Wrens!!!!! Where have they all gone.

[Headwark]

Anyone else noticed a decline in the Wren numbers, Here in Brough we have always seen several nests , but this year none at all.There has been no sign of any around since winter time when we found quite a few dead one,s .

[nirofo]

Anyone else noticed a decline in the Wren numbers, Here in Brough we have always seen several nests , but this year none at all.There has been no sign of any around since winter time when we found quite a few dead one,s .

I'm afraid the last couple of severe Winters have decimated them, unfortunately the same fates effected many more species also.

nirofo.

[Dman]

we've just had a couple of wrens in our garden today, lovely little things

[Lingland]

I used to see wrens quite often and if I couldnt see them I would hear them but sadly not for some time. I have been blameing sparrowhasks for my small bird decline but yesterday sitting in a tree I spotted a long eared owl he outsat me it was wonderful to see. Do they eat wee birds as well as small rodents I wonder?

[nemosia]

I used to see wrens quite often and if I couldnt see them I would hear them but sadly not for some time. I have been blameing sparrowhasks for my small bird decline but yesterday sitting in a tree I spotted a long eared owl he outsat me it was wonderful to see. Do they eat wee birds as well as small rodents I wonder?

Hi Lingland,

As Nirofo said the decline in numbers of small birds like wrens is more to do with two harsh winters than predation but LEO will take birds as prey. Analysis of LEO pellets from the UK showed that birds made up 12.8% of prey items with species ranging in size from goldcrest to moorhen but was usually sparrows, thrushes and starlings. Of course the majority of LEO prey was terrestrial mammals but 0.1% was other items such as bats and frogs. Analysis of pellets from other parts of Europe indicated birds were a much smaller proportion of their diet.

Iain

[Lingland]

Thank you Nemosia that would explain why there are hardly any starlings and I usuall have a plague of them. I know they are beautiful but I think of them as as noisy bullies.

[Mil]

I too am missing the wrens . I found some dead ones in the winter. They used to come in to my greenhouse and sat around and were not bothered by me working there.
I hope that is not the end of them.

[gingernut]

I've seen quite a few wrens recently on my walks around Brough and road up to Dunnet Head. They're mostly in and around the gorse bushes where they no doubt get a lot of shelter.

[essex boy]

Just noticed today that a wren has made a nest on an old swallow nest under my house eaves! Saw the little chap fly up to it with a feather in it's beak.