Five seabird species are added to the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List in this addendum to the 2021 update, bringing the total number of Red-listed seabird species to 10, up from six since seabirds were last assessed. The Amber List of seabirds moves from 19 to 14 species, and the Green List increases from one to two species.

The report includes detailed information about the population trends and breeding success of seabirds in Northern Ireland, over the 2023 breeding season. Notably, Fulmar and Kittiwake populations are reported to be experiencing continued declines, while Guillemot, Common Gull and Herring Gull populations show increases at most breeding sites. Low productivity was reported in Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Terns and Common Terns, likely due to the impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Although Black-headed Gulls make up the majority of confirmed HPAI mortality cases in Northern Ireland in 2023, other birds significantly affected include terns, Kittiwakes and auks. A contributor report about HPAI in Northern Ireland by Ronan Owens (Higher Scientific Officer, DAERA, NIEA) details developments in environmental organisations’ responses to HPAI in 2023, including cross-sector communication, improved surveillance and monitoring of HPAI impacts, and improved online systems for the public to report dead birds. Monitoring reports for Strangford Lough and the Outer Ards are included, as well as several additional contributor articles: Copeland gull censuses, by Roisin Kearney (Assistant Conservation Officer, RSPB). The Copeland Islands host one of the largest mixed gull colonies in Northern Ireland, with significant numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls. The annual gull census was established in 2018; the article details the refinement of the methodology to date as well as the census results so far. Manx Shearwater tracking, by Patrick Lewin (DPhil Student, OxNav, Dept. of Biology, University of Oxford). Tracking the Manx Shearwaters that breed on Lighthouse Island (one of the three Copeland Islands) began in 2007. The article describes the history of tracking Manx Shearwaters from Copeland, including recent advances in technology that have allowed the tracking of fledgling birds as well as adults of breeding age, and the impact of this research on the conservation of shearwaters. Puffin surveys on Rathlin, by Ric Else (Life RAFT Senior Research Assistant, RSPB). Rathlin Island hosts Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony. The response of seabirds to the removal of introduced Ferrets and Brown Rats from Rathlin is currently being monitored, with a particular focus on Puffins. These birds are especially vulnerable to mammalian predators because of their burrow nests. The article describes the challenges associated with calculating a population estimate, monitoring productivity and mapping the distribution of this species, and how these are being addressed in seabird surveys on Rathlin.

The latest review of the conservation status of birds in Wales. The report assessed all 220 bird species which regularly occur in Wales. There are now 60 species of bird on the Red List, with 91 on the Amber List and just 69 - less than a third of the total number of species - on the Green List. The latest review of the conservation status of birds in Wales comes 20 years after the first, when the Red List was less than half the length it is today. The report assessed all 220 bird species which regularly occur in Wales. There are now 60 species of bird on the Red List in Wales, with 91 on the Amber List and 69 on the Green List. The Birds of Conservation Concern in Wales report assesses the status of each species against a set of objective criteria. Data sources include the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey and the BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey, as well as Bird Atlases and other BTO-led monitoring schemes and citizen science initiatives. These are used to quantify the changing status of the species’ Welsh population. The UK, European and global conservation status of the species is also considered, placing the Welsh population into a wider context. The Red ListSwift, Greenfinch and Rook – familiar breeding species in steep decline across the UK – are among the new additions to the Welsh Red List, which now also includes Purple Sandpiper, on account of a rapidly shrinking Welsh wintering population, and Leach’s Petrel, an enigmatic seabird in decline across its global range. These species now sit alongside well-known conservation priorities, such as Curlew, Hen Harrier and Turtle Dove as birds at risk of being lost from Wales for good. Uplands and woodlands Many of the species on the Red List are found in upland and farmland habitats. Starling, Tree Sparrow, Yellow Wagtail and Yellowhammer can no longer be found in much of Wales, while iconic species of mountain and moorland, such as Ring Ouzel, Merlin and Black Grouse, remain in serious trouble. Wales is well known for its populations of woodland birds; however, many of these – including Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher – also feature on the Red List. Goldcrest, which has seen its Welsh population shrink alarmingly in recent decades, is another new addition. On the coast The assessment for Birds of Conservation Concern Wales 4 took place before the impacts of avian influenza could be taken into account. Breeding seabird species have been struggling in Wales for many years, however, and most were already of conservation concern before the outbreak of this disease. Kittiwake, Puffin, Black-headed Gull, and Common, Arctic and Sandwich Tern remain on the Red List. Wales holds internationally significant numbers of breeding seabirds, making the decline of these colonies a global concern. The Amber ListDeclines in Wheatear, Garden Warbler and House Martin - all migrants which breed in Europe and winter in sub-Saharan Africa - mean these species have moved from the Green List to the Amber List. Many other ‘Afro-Palearctic' migrant species are also in decline, but the potential reasons for this, such as habitat loss and reduced availability of invertebrate prey, are not well understood. Closer to home, the declines in the Welsh Chaffinch population, linked to the disease trichomonosis, have seen the species Amber-listed. A number of other species have been placed on the Amber List because of the wider importance of their Welsh populations, which in each case make up more than half the UK total. Wales is home to more than three-quarters of the UK’s Choughs, for example, so recent declines are cause for concern. The nation’s breeding populations of Manx Shearwater, Pied Flycatcher, Goshawk and Hawfinch also account for more than half the UK total, as does its wintering population of Spotted Redshank. It’s not all bad news, though: some species now on the Amber List have moved up from the Red List, indicating some positive change in their population trends. These include Common Sandpiper, Great Black-backed Gull, Bullfinch, Goldcrest and Pied Flycatcher. The Green ListWhile the report contains much cause for alarm, several conservation success stories shine through. Red Kite was almost lost as a British bird during the first half of the 20th century, when only a handful of pairs remained in remote Welsh valleys. Since then, a sustained conservation effort has brought the species back from the brink. Wales is now home to more than 2,500 pairs of Red Kite and the species has now been moved to the Green List, reflecting this incredible change in fortunes. Song Thrush, Reed Bunting, Long-tailed Tit, Redwing and Kingfisher are among the other species to have gone Green, providing much-needed hope that things can go up as well as down.

The UK government is committed to establishing an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to manage and conserve marine ecosystems. Seabirds are vital to such ecosystems, but until now these species have received little protection at sea. This is partly because there is scant information available on the oceanic regions they use at the different stages of their lifecycle. A new study led by the BTO, in partnership with the RSPB and Birdlife International, has sought to address this by bringing together work on how far UK-breeding seabirds travel from their colonies (typically in search of food for themselves or their chicks) during the breeding season. This study used results from tracking, indirect measures and survey-based observations of seabird movements to calculate ranges over which seabirds might forage. It also assessed the validity of these ranges based on the quality of the methods underpinning them. Manx Shearwater, Northern Gannet and Northern Fulmar had the largest maximum foraging ranges at 330, 590 and 580 km respectively, while Red-throated Diver (9 km) and Little Tern (11 km) had the smallest. The approach taken in this study can be used as a first step in identifying areas of ocean away from breeding colonies that may be crucial for sustaining seabirds. Further work would then be then required to firm up the boundaries of specific MPAs. This approach is however, relatively cheap and simple, and could easily be adopted outside the UK to become an important tool in protecting seabird habitat globally.