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BBWC Home > Contents > Methodology > Breeding Bird Survey
The BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) was launched in 1994, following two years of extensive pilot work and earlier desk-based studies. The introduction of the BBS was a move designed to overcome the limitations of the Common Birds Census (CBC), which had monitored bird populations since 1962. In particular, it improves the geographical representativeness of UK bird monitoring, and thereby promotes both species and habitat coverage. The BBS uses line transects rather than the more intensive territory-mapping method used by the CBC. This makes the survey relatively quick to undertake, and has been successful in encouraging a large number of volunteers to take part. The average time observers spend per visit is only around 90 minutes. The sampling units are 1x1-km squares of the National Grid. They are selected randomly by computer (see Data Analysis below). The BBS requires a relatively large sample of survey squares and the aim is to achieve coverage of about 2500 squares in the UK. An important aspect of BBS is its coordination through a network of volunteer BBS Regional Organisers. Information and survey forms are distributed first to these organisers, who contact volunteers willing to survey the squares every year. After the field season, forms are returned to BTO headquarters again via the Regional Organisers. On-line submission of BBS data is now also available and is recommended - see the BBS pages of the main BTO website for details. Fieldwork involves three visits to each survey square each year. The first is to record details of habitat and to establish the survey route, the second and third to count birds. A survey route is composed of two roughly parallel lines, each 1 km in length, although for practical reasons routes typically deviate somewhat from the ideal. Each of these lines is divided into five sections, making a total of ten 200-m sections, and birds and habitats are recorded within these ten units. The two bird-count visits are made about four weeks apart (ideally early May and early June), ensuring that late-arriving migrants are recorded. Volunteers record all the birds they see or hear as they walk along their transect routes. Birds are noted in three distance categories (within 25 m, 25-100 m, or more than 100 m on either side of the line) measured at right angles to the transect line, or as in flight. Recording birds within distance bands is important because it provides a measure of bird detectability in different habitats and allows population densities to be estimated more accurately. The total numbers of each species, excluding juveniles, are recorded in each 200-m transect section and distance category, as well as the timing of the survey and weather conditions. By 1998, more than 2300 BBS squares were being surveyed annually, close to the original target of 2500. Only around a quarter of these plots were covered in 2001, owing to Foot & Mouth Disease access restrictions, but (thanks to our keen observers) the sample recovered immediately to over 2100 in 2002 and had increased further to 2254 squares in2003. Squares are distributed throughout the UK and cover a broad range of habitats, including uplands and urban areas. Around 105 species are present on 40 or more BBS squares annually and can be monitored with good precision at the UK scale (Joys et al. 2003: BTO Research Report 317), although a few present special difficulties because of their colonial or flocking habit or their wide-ranging behaviour. For most of these, BBS can also assess annual population changes within England alone, and for about half the species also within Scotland and Wales as separate units. Sample sizes in Northern Ireland currently allow about 20 species to be indexed annually. Data Analysis Change measures between years are assessed using a log-linear model with Poisson error terms. For each species, the higher count from the total early or late counts for each square is used in the model (or the single count if the square was visited only once). Counts are modelled as a function of square and year effects. Each observation is weighted by the number of 1-km squares in each region divided by the number of squares counted in that region, to correct for the differences in sampling density within the UK. The upper and lower confidence limits of the changes indicate the certainty that can be attached to each change measure. When the limits are both positive or both negative, we can be 95% confident that a real change has taken place. Note that this presentation and its interpretation differs from the 85% confidence limits shown on most graphs within this report (see here for details). Trends are presented as graphs in which annual population indices are shown in blue and their 95% confidence limits in green. A caveat of "small sample" is provided where the mean sample size is in the range 30-39 plots per year for England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland trends. A minimum sample size of 40 plots was required for the UK. Next section - 2.2 Common Birds Census
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