BirdsOnCommons

(With acknowledgements to the Corporation of London from whose West Wickham and Coulsdon Commons Newsletter April 2003 - September 2003, the article was taken.)

Our intrepid volunteer bird surveyors have been out and about over the last few months carefully recording all that can be seen or heard on the commons. Despite some inclement weather including "Cold, Heavy sky, Snowing" and "Low cloud, Misty, Very wet" our surveyors have provided us with detailed records of the bird life that can be found on three of the six commons.

At Riddlesdown we now have nearly four years of monthly records. This is developing into a valuable set of data which will show how bird populations fluctuate over the years. It may also give an indication of how our conservation management work affects our feathered friends. During the past year on Riddlesdown, 31 bird species were recorded including two chalk downland specialists: yellowhammer and black-cap. As in previous years, bluetits were the most commonly seen birds with numbers peaking from June to August when the juveniles leave their nests.

At Farthing Downs the survey started in June 2002. Since then, an incredible 41 species have been recorded. This has included rarities such as lesser whitethroat, spotted flycatcher, skylark (which breeds on the Downs), lesser-spotted woodpecker and a red kite, which was seen flying over head.

Our most recently recruited bird surveyor started at West Wickham Common in December 2002. In the three months to February 2003, 16 species were recorded. Most of these were woodland birds. This reflects the habitats found on the common. Of particular note are the high numbers of goldcrest. These pretty little birds, which are quite a bit smaller than a wren, were found on several areas of the common.

It will be interesting to see if they stay to breed there this spring!

What is striking from the three sites is the complete absence of house sparrows. This reflects a national decline of these formerly common birds. Nobody quite knows why they are disappearing from our gardens and countryside. Fortunately, much work is being done across the UK to try and reverse this decline, so hopefully there will soon be house sparrows chirping on the commons once again.

We are now looking for keen bird watchers to carry out survey work at Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common.

If you live near, or can travel easily to either of these sites at least once a month, can identify birds from sight and sound, and can make simple records, we would like to hear from you.

To explore how you could get involved, please contact Barry Gutteridge on 020 8776 2343.