Yellowhammer breeding population survey - a request for records

Yellowhammers in Pembrokeshire and elsewhere in Wales are in serious trouble. Over the last few decades their population has declined to an all-time low as indicated, for example, by county records and by the Breeding Bird Survey abundance trend in Wales.

A survey undertaken by several observers this winter in Pembrokeshire has shown that, for their winter survival, yellowhammers are now more or less totally dependent on artificial feeders. In the wider countryside, in places where they were previously recorded during the 2007-12 winter bird atlas survey period, for example, none were found at all which is quite a shocking situation!

Records of breeding yellowhammers, such as this female with food in south Pembs in 2022, are getting less and less each year! 

In order to try and help yellowhammers, more information is urgently needed about the current distribution and abundance of the remaining breeding population.

So, between April and August this year, there is to be a yellowhammer breeding population survey in Pembrokeshire. The initial priority is to target 50-60 tetrads (2km x 2km) squares where yellowhammers were recorded in the breeding seasons during the last 10 years (see map below).

NB. whilst the map indicates where have been concentrations of yellowhammers, many of the records are of just one or two birds and some tetrads have had no records since 2013.

Yellowhammer tetrad breeding season records 2013-2022 

Anyone can make a valuable contribution to the survey by posting sightings here on the Pembs sightings blog, indicating where, when and how many yellowhammers were seen or heard – the number of singing males is particularly useful information. Records can also be submitted via BirdTrack or the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre (On-line Wildlife Recording system or app). 

All records of yellowhammer sightings will be gratefully received.

Bob Haycock, Clive Hurford and Clare Flynn