Magpie - 2003-07

A familiar bird to most people, the magpie can be encountered throughout the county and in most habitats. Its large stick nest, with its protective canopy, is obvious in the early spring before trees acquire their covering of leaves. 

The 1984-88 survey was accompanied by a population estimate of 22,000 pairs. As stated at the time, this was an extrapolation from a very small sample, and with the benefit of hindsight led to an inflated value. The 1988-91 National Atlas  showed that Magpies reached maximum abundance in Pembrokeshire, it also quoted densities of over 20 pairs per tetrad in farmland and 40 pairs per tetrad in woodland and suburban habitats. Applying these densities to the geography of Pembrokeshire and the distribution plotted by the 2003-07 survey, results in an estimated county total of about 10,000 breeding pairs.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 305

Orange = breeding probable = 81

Yellow = breeding possible = 59

Total tetrads in which registered = 445 (90.8%)