Press Releases - July/August 2009
Item 20

No. 2009-06-28
July 2009

Mixed fortunes for Scotland’s breeding waders

The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology show that the red-listed Lapwing has increased in Scotland, whilst Golden Plover numbers have reached an all time low.

The latest report from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) paints a very different picture for these two wading birds. Following many years of decline, prompting its recent admission to the Birds of Conservation Concern red-list, Lapwing showed an increase of 23% between 2007 and 2008. In contrast the Golden Plover, which had been increasing, declined by 34%, to reach its lowest level since the survey began in 1994. Whilst both of these waders will share the same open-field habitat during the winter months, their breeding requirements are very different. Lapwings can be found in lowland meadows, whilst Golden Plovers prefer open moorland.

Kate Risely, BTO Breeding Bird Survey Organiser, “Each year, hundreds of birdwatchers go out with notebooks to count Scotland’s 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 Scotland.”

Mark Eaton Senior Conservation Scientist, Species Monitoring & Research at the RSPB commented, "It is good to see how Scotland’s birds are doing and it will be interesting to see how they have coped with the recent cold winter. With climate change there will be greater extremes in the weather and some birds will cope with this better than others, so monitoring these changes is extremely important."

Pierre Tellier, JNCC commented “The quality of information delivered by the BBS clearly demonstrates its value for understanding what happens to our biodiversity in the wider countryside by monitoring breeding bird species, as it produces population trends not only for the UK but also for individual countries, alerting on species declines, but also on recoveries which can be an indication of the success of conservation effort. All this is made possible thanks to the dedication of thousands of volunteers who gather the information every year.”

Selected highlights for Scotland

• Reed Bunting reached its highest level since the survey began, increasing by 20% between 2007 and 2008.
• Joining Reed Bunting, Swallow and Treecreeper also reached an all-time high, showing increases of 22% and 21% respectively between 2007 and 2008.
• Blackcap and Cuckoo are among a number of summer migrants that are doing better in Scotland than in the UK as a whole, with these species showing increases of 5% and 1% respectively between 2007 and 2008.

Red-listed species increasing in Scotland between 2007 and 2008

Red-listed species declining in Scotland between 2007 and 2008

Notes for Editors

1. Nearly 3,000 volunteer birdwatchers got up very early in the morning to take part in the annual Breeding Bird Survey in 2008, and counted over a million individual birds of 221 species throughout the UK. These volunteers receive no financial reward or expenses for their efforts, and we are indebted to them for their tremendous support. Volunteer Regional Organisers co-ordinate the volunteers in their regions, matching birdwatchers with randomly selected 1-km squares to survey. The observers make two early-morning visits to their squares during the breeding season, and record all birds seen and heard along two 1-km walks across their square.

2. The Breeding Bird Survey started in 1994, and is simple but carefully designed, attracting many participants. The good coverage throughout the UK means we are able to report changes in many populations in detail, reporting specific trends for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the nine English Government Office Regions, as well as for the UK overall.

3. Details of all the above trends can be found in the BBS report. The full title of this report is The Breeding Bird Survey 2008 by Kate Risely, David Noble and Stephen Baillie. More information can be found at www.bto.org/bbs, and the report can be downloaded from www.bto.org/bbs/results/BBSreport08.pdf

4. Changes in the status of breeding birds are used by the Government to set conservation priorities, and population trends are used as indicators of progress towards sustainable development.

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.

For further information, please contact:

Kate Risely (Breeding Bird Survey Organiser)
Office: 01842 750050
Email:

Mandy Cook (Development Officer, BTO Scotland)
Office: 01786 466562
Email:

Paul Stancliffe (BTO Press Officer)
Office: 01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Mobile: 07845 900559 (anytime)
Email:

Images are available for use alongside this News Release
Please contact quoting reference 2009-06-28

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews
Please contact us to book an interview
Office: 01842 750050