Systematic
List
The remnant population at Landguard continues to struggle with only three birds recorded at the start of the year reducing to two in February. GREY PARTRIDGE I'erdix perdix Formerly common resident, now localised. Red List. Categories A, C and E. The increasing number of reported sightings is hopefully indicative of a continuing slow recovery in the population of this now local species. Some 68 reports were received from 46 sites. Presence of birds during the breeding season or evidence of breeding was reported from 36 sites, also a slight increase on the previous year. The highest counts were:Metfield: Metfield Airfield, 16, Jan 11th. Cavenham Heath: 12, Dec 1st. Bardwell: Bowbeck, 15, Nov 11th. COMMON QUAIL Coturnix coturnix Scarce summer visitor and passage migrant. Red List. A slightly improved year for this shy species with nine reports received from seven sites. Breeding was considered possible at one site. Mutford: Aug 27th. North Warren: male. May 6th. Woolverstone: Jun 6th and 7th. Flixton Park: male, Jun 29th. Lakenheath: Lakenheath Fen, male, Jul 31st and Aug 2nd. Cavenham: Cavenham Pits: male, Aug 1st to 13th. Icklingham: Berners Heath, Jun 16th. COMMON PHEASANT Phasianus colchicus Very common resident; numbers augmented by releases. Categories C and E. Reports of this extremely common species were only received from nine sites. Breeding was recorded at only three of the sites, with a total of 73 territories being recorded at North Warren where the population recovered to its 2005 levels following a sharp decline in 2006. GOLDEN PHEASANT Chrysolophus pictus Scarce resident. Categories C and E. Only six records were received for 2007 all of which came from the west of the county. Only one male was reported, from Knettishall Heath on January 1st. Otherwise the highest counts were of seven birds at Bamham on January 2nd and six at Euston on March 11th. Only one report was received of a young bird. RED-THROATED DIVER Gavia stellata Pheasant Peter Beeson Common winter visitor and passage migrant. Amber list. It may be too soon to start sounding the alarm bells in earnest just yet, but, at least in the short term, wintering numbers are showing a worrying decline. Annual peak day-counts have been getting smaller in recent years and the peak for 2007 was 862 off Thorpeness, January 8th. This is well below the corresponding figures for any year in this millennium,
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