GROTENHUIS JW & OS BLJ VAN (1986) Serious decline in the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra as a breeding bird in the province of Drenthe. LIMOSA 59 (2): 57-60.

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra During 1975-76, a breeding bird survey was carried out -in the province of Drenthe (a small part of the SW. portion of the province was censused in 1980). From 1978 onwards, this survey has been repeated, and including 1985 some 152 000 ha have been covered for the second time (fig. 1). The Whinchat seriously decreased with 56- 60% between and during 1975-76 and 1978-85 (fig. 2, 3, tab. 1). The decrease was most striking in farmland (fig. 5). Some local populations in heathland and remnants of peat bogs fluctuated in numbers without any apparent decline (fig. 4). It is therefore thought that changes in the agricultural landscape and farming practices rendered farmland unsuitable for Whinchats. Especially the creation of monocultured grasslands, the removal of hedges, the improved draining, and as a result the intensification in usage of meadows have been detrimental to (among other birds) Whinchats.

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