News

Conservation in our own backyard: Dartford Warbler added to rare species sightings in Tubney

WildCRU visitor Dr Jan Kamler made an exciting avian discovery in Tubney this weekend. He recorded the call of a Dartford Warbler (Curruca undata) in a gorse patch next to the Tubney Estate on Sunday evening (17th September). Identified by the Merlin app and confirmed by Tom Bedford – the rare-bird specialist for Oxfordshire – this is remarkable news given there have been no records of this species in the county between 2013 and 2022. The Dartford Warbler was on the verge of extinction in the UK in the 1960s but has since made a gradual recovery. There are believed to be around 2,200 breeding pairs currently in the UK, but the species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List due to ongoing population declines across its range. Usually nesting near the coast, this small, long-tailed warbler has a wingspan of around 15cm and feeds on insects and other invertebrates. 

This sighting is the latest addition to the growing list of rare species recorded in and around the WildCRU’s headquarters at the Recanati-Kaplan Centre at Tubney. While WildCRU is globally famous for its wildlife conservation research around the world, closer to home it has established the WildCRU Wilding on the Tubney Estate. Previously sheep-grazed agricultural land, for the last five years this has been transforming into a valuable nature reserve. Before the arrival of the Dartford Warbler, a great excitement has been the discovery the dusky clearwing moth, thought to have been extinct in the UK until 2021. Nearby, WildCRU researchers taking a breather from crunching numbers gathered in far-off lands, have spotted water voles and otters. Around the world, NIMBYism can impede conservation, so WildCRU is thrilled to be nurturing conservation in its own backyard.

Photo reference: Dean Eades, BirdMad