Hoopoe breeds in Leicestershire
The county recorder for Leicestershire has confirmed that Hoopoe bred in the county this year and raised three young.
An adult bird was found in a garden on 17th May, then two days later a pair was seen. The pair were not seen again during May but were seen on several occasions by another homeowner some 650 metres from the original sighting. He thought they were a pair of ‘strange woodpeckers’. On July 18th the two adults reappeared in the original garden along with three juveniles.
Carl Baggott, the county recorder for Leicestershire, was contacted and visited the site to confirm the sightings. During his visit he observed two juveniles and was able to see video footage of an adult feeding one of the young birds.
The adult birds left in early August and the juveniles departed two weeks later. This is the first breeding record of Hoopoe in the Britain since 1996 which a pair bred in Montgomery, Wales.
25 Sept 2023
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