Wiltshire Wader Group​

Being found breeding in less than 2% of the areas surveyed, its fair to say the the Redshank is not a common breeding bird in Wiltshire. Historical accounts suggest that it has always been relatively scare in the county.  But recent decline shave been observed and, sadly, it is now almost extinct as a breeding bird.  

​

The map to the right shows that there is only a single ringing recovery of this species in Wiltshire. A bird which was ringed in the Cardiff bay area in winter and subsequently re-sighted three years alter in Cotswold Water Park in spring. This may give some clues about where Wiltshire's small breeding population of Redshank winter or an indication of how far these birds will wander across a period of years.

​

The Redshank requires wet grassland to nest successfully, as a result the species has been hit hard by the draining of farmland and conversion of wetland into agricultural land. The resulting increase in grazing pressure this brings can lead to a higher percentage of nests failing. Declines of the species along waterways have also been observed nationally.