This is the fourteenth annual report on the results of seabird monitoring at colonies throughout Britain and Ireland, produced jointly by JNCC, RSPB and SOTEAG, as part of JNCC's Seabird Monitoring Programme. Available data on seabird breeding numbers and breeding success at seabird colonies in 2002 are summarised and compared with results from previous years, primarily 2001, with an analysis of longer term trends in the context of recent findings. This edition of the report contains modest changes to the presentation of some of the information, which it is hoped will improve the readability of the report and assist in understanding the data; a description of the changes is given in section 1.2.5.

 

The information contained in this report has been collated from many sources. These include research staff and wardens from a variety of organisations including RSPB, SOTEAG, JNCC, Scottish Natural Heritage, English Nature, Countryside Council for Wales, Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Trusts, bird observatories, National Trust and National Trust for Scotland, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and BirdWatch Ireland. Many dedicated fieldwork volunteers also contribute valuable data to the Seabird Monitoring Programme; refer to the Acknowledgements section for details.

 

One aim of the annual report is to draw attention to notable changes in seabird numbers or breeding performance, which may merit direct conservation action or further research. It is also intended to provide feedback and, we hope, encouragement for future work, to the many individuals and organisations contributing data, by placing results for individual colonies or regions in a wider context. The results presented refer mainly to coastal or island populations of seabirds, but reference is also made to inland populations of great cormorants, gulls and terns where data are available.

 

Any comments on this report, or offers of help for future seasons, would be greatly appreciated by the authors. We are also keen to receive any existing additional information on numbers or breeding success for any seabird species, whether at coastal or inland colonies, which may not have been previously submitted to the Seabird Monitoring Programme. Any such data will be added to the long-term seabird databases maintained by JNCC and RSPB, including the JNCC/Seabird Group's Seabird Colony Register.

 

Details of recommended methods for assessing seabird numbers and breeding success are given in the Seabird monitoring handbook for Britain and Ireland (Walsh et al. 1995). Copies of the Handbook, or other advice on seabird monitoring methodology, may be obtained from the Seabirds and Cetaceans Unit of JNCC at the address given on the title page.