A STUDY that claims to have found a link between the rising deer population and dwindling numbers of woodland birds has been questioned by forest experts.
Deer are eating the undergrowth that birds like endangered nightingales need to build their nests, leading to a fall in numbers, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
But Ken Hoy, 87, a member of the Friends of Epping Forest, said more research is needed on the reason for their decline in the forest.
"It’s one of the mysteries going on at the moment," he said. "The nightingale is almost extinct in the forest.
"Back in the 1940s, I recall a walk from Woodford Green to the Robin Hood and I recorded 15 to 20 nightingales.
"Now, we’re lucky if we get one or two each summer.
"There is research being done nationally by the RSPB and other groups."
He said the number of deer living within the forest had also fallen in recent years, but where muntjac deer did graze, their effect was obvious.
“North of Epping, there are muntjac deer and they have made a difference,” he added. “You can see a clear line the height of the deer and below.”
A verderer for the forest, Michael Chapman, said he did not know of a link being made between deer and endangered woodland birds.
“I understand most of them are migratory,” he added. “There have been problems with some of the countries still allowing song birds to be shot and eaten, which I’ve heard has been more of a problem.”
He said there was at least one pair of nightingales breeding near Connaught Water, between Buckhurst Hill and Chingford.
The trust’s report is available on the website www.bto.org.
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