We undertook this months Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) count on December 14. These contribute to a nationwide coordinated count which provides invaluable data on wintering populations of waders and wildfowl across the UK. The Somerset Levels and Moors has been the most important inland sites in the UK in terms of sheer numbers for many years now. Usually this is made up of large numbers of teal, wigeon and lapwing as well as smaller numbers of many other species. However a phenomenon called “short stopping” appears to be changing this. Short stopping is where migrating birds don’t travel as far South and West in Europe in the winter as they normally would due to warmer winter temperatures in continental Europe.
We believe that it was this phenomenon which saw numbers of wigeon and teal dramatically reduced last winter and looks like it might be going the same way this year. However, over the same period numbers of waders seems to be increasing, perhaps it is birds that would have gone further South and West in the UK and Europe that are now “short stopping” in Somerset. Last winter we had record numbers of golden plover and they are back again this year.
Here are a couple of photos of flocks of golden plover and lapwing taken on a blustery and occasionally wet morning on West Sedgemoor.