The first Cuckoo from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Cuckoo Tracking Project to arrive back in the UK reached his breeding grounds in Wales over the weekend, researchers revealed today. The bird, named JAC, arrived near the Welsh town of Llangollen, marking the end of an extraordinary 12,000 km round trip between the UK and the rainforests of central Africa, where JAC and the other BTO Cuckoos spent the winter.
After a largely insect-free winter, I always look forward to March when things really begin to kick off. On 7th I was pleased to find a Greater Spring Blacklet basking on Ivy in woodland at Freshfield. This was a fairly early record of a widespread spring-flying hoverfly that mimics solitary bees.
The Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) was founded 50 years ago this month. It uses data, mostly collected by volunteers, to track the fortunes of around 100 of the UK's rarest breeding species, including Golden Eagle, Crane and Turtle Dove. The Panel's work informs a wide range of conservation and monitoring work, including the reintroduction of Red Kite and White-tailed Eagle, and assessments of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Areas.