Wren retains top spot as the UK’s commonest bird

The latest report on bird populations by the British Trust of Ornithology has revealed the UK’s most common birds, and the wren has beaten other species to the top of the list.

By Bethany Sewell

February 4, 2020 at 3:22 pm

Following the RSPB‘s Big Garden Birdwatch which concluded the first month of the new decade, the latest report from the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO) suggests the wren has become the UK’s ‘commonest bird’, with over 11 million pairs.

They led the way in the last report from 2013, with a population of 8.5 million pairs. It’s thought that milder winters are probably benefitting the species.

Out of a total of 249 breeding species assessed in the report, 21 species have estimates of more than one million pairs.

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Climate change 'has affected a third of UK bird species'

2 September 2019

Cuckoo numbers are in steep decline across almost half of England because of climate change but buzzards are up, according to a new study.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has looked at which species are most hit and helped by climate change.

Researchers found weather changes had a long-term effect on about a third of the 68 species studied.

BTO science director James Pearce-Higgins said there were "winners and losers".

Thirteen species have seen a greater than 10% rise in population numbers while three have suffered big drops.

Which birds are suffering and why?

Migratory birds are the biggest losers.

In five of the 11 regions studied, cuckoos, which have seen a population drop of more than 80% in the past 30 years, were the bird with the biggest fall in numbers.

The swift and turtle dove, which are also migratory, had the biggest drops in two areas each.

Cuckoos, which are on the RSPB's red list for conservation, are in the UK between April and June for breeding season.

The birds' journey back to Africa takes them via Italy or Spain, the latter having been hit by droughts brought on by warmer weather, the BTO said.

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New generation of cuckoos tagged by BTO

08/06/2018

As part of an ongoing study to find out why Common Cuckoo is declining, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has fitted a further 10 individuals with tiny satellite tags this summer.

The study aims to better understand the reasons behind why we have lost almost three-quarters of our Common Cuckoo population over the past 25 years. It has already identified important migration routes via stopover sites in northern Italy and southern Spain, and the precise wintering locations in the Congo rainforest.

Mortality of cuckoos taking the route via Spain has been linked to population decline within the UK. What scientists at the BTO would like to know now is how well our cuckoos make it to and from Africa in different summers, and specifically, how relatively important conditions in the UK and southern Europe are in contributing to a successful – or otherwise – Saharan crossing in autumn.

Read more 

Parasitic disease poses threat to greenfinches

ROGER RATCLIFFE Published: 07:00 Wednesday 10 January 2018

The most troubling development in the world of garden birds in recent memory has been a steep decline in numbers of greenfinches caused by a disease known as Trichomonosis. 

Pigeon fanciers call it “canker”, while to falconers the condition is “frounce” but whatever the species the effect is identical. The parasite Trichomonas gallinae causes a swelling at the back of the throat which leads to a progressive difficulty in swallowing and breathing by inflected birds.

You know you are looking at a tricho bird if it is lethargic, gapes frequently and has fluffed-up plumage. I first noticed the condition in Yorkshire greenfinches round about the year 2000, and by 2006 a full scale UK epidemic was declared by the British Trust for Ornithology. Its most recent annual BirdTrends report, published just before Christmas and so given little publicity, highlights that the country’s greenfinch population has suffered a “rapid and alarming decline” of 59 percent.

Read on  

Gull decline on Scottish island linked to decline in fishing discards

Date: February 1, 2017

Source: Taylor & Francis Group


The research, published in the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) journal Bird Study, looked at the breeding populations of three species of large gull; Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull on the Hebridean island of Canna, and the relationship between these gull populations and the fall in the quantity of fish landed in the nearby harbour of Mallaig.

Between 1985 and 2000 an annual average of 13,726 tonnes of fish was landed in Mallaig. However, between 2007 and 2014 this had fallen to 4,456 tonnes. This has apparently had a profound effect on the Canna gull population. The number of breeding pairs of Herring Gulls peaked at 1,525 in 1988, Great Black-backed Gulls reached 90 pairs around the same time and the highest number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was recorded at 63 pairs.

At the latest count around 130 pairs of gulls bred on Canna in total, comprising of up to 95 pairs of Herring Gulls, 18 pairs of Great Black-backed Gulls and 13 pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. This population decline has also been associated with low breeding success, with only a small number of chicks successfully fledging in more recent years.

Simon Foster, lead author on the paper, said "The Canna seabird study is one of the longest running annual studies in the world. It is an enormous privilege to be part of the team of highly skilled, dedicated volunteers who have been collecting the data for over 48 years. This has allowed us to track the changing fortunes of seabirds. The gull data are interesting -- if you look over a short time period you can see large changes, however over a longer period and using anecdotal information from the 1930s it becomes apparent that Canna gulls may be returning to more normal, albeit lower levels."

 

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Bird experts monitor satellite-tagged cuckoos as they leave Africa for UK

Cuckoos have started to make their way back to the UK for the summer, according to wildlife experts who are tracking the birds with satellite tags.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is monitoring the progress of seven cuckoos as they migrate from their wintering grounds in Africa, as part of efforts to find out why the species is in decline.

In the past 25 years, cuckoo numbers in the UK have dropped by two-thirds (65%), the BTO said.

So far, five cuckoos are resting and feeding in West Africa before they attempt to cross the Sahara, the satellite tracking shows, while two have already made it across the vast desert and are transmitting from Algeria and Spain.

All of the cuckoos being tracked have been given names, with three - Coo, Larry and Peckham - named by the winning primary schools in a cuckoo bird naming competition.

Conservationists hope the birds fare better than they did on their way to Africa last autumn.

In particular they will be focusing on Welsh cuckoo David who is making his fourth northward tracked journey.

He is now the oldest serving satellite-tagged cuckoo as the most famous of the tracked cuckoos, Chris - who was named after TV presenter Chris Packham - did not survive the journey south across the Sahara to Africa last year.

Dr Chris Hewson, lead BTO scientist on the project, said "Our birds left the Congo Rainforest in mid-March and have been feeding up in West Africa before their dangerous desert crossing.

Read on ....

Garden bird survey aims to solve goldfinch mystery

By Victoria Gill

Science reporter, BBC News

4 November 2015

Ornithologists are asking the public to help survey garden goldfinches, in an effort to work out if feeding is driving up the birds' population

While many of our familiar songbird species are in decline, one avian character in particular has been spotted increasingly frequently in UK gardens - the goldfinch.

Now, the British Trust for Ornithology wants volunteers to help work out what has boosted the bird's numbers.

The organisation wants to know what goldfinches feed on in our gardens.

The aim is to work out whether supplementary feeding is helping the birds to thrive.

The increase in the UK goldfinch population has been dramatic. According to the BTO, it increased by about 80% between 2002 and 2012.

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Ups and downs

British songbirds increasing in population include: blue tit; great tit; coal tit; long tailed tit; chaffinch; great spotted woodpecker; wren; collared dove; wood pigeon; robin; blackcap and chiffchaff.

Species in decline include: hawfinch, lesser spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, bullfinch, skylark, yellowhammer, linnet, corn bunting, song thrush, meadow pipit and dunnock.

Source: RSPB

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And while there are many factors and landscape changes that affect the habitat and food available to Britain's birds, the supplementary food that people put in their gardens may be having a significant impact.

Read more …

Breeding Woodcock in decline

Birdwatch news team

Posted on: 24 Oct 2015

Results from the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Woodcock Survey show that numbers of the British breeding population of this enigmatic wader have fallen by nearly one third since 2003.

The survey was undertaken in 2013 by the BTO and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). It provides the most recent breeding population estimate, as well as an assessment of breeding range change, since the first survey in 2003.

Woodcock’s breeding population was estimated at 55,241 males, representing a 29 per cent decline since 2003. The percentage of wooded survey squares occupied by the species decreased from 47 per cent in 2003 to 37 per cent in 2013. Annual counts from occupied sites monitored between 2003 and 2013 also indicate a decrease in abundance of 40 per cent during the 10-year period.

Woodcock is currently Amber listed as a Species of Conservation Concern, resulting from recent moderate declines in Europe and Russia. However, the scale of these changes is uncertain due to a lack of accurate data because of the nocturnal habits and cryptic behaviour of the bird.

Continued ...

Britain's longest-running bird survey hits the web

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has been counting Grey Heron nests since 1928 and now it has made it easier for its army of volunteer surveyors by allowing them to record their observations on the internet. 

The Heronries Census has covered 400,000 nests since it began. The survey collects annual counts of ‘apparently occupied nests’ in UK heronries and uses the data to monitor the population sizes of both Grey Herons and Little Egrets.

Counts are made at heronries by the BTO’s volunteers. It is one of the simplest surveys and requires no special skills. 

So for 88 years, it has provided an annual estimate of the total UK breeding population of Grey Herons: this is the longest series of such data for any bird species in the world!

Until now, most counts have been mailed to BTO on special cards but, from 25 June, the option of direct online input of data became available to the observers for the first time.

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BTO launches appeal to help farmland birds

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has launched a new appeal to help tackle the continuing decline of many once familiar farmland birds. 

Despite conservation efforts farmland populations have still not recovered to former levels and some are still actually declining.

BTO research has been central to the whole ‘farmland bird story’, from identifying declines, through diagnosing causes, to designing solutions for this conservation problem.

The chief government policy response has been to instigate agri-environment schemes. These schemes, which are funded through the EU Common Agricultural Policy, were set up to support farmers and land managers to farm in ways that promote biodiversity, protect soil and water and enhance the landscape.

Some of the scheme options were wholly or partly designed to provide resources for declining farmland birds.

Previous BTO research has highlighted limitations to some of the schemes, prompting modifications to improve their design.

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The Great Cuckoo Race is won - but not by Dudley!

We have a winner! First back to Britain after his long migration from sub-Saharan Africa was Hennah, who was satellite tagged in the New Forest last May and was named after First Lieutenant William Hennah who was on HMS Mars in the Battle of Trafalgar.

The winner, Hennah, named 

after a man who sailed with

Nelson

Bookmakers William Hill has been betting on the inaugural Great Cuckoo Race, involving the migration of 17 tagged cuckoos, with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) tracking their progress from Africa to the UK.

Dudley had become the odds-on favourite after extending a commanding lead and touching down in France while all the other cuckoos were still in Africa. But Hennah came through at 25/1, arriving on 15 April after making fast progress on the final leg. 

Hennah was last picked up on radar on the 9th February in Sierra Leone, but just as hope was fading that he was even alive, a faint signal was picked up from the New Forest, which steadily grew as the sunny weather charged his solar-powered tagging device. 

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Bookmakers lay odds on arrival of tagged cuckoos

Bookmakers William Hill has teamed up with naturalist and Springwatch presenter, Chris Packham, and the British Trust For Ornithology (BTO) to offer odds on the arrival of the first cuckoo to migrate back to the UK from Africa to breed.

The joint project is called ‘The Great Cuckoo Race 2015’, and followers can get updates on the live tracking system they can find on the BTO website – www.bto.org/cuckoos.

Dudley, the Sherwood Forest 

cuckoo, who is leading the race

back to Britain  to breed

Altogether there are 17 birds to watch, each carrying a high tech satellite tracking device to monitor their progress.

The furious flapping contest is building to a climax with Dudley, a 20/1 outsider from Sherwood Forest at the start of the race, in a commanding lead.

The goal of the cuckoo tagging project is to help raise awareness about the iconic birds and their plight.

Since tracking started in 2011, 17 cuckoos that have been tagged are still active, but 33 have either perished or been lost.

Continued ...

Chris the Cuckoo clocks up 60,000 miles

Since being fitted with a satellite tag by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) four years ago, Chris, a Cuckoo named after naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, has travelled over 60,000 miles – the equivalent of flying twice round the world. And in his journeys he’s taken in 22 different countries!

The UK’s Cuckoo population has dropped by 72 per cent in the last 25 years. In order to find out what’s driving this decline, the BTO fitted an original five Cuckoos with state of the art tags to enable them to follow the birds as they made their way out of Britain to Africa for the winter. The tags were believed to have a lifespan of two or three years.

Of the first five, Chris is the only Cuckoo still transmitting live data, far exceeding the expectations of the scientists. He is currently in the Congo rainforest, having arrived at his favoured winter spot on 25 October.

Dr Chris Hewson, lead scientist on the project at the BTO, says, “Chris the Cuckoo is a real hero of ornithology. The tag he is carrying has helped us to understand the pressures that he and our Cuckoos face on what is a pretty hazardous migration to Africa.

“He has survived sand storms, hail storms, an exceptionally cold, wet summer, predators over the Mediterranean and in the Congo rainforest, and has crossed the Sahara Desert a whopping seven times since we started following him. We have everything crossed in the hope that he makes it back next spring.”

Chris Packham says, “Chris deserves a medal for what he has given to the understanding of bird migration; he is a truly remarkable bird.

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Warm weather leads to a surge in 2014 bird-breeding numbers

The warm weather which graced Britain in the spring and summer resulted in a bumper bird breeding season, according to an ornithological trust.

Experts at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) say that although not all the UK’s summer migrants returned to take advantage of the clement conditions, those that did saw success.

The upturn in breeding was shown by data collected by hundreds of survey participants for the Nest Record Scheme (NRS) and Constant Effort Site (CES) ringing scheme.

Carl Barimore, NRS organiser, said: “This season was a real contrast to 2013’s cold start with the fine spring weather encouraging many species to begin laying their eggs one to two weeks earlier than average.

“As the warm weather continued into summer, many songbirds produced above average numbers of young. Voles were also abundant, and species like tawny owl, barn owl and kestrel that depend on them all had the most productive season on record, producing between 20pc and 40pc more young than average.”

Continued ...

Boris Island birds: how will they fare if airport goes ahead?

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 

11:35 AM

Report by British Trust for Ornithology highlights scale of the issue

The proposal to build an airport on the Isle of Grain would cause a significant loss of coastal wetland habitat, according to a report published by the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO).

This would largely be within the Thames Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA), but would also affect the Medway Estuary and Marshes.

Because these areas support more than 140,000 waterbirds, they are protected under international law.

Development at these sites would have significant negative impactson the bird populations that live there.

This would occur due to habitat loss within the footprint of the airport and disturbance or habitat change affecting other areas near the airport.

Over 21,000 waterbirds currently use the area proposed for development, which represents around 25% of the current total bird population on the two affected SPAs, and 37% of the current bird population on the Thames Estuary and Marshes SPA.

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Big winners and losers in UK wading bird numbers

The number of ringed plovers in the UK has declined by a massive 39 per cent

The spectacle of multitudes of wintering birds on an estuary in the UK is changing, according to a new report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

The results of analysis of the latest data collected by thousands of Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers has shown that populations of the UK’s most familiar coastal waders have declined markedly in the last 10 years.

Ringed plover has fared worst with a 39 per cent decline followed by redshank at 26 per cent down, dunlin at 23 per cent, curlew at 17 per cent and oystercatcher at 15 per cent.

These are among the eight most abundant wintering waders on UK estuaries, yet the populations of all of them are declining.

Read on

Bird brains: Public asked to look out for clever rooks

1 July 2014 Last updated at 00:08

By Victoria Gill

Science reporter, BBC News

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is asking the public to take part in a national survey of bird intelligence.

From 1 July, the charity is asking people to submit video clips or descriptions of the behaviour or rooks - some of our cleverest garden birds.

Rooks have already demonstrated their intelligence in lab-based studies that have tested their ability to solve problems and use tools.

This survey will examine if and how wild rooks apply these skills.

The rook is a member of the corvid or crow family, which is famed for its intelligence.

As well solving laboratory-based puzzles, crows have been spotted exploiting urban environments by, for example, dropping walnuts onto busy roads and using the traffic to crack them open.

Continued and video

Fifteen cuckoos tagged in BTO's 2014 research programme

This summer there will be 15 cuckoos, each fitted with satellite tags, being monitored on their migration journeys to and from Africa by researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

They are part of an ongoing tracking project that the BTO has been running since 2011 to understand the pressures on the birds and why cuckoo numbers have declined by half over the last 15 years and continue to fall. The tags have been fitted to male birds in East Anglia, Sherwood Forest, Dartmoor, The New Forest and Ashdown Forest, as they are larger than females and better suited for carrying the extra slight weight. 

The tags have so far provided information new to science. Researchers have discovered that some birds stay in Britain for only about a month each year; that they overwinter in the Congo rainforest; and that each bird uses a different route to get there and back. The initial findings, however, have posed further questions and so, as the project moves into its fourth year, the scientists are aware that there is even more to learn about what influences the successes and failures of the birds' migration. Eventually, this learning will inform what steps need to be taken to improve their chances and save them from becoming further endangered.

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British Trust for Ornithology’s cuckoo Chris returns for third year

Chris the cuckoo has been providing valuable information to the British Trust for Ornithology on the migration of the species

For the third year running, a satellite tagged cuckoo named Chris has returned to the UK having made an epic 5,000 mile journey from his wintering ground in Africa.

Chris is the only one of the cuckoos tracked by the BTO that has provided satellite data for three consecutive years. In that time he and his fellow cuckoos have taught scientists much new information about their migration routes and wintering spots.

Studying Chris year after year has provided valuable data to inform conservation of this declining species. Among other things, the researchers are learning which are the important sites where the cuckoos spend time fattening up on the journey through France, Italy, Spain and north Africa, the different routes they take on both outward and inward migration, and which habitat they choose for their winter homes in Africa. Chris’ behaviour has helped to both confirm other cuckoos’ habits and prove that there is no one rule that covers all of them. For instance, in 2011, Chris spent over a month in the watershed of the River Po in Italy, an area in which several British-ringed birds had previously been reported, confirming this as a very important fattening site. However, once he got to his final destination in Africa, unlike most cuckoos which stayed in forest-savannah mosaics in the Congo, Chris went deep into the forest.

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One of our cuckoos was missing – but he’s been found again in Congo jungle - via Mark Raines

By Western Morning News | Posted: April 03, 2014

By Martin Hesp, Editor-at-large, 

If tough adventurers like Bear Grylls or Sir Ranulph Fiennes were lost in a Congo rainforest the world would be worried about them, but imagine the concern if a celebrity weighing just a few ounces had disappeared into a jungle without trace.

A bird named Tor is a celebrity in ornithological terms, being one of the now famous Dartmoor cuckoos which were tagged with satellite tracking devices last year – and the bad news is that he vanished into the second largest rainforest on earth in early December.

The good news is that Tor has reappeared.

Tagged on Dartmoor last summer as part of a project by the British Trust for Ornithology, and supported by the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) and Devon Birds, Tor came back to life on computer screens, transmitting 450 miles north of the place where he mysteriously vanished.

He has been located on the northern edge of the forest in the Central African Republic, close to the border with Cameroon.

Read more