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State of the UK's Birds 2008

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State of the UK's Birds 2008 The state of the UK’S BIRDS 2008 2 3 Mark Hamblin(rspb-images.com) Introduction Chris Gomersall(rspb-images.com) This, the tenth The state of the statutory nature conservation UK’s birds (SUKB) report, agencies – the Countryside Council published in 2009, contains results for Wales (CCW), Natural England from annual, periodic and one-off (NE), Northern Ireland Environment surveys and studies from as Agency (NIEA), Scottish Natural recently as 2008. It draws on Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature many sources to give an up-to- Conservation Committee (JNCC). date overview of the health of bird populations in the UK. This report should be referenced as Eaton MA, Balmer DE, Conway GJ, It is produced by a coalition of three Gillings S, Grice PV, Hall C, Hearn NGOs – the Royal Society for the RD, Musgrove AJ, Risely K and Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Wotton S. 2009. The state of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) UK’s birds 2008. RSPB, BTO, WWT, and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust CCW, NIEA, JNCC, NE and SNH, (WWT) – and the UK Government’s Sandy, Bedfordshire. Corn bunting A special thank you Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com) to volunteers Bird monitoring in the UK is led by NGOs in collaboration with the Government, but depends on the efforts of many thousands of volunteers, without whom the evidence base upon which bird conservation in the UK relies would be sorely lacking. The state of the UK’s birds gives us the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the massive role of volunteers in bird monitoring, and to thank them for the time and effort they devote to the schemes described within the report. If this is you, then thank you; if not, why not consider joining one of the schemes outlined at the back of the report? Through simple and enjoyable birdwatching activities, you will be able to make a valuable contribution to conservation. Lapwing 4 5 Contents Wild bird indicators Ben Hall(rspb-images.com) Ben Wild bird indicators 5 UK wild bird indicator UK wild bird indicator The indicators for wild birds in a range of UK habitats, revealing our continued concern for farmland and woodland birds, and showing indicators for breeding The UK wild bird indicator is one of 160 waterbirds and seabirds for the first time in SUKB. a suite of indicators used by the Ten years of The state of the UK’s birds 7–9 Government for measuring 140 A review of the main stories in SUKB reports over the years, highlighting the sustainable development and trends 120 greatest conservation concerns, and success stories, since SUKB 1999. in biodiversity. This year, for the first Birds of Conservation Concern 3 10–16 100 time, this indicator includes a new New red, amber and green lists of the UK’s birds were published this year, 80 and here we describe the review process and list the species of concern, line for breeding birds of water and including the 18 species new to the red list. wetlands, and we also show the 60 All species (115) Farmland (19) Birds in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan 17–18 indicator for seabirds. Water and = 100) Index (1970 40 Woodland (38) An update on three of the priority species on the UK BAP: Greenland white- wetland bird populations have Water & wetland (26) fronted goose, Scottish crossbill and twite. 20 remained roughly stable since 1975; Seabirds (19) Trends in common breeding birds 19–22 large declines in some species 0 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 The latest long and short-term trends for more than 100 of our widespread 1989 breeding birds, and a focus on how demographic measures, such as survival (eg yellow wagtail and snipe) have rate and breeding success, can help us determine what is driving such trends. been counterbalanced by increases Year The Rare Breeding Birds Panel 23 in others such as little egret and Here we review some of the recent additions to the UK’s breeding birds, as Cetti’s warbler. Seabird populations UK wintering waterbird indicator reported by the RBBP, and speculate which species may be next to arrive in the UK. rose between 1970 and 1985, but In the winter, the UK holds internationally important populations of swans, have subsequently levelled off. geese, ducks and wading birds. The wintering waterbird indicator shows how Survey round-up 24 A national survey in 2007 showed that ringed plovers have declined, but numbers of both waders and wildfowl rose steadily from the mid 1970s to little ringed plovers have increased, since the 1980s. The indicators for woodland and the late 1990s and then, from 2000, on average, stabilised. There is a Breeding seabirds 25–26 farmland show the by-now-familiar suggestion of decline over the most recent winters, although only the fullness Recent analyses of data from the Seabird Monitoring Programme have pattern of decline, mainly in the of time will reveal whether this is a short-term fluctuation or the beginning of produced new population trends for the UK’s seabirds, and the first trends in productivity, which we reveal here. 1980s, with more recent a serious decline. See page 28 for trends in individual species. stabilisation. Worryingly, the Wintering waterbirds 27–33 The latest trends for wintering waterbirds in the UK, with declines being farmland bird indicator has declined recorded in a considerable number of species. We also focus on special further since last year and is now at UK wintering waterbird indicator surveys targeting birds not covered well by annual monitoring: waders on the its lowest-ever level. UK’s open coasts, plovers wintering inland and Greenland barnacle geese. 200 Bird Atlas 2007–11 34–35 180 An update on this ambitious mapping project, with examples of the results so Individual trends for the species 160 Throughout this report, species are far. within these indicators are given on 140 colour-coded according to their The value of volunteers in bird monitoring 36 pages 19–22 (common breeding conservation status, as published in This year, we describe some of the largest recording schemes, on garden birds) and 25–26 (seabirds). 120 birds, and how the BirdTrack online bird recording scheme is collecting Birds of Conservation Concern 3 in 100 valuable data. June 2009. The 52 species identified 80 What you can do to help 37 as being of the greatest 60 The range of bird monitoring schemes that rely on volunteer efforts, and how = 100) Index (1975/76 Wildfowl (27) conservation concern are red-listed, you can become part of them. 40 All native species (46) the 126 species of moderate About us 38–40 20 Waders (15) concern are amber-listed and 68 Details of the organisations involved in the making of this report. The indicators start from a value of 100. If 0 1995/96 1989/90 1991/92 1993/94 1997/98 1999/00 2001/02 2003/04 2005/06 species of lowest concern are an index rises to 200 then, on average, 1975/76 1977/78 1979/80 1981/82 1983/84 1985/86 1987/88 green-listed. In a few cases where populations of species in the indicator have particular races are discussed, the doubled: if it falls to 50 then they have Year colour-coding from a separate race halved. level assessment is used. 6 7 Sue Tranter Sue Tranter (rspb-images.com) Ten years of The state of the UK’s birds The 2008 report marks the tenth aware of declines in other conserve lowland heathland have anniversary of The state of the widespread birds, especially those undoubtedly assisted the recovery of UK’s birds. This provides an associated with woodland and those Dartford warblers, nightjars and opportunity to look back at the key that are long-distance migrants. woodlarks, although the increase in results and issues arising from the Understanding the causes of the the latter two species also has much wide range of bird survey and declines in these groups, and to do with the recent management of monitoring work undertaken in the identifying practical remedial conifer plantations (and to two UK since the first report. The measures, remains a key focus of hurricanes!). Other examples of timeline shown on page 9 provides research for the bird conservation scarcer species responding well to a snapshot of some of the community. habitat management include the headlines over the last corncrake, capercaillie, stone- 10 years. By contrast, many of the UK’s rarer curlew and cirl bunting. All these breeding birds have prospered over species have met or exceeded UK The continuing decline in farmland the last 10 years, often in response to BAP targets, in contrast to many of birds has been a recurring theme targeted conservation efforts. For the more widespread species that throughout the period – the skylark example, the 1999 edition reported a share ‘priority species’ status. even featured on the cover of the modest rise in the number of first edition. Whilst the farmland bird booming male bitterns to 19, Most of the UK’s raptors are index seemed to level off from whereas in 2008 the number (75 continuing to recover well from the around 2000, the indicator has been males) was at a similar level to the low levels of a few decades ago, in decline again since 2005, and in 20th century peak in the mid-1950s. aided by more enlightened attitudes 2007 dropped to its lowest-ever level, A major programme of reedbed to their presence in the environment 48% down from the 1970 baseline.
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