, I make a couple of visits at dusk each year to look for owls and Nightjar. These nocturnal relatives of the Swift can be found at several locations outside the perimeter of Fingle, but other than a single bird from Mardon Down occasionally crossing over into the upper end of Halls Cleave there were no previous records from within the site itself. This year, on an evening in early July, I heard two birds calling in the area of scrub and wet woodland to the west of Wooston Hillfort – another species reclaiming the site as the restoration work continues!With the nights lengthening and the migratory species starting their southward journeys the hubbub of the spring dawn chorus already seems like a distant memory. But autumn berries and October frosts will bring a new set of visitors to the woods – birds such as Redwing and Fieldfare which have spent the summer in their breeding grounds near the Arctic Circle and are moving south in search of warmer weather during the winter months.If you would like to read the full 2020 Breeding Bird Survey report for Fingle Woods please click here. I have also written a series of monthly blog articles focussing on some of the most iconic species found on the site, including Dipper, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Tree Pipit, Pied Flycatcher and Nightjar.Survey, text and pictures by Tom Williams
