Deeper into the Red

Deeper into the Red

by

Rob Read

Above: An iconic summer visitor, the Swift. ©Rob Read

Above: Once a common garden species, the Greenfinch’s numbers are in steep decline. ©Rob Read

Above: House Martins are also now on the red list. ©Rob Read

Some of you may have seen this week that the UK’s red list of the most endangered birds has increased to 70 with the addition of Bewick’s Swan, Greenfinch, House Martin and Swift, the latter three suffering population declines of over 50% since the 1990s. The red list now includes over one in four of the 245 recognised UK species, which includes the likes of Cuckoo, Nightingale, and Turtle Dove. These are shocking statistics in anyone’s language.

Above: For most the Bewick’s Swan is probably the most unfamiliar of our swan species, but it also joins the red list of endangered UK birds. ©Rob Read.

I am sure that most will be familiar with three of the species mentioned, but perhaps Bewick’s Swan will less of a known quantity. The Bewick’s Swan is a migratory species which travels from northern Russia to seek sanctuary in western Europe from the harsh Siberian winter. They are the smallest swan species to visit the UK and are not much bigger than a Canada Goose. They can be differentiated from the much more common Mute Swan from their more diminutive size and their distinctive yellow and black bill (although Whooper Swans have similar bill markings). They have a rather unique call which recalls an old-fashioned car horn. Their range in the UK is mainly limited to a number of well-known locations in England including Martin Mere, The Ouse and Nene Washes, the Severn Estuary and Slimbridge.

In other news, the latest A Wild Read quarterly eMagazine is out, so please do download this free publication and enjoy all the wonderful articles and photography it offers. My thanks go to all our wonderful contributors for supplying such amazing content.

Rob Read. December 2021.

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