The Wetland Bird Survey 2001-03 Wildfowl & Wader Counts
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The Wetland Bird Survey 2001-03 Wildfowl & Wader Counts Peter Cranswick, Jenny Worden, Robin Ward, Helen Rowell, Colette Hall, Andy Musgrove, Richard Hearn, Steve Holloway, Alex Banks, Graham Austin, Larry Griffin, Baz Hughes, Melanie Kershaw, Mark O’Connell, Mark Pollitt, Eileen Rees & Lucy Smith Published by British Trust for Ornithology, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Joint Nature Conservation Committee October 2005 i © BTO/WWT/RSPB/JNCC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing This book represents the twenty-second report for the purpose of private study, research, of the Wetland Bird Survey and comprises criticism or review (as permitted under the information from WeBS and complementary Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988), no part national and local surveys, eg goose censuses. It of this publication may be reproduced, sorted in is entirely dependent on the many thousands of a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or dedicated volunteer ornithologists who supply by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, the data and to whom we are extremely optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, grateful. The Local Organisers who co-ordinate without prior permission of the copyright holder. these counts deserve special thanks for their contribution. ISBN 0 900806 53 2 ISSN 1353–7792 We are also grateful to the following people for providing technical assistance, supplementary Recommended citation: information and additional data, and comments Cranswick, PA, J Worden, RM Ward, HE Rowell, on draft texts: C Hall, AJ Musgrove, RD Hearn, SJ Holloway, AN Banks, GE Austin, LR Griffin, B Hughes, M Helen Baker, John Bowler, Niall Burton, Dave Kershaw, MJ O’Connell, MS Pollitt, EC Rees & LE Butterfield, Sue Carman, Kendrew Colhoun, Smith. 2005. The Wetland Bird Survey 2001-03: Olivia Crowe, Jenny Earle, Charlie Farley, Tony Wildfowl & Wader Counts. BTO/WWT/RSPB/ Fox, Ian Francis, Martin Heubeck, Rowena JNCC, Slimbridge. Langston, Roderick MacDonald, Paul Marshall, Sarah Money, Margaret Morris, Malcolm Ogilvie, Published by: BTO/WWT/RSPB/JNCC Scott Paterson, David Paynter, Steve Percival, James Robinson, Arnor Sigfússon, John Cover: Oystercatchers and Redshanks by Darren Simpson, Mark Smart, David Stroud, Tim Rees Strudwick, Paul Walkden and Chris Waltho. Many amateur observers also provide reports of Line drawings: Dan Powell their studies; these are acknowledged within the text. Designed and produced by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge. Grateful thanks to all and apologies to anyone who has inadvertently been missed. Printed by Crowes complete print, 50, Hurricane Way, Norwich. NR6 6JB. Typeset in Cheltenham ITC and Gill Sans fonts. Available from: BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, and Natural History Book Service, 2–3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN, UK. This report is provided free to all WeBS counters and those who participate in the other national waterbird surveys, none of whom receive financial reward for their invaluable work. Further feedback is provided to counters through the annual WeBS Newsletter. For further information please contact the BTO. ii Dedicated to the memory of RAY WATERS, 1952-2004 iii WETLAND BIRD SURVEY NATIONAL GOOSE AND SWAN CENSUSES Organised and funded by Organised and funded by the Wildfowl & British Trust for Ornithology Wetlands Trust and the Joint Nature The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU Conservation Committee www.bto.org Contact: Richard Hearn Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT E: [email protected] www.wwt.org.uk The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Slimbridge The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL Glos GL2 7BT www.rspb.org.uk UK T: 01453 891185 Joint Nature Conservation Committee F: 01453 981901 Monkstone House, City Road, Peterborough PE1 1JY www.wwt.org.uk/monitoring www.jncc.gov.uk CONTACTS OTHER NATIONAL WATERBIRD SURVEYS WeBS National Co-ordinator: Andy Musgrove Details of and contacts for many of the other WeBS Core Counts: Mark Collier waterbird surveys used in this report, and of WeBS Low Tide Counts: Alex Banks forthcoming surveys, can be obtained via the WeBS Counter Co-ordinator: Steve Holloway web sites of the four WeBS partner organisations. General queries: [email protected] WeBS Office British Trust for Ornithology The Nunnery Thetford Norfolk IP24 2PU UK T: 01842 750050 F: 01842 750030 E: [email protected] www.bto.org/survey/webs iv CONTENTS Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................ ii Contacts........................................................................................................................................................... iv Summary..............................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................5 Aims and objectives of WeBS........................................................................................................................ 5 Aims of this report........................................................................................................................................... 6 Weather in 2001/02 and 2002/03 ................................................................................................................... 7 Waterbird surveys in the UK ............................................................................................................13 Survey methods............................................................................................................................................. 13 Analysis........................................................................................................................................................... 16 Interpretation of waterbird counts.............................................................................................................. 21 Survey coverage ............................................................................................................................................ 25 Total numbers...................................................................................................................................29 Species accounts...............................................................................................................................59 Presentation and notation............................................................................................................................ 59 Quick reference for species accounts........................................................................................................ 62 Swans ............................................................................................................................................................. 64 Geese.............................................................................................................................................................. 69 Ducks.............................................................................................................................................................. 93 Divers ............................................................................................................................................................ 125 Grebes .......................................................................................................................................................... 129 Cormorants .................................................................................................................................................. 135 Herons .......................................................................................................................................................... 139 Rails............................................................................................................................................................... 143 Waders ......................................................................................................................................................... 147 Gulls .............................................................................................................................................................. 184 Terns ............................................................................................................................................................. 193 Kingfisher ..................................................................................................................................................... 197 Scarce, vagrant and escaped waterbirds................................................................................................. 199 Principal sites..................................................................................................................................208 WeBS Low Tide Counts...................................................................................................................213 Aims .............................................................................................................................................................. 213 Methods.......................................................................................................................................................