‘Butcher birds’ beat egg collectors to nest in England

Rare “butcher birds” beat the attentions of egg thieves to nest in England for the first time in 18 years, conservationists said.

The red-backed shrike successfully raised its young in the country despite convicted egg collectors being spotted at their protected breeding site.

The birds were under close watch at a secret location on Dartmoor since May to guarantee their safety.

Red-backed shrikes, a migrant species which returns from Africa in spring, are known as “butcher birds” due to their uncompromising eating habits, which involve catching caterpillars, lizards and even small mammals and often impaling them on sharp thorns or barbed wire.

They last bred in England, in East Anglia, in 1992.

Ben Philipps, from the Forestry Commission England, said: “It’s been great to help keep these birds safe from the criminal activities of egg thieves.

“We’re also pleased that the shrikes have chosen an area on Dartmoor. We have improved (the area) for native wildlife over the past 10 years by increasing the diversity of the habitats.”

Kevin Rylands, from the RSPB, said: “Surveys have shown that Dartmoor holds a wealth of species previously widespread in lowland areas such as cuckoo and whinchat.

“The shrikes will have arrived on spring migration and found the site to their liking.

“The extent of habitat and numbers of large insects on the moor has no doubt contributed to the success of this nest.”

RSPB staff and volunteers from the Dartmoor Study Group and Devon Bird Watching and Preservation Society spent more than 2,600 hours working on the site around the clock. It is hoped the birds will return next year and this is the start of their re-colonisation in the UK.