A quick trip out this morning to explore an area I've not been to before, Bryn Du,above Tregaron. En route, I found the pair of Lapwings still to be present next to Pant pool and a Common Redshank at the pool itself. There is a small Sand Martin colony up the road near Abercoed with about 25 holes in a quarry face. At Bryn Du there was a Cuckoo calling and a couple of Hares in a field.
I fully agree with the concerns expressed by Phillip Ellis and Mike Hayward about declining numbers of many of our so called commoner species. By the end of June I hope to have surveyed 19 tetrads over the last three years near where I live and have seen only 3 or 4 Spotted Flycatchers. I dare say I've missed a few. It's "wimpish song" that Phillip refers to means that it is not so easily heard from a distance and others may be out of sight in gardens. However, I would describe it as far from common and likely to disappear altogether if current declines continue. It is easy to get complacent about a species such as Spotted Flycatcher. Friendly, charming and amenable to using our nest boxes, I fear it could easily slip away from us. No doubt, people took Corncrakes for granted too once upon a time. And Black Grouse. And Ring Ouzels. Myself, I just feel that I have to keep out there locally,counting what I see. Highlighting any apparent changes that I notice. Hopefully, the things we are all doing are of some little help to organisations such as the RSPB and the BTO who can effect positive changes on a wider scale.