of the decline revealed by my survey has come as something of a shock. Take the hum-
ble House Sparrow or "Sprog" - as I have always affectionately known it. The demise of
the "Cockney Sparrer" in inner London has been well documented but its country cousin
has also disappeared from many parts of rural Essex, including this area. It is now largely
a bird of the suburbs, where it survives on handouts. In the old days we used to put up
nest boxes for Blue Tits designed to keep out the sparrows, nowadays we put up nest
boxes for sparrows designed to keep out the Blue Tits! Then there is the sad fate of the
dear old Linnet. This species was one of the staples of my bird-nesting childhood. They
were everywhere. You couldn't walk far, anywhere in the parish, before being accosted
by a red-blazoned cock Linnet chattering away to himself, his mate, or anyone else who
eared to listen. Now they are rare in this area. Literally rare. A few in spring and autumn
- chattering overhead on migration - and the odd breeding pair clinging to old haunts in
common land furze thicket or overgrown hedgerow; but in winter they are almost un-
known, having fled these shores for the warmer, less nightmarishly tidy landscapes of
France and Iberia. I have no records between last October and the time of writing, in late
March.
Woodland birds have fared little better. A recent sighting of two Marsh Tits was my first
local record for three years, my first record of a pair for six. Likewise, the Lesser Spot-
ted Woodpecker. Following the onset of Dutch Elm Disease in the late 1960s this spe-
cies became abundant in the area, even nesting in the larger village gardens, including
the grounds of the Catholic Church. In contrast, there have been but two sightings dur-
ing the nine months of the current survey. In the early 1970s Max Meadows, a local
naturalist, found over eight hundred Tree Sparrow nests in the Writtle/Highwood area :
a single bird in October is my only record, the first locally for three years. The catalogue
of woe goes on and on! As for the reasons, they are many and varied and, as yet, imper-
fectly understood. The Independent newspaper offered a reward of £5000 some time
ago to anyone who could come up with a definitive answer for the decline of the House
Sparrow. No one has yet claimed it. The loss of many farmland birds, though, is un-
doubtedly linked to the way we farm nowadays and the ruthless efficacy of modern
technology. As for the decline of woodland birds, take your pick. One theory relating to
the disappearance of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is that its nests are being heavily
predated by the Great Spotted, which has enjoyed a population surge in recent years.
The reason that the Great Spotted has increased is linked - it is thought - to the decline
of the Starling. In the past, when the latter was a common woodland bird, it used its well
known aggressive tendencies to oust the woodpeckers from their rightful homes, thus
keeping their numbers in check. Now that particular check and balance has failed. As
for the Spotted Flycatcher, the neglect of coppicing is probably behind its disappear-
ance from many woods. In the large gardens at Fryerning and Mill Green, which exactly
mimic the coppice and woodland glade habitat which they prefer, it is still a relatively
common and widespread bird.
Reasons to be cheerful? What of the success stories - the species that have thrived. They
12
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 53, May 2007