The State of Red Listed Breeding Birds in Bedfordshire 2018 G R Goodall. BSc (Hons) MCIEEM (rtd). Honorary Research Officer Bedfordshire Bird Club Bedfordshire Natural History Society Purpose of this document This document justifies the inclusion of certain bird species on the county Red List of Breeding Birds, using international, national and county criteria. It is a working document, in that the listed species will be monitored on an annual basis in order to show their state; i.e. the number of records, the number of sites where species were recorded, whether species are declining or increasing. This will be achieved by extracting information from British Birds , annual BTO Breeding Bird Survey reports and annual Bedfordshire Bird Reports . National assessment of extinction risk The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) generates Red List guidelines. In Great Britain, the Species Status programme produced IUCN Red List assessments for 289 bird species; 208 breeding, 81 non-breeding. The emphasis is on extinction risk, determined by species’ rarity, range restriction, and the rate of recent decline measured over the last ten years or three generations, whichever is longest. The assessment of extinction threat levels, are defined as follows: • CR = Critically Endangered. • EN = Endangered. • VU = Vulnerable. • NT = Near Threatened. Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the UK. The Avian Population Estimates Panel (APEP) is a collaboration between UK statutory conservation agencies and non-government organisations. The panel collates the best estimates of breeding and non-breeding bird populations. This process is endorsed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and acknowledges a quality-assured source of population estimates for statutory conservation purposes. Three previous APEP assessments have been published: APEP 1 (1997), APEP 2 (2006) and APEP 3 (2013). APEP 4 (2020) presents the most recent estimates; breeding estimates for the period 2013-17 are presented in this document. Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) Bird conservation organisations carried out a fourth review of the status of birds in the UK, Channel Islands and The Isle of Man; Birds of Conservation Concern 4 (Eaton et. al. 2015). Species were assessed against a set of objective criteria to place each species on one of three lists – Green, Amber and Red – indicating an increasing level of conservation concern. Red List criteria for breeding birds IUCN: Global conservation status; species that are Globally Threatened – Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable, but not Near Threatened. HD: Historical decline in breeding populations; species that have declined severely between 1800 and 1995, and which have not recovered subsequently. BDp: Breeding population decline; severe decline in the UK of >50% over 25 years (BDp1) or the longer term (BDp2). BDr: Breeding range decline; severe decline in UK range of >50% between the breeding bird atlases in 1988-91 and 2007-11 (BDr1), or 1968-71 and 2007-11 (BDr2). Amber List criteria for breeding and non-breeding species These criteria are included because several Amber list species are included on the Bedfordshire list; see county criteria and list below. HDrec: Historical decline – recovery; previously Red List species for historical decline. Followed by an increase of at least 100% over 25 years or the longer-term period. BDMp: Breeding population declines; moderate decline (>25% but <50%) over 25 years (BDMp1), or the longer-term (BDMp2). BDMr: Breeding range decline; moderate decline (>25% but <50%) between 1988-91 and 2007-11 (BDMr1), and 1968-71 and 2007-11 (BDMr2). BR & WR: Breeding and non-breeding rarity; species qualified as rare breeders (BR) if the UK breeding population was <300 pairs and as rare non-breeders (WR) if the UK non- breeding population was <900 individuals. BL & WL: Breeding and non-breeding localisation; considered to be localised if more than 50% of the UK population was found at ten or fewer sites in either the breeding (BL) or the non-breeding (WL) season. BI & WI: Breeding and non-breeding international importance; considered to be internationally important if the UK holds at least 20% of the European population in either the breeding (BI) or non-breeding (WI) season. Annex 1 of the Birds Directive Species and sub-species, which are: • in danger of extinction; • vulnerable to specific changes in their habitat; • considered to be rare because of small populations or restricted local distribution; • require particular attention because of the specific nature of their habitats. Species relevant to Bedfordshire are: Eurasian Bittern Honey Buzzard Red Kite Marsh Harrier Spotted Crake Avocet Common Tern European Nightjar Kingfisher Peregrine Woodlark Dartford Warbler Bedfordshire Red List breeding birds criteria The county criteria fall into three categories; in order of priority. 1. Species that are categorised as ‘Red’ or ‘Amber’ on the national list and which occur regularly in Bedfordshire. 2. Species that are listed as being of principal importance in Section 41of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 and which occur regularly in Bedfordshire. 3. County rarity for breeding birds is defined as less than 25 pairs and/or less than 38 sites or tetrads. Table 1. The Bedfordshire Red List of breeding birds. Birds National Lists NERC Act Directive (BoCC 2015) (2006) Common Pochard Aythya ferina Red Grey Partridge Perdix perdix Red Yes Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris Annex 1 Amber Yes Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Red Yes Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Red Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Red Yes Herring Gull Larus argentatus Red Yes Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur Red Yes Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Red Yes European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus Annex 1 Amber Yes Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor Red Yes Marsh Tit Poecile palustris Red Yes Woodlark Lullula arborea Annex 1 Green Yes Skylark Alauda arvensis Red Yes Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix Red Yes Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia Red Yes Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Red Yes Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Red Yes Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorous Red Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Red Yes House Sparrow Passer domesticus Red Yes Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Red Yes Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos Red Dunnock Prunella modularis Amber Yes Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Red Yes Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Red Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Red Yes Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Red Yes Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula Amber Yes Linnet Linaria cannabina Red Yes Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret Red Yes Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra Red Yes Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella Red Yes Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Amber Yes Regional data: BTO Breeding Bird Survey reports for the East of England. BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in Bedfordshire: surveys cover a 1km x 1km square and are randomly chosen by the BTO to ensure that there is no surveyor bias. BTO BirdTrack website: contributors have the option to enter their data on to a species list, which gives a good measure of how frequently individual species are recorded during the year. This enables us to monitor the annual changes in the detectability of some, but not all, species, and are shown as a percentage in the annual Bird Reports. Species accounts Common Pochard Aythya ferina National status: extinction risk EN. Population estimate: 695-720 pairs. Red List. Criteria: BDp1 -63%. BDp2 -81%. BDr1 -58%. BDr2 -50%. BR 52 pairs. Bird Atlas (2007-11) data has shown a range contraction. However, the mean number of pairs in the UK has increased. Regional: BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), East of England (2018); insufficient data; therefore, population analysis not possible. County status: Red List breeding birds. Rare Breeding Bird. Bird Reports: described as numerous winter visitor that has bred, but less frequently. 2015: recorded from 12 sites in the May-June period. Six broods recorded at the Millennium Country Park and Wetlands Nature Reserve (MCP Wetlands NR); breeding was suspected at Quest Clay Pit CWS. 2016: recorded from 12 sites in the May-June period; although breeding was confirmed at the MCP Wetlands NR only. 2017: two broods recorded at MCP Wetlands NR. 2018: confirmed breeding took place at MCP Wetlands NR (1 pair with young), Quest CIP (fledged young); plus probable breeding at Coronation CIP and Rookery North CIP. Included in 10.1% of BirdTrack lists in 2018. Grey Partridge Perdix perdix National status: extinction risk VU. Population estimate: 37,000 territories. Red List. Criteria: BDp1 -76%. BDp2 -91%. BDMr2 -40%. Declining and thinly distributed due to agricultural intensification. England 10-year trend (2007-2017); -37%. Regional: BTO (BBS), East of England (2018); population trend -54% statistically significant. County status: Red List breeding birds. Bird Reports: described as a declining resident. 2015: recorded in 16% of BBS squares and 7% of BirdTrack species lists. Counts greater than 20 from Icknield Way – Galley Hill, Seddington, Barton Hills, Pegsdon Hills, and Biggleswade Common. 2016: recorded in 26% of BBS squares and 4% of BirdTrack species lists. Counts greater than 20 from Galley Hill, Stopsley Common, Beeston and Village Pit. Broom. 2017: recorded in 11% of BBS squares and 3.6% of BirdTrack species lists. Counts greater than 15 from Southill, Warden-Galley Hills. 2018: breeding reported at Cardington Airfield, Stopsley Common, Wootton,