SCOTLAND’S woodland birds have recovered from a more than 10% drop linked to the Beast from the East storm.
The severe snowfall in March 2018 caused widespread disruption, with motorists stranded and the army helping essential medical staff get to hospitals.
It was also linked to a 12% drop in woodland birds between 2017 and 2018, according to the latest figures from NatureScot.
But the 2019 results, published yesterday, show a return to a more stable position, with a rapid recovery for two of the woodland species most affected by the harsh conditions – wren and goldcrest – whose numbers were up by more than 20%.
Chiffchaff, great spotted woodpecker and blackcap
were among the species seeing the largest increase in this period, all up more than 400%, with capercaillie recording the biggest drop of 53%.
Simon Foster, NatureScot trends and indicators analyst, said: “Bird populations typically fluctuate year-on-year but it’s encouraging to see that the recent dip in the fortunes of our woodland birds due to the harsh winter of 2017/18 appears to have been reversed in these latest figures.”
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