The state of theUK’S BIRDS

2010

2

This is the eleventh The state ofthe UK’s birds (SUKB) report,published in 2010 and containingresults from annual, periodic andone-off surveys and studies from asrecently as 2009. It draws on manysources of information to give anup-to-date overview of the healthof bird populations in the UK andits Overseas Territories. As 2010 isthe International Year ofBiodiversity, this report looks at thesuccess of efforts to conserve theUK’s birdlife since the globalConvention on Biological Diversitycame into force in 1993, both in aspecial section (see pages 8-17) butalso throughout our usual updates.Given the focus on theInternational Year of Biodiversity,we have titled this report The stateof the UKs birds 2010, rather thanstick with the convention ofnaming the report with the mostrecent year from which data isavailable (2009).

Introduction

The state of the UK’s birds 2010 isproduced by a coalition of three NGOs – the Royal Society for theProtection of Birds (RSPB), the BritishTrust for Ornithology (BTO) and theWildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) –and the UK Government’s statutorynature conservation agencies – theCountryside Council for Wales (CCW),Natural England (NE), Northern IrelandEnvironment Agency (NIEA), ScottishNatural Heritage (SNH) and the JointNature Conservation Committee(JNCC).

This report should be referenced asEaton MA, Appleton GF, Ausden MA,Balmer DE, Grantham MJ, Grice PV,Hearn RD, Holt CA, Musgrove AJ,Noble DG, Parsons M, Risely K,Stroud DA, Wotton S 2010. The stateof the UK’s birds 2010. RSPB, BTO,WWT, CCW, JNCC, NE, NIEA andSNH, Sandy, Bedfordshire.

A special thank you tovolunteersBird monitoring in the UK is led byNGOs in collaboration with theGovernment, but is reliant on theefforts of many thousands ofvolunteers. These efforts provide uswith a unique evidence base uponwhich to make decisions about birdconservation priorities and action inthe UK. The state of the UK’s birdsgives us the opportunity to recogniseand celebrate the huge role ofvolunteers in bird monitoring, and tothank them for the time and effortthey devote to the schemesdescribed within the report. If this isyou, then thank you; if not, why notconsider joining one of the widevariety of schemes outlined at theback of the report? Throughparticipation in simple and enjoyablebirdwatching activities, you will beable to make a valuable contributionto nature conservation.

Laurie Cam

pbell (rspb-images.com

)

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

3

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

4

Wild bird indicators 5–7This year, we report the wild bird indicator for Europe alongside those for the UK, and note the striking similarity in farmland bird declines at the two geographical scales.

A health check for the UK’s birds 8–17In 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, we assess whether the UK has met global and European targets on biodiversity loss, and what appears to be driving changes in our avian biodiversity.

Birds in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan 18Mixed news from recent surveys for two of the UK BAP’s success stories,corncrakes and cirl buntings.

Trends in common breeding birds in the UK 19–22The long- and short-term trends for more than 100 of our common andwidespread breeding species, and what trends in productivity might tell us about conditions both on and off the breeding grounds.

100 years of ringing 23More than 36 million birds have been ringed in the UK in the last 100 years: we highlight the value of this scheme to bird conservation.

Rare Breeding Birds in the UK 24We discuss the importance of the UK’s network of reserves and designated sites in conserving our rarest breeding birds.

Breeding seabirds in the UK 25–27Results from the Seabird Monitoring Programme.

Recent surveys 28The results from recent surveys of greylag geese and merlins.

Wintering waterbirds in the UK 29–33The long- and short-term trends for the UK’s huge over-wintering waterbird populations. This year we focus on the low tide counts that tell us how birds are using our most important estuaries.

A healthcheck for birds in the UK’s Overseas Territories 34–36How the internationally important bird populations in the UK’s Overseas Territories are doing, the threats they face, and thesteps being taken to help them.

The Bird Atlas 2007–11 37–38More than 13,000 observers have contributed to this mammoth undertaking so far. With fieldwork completed for three of the four breeding and non-breeding seasons, we give an early insight into someinteresting results.

The value of volunteers in bird monitoring 39–40Having assessed the health of the UK’s birds, we then look at the state of bird monitoring, and show how volunteer participation in bird surveys and atlasing has grown over recent decades.

What you can do to help 41The range of bird monitoring schemes that depend on volunteer participation, and how you can join in.

About us 42Details of the organisations involved in the making of this report.

Contents

Throughout this report, species arecolour-coded according to theirconservation status, as published inBirds of Conservation Concern 3 in2009. The 52 species identified asbeing of the greatest conservationconcern are red-listed, the 126species of moderate concern areamber-listed and the 68 species of least concern are green-listed. In a few cases where particular races are discussed, the colour-coding from a separate race level assessment is used.

Ray Kennedy (rspb-im

ages.com)

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All (114)

Farm (19) Woodland (38)

Water & wetland (26)

Seabirds (19) 20

0

UK wild bird indicatorThe UK wild bird indicator is animportant high-level measure of thestate of biodiversity in the UK. It isalso used to measure the UK’sprogress towards sustainabledevelopment goals. It shows broadtrends in bird populations within fourhabitats (in SUKB we show acombined “all species” line also).However it should be rememberedthat within these indicators there canbe a huge variation in the trends ofindividual species. For example, in thefarmland bird indicator wood pigeonand jackdaw numbers have morethan doubled since 1970, whilst tree sparrows and turtle doves havefallen by more than 90%. Trends forspecies within the indicators can befound on pages 15–16 (commonbreeding birds) and 21 (seabirds).

It is refreshing to report that four ofthe five indicator lines show anincrease over the most recent yearwith the woodland indicator at itshighest level since 1990, although stilldown over the long term. Thefarmland bird indicator showed amarginal increase, but remains nearly50% down on the 1970 level. Theseabird indicator showed a smalldecrease over the most recent year.

During the winter, the UK holdsinternationally important populationsof swans, geese, ducks and wadingbirds. The wintering waterbirdindicator shows how numbers rosesteadily from the mid 1970s to thelate 1990s and then stabilised beforeentering a decline. Both the wildfowland wader indicators are decreasing,with the wader line reaching itslowest level since the 1992/93 winter,although both lines remain well abovetheir 1975 baseline. See pages 29–33for trends in individual waterbirdspecies.

Wild bird indicators

UK wild bird indicator

All the indicators start from a value of 100. If an index rises to 200 then, on average,populations of species in the indicator have doubled: if it falls to 50 then they have halved.

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All native species (46)

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UK wintering waterbird indicator

Indicator % change per annum, % change per annum, 1980–94 1994–2008

All species (114) -0.7 0.6

Farm (19) -3.5 -0.7

Wood (38) -1.5 0.3

Water and wetland (26) -0.7 0.8

Seabirds (19) 0.8 -0.2

Wintering waterbirds (46) 4.0 0.2

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Map of countries contributing to PECBMS

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Common farmland birds (36)

Common forest birds (29)

European wild bird indicator European wild birdindicatorsIn recent years, the approach used todevelop bird indicators in the UK hasbeen exported to produce Europe-wide indicators. The Pan EuropeanCommon Bird Monitoring Scheme(PECBMS) (a collaboration involvingthe European Bird Census Council,the RSPB, BirdLife International andStatistics Netherlands, and manyother country partners) bringstogether data from common birdmonitoring schemes in 22 Europeancountries, stretching from Portugal toFinland (see map, right). This allowsrobust and representative pan-European population trends to begenerated for 136 common andwidespread species. These speciesindices are then combined toproduce indicators for farmland birds(incorporating 36 species), forestbirds (29 species) and all commonbirds (136 species).

Many countries have only beguncommon bird monitoring schemes inrecent years, so the indicator beginsin 1980, and not 1970 as in the UK. Itis expected that more countries,such as Romania and Greece, will beable to contribute data in futureyears and, in time, we hopemonitoring will extend to allEuropean countries.

The European indicators includemany of the birds featured in thewild bird indicators for the UK, butalso a range of less familiar species.For example, the European farmlandbird indicator includes all of the 19 birds in the UK version, withmany showing similar declines inEurope as in the UK; for examplecorn bunting (-68% in Europe since1980), skylark (-45%) and linnet(-67%). However, it also includes UKbreeding species that are notconsidered common farmland

Contributing countries shown in yellow

7

species in the UK, such as black-tailed godwit and meadowpipit, and also those which do notbreed in the UK at all, such as black-eared wheatear and hoopoe.

The pattern shown by the Europeanindicator is similar to that exhibited bythe UK version. Most obviously,farmland birds have shown the samedecline across Europe as they have inthe UK, with the European indicatorhaving fallen to 52% of the 1980value by 2007 and, over the sameperiod, the UK farmland bird indicatorfell to an almost identical 53% of its1980 level, reflecting the impact ofagricultural intensification acrossEurope.

Since their development, theEuropean Wild Bird Indicators havebeen adopted by the European Unionas official biodiversity indicators. Forexample, the farmland bird indicator isa Structural and SustainableDevelopment Indicator, and memberstates are required to use nationalversions for monitoring theimplementation of the RuralDevelopment Regulation under theCommon Agricultural Policy (CAP).

More information on the Europeanwild bird indicator, the species indicesthat it comprises, and PECBMS, canbe found on the website of theEuropean Bird Census Council,www.ebcc.info

The UK wild bird indicators

provide only a broad-brush

assessment of the health of our

bird populations as they report

simply the average of many

changes, both good and bad.

However, they do suggest that

the rate of loss in farmland birds

– one of our greatest conservation

concerns – has slowed, although

not halted, since the UK’s

Biodiversity Action Plan came

into being in 1994. Three of the

other four indicator lines have

also shown a more positive trend

since 1994, with the exception

being that for seabirds.

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

Tom M

arshall (rspb-images.com

)

8

A health check for the UK’s birds

IntroductionThe year 2010 is an important one forthe conservation of the world’sbiodiversity. The United Nations hasdesignated 2010 as the InternationalYear of Biodiversity – “a celebration oflife on earth and the value ofbiodiversity to our lives”. Throughpromotion of biodiversity throughout2010, it is hoped to spread simplemessages (see right) to encouragepeople to act to prevent the loss of biodiversity. For more information,see www.cbd.int/2010

2010 International Year ofBiodiversityHumans are part of nature’s richdiversity and have the power toprotect or destroy it.

Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustainingthe living networks and systems that provide us all with health,wealth, food, fuel and the vital services on which our lives depend.

Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lostat a greatly accelerated rate. These losses are irreversible,impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely oneveryday. But we can prevent them.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Let’s reflect on ourachievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency ofour challenge for the future. Now is the time to act.

Andrew

Parkinson (rspb-images.com

)

9

In particular, 2010 is a year ofreckoning, as international targets forbiodiversity conservation were set forthis year. At a global scale, theStrategic Plan of the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) calls for asignificant reduction of the currentrate of biodiversity loss at global,regional and national levels by 2010:this target was endorsed at the 2002World Summit on SustainableDevelopment in Johannesburg. A yearbefore that, European Union MemberStates agreed to the more ambitioustarget of halting biodiversity declineby 2010. In this report, we assesswhether the UK has managed to haltthe loss, or at least slow the decline,in its avian biodiversity.

Saving biodiversity in the UKThe agreement of the CBD at Rio in1992 was a step change for natureconservation. The importance ofbiodiversity was recognised by theinternational community at thehighest political levels, with the CBDgiving a comprehensive agenda ofactions for its 193 Contracting Parties.The UK was one of the firstsignatories to CBD, and also one ofthe first countries to produce anational plan to implement theconvention – a central obligation.The 1994 UK Biodiversity Action Plan(BAP) established a process ofplanning for nature conservation atdifferent scales and involving differentsectors. At a local scale, localgovernment authorities, working withinterested partner organisations,produced Local Biodiversity ActionPlans. Nationally, a series of Habitatand Species Action Plans waspublished between 1995 and 1999,whilst individual countries within theUK have produced biodiversitystrategies since devolution.Additionally, BAP encouraged a seriesof new initiatives and policies toaddress other issues raised. These

have borne fruit in subsequent years –for example the creation of theNational Biodiversity Network as ameans of making available theextensive information that many UK organisations hold on the status of biodiversity.

The 1994 BAP was a milestone in thehistory of nature conservation in theUK in providing – for the first time –an over-arching framework for theactivities of the many differentsectors (central and local government,statutory conservation agencies,NGOs, industry and the public) whoseactivities affect nature andlandscapes.

It also facilitated a significant increaseof funding, especially for theimplementation of Species andHabitat Action Plans. For birds, therewas early implementation of recoveryprogrammes for species that hadbeen identified as of the highestpriority by BAP, for example theskylark, bittern, corncrake,capercaillie and stone-curlew. These programmes were typicallyundertaken in partnerships betweenthe statutory agencies and NGOs,and further recovery initiatives havefollowed since then.

Conservation action for the UK’s birdsinvolves a wide range of activities. Therecovery of scarce species ofteninvolves the creation and/ormanagement of semi-natural habitats(for example of reedbeds for bitterns)on reserves or other protected areas,providing a range of technicalchallenges. However, influencing theconservation of widely dispersedspecies (for example, many farmlandbirds), means influencing theactivities of other land-managers,such as farmers. For such species ofthe “wider countryside”, BAP actionshave involved progressive refinement

of agri-environment policies inparticular, to try to deliver support forproductive farming, while addressingthe conservation needs ofbiodiversity. The more inclusiveapproach of the UK BAP, whichencouraged dialogue betweenconservation and other land-management sectors, was helpful tothe development of such policies.

The multi-sectoral nature of BAPimplementation was innovative, withactions being undertaken at differentscales and within different sectors asopportunities arose. Oneconsequence has been that it hasproved difficult to track all theactivities being undertaken by themultiple stakeholders involved.Country agencies and others arecurrently developing the BiodiversityAction Reporting Systems (BARS) toaddress this. Ultimately however, thesuccess of BAP needs to bemeasured not in reports produced, orcommittees and processesestablished, but in turning around theconservation fortunes of speciesconcerned.

Bird populations have becomeincreasingly widely used as indicatorsof the state of the environment.Using the UK’s unparalleled wealth ofbird monitoring data, we haveassessed the status and trends of UKbird species in the 15 years followingthe implementation of the UK BAPcompared to the previous 15 years.This should indicate whether thestatus of the UK’s birds hasappreciably changed as aconsequence of BAP implementation,show what factors are driving currentchange, and answer the 2010question: has the UK halted thedecline, or at least slowed the lossof avian biodiversity?

10

MethodsIn order to assess whether thefortunes of the UK’s birds haveimproved following the UK’scommitment to the CBD we haveused 1994, the year in which the UK’sBiodiversity Action Plan was published,as our turning point. Although CBD andits targets were not set until later, theUK’s commitment to biodiversityconservation came with the BAP. Wetherefore pose the question “Werebird trends better or worse in theyears following 1994 thanbeforehand?” Assessments havebeen made at the species level, or on populations if species have clearlyseparate breeding and winteringpopulations visiting the UK (such asthe redwing, which breeds in smallnumbers in the UK but winters inmany thousands). We have thengrouped the 232 assessments made,for 202 species, in a number of waysin an attempt to reveal what factors liebehind any change, for better or worse.

A wide range of data sources havebeen used to calculate trends,expressed as percentage change perannum, for species before and since1994. For most species, data areavailable up to 2008, although forthose subject to periodic (not annual)surveys trend periods vary. We haveused a similar duration for the pre-1994 trends, with most beingcalculated for 1980-1994. For each ofthe two periods, species/populationshave been defined as increasing,stable, or decreasing, using thefollowing thresholds: increasing – a trend equivalent to a doubling, orgreater, if continued over 25 years(+2.8% per annum); decreasing – a trend equivalent to halving, orgreater, over 25 years (-2.7% perannum); stable – a trend betweenincreasing and decreasing (between+2.8 and -2.7% per annum).

The matrices present how birds weredoing before (horizontal axis) and after(vertical axis) 1994, using thethresholds listed above to classifythem as decreasing, stable orincreasing in each period. Forexample, species in the top right boxwere increasing both before and after1994, whereas species in the top leftwere decreasing before 1994 buthave increased since. Species in thislatter box might be regarded asconservation successes, but we haveto be circumspect about claiming thiswhen other factors may have driven a

change in fortunes. Note also that thebroad band used to define “stable”means that some of the speciesclassified as such may be showingrelatively large increases ordecreases. To illustrate this, in somecases we have presented scatterplotsof the actual trends (per annum) ontwo axes, so the magnitude ofspecies trends, and changes betweenthe two periods, can be appreciatedmore easily. The figure given hereshows the trends for all populations inthe pre-1994 (horizontal axis) andpost-1994 (vertical axis) periods.

Increasing Was decreasing, Was stable, now Increasing in both now increasing eg increasing eg periods eg avocet,corncrake, stonechat, cirl bunting 29bittern 6 firecrest 23

Stable Was decreasing, Stable in both Was increasing,now stable eg periods eg now stable egredpoll, cormorant, sparrowhawk, skylark 16 wren 81 long-tailed tit 32

Decreasing Decreasing in Was stable, Was increasing, both periods eg now decreasing now decreasingstarling, yellow eg cuckoo, eg Bewick’s swan,wagtail 16 swift 19 whimbrel 10

Decreasing Stable Increasing

Matrix of species trends, with examples

Post-1994 population trend

Pre-1994 population trend

Points to the right of the figure showedincreasing trends pre-1994, those to the leftwere declining. Points high on the figure havebeen increasing since 1994, those at the bottomdecreasing. Shaded area indicates shallowtrends regarded as stable in our analyses.

Scatterplot of all population trends pre- and post-1994

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Numbers given in bold refer to the number of populations qualifying for each of the 9 categories.

Is the UK Biodiversity ActionPlan working for birds?In 1995, 26 bird species wereidentified in the UK BiodiversityAction Plan (UK BAP) as being of thehighest priority for conservationaction. These species were selectedbecause they were under threat at aglobal scale (two species) or hadexperienced population declines of50% or more in the previous 25 years(24 species). All but one of thesespecies (the aquatic warbler – a rarepassage visitor) was breeding in theUK at the time of assessment.Individual “Species Action Plans”were published for each bird between1995 and 1999, which set biologicaltargets and identified the key actionsneeded to meet them.

A major review of the UK BAP led to afurther 33 bird species and racesbeing added to the priority species listin 2007, bringing the total number ofbirds to 59 (as described in SUKB2006). Here, however, we restrictourselves to the 26 original BAP bird

species for which targets and actionplans have been in place for well overa decade. Bird population data areavailable to assess the pre- and post-1994 trends for 24 of these species(we do not have adequate trend datafor the aquatic warbler and Scottishcrossbill). The mixed fortunesexperienced by these species sincetheir listing provides an interestinginsight in the UK’s progress inimplementing its Biodiversity ActionPlan and, hence, our contribution tomeeting the 2010 targets.

As we can see from the matrix, theoriginal priority list included fourspecies that were increasing prior to1994 – all of these species hadsuffered major earlier declines but hadbegun to show early signs of recoveryprior to BAP listing. By contrast, 16species on the original UK BAP listwere in decline (not surprising giventhat they had been BAP-listed).However, since 1994, no fewer thannine of those declining species haveshown stable or increasing population

trends, suggesting their declines haveat least been halted. Indeed, for threeof these species (bittern, corncrakeand roseate tern), populationrecovery is well underway. Forexample, the numbers of bitternsincreased from 15 to 82 boomingmales between 1994 and 2009, andthe numbers of corncrakes from 480to 1,156 calling males between 1993and 2009 (see page 18). Furthermore,six species that were declining pre-1994 are now within our stable range,although some may still be showingdeclines but at a lower rate (eg black grouse). For example, the tree sparrow was showing anaverage annual decline of nearly 17%pre-1994, but has since increased byan average of 2.5% per annum (albeitfrom a very low base level).Interestingly, three species haveshown stable population trends bothpre- and post-1994 and all but one(nightjar) of the pre-1994 increasingspecies have continued to increasepost-1994, highlighting their ongoingrecovery. On page 18 of this report,we describe how cirl buntingnumbers have risen to 862 breedingpairs in 2009 compared to 352 in 1993.

In stark contrast, seven species haveshown declining trends both pre- and post-1994. Unfortunately, the red-backed shrike no longer breedsregularly in the UK, and the future ofboth the common scoter and marshwarbler as UK breeders looksprecarious. The other four species allremain widespread but in rapiddecline. The turtle dove and spottedflycatcher are both trans-Saharanmigrants whose breeding trends maypartly depend upon the conditionsthey experience outside the UK (seebelow). However, along with greypartridges and corn buntings (andthe other widely distributed birds onthe UK BAP list), their future status

11

Increasing Bittern Stone-curlewCorncrake WoodlarkRoseate tern Cirl bunting

Stable Black grouse Red-necked NightjarCapercaillie phalaropeWryneck1 LinnetSkylark Bullfinch Song thrush Reed buntingTree sparrow

Decreasing Common scoterGrey partridgeTurtle doveMarsh warblerSpotted flycatcherRed-backed shrikeCorn bunting

Decreasing Stable Increasing

Matrix of BAP species trends

Post-1994 population trend

Pre-1994 population trend

1Wryneck last proved breeding in the UK in 1998.

12

within the UK is likely to depend uponthe sympathetic management of thecountryside, especially themanagement of farmland andwoodland habitats.

Overall, however, 17 (71%) of the 24original UK BAP species that could beassessed have shown stable orincreasing population trends since1994, a period during which many ofthese species were the subject oftargeted conservation action. Suchaction has included research todiagnose the causes of their declinesand to identify remedial measures, andtargeted work on the ground, includingspecies recovery initiatives and thedeployment of beneficial land management options within agri-environment schemes. Thissuggests that being identified as apriority for action in the UK BAP maybe a contributory factor in securingpositive outcomes for bird species

Does the distribution and abundance of a bird species makea difference to its trends?

eagle, osprey, red kite and marshharrier), and two relatively recentcolonists (Mediterranean gull andCetti’s warbler). In both these cases,the availability of suitable habitat isclearly not yet limiting the breedingpopulations. Despite this good news,a number of our rare and localisedspecies, such as common scoter,golden oriole and marsh warblerhave become rarer in recent years.

By contrast, common and widespreadspecies are more likely to have beenstable or declining during either orboth periods being assessed.Although a number of rare birds haveshown marked decreases, most ofthe UK’s fastest declining species arethose which remain common andwidespread, although a number, suchas willow tit and turtle dove, arereaching the point where they mightbe considered localised, if not yetrare. Many of these birds appear onthe UK BAP priority species list andthe most obvious explanation for thisis that it is generally far easier to takeeffective conservation action for arare/localised species, providing you

The distribution and abundance of aspecies may affect the rate at which itresponds to environmental changes,whether detrimental or beneficial,including those resulting fromtargeted conservation action. For thisreason, we broadly classifiedbreeding species as common andwidespread, or rare and localised,based on their range as reported inthe 1988-1991 breeding bird atlas. The scatterplot suggests that rareand localised breeding species aremore likely to have increasedduring either or both periods beingassessed, compared with morecommon and widespread species.Indeed, with few exceptions, it is therare and localised species that haveexperienced very large populationincreases, with 18 of 69 speciesassessed increasing by more than 5%per annum since 1994, comparedwith just two of the 80 common andwidespread species. Species thathave shown very large increases inboth periods include four birds of preythat have been the subject ofintensive conservation action tofacilitate their recovery (white-tailed

Pre- and post-1994 trends in common and widespread, and rare andlocalised breeding birds

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Common & widespread (80 spp)Localised & rare (69 spp)

horizontal axisvert

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Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

Shaded area indicates shallow trendsregarded as stable in our analysis

understand the factors limiting thepopulation. This is because the scaleat which such action needs to takeplace is far more restricted comparedwith a more widespread species. Inaddition, rare and localised speciestend to occur within nature reservesor other protected areas, so takingaction is much more within thecontrol (and resources) of statutoryand voluntary conservation bodies (formore see page 24). By contrast,common and widespread speciestend to occur within the widercountryside, so their fate isinexorably linked to themanagement of the naturalenvironment as a whole, especiallyfarmland and woodland.

The effect of habitatChanges in both the quantity andquality of wildlife habitats (oftendriven by changes in land use) havebeen a major driver of bird populationtrends in the UK. The UK BAPgenerated action plans for habitatsand the current emphasis is to deliverspecies conservation through a focuson habitat measures. Therefore, wehave compared differences in thetrends of species associated withseven of the most important UKhabitats in the pre- and post-1994periods. The scatterplot shows thesetrends for all breeding species thatcould be assessed quantitatively,grouped by habitat.

For greater clarity, we have alsopresented the average trend forspecies in each habitat in the twotime periods. Because some speciesoccupy a wide range of breedinghabitats, their population trends maycontribute to more than one line. Infive of these habitats, includingfarmland and lowland wetlands, theaverage trend improved post-1994,although it remained negative for bothwoodland and urban species.

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Trends in breeding population by major habitat

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Coastal (29 spp)Farmland (37)Heathland (6)Lowland wetland (40)Upland (39)Urban (12)Woodland (49)

Average breeding population trend for major habitats

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coastal/marine (29 spp.) farmland (37) heathland (6) lowland wetland (40) upland (39) urban (12) woodland (49)

Shaded area indicates shallow trends regarded as stable in our analysis

14

Heathland species, albeit a smallgroup, showed the greatestimprovement. The populationtrajectories of marine/coastal andupland species fell most stronglyalthough marine/coastal birds are stillincreasing overall.

Overall, species associated withwoodland showed the smallestdifferences in population trajectoriespre- and post-1994. Although thisimplies that little has changed inwoodland, average trends maskmarked changes in the fortunes ofindividual species. UK woodlandshave tended to increase in area,become more mature and many showchanges in structure and treecomposition. Fourteen species (29%)showed improvements in status post-1994, attributable partly to the rapidpopulation expansions of speciessuch as the nuthatch and green andgreat spotted woodpeckers. Overallthe status of 12 species (24%)worsened; previously stable numbersof nightingales and marsh tits werefollowed by declines and some rareUK species, such as the goldenoriole, became rarer. Lesser spottedwoodpeckers, spotted flycatchers,hawfinches and willow tits declinedthrough both periods.

Five of the six species classified asheathland specialists increased in one(three species) or both (two species:woodlark and Dartford warbler)trend periods. However, red-backedshrikes were lost from their lastregular breeding site in 1988 and thisis now only an irregular breedingspecies in the UK. The small group ofspecies strongly associated withurban habitats showed relatively littlechange in trends pre- and post-1994,with declines in both periods.Spotted flycatchers and starlingsdeclined in both periods, and two rarebreeders, black redstarts and serins,went from stable to declining.

The overall improvement in populationtrajectories pre- and post-1994 forlowland wetland species was drivenby a few rapidly-increasing species:overall only nine species (22%)improved in population statuscompared to eleven species (28%)whose situation worsened. It isnoteworthy that three of the nine

species responding positively arestrongly associated with reedbeds:bittern, bearded tit and reedwarbler (and marsh harrierincreased in both trend periods). Onthe negative side, pre-1994 increasesin pintails, garganeys and ruffs havebeen followed by declines; previouslystable populations of curlews,

Average pre- and post-1994 trends in residents, short distance and longdistance migrants

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NB the high Arctic breeders and sub-Saharan winterers groups are subsets of thepopulations contained in the long distance migrant group

Shaded area indicatesshallow trends regarded asstable in our analysis

cuckoos and Slavonian grebes haveentered declines, and Savi’s andmarsh warblers continued todecline.

Upland breeding birds also tended toshow worsening populationtrajectories (26% of species) thanimprovements (18%) although ourassessment is hampered by absent orpoorer quality trend data for manyupland species. Arctic skuas,curlews, whimbrels and twites areamongst those to have declined since1994, whilst numbers of commonscoters, Temminck’s stints,whinchats and ring ouzels fellthrough both periods.

The post-1994 trend for breedingmarine and coastal species are lessthan positive. Although only twospecies were declining pre-1994, andfive species/populations (14%)improved from stable to increasing,12 species (33%) are faring worse.Arctic skuas, lesser black-backedgulls and kittiwakes all entereddeclines post-1994; converselyroseate terns have shown a welcomerecovery from pre-1994 declines.

In recent years much effort has beenexpended on changing landmanagement on farmland throughagri-environment schemes and,gratifyingly, birds in this habitat showthe most positive pattern of changepost-1994. Among breeding species,21% improved in status, withlapwings, skylarks, yellowhammersand tree sparrows showing signs ofstabilisation after earlier declines. Thisgood news contrasts with thefortunes of grey partridges, turtledoves, yellow wagtails, starlingsand corn buntings, which all continueto decline. It should also be notedthat none of the species that cameout of declines showed significantrecovery towards former levels.

How are migrants doing?Migrant birds are an important aspectof the UK’s avian biodiversity, due inpart to its geographical location,which makes it ideally placed formany migrant species during somepart of their annual life cycle. Some ofthese species are long distancemigrants, such as those that breed inthe high Arctic and winter in the UK,or those that breed here and spendthe non-breeding season in Africa,south of the Sahara Desert. Othersmigrate over shorter distances,perhaps breeding in Scandinavia orwintering in north Africa.Consequently, the conservationstatus of all of these species may beaffected by conditions outside the UKas well as within it, and they aretherefore an interesting and importantgroup to examine further.

We classified all populations,wheretrend data were available, asresidents, partial or short distancemigrants, or as a long distancemigrants. Among resident species theaverage trend rose from 0.8% in theperiod before 1994 to 1.6% per yearafter 1994, while the proportion indecline fell from 19% to 12%,indicating that the overall loss of suchspecies has been reduced (although,importantly, not halted). For shortdistance and partial migrants, theaverage trend fell from 4.6% to 1.6%(thus still increasing) but theproportion in decline increased from5% to 14%. For long distancemigrants the trend fell from 0.7% to -1.3% and the proportion decliningfrom 23% to 33%. This highlightsthat not only are our migrantspecies faring worse than non-migratory species, but that theiroverall conservation status hasdeteriorated since 1994.

The scatterplot looks at trends in longdistance migrants more closely. Themajority of high Arctic breeding

species were increasing or stable inthe UK pre-1994; in fact only one, theEuropean white-fronted goose, wasin decline. However, since 1994 thissituation has altered considerably; thenumber of species now in decline hasincreased three-fold to 22%, and twothirds of all these species have atrend worse than the pre-1994 period.For some of these species there isevidence that they no longer migrateas far as the UK, probably due tofavourable changes in climate atwintering sites nearer their breedingareas. However for other species,there are worrying declines at thepopulation scale.

Sub-Saharan migrants are also ofconcern because the number ofspecies in decline in the UK hasincreased. Although the rate of this isless than for high Arctic species, theoverall proportion of species indecline (almost 40%) is considerablyhigher. Species such as cuckoo,wood warbler and turtle dove haveshown rapid and so far largelyunexplained declines. Although insome cases, changes in UK breedinggrounds may be driving decline,analysis of trends of migrants acrossEurope suggests there are alsofactors associated with migration,whether on the migration route or the African wintering grounds,contributing to the declines.

15

16

Healthcheck 2010:conclusionsIt may be apparent from thepreceding pages, and elsewhere inthis report, that it is not easy to reacha clear and simple conclusionregarding the health of the UK’s birdpopulations, given the many facets ofour avifauna and the multitude oftrends to consider. The many differentdrivers acting on our birds, such aschanges in land management, theimpact of climate change and theefforts of conservationists – and thevariation in these across regions,habitats and species – means thateven closely related species using thesame habitats can experience widelydiffering fortunes. That said, webelieve that we are able to answer thekey questions on the UK’s progresstowards 2010 biodiversity targets.

Has the UK met the European Union target of halting theloss of biodiversity by 2010?It is abundantly clear that, as far as the UK’s birds are concerned, wehave failed to reach the European Union’s target. Of the 236 individualpopulations for which we were able to make an assessment, 45 (19%)were classified as declining in our more recent period since 1994. The Birdsof Conservation Concern Red List recently grew from 40 to 52 species(see SUKB 2008 for more details), the number of birds BAP-listed due tosevere decline rose from 24 to 32, and in recent years the farmland birdindicator for the UK has fallen to its lowest ever level. Rapid declines in awide range of species, including 21 at a rate greater than 5% per annum,raise the prospect of national extinction of some treasured bird species.Answer: No

Has the UK met the global target of slowing the rate ofbiodiversity loss?There have, as discussed on page 9 for example, undoubtedly been anumber of conservation successes owing to the UK BAP. Recoveries inspecies such as bittern, woodlark and corncrake, alongside increases notattributable to conservation action (eg stock doves benefiting frommodern agricultural practices, little egrets responding to climate change),have been welcomed. However, our analyses (see table below) show thatthe proportion of species classified as decreasing has risen since 1994.

Classification of population trends pre- and post-1994

Although 22 species classed as declining before 1994 have subsequentlystabilised, another 29 have begun to decline since 1994 and, mostworryingly, 16 species have declined throughout the period of theassessment (ie since 1980). The average population trend across all 201populations for which we have a quantitative trend in both periods fell from1.6% per annum before 1994, to 0.4% after 1994. Therefore, although thisverdict may be influenced by the time periods we used in this exercise, weconclude that the rate of loss of avian biodiversity in the UK has notslowed.Answer: No

Trend Pre-1994 Post-1994

Decreasing 38 (16%) 45 (19%)

Stable 123 (53%) 129 (55%)

Increasing 71 (31%) 62 (26%)

Total 232 236

Chris G

omersall (rspb-im

ages.com)

The bigger pictureAlthough this is an assessment ofonly one component of the UK’sbiodiversity, our knowledge of thestatus of birds is better than for anyother facet of our natural history.Furthermore, although the match maynot be perfect, it is a widely held viewthat trends in birds reflect those innature as a whole. Of the 21 of theUK Government’s biodiversitymeasures (from 17 indicators) thatcan be reported over the “long-term”,10 (46%) show deterioration and nine(43%) improvement(www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4229),although results are healthier over theshort term (15 of 29 (52%) measuredsince 2000 show improvement). TheUK Government’s own assessment ofprogress against 2010 can be found atwww.cbd.int/doc/world/gb/gb-nr-04-en.pdf

Globally, the pressures on biodiversitymay be even greater than in the UK,and the efforts to combat this spreadmore thinly and depending on scarcerresources. A CBD report published

recently, Global Biodiversity Outlook 3(see http://gbo3.cbd.int), is one of anumber of assessments to find thatthe global target has not been met,with multiple indications of continuingrapid decline in biodiversity. Speciesare on average closer to extinction,average abundance of vertebrates hasfallen by a third since 1970, andnatural habitats in most parts of theworld continue to decline in extentand integrity (a problem compoundedby extensive fragmentation). The fivemost important pressures drivingbiodiversity loss (habitat change,overexploitation, pollution, invasivealien species and climate change) areeither constant or increasing inintensity.

The futureThe 10th meeting of the Conferenceof Parties to the CBD in Nagoya,Japan, in October 2010, will strive toset new biodiversity targets, mostlikely for the medium-term (2020).Having failed to meet the 2010 target,careful consideration will be neededto set ambitious but credible targets

to spur future efforts. Within the EU, anew target has been set for 2020: “tohalt the loss of biodiversity and thedegradation of ecosystem services inthe EU by 2020.”

In conclusion, despite somesuccess through targeted speciesaction, to date we have failed toeven substantially slow the rate ofavian biodiversity loss in the UKand globally, let alone halt thisloss. Even if we were to manage thelatter, there will be much to dobeyond this goal: this should not beour end point. After decades, or insome cases centuries, of decline,populations of many species areseverely depleted. The recentrecoveries in red kites, stone-curlews and other species haveshown how it is possible to helpspecies back from the brink, althoughas yet no single species hasrecovered fully to previous numbersand range. We need to stop the loss,and then push on to put natureback where it belongs.

17

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

18

Cirl buntingA full census of cirl buntings wasundertaken in 2009, the firstcomplete survey since 2003. In southDevon, 289 tetrads were surveyed,with five covered in the south-eastcorner of Cornwall, and a further 16tetrads were covered to survey therecently re-established population inwest Cornwall. In addition, there havebeen a few reported sightingselsewhere in southern England inrecent years, so these areas weresearched, although no cirl buntingswere found.

An estimated 862 territories (95%confidence limits 785-975) wererecorded, an increase of 24% since2003. Almost all of these territorieswere found in south Devon, but 12were located in west Cornwall wherebirds have been translocated fromDevon. There was little sign of rangeexpansion from the core south Devonrange, however, although the numberof occupied tetrads increased by 15%since 2003.

Conservation action for cirl buntingshas focused on delivering their year-round habitat requirements throughagri-environment scheme

prescriptions, such as the CountrysideStewardship (CS) scheme. Between1992 and 2003, cirl buntingsincreased by 146% on land in CScompared to 58% on non-CS land. CSwas superseded by EnvironmentalStewardship in 2005, however, andongoing analysis will assess whetherthis new scheme is creating similarlygood conditions for cirl buntings.

CorncrakeIn 2009, we made the first full surveyof corncrakes since 2003, althoughthe bulk of the population is surveyedevery year as it lies in “core” areas ofNorth and West Scotland, where muchconservation action for this species istargeted. This annual surveying had

suggested that the ongoing recovery ofcorncrakes had peaked in 2007, with2008 returning the first fall in numbersfor 10 years. In 2009 the core areas inthe Inner and Outer Hebrides andOrkney were surveyed, but in additionextra effort was exerted in areas withthe potential to hold corncrakesthrough north and west mainlandScotland, and records from throughoutthe UK were collected through a“corncrake hotline” and followed upby surveyors.

The core area survey found 1,098calling males, a further slight fall butstill 141% higher than the number in1993. The recovery of the corncrakehas demonstrated how targetedconservation action – in this case themodification of mowing and grazingregimes to reduce the loss of nestsand chicks, and the provision of springcover – can produce major responses.However, despite encouraging resultsof the reintroduction project at theNene Washes in Cambridgeshire – the23 calling birds recorded in 2009 wasby far the highest recorded to date –otherwise corncrakes do not appear tobe spreading from the core areas.Other than birds in the reintroducedpopulation, only 41 calling males werereported from outside the core range,only five more than in 2003.

Birds in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan

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Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

19

This table shows the estimated long-term (1970–2008) and short-term(1995–2008) trends for common breeding birds in the UK, based on theresults of four annual bird surveys; the Common Birds Census (CBC)from 1970 to 2000, its replacement – the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)from 1994 to 2008, the Waterways Bird Survey (WBS) from 1974 to 2007,and its replacement the Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) from1998 to 2008.

Trends in common breeding birds in the UK

Species Long-term trend BBS trend %% (1970–2008) (1995–2008)

Mute swan 179* 22Greylag goose na 144Canada goose na 106Shelduck 161* 6Mallard 98 18Tufted duck 111 39Red grouse na -9Red-legged partridge -11 29Grey partridge -90 -50Pheasant 74* 33Grey heron 24 1Little grebe -39* 22Great crested grebe na 19Red kite na 418Sparrowhawk 84* -7Buzzard 392* 63Kestrel -36* -20Hobby na 23Moorhen -2 18Coot 83* 38Oystercatcher na -11Golden plover na -4Lapwing -45* -13Woodcock -83* naSnipe na 39Curlew -60* -42Redshank na -30Common sandpiper -38 -15Feral pigeon na -8Stock dove 75* 0Woodpigeon 124* 35Collared dove 403* 26Turtle dove -89 -70Ring-necked parakeet na 696Cuckoo -58* -44Barn owl na 464Little owl -38 -24Tawny owl -18* -7

Species Long-term trend BBS trend %% (1970–2008) (1995–2008)

Swift na -29Kingfisher -5 -2Green woodpecker 123 47Great spotted woodpecker 348 129Lesser spotted woodpecker -72* naSkylark -53 -11Sand martin 0 22Swallow 22 34House martin -41* 1Tree pipit -73* -5Meadow pipit -43* -20Yellow wagtail -73 -52Grey wagtail -26 27Pied wagtail 38 0Dipper -31 naWren 55 23Dunnock -30 21Robin 52 23Nightingale na -53Redstart 17* -2Whinchat na -57Stonechat na 168Wheatear na -5Blackbird -13 26Song thrush -48 27Mistle thrush -48 -13Grasshopper warbler na 24Sedge warbler -12 9Reed warbler 132* 28Blackcap 155 61Garden warbler 3 -13Lesser whitethroat 20 2Whitethroat -2 20Wood warbler na -61Chiffchaff 41 43Willow warbler -41* -8Goldcrest -11* 8Spotted flycatcher -85 -39

Trends in common breeding birds in the UK

Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

20

Species Long-term trend BBS trend %% (1970–2008) (1995–2008)

Pied flycatcher na -50Long-tailed tit 89 13Marsh tit -66 -18Willow tit -91 -73Coal tit 23 5Blue tit 21 1Great tit 90 43Nuthatch 176 50Treecreeper -21 -5Jay 3 13Magpie 94 -3Jackdaw 119 36Rook na -8Carrion crow 82 10Hooded crow na -3Raven na 10Starling -76* -38House sparrow -67 -9Tree sparrow -93 55Chaffinch 34 9Greenfinch 10 12Goldfinch 81 56Siskin na 18Linnet -57 -23Lesser redpoll -90* 3Common crossbill na 24Bullfinch -49 -8Yellowhammer -55 -16Reed bunting -30 33Corn bunting -89 -29

Population trends of commonterrestrial birds are monitored throughthe efforts of volunteer birdwatcherstaking part in the BBS. If a species isfound to be declining, additionaldemographic information can beextremely valuable in helping todetermine the mechanismsunderlying the decline. Data collectedby bird ringers operating ConstantEffort Sites (CES) allow trends insurvival and overall seasonalproductivity to be constructed, whilstobservations made by participants inthe Nest Record Scheme (NRS)enable estimates of the meannumber of fledglings produced perbreeding attempt to be calculatedannually. This suite of surveysoperates at a national scale, providingup-to-date information on many of ourbreeding birds.

More than 100 species are monitoredby the BBS, of which 20 have showndeclines severe enough to warrantred-listing. This suite of speciesincludes a high proportion of residentfarmland species such as greypartridge, lapwing, skylark,starling, tree sparrow, linnet,yellowhammer and corn bunting.Two of these species, the linnet andyellowhammer, are amongst theeight that have shown decliningtrends in the numbers of fledglingsproduced per nest over the past 20years. Winter food availability hasbeen identified as a key factor in thedeclines of both species, and it maybe that a resulting loss of bodycondition leads to reduced investmentin subsequent breeding attempts,with fewer offspring reared thefollowing spring.

National Governments within the UKare attempting to reverse the loss ofbiodiversity in farmland ecosystemsthrough the implementation of agri-environment schemes. Work is

All short-term trends are based on the smoothed BBS estimates of change in the UKbetween 1995 and 2008 except for six riverine species (little grebes, tufted ducks, greywagtails, sand martins, dippers, kingfishers and common sandpipers) for which asimilar measure is calculated by combining the WBS and WBBS data, and grey heronwhich is based on the Heronries Census. For most species, the long-term trends arebased on the smoothed estimates of change between 1970 and 2008 in a combinedCBC-BBS analysis. However, for species with evidence of marked differences in thepopulation monitored by the BBS and its predecessor the CBC (coded *) we use the CBCresults until 1994, and solely the BBS from 1994 to 2008. Hence, long-term trends forthese species may not be representative of the UK population prior to 1994, due to themore limited geographical and habitat coverage of the CBC (mainly farmland andwoodland sites in England). Long-term trends for the six riverine species are based onsmoothed WBS-WBBS estimates of change between 1975 and 2008. Although all dataincluding the most recent from 2009 are included in these analyses, we report measuresof change from 1970 or 1995 to the penultimate year – 2008, to avoid unreliable effectsdue to smoothing at the endpoints of time series. Apart from the six riverine species,long-term trends cover shorter time periods due to the later availability of reliable data, asfollows: 1972–2008 for collared doves, 1975–2008 for sparrowhawks and 1977–2008for house sparrows.

More details on the BBS, including The Breeding Bird Survey 2009 report, can be foundat www.bto.org/bbs

21

Species Trend period (years) Trend over period (%)1

Nightjar2 43 -56

Tree pipit2 20 -47

Dunnock 20 -14

Spotted flycatcher 24 -15

Treecreeper2 19 -21

House sparrow 15 -7

Chaffinch 23 -20

Linnet 43 -18

Bullfinch2 22 -54

Yellowhammer 18 -34

Reed bunting 43 -24

Species showing significant declines in productivity fromNest Record Scheme data

1Decline in number of fledglings produced per breeding attempt2Small sample size – fewer than 25 records per year

Species Trend over period (%)1

Nightingale2 -92

Blackbird -29

Song thrush -44

Sedge warbler -59

Blackcap -32

Garden warbler -47

Willow warbler -24

Blue tit -59

Great tit -40

Goldfinch -62

Linnet -73

Lesser redpoll2 -88

Reed bunting -53

Species showing significant declines in productivitybetween 1984 and 2007 from Constant Effort Scheme data

underway to assess theireffectiveness by analysing spatialvariation in population trends inrelation to levels of uptake ofstewardship options and, althoughlimited evidence for short-termeffects of the English Entry LevelStewardship scheme has been found,numbers of corn buntings andstarlings have both shown positiveassociations with areas of land underagri-environment schememanagement.

While populations of some medium-distance migrants such as chiffchaffsand blackcaps continue to increase,population declines in many long-distance migrants remain apparent.These include farmland birds such asturtle doves and yellow wagtails,and woodland species such as thespotted flycatcher and nightingale,as well as cuckoos and grasshopperwarblers. NRS data show that themean number of fledglings producedby spotted flycatchers has declinedover time, and changes in the ratios ofjuvenile and adult birds caught at CESsites suggest the breeding success ofa number of long distance migrants,including nightingales, gardenwarblers, sedge warblers andwillow warblers, has also fallen.

Drivers of migrant demographictrends can be difficult to identify asthey may relate to factors acting onthe breeding grounds, on thewintering grounds or during themigratory journey itself. The declinesreported above may have beencaused by climate-mediateddisjunction with invertebrate prey (if changes in the timing of theavailability of invertebrates move outof synchrony with the timing of birdbreeding attempts) or by otherbreeding ground changes. Fallingproductivity could also be associatedwith habitat degradation or climatic

1Decline in mean ratio of juvenile to adult birds, a measure of productivity2Small sample size

22

changes in Africa impacting on thebody condition of birds arriving back inthe UK to breed.

However, not all species monitored bythe BBS are declining. Seven speciesformerly exhibiting negativepopulation trends – snipe, greywagtail, dunnock, song thrush,whitethroat, tree sparrow and reedbunting – have all shown significantpositive trends over the last 10 years,although where the earlier declinewas severe or enduring, such as forthe tree sparrow, numbers typically

remain severely depleted. The reedbunting was red-listed until 2009, butits recent positive population trendhas moved it to the amber list, andthe increase in the song thrush isparticularly welcome. Rapidpopulation increases have beenidentified for a number of otherspecies, with 19 showing increases of100% over the last 40 years. Top ofthis list is the buzzard, populations ofwhich have risen by more than 400%as the species continues to recoverfrom the impacts of persecution.

Trends amongst our common andwidespread breeding species varywidely, with tremendousincreases (up to three-fold post-1994) counterbalanced bydramatic declines (losses of up totwo-thirds). While we shouldcelebrate recoveries of speciessuch as the buzzard, it is clearfrom these trends thatbiodiversity loss in the UK hasnot been halted. Continueddeclines, particularly in a numberof farmland and woodlandspecies, are serious enough thatthey could conceivably lead tothe complete loss from the UK ofspecies such as the lesserspotted woodpecker and turtledove.

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

The BTO Ringing Schemecelebrated its centenary year in2009, having originally grown outof two schemes set up in 1909(through the journal British Birdsand at Aberdeen University).During the centenary year, ringersheld numerous ringingdemonstrations, taking the RingingScheme out to people. Throughevening talks, the history of ringingwas presented to members of 45local bird clubs across the country.

The scheme itself is a great leveller,with amateurs working to the samehigh standards as professionals andacademics. Around 85% of ringersare amateurs, and with recordnumbers of ringers (2,602 at the endof 2009), their contribution is a verysignificant one indeed.

Ringing has widespread uses in bothmonitoring numbers and demography.The structured Constant Effort Sites(CES) and Retrapping Adults forSurvival (RAS) projects help answerspecific demographic questions,whilst ringing generally contributesmore than 13,000 recoveries(subsequent reports of ringed birds,alive or dead) annually, allowing formore general assessments ofmovements and survival for a widerange of species.

Ringers computerise their ringing dataand currently more than 97% ofringing and recapture data aresubmitted electronically. These dataare now readily available for analysis,including feeding into the BTO’sIntegrated Population MonitoringProgramme(www.bto.org/survey/ipm.htm).Recent analyses of survival rates havealso shed light on the factors drivingpopulation changes in hirundines and blackbirds.

The scheme recently passed amilestone, holding details of 10million ringed birds in a centralelectronic database, out of 36 millionringed over the 100 years of thescheme. Ringers also collect andsubmit biometrics of birds caught andthese data are also available foranalysis. Recent analyses havehighlighted the impact of coldweather on body condition inestuarine waders and how birds dealwith the trade-off between the dualrisks of predation and starvation.

Ringing also has a vital role to play inthe recent upsurge of interest in thewinter ecology of migrants. Many ofour sub-Saharan migrants areshowing very worrying declines, withspecies such as the yellow wagtail,

wood warbler and cuckoo joiningthe red list at the recent review (seeSUKB 2008). Others species,including the nightingale, piedflycatcher and whinchat are alsoexhibiting significant populationdeclines. A project is currently beingcarried out jointly between the BTO,RSPB and the BirdLife partners inGhana and Burkina Faso. This focuseson the use migrants make of a suiteof habitats across sub-Saharan Africa,from the semi-desert Sahelian regionin Burkina Faso to the lush tropicalforests of Ghana. The aim is tounderstand how Palearctic-Africanmigrants use and move around thedifferent vegetation zones found inWest Africa (see http://migrantbirdsinafrica.blogspot.com).

23

100 years of ringing birds in the UK

Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

24

In our assessment of the health ofthe UK’s birds we highlighted thetendency for species with smallpopulations and restricted ranges tofare better – possibly responding toconservation action – than commonand widespread species. One reasonfor this may be the ability to targetthese species by designating land fortheir benefit (as Sites of SpecialScientific Interest and SpecialProtection Areas, for example), andmanaging land as nature reserves.

This approach may be inappropriatefor species that are mobile andunpredictable in their choice ofbreeding site: those that althoughrare, use a habitat that is widespread,such as redwings (Scottishwoodlands) and quail (arable crops).Some species have begun to outgrowthe reserve network; as marshharrier numbers have grown, theyhave spread from protected reedbedsites to neighbouring farmland, forexample. Nevertheless, for manyspecies the UK’s network ofprotected sites and nature reservesare vital, providing undisturbed siteswhere suitable habitat can be createdand maintained. As data are notavailable for all the UK’s reserves, thegraph shows the percentage of theUK breeding population found onRSPB reserves (206 reservescovering just over 1,420 square km)for 28 species red-listed on account oftheir UK breeding populations.Although this percentage tends to bevery low for the very rarest species,which are often unpredictable inchoice of nesting location, RSPBreserves support an average of 20%of the population of species with UKpopulations of less than 1000 pairs.The figure shows how with increasingpopulation size, a lower percentage ofspecies’ populations occur on RSPBreserves, and site protection thusbecome less powerful as aconservation tool. The figure also

Rare breeding birds in the UK

*We have only included species that are on red-listed on account of their UK breedingpopulations, and of these, only species with UK populations of < 50,000 pairs ascommoner species are not monitored regularly on all RSPB reserves. Cuckoo, twite andlesser redpoll are omitted because they are not monitored regularly across all RSPBreserves on which they breed.

Trends in breeding avocets

Percentages of the UK breeding populations of red and amber-listedspecies breeding on RSPB reserves

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Amber-listed seabirds

shows amber-listed seabirds, toillustrate how nature reserves can be important for species with largerpopulations if they are localised indistribution (i.e. in seabird breedingcolonies).

The graph above demonstrates how,as numbers of breeding avocets haveincreased in the UK over recentdecades, the share on RSPB reserveshas declined as the range expands

and birds have colonised new sitesaway from the large coastal wetlands inEast Anglian sites. The number of sitesoccupied has nearly doubled in adecade (35 in 1997, 68 in 2007) and therange has spread north to Durham,west to Gwent, and inland toCambridgeshire and Worcestershire.However, nearly all the avocetpopulation remains on nature reserves.

The UK Seabird MonitoringProgramme has, since 1986, co-ordinated the monitoring of breedingseabird populations in the UK,through an extensive sample ofcolonies monitored by partnerorganisations, supplemented withmore intensive monitoring ofbehavioural and demographicparameters at key colonies. Thisinformation is helping us tounderstand how the main drivers ofchange are affecting the UK’sinternationally important breedingseabird populations.

The table shows the differing fortunesof species monitored by the SeabirdMonitoring Programme. Since 1986substantial declines have occurred inshags, little terns, roseate terns,kittiwakes, Arctic skuas and herring

gulls, with the latter three speciescontinuing to show rapid declinesrecently (since 1999). Lesser black-backed gulls, great black-backedgulls and fulmars, although showinglittle overall change since 1986, haveshown large declines in the last 10years. Roseate tern numbersdeclined rapidly during the late 1980sand early 1990s, but their numbershave started to increase since 2002.

Some species have increased overthe monitoring period and continue todo so: great skuas and gannets areup by 46% and 73%, respectively.Guillemots and razorbills have alsoincreased; the former having nowapparently stabilised while the latterhas shown signs of a decline in thelast few years.

25

Breeding seabirds in the UK

Species 1986–2009 trend % 1999–2009 trend %

Fulmar -17 -38

Gannet1 55 22

Cormorant 19 -2

Shag -37 -9

Arctic skua -52 -33

Great skua1 46 18

Black-headed gull 16 -6

Lesser black-backed gull 0 -31

Herring gull -35 -43

Great black-backed gull -20 -30

Kittiwake -48 -40

Little tern -27 -8

Sandwich tern 29 22

Common tern 18 4

Roseate tern -71 81

Arctic tern 25 14

Guillemot 33 3

Razorbill 32 -11

While there are probably morebreeding seabirds in the UK todaythan there were 40 years ago, thepopulations of many have nowstabilised or are decreasing. Greatestdeclines include those of shags,kittiwakes, Arctic skuas and herringgulls. By contrast, gannets and greatskuas have increased markedly. Sincethe adoption of the UK BAP in 1994,the UK seabird index has declined by5%. The main drivers of change areclimate change (mainly throughindirect impacts lower down thefood chain), the introduction of non-native mammalian predators (whichlimit the number and distribution ofground-nesting seabirds), andfisheries management (which canhave both negative and positiveimpacts on seabird populations).

Trends in seabird numbers in the UK, 1986–2009 and 1999–2009

1trend derived from census interpolations and extrapolations

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

26

In this section we look in more detailat the trends in abundance andbreeding success of six widespreadand abundant seabird species, whichrepresent a range of foraging niches,to investigate possible commonfactors responsible for change acrossspecies. Kittiwakes and gannetsrepresent the offshore surface-feederniche; fulmars the offshore surfacefeeder/scavenger niche; Sandwichterns the inshore surface-feederniche; guillemots the offshore divingniche; shags the inshore diving niche.

Kittiwakes have undergone a majorpopulation decline since 1986;productivity has declined too, suchthat by 2008 around one quarter ofthe number of chicks were producedcompared with the mid 1980s.However, in 2009 productivity washigher than it had been for 14 years.Kittiwakes rely largely on smallshoaling fish, especially sandeels, tobe present at the sea surface; theavailability of this food is thought tobe a key determinant of kittiwakeproductivity. Therefore kittiwakeproductivity can be used as anindicator of sandeel availability, whichappears to have declined through theperiod. There is evidence thatincreases in sea surface temperature

0

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1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Trends in kittiwake abundance and productivity

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1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Trends in gannet1 abundance and productivity

1Gannets are not monitored annually: the points show the

results of ten-yearly population censuses

(SST) have reduced the abundance ofsandeels and therefore theproductivity (and adult survival) ofkittiwakes. The presence of asandeel fishery in the North Sea isthought to have exacerbated theeffects of SST change, though nosandeel fishery currently operateswithin the kittiwakes’ foraging range.Evidence suggests that sandeelavailability was high in 2009, resultingin increased productivity ofkittiwakes and other species.

Gannet numbers have increasedsubstantially over the periodmonitored. Gannet productivity hasbeen consistently high, which hascontributed to this populationincrease, together with high rates ofadult survival. Unlike kittiwakes,gannets can travel great distancesfrom the colony to find food and theirdiet is varied, including mackerel,herring and other large fish. Thesefactors help gannets to maintainconsistently high productivity.

Fulmar breeding numbers in the UKhave undergone a long term increase,which continued until the end of the1990s, after which a decline isapparent. Unproductive breedingseasons during the last decade may

lead to further declines, althoughthese could be buffered by relativelysmall increases in adult survival. Asfulmars gain a large proportion oftheir food from fishery discards, therecent decline may in part be a resultof reductions in fishing activity.Indeed it is possible that fulmarpopulations have been bolstered byhistorically high fishing levels.Fulmars are caught accidentally bylong-line fishing in the NorwegianSea, although this impact has not yetbeen quantified. Reductions insandeel abundance driven by changesin the zooplankton community is alsolikely to be a factor in recent fulmardeclines.

The UK Sandwich tern populationhas fluctuated since 1986 but shownno clear trend. The index increasedsharply between 2008 and 2009, withthe recolonisation of Minsmere,which had been effectively abandonedin 1977. It is thought that birds mayhave moved from an abandonedcolony on the continent. Productivityof Sandwich terns - as with otherterns - typically fluctuates and isinfluenced by food supply (egsandeels and sprats) but predationplays a major role, especially thatfrom foxes. Productivity was

particularly low in 2007–09. Becausemany tern species nest near the tideedge on sand or shingle spits andislands, they are vulnerable to tidalinundation; this threat is likely toincrease in some areas given climatechange predictions of rising sea levelsand increased incidence of stormevents, although managedrealignment of coastal defences maycreate new opportunities for nesting.

The number of guillemots – anoffshore diving species – increasedthrough the 1960s to 1980s, with alevelling off or slight decline duringthe 2000s. Productivity declined in

27

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Trends in Sandwich tern abundance and productivity

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Trends in fulmar abundance and productivity

the late 1990s and fell to extremelylow levels in 2004–8, which is likely toresult in further population declines incoming years. Declines in productivityare associated with reduced sandeelavailability, probably mediated byincreases in SST. As with othersandeel feeders, productivity ofguillemots increased markedly in2009, when sandeel abundanceappeared to be high.

Population change in the shag isheavily affected by the incidence ofmass mortality events – or“wrecks” – which occur duringprolonged periods of onshore gales,

when birds such as shags find it hardto forage. Severe events, such asthose in 1994 and 2005, knocked backthe population considerably, andsubsequent recovery has been slow.Predictions of increased storminessdue to climate change suggest suchmortality events may become morefrequent. Shags are also heavilyreliant on sandeels and foodshortages linked to increases in SSTare likely to have contributed toperiodic low productivity andpopulation decline. However,productivity in 2009 wascomparatively high, in common withother sandeel specialists.

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Trends in shag abundance and productivity

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Trends in guillemot abundance and productivity

28

Greylag geese in ScotlandGreylag geese were once depletedto a remnant breeding population innorth-west Scotland. It has beenknown for some time, however, thatgreylag geese in Scotland from bothof the recognised populations (nativein Northwest Scotland and re-established elsewhere) have beenexpanding in numbers anddistribution. In order to quantify this, acomprehensive random stratifiedsurvey of summering greylag geesethroughout Scotland was undertakenin the summers of 2008 and 2009.Counts were conducted at siteswhere moult gatherings were knownor thought to occur, and a randomstratified survey of nearly 500 otherlochs was carried out.

The population estimate of greylaggeese summering in Scotland in2008–09 was 47,405 birds (range44,059 to 51,763). Breeding success,measured as the proportion ofjuvenile birds, was estimated at23.1% in 2008 and 13.3% in 2009,and the mean brood size was 3.19goslings per successful pair in bothyears. Using previous surveys as abaseline, the annual rates of increasewere estimated at 11.9% in north andwest Scotland (the range of theNorthwest Scotland population) (1997to 2008–09) and 9.7% in south andeast Scotland (re-establishedpopulation) (1991 to 2008–09).

The largest concentrations werefound on Orkney, the Uists, Shetland,Tiree, Harris and Lewis and Islay. Inmainland Scotland, the largestgatherings of moulting greylag geesewere at Black/White Lochs, Stranraerand Loch Leven, Perth & Kinross.

In 2000, there was an estimated24,500 re-established greylag geesein Britain (including Scotland) andnumbers were increasing at an

average rate of 9.4% p.a. – similar tothe figure of 9.7% given for southand east Scotland above. Assuming a continued rate of annual increaseacross Britain, the number of re-established greylag geese waslikely to have risen to some 50,000birds by 2008. Combining thatestimate with the number of greylaggeese recorded in north and westScotland in the current study (about34,000 birds) suggests the totalnumber of greylag geese summeringin Britain is probably 84,000 birds,highlighting the extent of what cannow be considered the successful re-establishment of British greylag geese.

MerlinA national merlin survey wasconducted in 2008, with 10-kmsquares being sampled throughoutthe species’ range, which extendsthrough all of the UK’s constituentnations. A population estimate of1,160 breeding pairs (95% confidencelimits 912–1,532) was extrapolatedfrom these sampled squares and theareas surveyed by Raptor Study

Groups. The estimate for Britain (notincluding Northern Ireland, which wassurveyed for the first time in 2008), of 1,128 pairs can be compared withthat from the previous survey in 1993–94 and indicates a slightdecline, albeit not statisticallysignificant, of 14%.

On a regional level, there appears tohave been considerable variation intrend. Merlins have virtuallydisappeared from South-west England(there was just one pair left) andnumbers in Yorkshire, Bowland andthe South Pennines have nearlyhalved. A similar level of decline wasrecorded in South and West Scotland,but the substantial population in NorthScotland had increased and 40% ofthe UK’s merlins are now found inthat region. A number of reasons forthese interesting regional patternshave been postulated – changes inprey abundance, forestry cover andthe age of existing commercialforests, and moorland managementsuch as grazing and burning – butfurther research will be needed tounderstand the causes fully.

Recent surveysPeter C

airns (rspb-images.com

)

Every winter, the UK plays host tomillions of waterbirds, which visit totake advantage of our varied andextensive wetland habitats, notablythe main estuaries. The fact that suchlarge numbers of birds are able to findsufficient food to survive the winterhere is partly a result of the relativelymild climate, due to the Gulf Streamkeeping us warmer than equivalentlatitudes of continental Europe. In thespring, most of these birds departfrom our shores to head for breedingareas as far away as northern Canadaand Siberia. Due to the critical rolesthey play in the life cycles of so manywaterbirds, many of the mostimportant UK sites are designated asSpecial Protection Areas and Ramsarsites (ie wetlands of internationalimportance).

Species/population Long-term trend % Ten-year trend %Mute swan 140 7Bewick's swan -10 -46Whooper swan 296 80Pink-footed goose 201 18European white-fronted goose -80 -75Greenland white-fronted goose 72 -43Icelandic greylag goose 4 13Northwest Scotland greylag goose n/a 52Re-established greylag goose 629 60Canada goose 136 24Greenland barnacle goose 165 63Svalbard barnacle goose 204 18Dark-bellied brent goose 34 -17Canadian light-bellied brent goose n/a 16Svalbard light-bellied brent goose 303 13Shelduck 4 -15Wigeon 84 1Gadwall 347 21Teal 45 2Mallard -34 -21Pintail 15 7Shoveler 71 23Pochard -27 -46Tufted duck 21 -13Scaup 127 60Eider -5 -5Goldeneye 2 -39Red-breasted merganser -7 -32Goosander -10 -42Ruddy duck 59 -48Little grebe n/a 23Great crested grebe n/a -1Cormorant n/a 12Coot n/a -8Oystercatcher 6 -13Avocet >1000 125Ringed plover -6 -27Golden plover 472 29Grey plover 71 -30Lapwing 177 -15Knot 18 5Sanderling 73 33Purple sandpiper -39 -21Dunlin -25 -41Black-tailed godwit 506 56Bar-tailed godwit -24 -35Curlew 38 -11Redshank 24 -12Turnstone 17 -6

29

Wintering waterbirds in the UK

Trend figures are derived from the WetlandBird Survey and Goose & Swan MonitoringProgramme. Lower coverage of somehabitats (such as non-estuarine opencoast, rivers and farmland) means thattrends for species found largely on suchhabitats (such as sanderling, mallard andlapwing) may be less representative thanthose for species found in habitats withbetter survey coverage.

Long-term trends are the percentagechanges between the smoothed indexvalues for 1981–82 and 2006–07. Ten-yeartrends are the percentage changesbetween the smoothed index values for1996–97 and 2006–07. Calculation ofsmoothed indices by use of a generalizedadditive model is detailed further atwww.bto.org/webs/alerts/alerts/index.htm.National monitoring of North westScotland greylag goose, Canadian light-bellied brent goose, little grebe,great crested grebe, coot and cormorantstarted later than for other species, so only10-year trends are shown.

Trends in wintering waterbirds

30

The wintering waterbird indicator onpage 5 of this report shows trends inoverall abundance for 46 nativespecies or populations, derived fromthe Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) CoreCounts and the Goose & SwanMonitoring Programme. It shows thatthere was a steady increase inwintering waterbirds in the UK fromthe mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, duein part to a network of protectedwetland sites. For some species,reductions in shooting pressure havealso contributed to the increases.However, since the mid-1990s, theindicators suggest that averagewaterbird numbers have levelled off,both for wildfowl and waders, and arenow indicating an overall decline,particularly for wildfowl. Results fromwaterbird monitoring schemes inother parts of Europe havedemonstrated that this is at leastpartly attributable to “short stopping”,whereby an increased proportion of awaterbird population is able to wintercloser to its breeding area (usuallyfurther east or north) due to milderwinters. However, it is crucial that theinfluence of short stopping onobserved waterbird trends in the UKis understood so that true declinesare not overlooked.

It should always be remembered thatthe indicators can give only a generalindication of change in the abundanceof the UK’s waterbirds since the mid-1970s. When individual species orpopulations are examined separately,markedly different patterns are oftenapparent.

Long-term trends indicate that 75% ofspecies populations have increasedover the last 25 years. However,during the short term there has beena change of fortunes, with 52% ofspecies in decline over the course ofthe last 10 years.

WadersThe sight of large flocks of wadersfeeding across intertidal areas orflying to high tide roosts is aninspiring element of the British winter,and these birds are also a veryimportant element of the UK’scontribution to global biodiversity.Through the efforts of WeBSvolunteers, waders are among themost well monitored groups of birdsin the UK, enabling effective study oftrends in abundance and distribution.

The wader indicator shows an overall8% decline since its peak in 2000/01,providing some cause for concern.This decrease may be either a directresult of declining populations or dueto changing distributions, and forsome species it is probablyattributable to both.

A number of familiar estuarinespecies have decreased in the UK in recent years. These include the dunlin, curlew and redshank,whose winter population trends have shown slow yet steady declines.However, there has been a recentsuggestion of improved fortunes for other species, such as theoystercatcher and grey plover,

while knot numbers remain largely stable.

The reasons for a recent increase in thenumber of sanderlings on estuarinehabitats are unclear, but may beassociated with a shift away from theopen coast. Other non-estuarineshoreline specialists have all shownrecent declines – ringed plovers,purple sandpipers and, to a lesserextent, turnstones. Ringed plovers, inparticular, are giving cause for seriousconcern, having reached their lowestlevel since monitoring began. This maybe linked to an eastward shift in winterdistribution, but British breedingnumbers are also known to be falling (asdocumented in SUKB 2008) and sosome decrease in overall abundance isconsidered likely.

The trends for the two godwits contrastmarkedly. Bar-tailed godwits haveexhibited an unprecedented slump onour estuaries in the last four years. Thisis thought to be due to a greaterproportion of the wintering populationremaining on the other side of the NorthSea, particularly on the Dutch WaddenSea. However, a more detailedunderstanding of movements isrequired to be certain of this, and

Trend in bar-tailed godwits

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continued monitoring is required todetermine whether the species willrecover to levels recorded during thepreceding peak. In contrast, a steepincrease in the number of black-tailedgodwits (red-listed due to historicaldecline in the breeding population)wintering in Britain has been a strikingfeature of recent decades, althoughthere is some indication that thewintering population may now bestabilising.They are an increasinglyconspicuous sight on the south andeast coasts in winter, and there arenow 29 sites in Britain supportinginternationally important numbers.

Similarly, wintering numbers ofavocets have continued to increaseon southern estuaries. Trends for thelapwing and golden plover bothtypically tend to fluctuate more thanfor other species – probably due to amore marked influence of coldweather on the continent, andbecause they tend to use agriculturalland as much as well-monitoredcoastal wetlands. In general, goldenplovers are increasing whereaslapwings, after a longer-termincrease, now appear to be exhibitinga decline.

WildfowlThe overall trend of abundance ofwildfowl wintering in the UK increasedfrom the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s.Since then there has been a smalldecline in six successive years and, interms of individual species, 15 populations show short-termdecreases.

Changes in the numbers of swans andgeese are reasonably well understooddue to the availability of detailed long-term data on breeding success anddistribution. Recent years have seenan increase in whooper swanscontrasting with a worrying decline inBewick’s swans. This decline during

the period 1995–2005 has recentlybeen clarified with the publication offigures from the internationalcensuses in 1995, 2000 and 2005.These show that the NorthwestEuropean population declined by 20%between 1995 and 2000 and a further8.5% to 2005; an overall decreasefrom 29,500 birds to 21,500.

Our wintering goose populations arealso experiencing mixed fortunes,although there is some slightly betternews regarding the Greenland white-fronted geese whose long-termdecline has been of considerableconcern. The most recent internationalcensus suggests that the decline hasnow stabilised; numbers in spring2009 were very similar to the previousyear. This may be a reflection of thecessation of shooting in Iceland,where around 3,500 birds wereharvested annually prior to 2006/07.However, the status of this populationremains a major concern and so closeattention will continue to be paid totrends.

Amongst ducks, reasons for apparentpopulation changes are less wellunderstood, as individual populationsare much less studied. However, short-term trends of several species arehighly suggestive of the influence ofclimate change. For example, ongoingmonitoring of wintering ducks inScandinavia has shown that numbersof dabbling and diving species haveincreased in response to the ice-free conditions in the last 20years.

In the UK, the mallard, pochard andred-breasted merganser continue tobe three of the species showing themost serious declines – suggestingthat the impacts of milder winters areaffecting birds within all ecologicalgroups (ie dabbling and diving, coastaland freshwater species).

31

The steady increase in numbers of

many species of wintering waders

and wildfowl can be regarded as

one of the UK’s conservation

successes over recent decades, a

testament to the protection and

management of a network of

wetland sites that have supported

ever-larger numbers of birds. The

recent onset of declines in many

species is therefore cause for

concern. Careful monitoring and

research is needed, both in the UK

and elsewhere on flyways, to

determine whether this is the result

of climate-mediated range shifts,

or indicative of population-level

declines.

Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

32

Trends for some coastal diving ducksare also a cause for concern, withgoldeneyes and eiders showingrecent declines. With the exception ofthe mallard, dabbling species aregenerally doing better, with thewigeon, teal and pintail all faringrelatively well over both the long andshort term. However, the trend ofseveral duck species show markedcontrasts between Northern Irelandand Britain, with declines of wigeons,gadwalls and shovelers noted inNorthern Ireland compared toincreasing trends in Britain. Thissuggests that distributional change isa major factor driving these trends.

One major success story amongwildfowl since standardisedmonitoring began has been thegadwall. Numbers have increasedconsiderably over the course of 30years, probably at least partly due towetland creation, but there are signsthat the wintering population maynow have reached a plateau.

Trends in mallards, pochards and red-breasted mergansers

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2007/2008

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

Use of estuaries at low tideDespite involving only a relativelysmall number of sites, estuariescollectively represent the mostimportant habitat for winteringwaterbirds in the UK. They are alsoinherently different from thethousands of inland sites counted forWeBS. The influence of the tidemeans that the birds have to be muchmore mobile, both within andbetween sites. WeBS Core Counts onestuaries have, in general, been basedaround high tide roosts becausecounts are much easier at this time.Although safe roost sites are essentialfor water birds to see out the high tideperiod without being predated orlosing hard earned energy reserves,they are usually secondary inimportance to the areas used forfeeding. The WeBS Low Tide Countsscheme, initiated in the winter of1992/93, aims to monitor, assess andregularly update information on therelative importance of intertidalfeeding areas within UK estuaries forwintering waterbirds, thuscomplementing the informationgathered by WeBS Core Counts.

As an example of the informationproduced by the scheme, the low tidedistribution of wigeons and curlewsin Portsmouth Harbour in the winter of2008/09 shows that, whilst curlewsfeed widely across the open mudflatsof the harbour, wigeons are moreconcentrated in the narrower creeks inthe north-west corner. Every winterabout 20 estuaries are surveyed in thisway, with most estuaries countedabout once every six years giving afine level of detail on how areas withinthem are used. Some of these areasmay be affected by human activitiesand so this information can be used tohelp manage potential conflictsbetween waterbirds and suchactivities as dock developments,proposals for recreational activities,

tidal power barrages, marinas andhousing schemes.

The data gathered contribute furtherto the conservation of waterbirds byproviding supporting information forthe establishment and managementof the UK network of Ramsar sitesand Special Protection Areas (SPAs),other site designations and wholeestuary conservation plans. In

addition, WeBS Low Tide Countsenhance our knowledge of the lowwater distribution of waterbirds andprovide the data that highlightregional variations in habitat use. Amore recent and pressing role is thatthey help us to understand, predictand plan compensation for the effectsof sea-level rise on the UK’sinternationally important estuarinewaterbird populations.

33

Low tide maps of curlews and wigeons in Portsmouth Harbour

Red dots indicate locations of birds

34

The UK’s Overseas Territories (UKOTs)and Crown Dependencies are small ingeographical extent but aredisproportionately important for theirbiodiversity. They include arguably theworld’s most important seabirdassemblage on Gough Island, and asignificant number (24) of bird speciesfound nowhere else in the world.Indeed, this is more than the totalnumber (20) of endemic bird speciesfound in the whole of continentalEurope – an area vastly larger. Collectively the territories supportabout 50 million seabirds – about20% of the world’s seabirdpopulation, including a third of theworld’s albatrosses. Yet as noted inSUKB 2007, they are also a globalhotspot for bird extinctions, with 10species recorded as having becomeextinct.

How is the status of birdswithin the UKOTs changing?The Red List Index has beendeveloped by BirdLife International asa means of summarising the overallconservation status for any definedgroup of species. It ranges fromtheoretical values of 1, whichrepresents a state when no speciesare listed on IUCN’s Red List (whichindicates the threat of extinction), to 0– where all species are extinct.

BirdLife International has generated aRed List Index for bird speciesoccurring within metropolitan UK, aswell as within the UK’s OverseasTerritories. This shows: • the markedly poorer overall status

of birds in the OTs compared withmetropolitan UK, and

• the declining status (with respectto the IUCN Red List) of birds bothin the UK as well as in the OTs.

Several globally threatened seabirdspecies in particular are continuing todecline in numbers thus driving thefall in the index.

As well as impacts from predatorynon-native mice on young birds (seebelow), the Critically EndangeredTristan albatross is also sufferingincreased adult mortality as a result of pelagic long-line tuna fisheries inthe South Atlantic. Mortality fromsuch long-line fishing is also impactinga range of other species from theUKOTs, such as sooty and black-browed albatrosses (bothEndangered). Responses to reducethe impact of such fisheries are beingdeveloped and trialled on manyfishing vessels, and this and otherwork aimed at the conservation ofalbatrosses and petrels is being takenforward by the Agreement on theConservation of Albatrosses andPetrels (ACAP). However, thereremain major challenges to the

widespread uptake of seabird-friendlyfishing gear and practices.The tiny population of wirebirds or St Helena plovers fell from 450individuals in 1988–1989 to 350 in1998–2001, and then to 200–220between November 2005 to January2006. This was because of land-usechange (particularly a decrease ingrazing pressure) and predation byinvasive species. As a consequence,its status has declined fromEndangered to Critically Endangered,which triggered a number of recentconservation projects to try to reversethis trend. Subsequently numbershave risen again, with 397 adultscounted in early 2010, and continuedrecovery may lead to the CriticallyEndangered status being downgradedin the future.

A healthcheck for birds in the UK’sOverseas Territories

Summary of the status of birds of global conservation concern in theOverseas Territories

Critically Threatened 4 species All OT endemic

Endangered 8 species 4 OT endemic

Vulnerable 20 species 12 OT endemic

Near Threatened 15 species 2 OT endemic

Red List Index for the UK, and the UK’s Overseas Territories

0.950

0.960

0.970

0.980

0.990

1.000

1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

Red

Lis

t Ind

ex o

f sp

ecie

s su

rviv

al

Year

UK UK OTs

Bet

ter

Wor

se

Wetland protectionSince the last summary of birds in theUKOTs in SUKB 2007, the UKgovernment, working with thegovernments of the Territoriesconcerned, has made severalsignificant classifications of newwetlands of international importanceunder the Ramsar Convention.Especially notable was theclassification of Gough andInaccessible Islands within the Tristanda Cunha group of South Atlanticislands in October 2008.

These two sites (which already haveWorld Heritage status) include all ofthe islands and their surrounding seasout to the 12-nautical mile limit ofterritorial waters. Gough Island is oneof the largest relatively unmodifiedcool temperate island ecosystems inthe southern hemisphere and theisland has been described as “astrong contender for the title of themost important seabird colony in theworld.”

Impacts from non-nativespeciesWhilst overall numbers of birds onGough Island are huge, impacts fromnon-native house mice threaten someof these species. Recent research haselaborated how mice eat youngTristan albatross chicks. The statusof the species continues to declineand it is becoming increasingly clearthat measures to eradicate non-nativemice from Gough will be essential ifthis, and other threatened birdspecies on the island, are to survive.Further south, on South Georgia,recent research has highlighted howclimate change is enabling the furtherspread of non-native species withimplications for birds. Here, both non-native rats and reindeer are restrictedto certain parts of the island byglaciers that restrict the movement ofnon-native mammals along the coast.

35

Populations of birds within the newly designated Gough IslandRamsar sites

Name Population size(breeding pairs)

% of worldpopulation

IUCN status Position inrange/endemism

Northernrockhopperpenguin

65,000 c. 28% Endangered

Tristan albatross 2,500 >99% CriticallyEndangered Endemic

Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross 5,300 c. 17% Endangered Restricted to

Tristan Islands

Sooty albatross 5,000 c. 32% Endangered

Southern giantpetrel 250 <1% Least Concern Most northerly

breeding locality

Grey petrel At least 10,000 c. 13% Near Threatened

Atlantic petrel 1,800,000 100% Endangered Endemic

Soft-plumagedpetrel 400,000 c. 12% Least Concern

Greatshearwater 980,000 c. 17% Least Concern

Broad-billedprion 1,750,000 c. 8% Least Concern

Tristan skua 1,000 c. 83% Least Concern

Brown noddy 200 <1% Least Concern Most southerlybreeding locality

Gough moorhen 3,500 (very roughestimate) 100% Vulnerable Endemic

Gough bunting 1,000 100% CriticallyEndangered Endemic

Michael G

ore (rspb-images.com

)

36

Studies by the British AntarcticSurvey have shown the progressiveand rapid retreat of nearly all SouthGeorgia’s glaciers. This gives anincreased risk of rat invasion to thosecoastal regions that are currentlyprotected by glacial barriers, and hassignificant implications for theimportant breeding populations ofground-nesting birds on SouthGeorgia.

Success for species recoveryprojects: turning the tideIn recent years there has been amuch better understanding of theimportance of the UKOTs forbiodiversity and the scale of theconservation problems faced. Thiswelcome awareness has beenreflected in the development andfunding of a range of differentconservation initiatives.

The tiny Cobb’s wren, an endemicbird of the Falkland Islands, foragesamongst the boulder beaches ofoffshore islands in the Falklands andnow only occurs on those islandswhich are free from introduced cats,foxes and rodents. Recent fundinghas enabled rat eradication to occuron 44 islands and surveys for wrensand rats on at least 70 others as partof a progressive programme of rateradication from offshore islands inthe Falklands. This is a crucial activityto expand the extent of habitat forthis globally threatened species.

In Bermuda, 2009 saw the cornerturned in the fortunes of one of theworld’s rarest birds, the CriticallyEndangered Bermuda petrel orcahow. Although in the early 1500sthere were thought to have beenabout half a million pairs on Bermuda,pigs, rats, cats and dogs introduced tothe main island by early settlersdecimated the population and by 1620they were thought to be extinct.

However, in 1951 small numberswere rediscovered nesting on smallislets off Bermuda.

The rediscovered population was tinywith just 18 breeding pairs producingas few as eight fledged chicks in1962. Since then, a long-termconservation programme has aimedto restore the suitability of otheroffshore islands for the petrels and soexpand its potential range beyond therapidly eroding small islets wherethey were rediscovered. At NonsuchIsland, a major long-term programmeeliminated predators from the islandand restored its ecology. The CahowRecovery Project has worked toestablish a new colony there bytranslocating near-fledged chicks from their natal nest sites to a newgroup of artificial nests built at a newcolony site.

Over a five-year period between 2004and 2008, 105 cahow chicks weretranslocated from the tiny erodingnesting islets to nest burrows onNonsuch. Nearly all of these fledgedsuccessfully. In 2009, 15 cahowsfrom the 2005 and 2006translocations were recorded in nestburrows on Nonsuch, with at least sixpairs of birds recorded togetherbuilding nests and the first chickfledged successfully on 17 June2009.

Although the cahow remains one ofthe rarest seabirds, the RecoveryProject has increased its breedingpopulation to a record 86 nestingpairs producing 47 fledged chicks in2009. This programme of intensivemanagement has certainly preventedthe species from going extinct andthe techniques pioneered in Bermudahave much wider applicability. The events of 2009 certainly suggestthat the cahow is truly “back from the brink”.

Our UKOTs contained a vast avianwealth, with a number of islandendemics and huge seabirdcolonies that easily surpasses thatof metropolitan UK. Similarly, thethreats to, and loss of, this avianbiodiversity is greater than in theUK, with a rising number (47 atpresent) of species at risk of globalextinction. Although we are able toreport some conservationsuccesses, it is clear there needs tobe a step change in the support forconservation in the UKOTs toprevent additions to the 10 speciesto have gone extinct already. Mosturgently, steps need to be taken toremove the non-native species thatthreaten the unique communitieson the likes of Gough andHenderson Islands.

Richard R

evels (rspb-images.com

)

Fieldwork for the Bird Atlas started inNovember 2007 and we have nowcompleted three winter and threebreeding seasons. Progress has beenexcellent, thanks to more than 13,000dedicated volunteers who have beenvisiting all corners of Britain andIreland. The winter of 2009/10 waschallenging for fieldwork withprolonged periods of freezingtemperatures, heavy snow and icy conditions.

The Bird Atlas aims to map thedistribution and relative abundance ofbirds in both winter and the breedingseason, and to produce revisedpopulation estimates. Previousatlases have been carried out in thewinter (1981-–84) and breedingseasons (1968–72 and 1988-91), sowe have the opportunity to assesschanges in range over the last 30–40years. The Atlas is organised by BTO,BirdWatch Ireland and the ScottishOrnithologists’ Club, who workclosely with networks of regionalAtlas Organisers across Britain andIreland. The regional Atlas Organisers,all volunteers themselves, perform afantastic task co-ordinating volunteerswho undertake fieldwork.

The aim over the four years of theproject is to produce comprehensivespecies lists for every 10-km square inBritain and Ireland in both seasons. Inthe breeding season, recording thebreeding evidence of birds is a keypart of the fieldwork. Standard codesare used to categorise breeding aspossible, probable or confirmed. The10-km square species lists aregenerated from casual birdwatchingsightings (Roving Records), recordssubmitted to BirdTrack(www.birdtrack.net) and “top-up”records from other schemes such asRinging and the Nest Record Schemewhich provide valuable information onbreeding evidence. In order to

produce maps of relative abundance,timed counts (Timed Tetrad Visits) arecarried out in at least eight of the 25tetrads (2 x 2 km squares) in every 10-km square.

For the first time in the history ofnational atlases we have used theinternet to gather records fromvolunteers. We are delighted thatmore than 90% of records have beensubmitted online, which allows us toproduce summary species lists forevery tetrad and 10-km square,regional maps and up-to-date maps ofcoverage. The statistics areimpressive with 121,000 Timed TetradVisits and 2.1 million Roving Recordssubmitted and more than 2.3 millionrecords from BirdTrack incorporatedinto the Atlas. Geographical coveragehas been very good across much ofEngland, mainland Scotland and mostof Wales. Considerable volunteereffort is still required in mid and westWales, the Scottish islands, Isles ofScilly and Ireland. Detailed maps ofcoverage can be found online atwww.birdatlas.net

Even at this stage of the Atlas we arebeginning to pick out species thatshow significant changes in theirrange – both expansion and

contraction. As birdwatchers, we willhave noticed the eastward expansionof buzzards, the northward spread ofthe little egret and nuthatch, andthat cuckoos, spotted flycatchersand yellow wagtails have all becomescarcer. More subtle patterns ofchange are also emerging for otherspecies, such as the greenwoodpecker and little owl, andfurther fieldwork will provide a clearerpicture.

Winter weather has an importantinfluence on stonechat populationlevels and a decline in a severe winteris usually followed by recovery after asuccession of mild winters. Breedingseason monitoring suggested adecline through the 1970s and 1980sbut since the early 1990s numbershave increased (up 168% between1995 and 2008 on BBS) and thespecies has recently been movedfrom the Amber to the Green list ofBirds of Conservation Concernreflecting its more favourable statusacross Europe as a whole. Fieldworkfor Bird Atlas 2007–11 has shown aconsiderable range expansion in bothwinter and the breeding season sincethe previous national atlases, helpedalong by successive mild winters inthe 1990s and 2000s, coupled with

37

Bird Atlas 2007–11Tom

Marshall (rspb-im

ages.com)

38

good breeding success (see map). Itwill be interesting to see how the coldwinter of 2009/10 affects numbersand distribution, and the BreedingBird Survey and the Atlas will play akey role in reporting this.

The decline in the abundance offarmland birds such asyellowhammers, corn buntings andlapwings is well documented, but itis only through atlases that we canlook at changes in range. Provisionalresults for the yellowhammer (seemap) show range contraction inIreland, Wales, western Scotland,south-west England and the fringes ofthe Pennines. Further fieldwork in thewest of Britain and in Ireland, wherenot all 10-km squares have beencovered, will give us a clearer pictureof the full extent of the rangecontraction.

Yellowhammer map Stonechat map

Provisional breeding season distribution forthe yellowhammer. Three sizes of dotindicate possible (small), probable(medium) and confirmed (large) breeding.

Provisional winter distribution for thestonechat. Each dot represents presence in a10-km square.

Ben H

all (rspb-images.com

)

Have there ever been more peopleinvolved in monitoring the UK’s birds?The answer depends upon thedefinition of “monitor”. Does it mean“to keep an eye on” or is it the morerigorous “check and measure”? Rightnow, in the middle of Bird Atlas 2007–11, a huge number of people areidentifying and counting birds –contributing key monitoringinformation. Looking at the questionmore broadly, however, there are farfewer who have a connection withthe annual cycles of the countrysidethan was the case a century ago,when millions more lived and workedin rural areas.

Recent research has attempted tounderstand what motivates up to40,000 people each year to countbirds as part of BTO-led surveys. Theircontributions vary from weeklyGarden BirdWatch counts through tothe Breeding Bird Survey, the surveythat underpins the national wild birdindicators shown on page 5. Thisresearch revealed that theseimportant activities fulfil a range ofcommon needs: solving puzzles,getting involved, being part ofsomething purposeful, developingpersonal knowledge and receivingrecognition.

Bird survey work is a challenge; in thesame way that a crossword is achallenge. There are always newtechniques to be learned. Not only dovolunteers count the bullfinches intheir survey squares, they also learnthe types of hedgerow in which theyare going to be found. A BBSvolunteer might encounter the firstsinging skylarks in a cereal field butthe second breeding attempt maywell be in a field of beans. Outsidethe breeding season, for someoneundertaking a WeBS count on anestuary, the subtle relationshipsbetween habitats and species will be

revealed as the months go by. Bar-tailed godwits can always befound in sandy bays whereas black-tailed godwits are found inmuddy areas, for example.Developing an understanding of howbirds use their habitats, at a locallevel, provides self-fulfilment for manyobservers. This feeling is reinforced bythe belief that national figures willreveal patterns that feed intoconservation planning and action,thanks to the powerful databases heldby conservation organisations such asthose involved in this report: forexample the database of 100 millionrecords maintained by the BTO.

The value of volunteer involvement inmonitoring and conservation work ishuge. Each year, the JNCC collectsinformation on the contribution madeby volunteers(www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4253).Skilled surveyors spend 1.68 millionhours in the field or inputting dataeach year, a commitment that has anestimated value of £34 million

annually. The partnership ofconservation scientists andbirdwatchers facilitates the collectionof a much greater volume of robustinformation than could be provided bysalaried fieldworkers alone. Accordingto the JNCC survey, between 2000and 2008 there was a 50% increasein time spent volunteering, much ofthe rise being associated with birdsurveys. Breaking down the figures,we can see that the effort that isgoing into the Bird Atlas 2007–11,with an estimated 13,400 onlinecontributors, has affected theBreeding Bird Survey. The number ofsquares covered has dipped since themaximum level of 3,641 in 2007, justbefore the start of the atlas period, to3,211 in 2009: this is still massivelybigger than the 280 who used toundertake its more complexpredecessor, the Common BirdsCensus, in the 1980s.

Although the number of volunteer birdsurveyors has increased hugely, wecannot be complacent. It is already

39

The value of volunteers in bird monitoring

Number of participants in the Breeding Bird Survey

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Num

ber o

f squ

ares

sur

veye

d

Year

England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK

The drop in numbers of squares covered in 2001 was due to restrictions during the Foot& Mouth disease outbreak

40

hard to find volunteers in some partsof the UK (particularly the north andwest) and many of the key surveyorsand local organisers are unlikely to bestill out birdwatching in 20 years’time. This is a good time to be lookingfor their understudies and successors;birdwatchers who can hone their skillswhilst walking along a canal doing aWBBS count and then take the leadfor Bird Atlas 2027–2031. Volunteersbecome very committed; many of the500 people who contributed to theBirds of Estuaries Enquiry in 1970, forexample, are at the heart of WeBS,which now has 3,000 contributors.

Realistically, the number of volunteersprepared to get involved in monitoringwork is limited, by personalconfidence and skill levels, but thefact that an estimated 530,000 tookpart in the RSPB Big Garden

Eleanor B

entall (rspb-images.com

)

BirdWatch in 2010 indicates the hugepotential. To increase involvement,birdwatching organisations are tryingto encourage more local “patch”birdwatching. BirdTrack has 19,154registered users submitting between2,000 and 5,000 visit lists everyweek, depending upon the time ofyear. When bird lists are combined,regionally and nationally, interestingpatterns appear, such as the annualarrival trends of migrants or thefrequency of occurrence of birds indifferent years. A long run of springinformation about birds such aswhitethroat and swallow is going toprovide interesting evidence of thechallenges of changing weatherpatterns, for instance, whilst thedecline of goldcrests during the coldspell of January 2009 shows upclearly in BirdTrack data.

Coming back to monitoring, there isone final challenge to set. Focusing onthe “checkers and measurers” andproviding them with theencouragement and training they askfor is relatively straightforward.However, as lives become morefocused on indoor activities, it may beharder to increase the number ofpeople in the wider population who“keep an eye” on birds – the peoplewho appreciate what is happeningaround them and who understandwhy surveying, red lists, indicatorsand conservation action are soimportant. The future of monitoringand conservation as a whole,depends on us continuing to nurturean interest in nature in young people.

Current and planned surveysThe information summarised in Thestate of the UK’s birds 2010 is drawnfrom the annual and periodicmonitoring programmes describedbelow and from the work of individualornithologists. Anyone interested orwishing to take part in these surveysshould contact the relevantorganisations at the addresses givenon the following pages.

The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) isthe monitoring scheme for commonand widespread breeding land birdsthroughout the UK and aims toprovide data on populations trends toinform and direct conservation action.It is a partnership between the BritishTrust for Ornithology (BTO), the JointNature Conservation Committee(JNCC) – on behalf of Natural England(NE), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH),the Countryside Council for Wales(CCW) and Northern IrelandEnvironment Agency (NIEA) – and theRSPB [contact BTO].

The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) isthe monitoring scheme for non-breeding waterbirds in the UK, whichaims to provide the principal data forthe conservation of their populationsand wetland habitats. It is apartnership between BTO, the RSPBand JNCC (on behalf of NE, SNH,CCW and NIEA) in association withWildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)[contact BTO].

Goose and swan data are collected bythe Goose & Swan MonitoringProgramme, funded under theWWT/JNCC partnership [contactWWT].

The Waterways Bird Survey (WBS)and the Waterways Breeding BirdSurvey (WBBS) have been runningsince 1974 and 1998 respectively.These schemes aim to monitor

riverside breeding birds, particularlywaterway specialists, across the UK[contact BTO].

The Seabird Monitoring Programmegathers information on breedingnumbers, breeding success and otherparameters to help us understanddrivers of change and to targetconservation action. Coordinated byJNCC, it is a partnership between thestatutory nature conservationagencies, research and conservationorganisations; see www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1550

The Barn Owl MonitoringProgramme was started in 2000 tomonitor populations, throughstandardised recording at a set ofbarn owl sites representative of thedistribution in the UK [contact BTO].

The Big Garden Birdwatch is thelargest wildlife survey in the world – a simple design (one hour watchingbirds in the garden each January)means over half a million people havetaken part in recent years. The dataprovide an excellent snapshot ofgarden bird numbers across the UK[contact the RSPB].

Garden Bird Watch is a year-roundscheme recording the weeklyoccurrence and numbers of birds inparticipants’ gardens. The datacollected provides valuableinformation on changes in bird use ofrural and urban habitats that can berelated to population trends in thewider countryside [contact BTO].

BirdTrack is a year-round online birdrecording system run by BTO, theRSPB, BirdWatch Ireland and theScottish Ornithologists’ Club. Thecollection of list data from a largenumber of observers will enable thefulfilment of a range of nationalresearch and monitoring objectives

[contact BTO/RSPB or seewww.birdtrack.net].

An advance programme of UK-widesurveys of other priority breedingspecies has been established underthe Statutory Conservation Agenciesand RSPB Annual Breeding BirdScheme (SCARABBS) Agreement.Hen harriers were surveyed in 2010,whilst we hope to survey dotterels,snow buntings and ring ouzels in2011 [contact the RSPB].

Bird Atlas, 2007–2011. Twenty yearssince the last breeding atlas, and 30years on from the last winter atlas,the BTO, BirdWatch Ireland andScottish Ornithologists' Club areteaming up to produce the nextlandmark atlas to document thechanging distribution of Britain’s andIreland’s avifauna. This atlas combineswinter and breeding season fieldwork.More details can be found atwww.birdatlas.net

41

What you can do to help

42

AcknowledgementsMonitoring of birds in the UK, such asthat covered in this report, involves abroad partnership of governmentagencies, NGOs, sponsors andindependent ornithologists, including:

Anglian Water; BirdWatch Ireland;British Birds; British Trust forOrnithology; British Waterways;Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; CJWildBird Foods; Countryside Councilfor Wales; Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defra); Environment Agency;Environment Wales; European BirdCensus Council; European SocialFund; European Union LifeProgramme; Forestry Commission;Forest Enterprise; Game and WildlifeConservation Trust; Greenland White-fronted Goose Study; Hawk and OwlTrust; Irish Brent Goose ResearchGroup; Joint Nature ConservationCommittee; Manx BirdLife; Ministryof Defence; National Trust; NationalTrust for Scotland; Natural England;Northern England Raptor Forum;Northern Ireland EnvironmentAgency; Northumbrian Water; RaptorStudy Groups; Rare Breeding BirdsPanel; the Royal Society for theProtection of Birds; Scottish ExecutiveRural Affairs Department; ScottishNatural Heritage; ScottishOrnithologists’ Club; Scottish RaptorStudy Groups; Scottish Wildlife Trust;Seabird Group; Severn Trent Water;Shetland Oil Terminal EnvironmentalAdvisory Group; Thames Water;University of Cambridge; University ofExeter Centre for Ecology andConservation; Wales Raptor StudyGroup; Welsh Kite Trust; the Wildfowl& Wetlands Trust; the Wildlife Trusts;Woodland Trust.

In particular, we thank the landownersand their agents, tenants andemployees who have allowed

surveyors to visit their land to countbirds.

Finally, we would like to thank all thecompanies and other organisationsthat have sponsored or taken part inwork on priority bird species insupport of the UK Biodiversity ActionPlan.

Designed and published by theRSPB on behalf of:The BTO:Headquarters, The Nunnery, Thetford,Norfolk IP24 2PUTel: 01842 750050 Fax: 01842 750030

BTO Scotland, School of Biologicaland Environmental Sciences, CottrellBuilding, University of Stirling, StirlingFK9 4LATel: 01786 466560

Visit the BTO website: www.bto.orgRegistered charity no 216652

The WWT:WWT, Slimbridge, GloucestershireGL2 7BTTel: 01453 891900 Fax: 01453 891901

Visit the WWT website:www.wwt.org.ukRegistered charity no 1030884

The RSPB:UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy,Bedfordshire SG19 2DLTel: 01767 680551 Fax: 01767 692365

Northern Ireland Headquarters,Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QTTel: 028 9049 1547 Fax: 028 90491669

Scotland Headquarters, DunedinHouse, 25 Ravelston Terrace,Edinburgh EH4 3TPTel: 0131 311 6500 Fax: 0131 3116569

Wales Headquarters, 2nd Floor,Sutherland House, Castlebridge,Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9ABTel: 029 2035 3000 Fax: 029 2035 3017

Visit the RSPB website:www.rspb.org.ukRegistered charity number 207076

Countryside Council for Wales:Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd,Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DWTel: 0845 1306229 Fax: 01248 355782

Visit the CCW website:www.ccw.gov.uk

Joint Nature ConservationCommittee:Monkstone House, City Road,Peterborough, PE1 1JYTel: 01733 562626Fax: 01733 555948

Visit the JNCC website:www.jncc.gov.uk

Natural England:1 East Parade, Sheffield, S1 2ETTel: 0845 6003078

Visit the Natural England website:www.naturalengland.org.uk

Northern Ireland EnvironmentAgency:Commonwealth House, 35 CastleStreet, Belfast, BT1 1GUTel: 028 90251477 Fax: 028 90546660

Visit the NIEA website: www.ni-environment.gov.uk

Scottish Natural Heritage:Great Glen House, Leachkin Road,Inverness, IV3 8NWTel: 01463 725000

Visit the SNH website:www.snh.org.uk

About us

The state of the UK’s birds 2010 is also available online on the websites of the BTO, the RSPB and WWT (see addressesbelow).

Andy H

ay (rspb-images.com

)

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems thatthreaten our environment. Nature is amazing – help us keep it that way. We belong to BirdLife International, the global partnership of birdconservation organisations.

The BTO is the UK charity dedicated to research on wild birds. Through itsvolunteer network, it monitors populations by organising long-term surveyssuch as the Breeding Bird Survey, the ringing scheme and the nest recordsscheme, and carries out research related to bird conservation.

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is a leading wetland conservationorganisation saving wetlands for wildlife and people across the world.Founded in 1946 by the late Sir Peter Scott it has a network of visitor centresacross the UK and has organised national waterbird monitoring schemes forover 50 years.

The Countryside Council for Wales is the statutory adviser to governmenton sustaining natural beauty, wildlife and the opportunity for outdoorenjoyment in rural Wales and its inshore waters.

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve andenhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastaland marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment forits intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and theeconomic prosperity it brings.

The aim of Northern Ireland Environment Agency is to protect andconserve the natural and built environment and to promote its appreciation forthe benefit of present and future generations.

Scottish Natural Heritage is the Government’s adviser on all aspects ofnature and landscape across Scotland. Their role is to help everyoneunderstand, value and enjoy Scotland's nature now and in the future.

Joint Nature Conservation Committee is the statutory adviser to UKGovernment and devolved administrations on UK and international natureconservation. Its work contributes to maintaining and enriching biologicaldiversity, conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems.

Front cover: Mark Hamblin (rspb-images.com)

Produced by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a registered charity:England & Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 210-0249-09-10