Press Releases - July/August 2007
Item 3

No. 2007/07/53c
July 2007

Welsh successes: Great Spotted Woodpeckers thrive,
but there’s more bad news for Starlings

Each year, hundreds of birdwatchers in Wales go out with notebooks to count birds, as part of the annual BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey. The high rate of coverage means that we are able to report on changes in bird populations for Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, as well as the UK overall. Here we report on the 2006 breeding season.

Overall picture in Wales:

• More than 72,000 individual birds of 143 species were counted on 271 1-km Ordnance Survey grid squares across Wales in 2006.

• This enabled us to monitor the changing numbers of 52 species in Wales. Of these, 9 species declined significantly and 18 species increased significantly between 1994 and 2006. Starling declined by more than 50% and Curlew, Cuckoo, Swift, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Bullfinch and Yellowhammer all showed moderate declines (25–50%). Increases greater than 50% were recorded for Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swallow, House Martin, Stonechat, Blackcap, Great Tit, Nuthatch and House Sparrow.

• 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 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 Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, 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

The plight of the Welsh Starling worsens

The once common Starling continues to decline in Wales, with numbers falling by 14% on BBS survey sites between 2005 and 2006. Numbers have more than halved since 1994, and two thirds of sites visited in 2006 recorded no Starlings at all. This decline has matched the situation in neighbouring England. The decreasing survival rate of young birds is probably responsible for the decline in rural areas, largely caused by the general intensification of livestock rearing, although other problems are likely to be affecting urban populations.

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch thrive

Two resident bird species, primarily associated with mature deciduous woodland have increased considerably in numbers in Wales. Numbers of Nuthatch are up by 51% since 1994, and those for Great Spotted Woodpecker by a staggering 82% over the same period. Both species have become increasingly familiar visitors to garden bird tables and feeders in recent years, particularly the woodpecker. The provision of winter food, and the long run of mild winter weather we have been experiencing have undoubtedly helped both species to thrive. However, it is not all good news for woodland species in Wales, with strong evidence to suggest that migrant species associated with Welsh Atlantic woodlands are in strong decline.

Song Thrushes find a haven in the wetter west

In contrast to their counterparts in the drier climes of East Anglia and South East England, numbers of Song Thrush have increased in Wales. UK-wide, the Song Thrush has undergone a severe long-term decline since the mid-1970s and so it is good to see an increase of 31% in Wales since 1994. Damper summer soils, which provide good feeding habitat, may be key to the Song Thrush’s success in Wales.

Notes to editors

The full report can be viewed at www.bto.org/bbs/results/BBSreport06.pdf - A paper copy will be posted to you shortly.

Red-listed species increasing in Wales during 1994-2006:

Red-listed species decreasing in Wales during 1994-2006:

Amber-listed species increasing in Wales during 1994-2006:

Amber-listed species decreasing in Wales during 1994-2006:

Additional Notes

1. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is administered by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) from its headquarters in Thetford, Norfolk. Across Wales, 14 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.
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 (JNCC is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation, on behalf of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
6. The report, the Breeding Bird Survey 2006, 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
John Lloyd, Honorary Welsh Officer on 01550 750202