RESIDENTS from across Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Redditch are being urged to report sightings of house martins in their area so the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust can record the breed’s numbers.
A focus has been placed on the birds in light of their population declining in recent years.
The statistics provided will shed light on how they are distributed across the areas and how successful their breeding has been.
Records from previous years show most reports of house martins have come from popular birding sites.
Worcestershire’s county bird recorder, Craig Reed, said “There is a significant observer bias where many records received are of flocks over wetland sites and, as a result, this widespread species is overlooked closer to home where their cheerful chirruping calls and fast erratic fight is a common sight over many homes across the county.
“Despite their widespread distribution, very little nesting data is usually received.”
By asking Worcestershire residents to look out for and record house martins over their homes and in their gardens, it is hoped the gaps in current data will be filled and will provide a more accurate picture of distribution across across the country.
It will also confirm if there is a genuine absence of house martins in urban areas or a lack of sightings.
In 2022, there was a total of 1,094 house martin records across Worcestershire. A high percentage of these came from popular birding sites, such as Bittell Reservoirs, Grimley and Upton Warren.
Sightings submitted through the Wildlife Sightings scheme added records from new areas.
Worcester and the Wyre Forest districts received the most records, with sightings elsewhere being sparser in distribution.
Craig added 88 per cent of records came through the Wildlife Sightings scheme, detailing breeding, occupied nests and fledged young.
“This is a huge increase in our knowledge of breeding birds and shows just how important Wildlife Sightings is in building a picture of these birds in the county.”
Individuals should report their sighting by uploading pictures of birdsong recordings to worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-sightings – the WWT’s designated web page.
Further information on house martins is also available on the site.
This survey is being undertaken in partnership with the Worcestershire Biological Records Centre, the repository for natural history sightings in the county, and the Worcestershire
Recorders – a group of volunteers whose records and research help with a better understanding of the status of the county’s wildlife.
