Press Releases - July/August 2009
Item 22

No. 2009-06-31
July 2009

Northern Ireland strikes gold

The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology show that Goldcrest, the UK’s smallest bird, has increased more in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK.

The newly published BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report shows that Goldcrest increased by 73% between 2007 and 2008, building on longer-term increases in this species in Northern Ireland. At just eight and a half centimetres from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, and only half the weight of a Wren, this diminutive bird has benefited from a run of relatively mild winters, reaching its highest level here since the survey began in 1994.

The good news doesn’t stop here. Of the 29 species monitored in the Northern Ireland, 17 have increased significantly between 1995 and 2007. Particularly marked increases have been shown by Pheasant (158%), Great Tit (159%) and Hooded Crow (105%).
The only significant decrease over the past 12 years is that of the Skylark. This iconic farmland bird declined by 29% between 1995 and 2007 although it showed evidence of recovery between 2007 and 2008.

Kate Risely, BBS Organiser at BTO, commented, “Thanks to the hard work of the volunteers in Northern Ireland, we are able to see significant changes in the birdlife of the Northern Ireland for the first time, and it is really encouraging to see how well some of these are doing.”

Ian Enlander, head of the bird designations team at the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, said, “NIEA are pleased to see such good news and to continue supporting this important work here.”

Mark Eaton Senior Conservation Scientist, Species Monitoring & Research at the RSPB commented, "It is good to see a number of birds in Northern Ireland doing well 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."

Northern Ireland selected Highlights

The red listed House Sparrow and Linnet increased by 10% and 14% respectively between 2007 and 2008.
It is good news for the amber listed Reed Bunting which showed a 5% increase over the same period.
Starling and Greenfinch saw the biggest change with a decline of 45% and 47% respectively. Greenfinches are known to be suffering from a disease (trichomonosis) and populations across the UK have dropped in recent years.

Interesting facts about Goldcrest

• At five grammes the Goldcrest is even lighter than a 10 pence piece (6.5g)
• In Victorian times the Goldcrest was described as, ‘As rare as any bird we know’. Compare this with the estimated 1.5 million birds in the UK today.
• It has long been known that the Goldcrest regularly crosses the North Sea to spend the winter in the UK but it used to be thought that it was too small to make this journey unaided. One old name, ‘Woodcock pilot’, came about because people believed that Goldcrests hitched a ride in the plumage of migrating Woodcocks.
• The female Goldcrest can lay up to 12 eggs, representing up to one and a half times her body weight.

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:

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

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