Press Releases - July/Aug 2005 - Item 1

News Release 2005/07/19
- issued by BTO, on behalf of BTO, JNCC and RSPB

4th July 2005

Scottish successes:
Many of our common birds thrive
(in contrast to their southern counterparts)

Each year, hundreds of birdwatchers go out with notebooks to count Scotland’s birds, as part of the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey. The high rate of coverage means that we are able to report on changes in bird populations for Scotland, England, Wales & Northern, as well as the UK overall.

Overall picture in Scotland:

• 46,802 individual birds of 160 species were counted on 272 1-km Ordnance Survey grid squares across Scotland in 2004.

• This enabled us to monitor the changing numbers of 53 species in Scotland. Of these, 6 species declined significantly and 20 species increased significantly between 1994 and 2004. Fourteen species increased by more than 50%, including Grey Heron, Buzzard, Snipe, Cuckoo, House Martin, Wren, Mistle Thrush, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Magpie, Raven and Goldfinch but, worryingly, Kestrel, Lapwing, Curlew, Swift, Hooded Crow and Siskin showed moderate declines of 25-50%.

• Of sixteen widespread species that are red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) on the basis of long-term population trends, nine declined significantly on BBS squares between 1994 and 2004 (see Notes to Editors). Two red-listed species (Song Thrush and Tree Sparrow) have increased significantly in the same time period. There is good news for six amber-listed species, monitored using BBS, but declines for three amber-listed species (Curlew, Lapwing and Kestrel).

• The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is administered by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Across the UK, voluntary Regional Organisers play a vital role in coordinating the efforts of local birdwatchers. Volunteer birdwatchers are assigned 1-km squares that they visit three times in the season. Having got up very early in the morning, each volunteer spends about two hours counting all the birds they see and hear along their chosen 2-km route. The BTO’s work in Scotland is run from its Stirling office.

• The BBS started in 1994. This carefully designed, yet simple survey has attracted many participants. The good level of coverage throughout the UK means that we are able to report separately on changes in bird populations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as for the UK overall.

** SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOW **

Images to use alongside this story can be obtained from BTO by e-mailing
(this service is available outside office hours)

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS

Record volunteer participation

A record number of volunteers took part in the BBS in Scotland in 2004. This has enabled us to follow the changing numbers of even more of Scotland’s common bird species, including Blackcap for the first time in 2004. It looks as if yet more sites will be surveyed this year, which is great news for bird monitoring.

Curlew – our largest wader in decline

Numbers of our largest breeding wader, the Curlew, have declined by 43% in Scotland since 1994. Numbers have also declined in England (down 23%) and Wales (down 46%) over the same period. The Curlew has been amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) partly because more than 20% of the vulnerable European population resides in the UK, with a large proportion of these breeding in Scotland. This species is most common in areas of rough, unimproved grassland and moorland, with nearby areas of cultivated land for feeding. A number of factors may be contributing to the decline, including agricultural improvements such as drainage and the re-seeding of moorland, but also the afforestation of upland areas, which may have reduced the amount of suitable nesting ground for Curlew.

Kestrel

Numbers of Kestrel have fallen by nearly one third since 1994 (down 31%), and this once common raptor is now recorded on only one in five of sites visited in Scotland. This compares poorly to Scotland’s most abundant bird of prey, the Buzzard, which is recorded on half of sites visited. The Kestrel has been amber-listed in BoCC because of long-term declines in the UK, and because of the vulnerable status of its population in Europe as a whole. Kestrel breeding success is strongly linked to the availability of its main food source, voles.

Mistle Thrush – success for our largest thrush

Numbers of Scotland’s largest thrush species have increased by 80% since 1994. The Mistle Thrush is now a widespread and reasonably common species throughout mainland Scotland, being a familiar sight on park lawns and playing fields in many suburban areas. The now frequent association with man is a relatively new phenomenon, with Mistle Thrushes previously being regarded as shy birds of open woodland. This would have astonished birdwatchers 200 years ago, when it was a rare sight, only breeding in the south of the country.

Goldcrest – the country’s smallest resident bird enjoys warmer winters

Numbers of Scotland’s smallest breeding bird, the Goldcrest, have increased by a massive 149% since 1994. The tiny body of this diminutive insect-eater makes it particularly vulnerable to cold winter weather, and numbers are often severely reduced after prolonged spells of freezing temperatures. However, the female can start to lay another clutch of eggs in a second nest, whilst the first brood of youngsters are still half grown. This enables the Goldcrest to produce many young in a single season and thus quickly recover.

Notes to editors

Red-listed species increased:

Amber-listed species increasing:

Amber-listed species decreasing:

Additional Notes

1. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is administered by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) from its headquarters in Thetford, Norfolk. Across Scotland, 25 voluntary BTO Regional Organisers play a vital role in coordinating the efforts of local birdwatchers.

2. The results from the BBS are designed to monitor a wide-range of common birds across all habitats. The survey started in 1994 and has now replaced the long-running Common Birds Census, which was largely restricted to farmland and woodland habitats. The results from both schemes provide a unique monitoring system for the UK’s common breeding birds.

3. Changes in the status of breeding birds are used by Government in their headline indicator of sustainable development in the United Kingdom. The abundance of terrestrial breeding birds has also been identified as one of the provisional Biodiversity State Indicators within the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and will draw on BBS data.

4. The BBS is a line-transect survey carried out on randomly selected 1-km squares of the National Grid. During the breeding season, each observer firstly makes a single visit to record the habitat and then two visits to count the birds.

5. The BBS is a partnership between the British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (of behalf of Scottish Natural Heritage, English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

6. The report, the Breeding Bird Survey 2004, is included with this news release. This important survey is carried out by volunteer birdwatchers throughout the UK, who receive no financial reward or expenses for their efforts. We are indebted to them for their tremendous support.

For further information please contact:

Mike Raven on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours

David Noble on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours

Graham Appleton on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours
Graham is available outside office hours on 07974 668503

Images to use alongside this story can be obtained from BTO by e-mailing
(this service is available outside office hours)

Back to Index of 2005 Press Releases

Next 2005 Press Release