The North Somerset Levels and Moors survey has been running since 1994 and this is a summary of the winter 2025/26 report. If you would like to see the full report please email [email protected]
Bird surveys in winter come with the issue of observers encountering or not encountering large flocks of gull species, Starlings, some Corvids, winter thrushes and in some years Woodpigeons. Hence the increases or declines suggested for these birds may not reflect actual changes in the wintering population.
This is the 32nd winter survey and for the first time no Lapwings were recorded. This isn’t a surprise as winter groups in the survey area have been reducing over the years but an iconic Somerset bird has largely disappeared locally. Huge flocks now gather on the big Somerset wetland Reserves. Other species fared better, a record count of Stock Doves resulted from small parties observed heading south during the second winter period but Collared Doves are declining nationally and our results mirrored that trend.
Many common resident passerines have done well, Blue Tits, Wrens and Robins enjoyed productive breeding success in the fine Spring and early Summer last year. Numbers indicate good winter survival, probably mainly due to the mild winter weather.
Cetti’s Warblers flourish and continue to expand in numbers and range. They are now utilising drier habitats including scrub. Chiffchaffs wintered in record numbers; climate change has precluded the necessity for some of them to migrate south.
Stonechats are also using the Levels and Moors in winter in greater numbers, another change likely to be caused by warmer (if wetter) weather. Greenfinches continue on the up after their population collapse caused by the trichomoniasis disease and now data indicates that Chaffinches are following suit. Goldfinches though, after many years of expanding numbers and range are declining. It’s not clear if this is disease related, competition from Chaffinches and Greenfinches or just a reduction to sustainable levels.
Acknowledgements
Thanks as always to all the observers (their names are shown with the Area survey details). They have all done a great job in particularly difficult ground conditions. It hardly stopped raining during the survey period!
Jon Thobroe has again produced the report, involving design of survey recording sheets, collating and aggregating the data from those sheets, some digital and some handwritten. He has designed and produced the report with additional methodology information this time. Jon has counted Areas 2 and 4B again and I am extremely grateful to him for all his work on the survey.
Trevor Riddle April 2026
