If you go down to the woods today…
you’d be hard-pressed to find any woodland birds
Woodland birds show biggest declines of all species monitored
by the Breeding Bird Survey
Latest results from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird
Survey (BBS) put our woodland birds at the top of the list of
declining species. The BBS is the primary source of information
about our countryside birds, and now shows that Wood Warbler,
Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher and Willow Tit have all
declined by over 50% since the start of the survey in
1994.
People power:
Nearly 3,000 volunteer birdwatchers got up very early in the
morning to take part in the annual Breeding Bird Survey in 2007,
and counted over a million individual birds of 220 species
throughout the UK. Here are some of the results of their work:
Woodland birds decline
BBS volunteers found that many woodland birds have decreased
since the start of the survey in 1994, but those with the most
specialist habitat requirements (some of which are also
long-distance migrants), have shown the most dramatic declines,
notably Willow Tit (down 77%), Spotted Flycatcher (down 59%), Wood
Warbler (down 57%) and Pied Flycatcher (down 54%). This is not due
to loss of habitat, as overall we probably have more woodland than
ever, but the tree composition and age structure of our woods have
changed. Deer have increased in numbers, browsing away the forest
under-story on which the birds depend, and forest management
practices are changing the structure of our woodlands.
Stonechat, Nuthatch and Buzzard expand across the UK
It’s not all bad news, and some species are increasing in
numbers. Many of the species showing the biggest increases are also
expanding across the UK, notably Stonechat (up 278%), Nuthatch (up
71%) and Buzzard (up 56%). Buzzards are spreading from their
western strongholds, thanks to reduced persecution and the recovery
of rabbit populations from the effects of myxomatosis. Stonechats
are also spreading back eastwards from the temperate western
coastal areas, and Nuthatches, previously found only in England and
Wales, are increasingly breeding in Scotland. Is this an indication
of climate change? The 2007-11 Bird Atlas, organised by BTO (with
BirdWatch Ireland and the Scottish Ornithologists' Club), will
track the geographical spread of these species, as BBS monitors
changes in numbers.
Life looking up for Grasshopper Warblers
The secretive Grasshopper Warbler is more often heard than seen,
identified by a mechanical-sounding song that has been compared to
a spinning reel on a fishing rod. They had been lost from many
areas by the 1980s, and are red-listed due to population declines.
However, BBS results now show that life is looking up for
Grasshopper Warblers, which have increased by 68% since the survey
started in 1994, and also increased by 24% between 2006 and
2007.
Notes for Editors
- The Breeding Bird
Survey started in 1994, and is simple but carefully designed,
attracting many participants. The good coverage throughout the UK
means we are able to report changes in many populations in detail,
reporting specific trends for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland
and Wales and the nine English Government Office Regions, as well
as for the UK overall.
- Details of all the above trends can be found in the BBS report.
The full title of this report is The Breeding Bird Survey 2007 by
Kate Risely, David Noble and Stephen Baillie. More information can
be found at www.bto.org/bbs, and the report can be
downloaded from www.bto.org/bbs/results/BBSreport07.pdf (PDF,
2.54 mb)
- BBS press releases specific to Scotland and Wales have been
produced.
- Changes in the status of breeding birds are used by the
Government to set conservation priorities, and population trends
are used as indicators of progress towards sustainable
development.
- This important survey is carried out by volunteer birdwatchers
throughout the UK, who receive no financial reward or expenses for
their efforts. We are indebted to them for their tremendous
support. Volunteer Regional Organisers co-ordinate the volunteers
in their regions, matching birdwatchers with randomly selected 1-km
squares to survey. The observers make two early-morning visits to
their squares during the breeding season, and record all birds seen
and heard along two 1-km walks across their square.
- The BBS is a partnership between the British Trust for
Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC is the
statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature
conservation, on behalf of the Council for Nature Conservation and
the Countryside, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England
and Scottish Natural Heritage) and the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds.
Images to use alongside this story can be obtained from BTO by
e-mailing
(this service
is available outside office hours)
For further information please contact:
Kate Risely on 01842 750050 or e-mail:
during office hours
David Noble on 01842 750050 or e-mail:
during office hours
Graham Appleton on 01842 750050 or e-mail:
during office hours
Graham is available outside office hours on 07704 847935 or
01603 758276