Fourteen people took part in the event this year, which is pleasing because although we had lost a couple of regular participants, new people have joined us with a good spread across the village.
We collected 175 records against a 5-year average of 210 records, so considerably down which could be that there are fewer birds about. 37 species of birds were recorded which included a pair of rare tree sparrows in an Upper Church Street garden and a barn owl within the village.
Several people reported that all corvid numbers are up, particularly crows and magpies, whose numbers are high compared to other years along with jackdaws. On the down-side, swallows are almost absent (sad!!), and numbers of martins, swifts, finches, tits and starlings are on the low side.
House sparrows and thrushes are still far less frequent than they once were, but numbers counted remain fairly stable. Sparrows need poison-free seed on the ground and thick hedges to nest in: privet used to be excellent but is much less common now.
Finches have not had a good year and all species were at the lower end numerically.
There were 22 sightings of red kites, and we do have increasing numbers of them, but it’s probably more like 6 - 8 individuals resident around the village. A pair nested in a tree next to the playing field last year and you get a great view of them quite close-up sometimes.
Many more species can be found on the outskirts of the village, including The Mill, such as chiff-chaffs, yellowhammers, grey wagtails, buzzards plus the occasional egret or teal on the river.
The overall impression is that song-bird numbers are down, which seems to be reflected in the lower sightings total. However, we have a pretty good species count and really we should see numbers rising as many of the fields around the village are either not farmed or farmed without pesticides. Only time will tell.
MAMMALS
Foxes, badgers, rabbits, muntjack, roe deer, voles, moles, mice, rats and bats are all present in, or close to Cuddington. Sadly bat numbers and reported general sightings seem to be down, and we still have no hedgehogs reported.
Also, close the river around Winchendon I have seen brown hare and there are one or two otters.
AMPHIBIANS
Common, or round newts have been present for many years in some garden ponds, but this year, the Sandersons report that they now have greater crested newts! There are frogs in our tiny garden pond since I introduced spawn a couple of years ago and they have produced their own tadpoles this year.
No reptiles or fish have been reported.
CONCLUSION
Our survey is all very informal and unscientific, but as the years mount up, we get an increasingly good picture of wildlife in our village, and it gives us all a more rounded view of the state of nature in this troubled World.