The tiny finch yet to establish itself in this country which has been spotted in Yorkshire
Birds originating from the Mediterranean are breeding here in increasing numbers with the arrival of species such as Cetti’s warbler, little, cattle and great egrets, black-winged stilts and bee-eaters all linked to our warming climate.
But one species still to establish itself here is Europe’s smallest finch, the serin, although it now breeds as close to us as the Belgium and French coasts
A pair first bred in this country in 1967 in Dorset and after that it was predicted to be soon establishing itself in southern England.
But, apart from a short-lived period in the 1980s and early 1990s when there were up to six or seven pairs, this has failed to happen.
Only one or two pairs breed here each year mainly in Devon, Dorset and Suffolk and there are 20 pairs on Jersey.
The serin is something of a speciality for the Spurn area with annual sightings of birds mainly on migration in April and May when southerly winds or European heatwaves push them over here.
One was seen over Spurn last week.
The serin is tiny and at 11 to 12cms is the smallest finch and only wild canary in mainland Europe.
Males have a striking bright yellow face, throat and rump offset by streaky brown upperparts while females and juveniles are much duller,
They are often first detected by their song, loud pitched and jangling like a bunch of keys.
The last week saw an arrival of quail with the distinctive ‘wet-mi-lips’ calls of the males heard from the depth of cereal fields across the region.
It is possible that these birds have already raised one brood further south before moving north to try for a second.