Wet grasslands are amongst the most exciting of places to watch birds in the spring.  Breeding waders can be found in higher densities than anywhere else in lowland Britain, while on larger sites, Skylarks abound and Yellow Wagtails, scarce ducks such as Garganey and even birds of prey such as Marsh Harriers can frequently be found.

It is now 20 years since the last comprehensive survey of breeding waders in this fantastic but interminably threatened habitat.  A partial survey in 1989 highlighted the rapid changes in bird numbers on wet meadows with Lapwing and Snipe decreasing alarmingly in just seven years since the 1982 survey, while conversely Oystercatcher numbers increased.  We know from other surveys that wader populations levels have continued to change in recent years but have little data from many of the most important wader breeding grounds in lowland England & Wales.

The use and abuse of our floodplains has made headline news in recent years as winter floodwaters have inundated a succession of towns across the country.  The potential conservation value of natural flood defences, such as flood meadows, has to be at the forefront of any forward planning for river catchments.  This timely survey, organised jointly by the RSPB (www.rspb.org.uk), BTO, Natural England (www.natural-england.org.uk) and Defra (www.defra.gov.uk) has updated our knowledge of the status of waders on well over 1000 sites across England and Wales.

SURVEY METHODS

Most of the sites surveyed in 2002 were also surveyed in the previous national survey in 1982 but additionally, some newly created sites were covered for the first time.  The sites, which averaged 150 hectares (1.5km²), were visited by BTO fieldworkers on three occasions between mid April and mid June 2002, and all waders mapped on large-scale maps.

Sites were concentrated in those areas in which lowland wet grassland is extensive, such as East England, North Kent, Somerset Levels and Severn Valley.  The map opposite shows the area covered (in hectares) by 10-km square.

RESULTS

Preliminary results, showing the number of waders recorded in each county and estimates of population change between 1982 and 2002 can be found at County by county summaries. Results of the survey can be found in Wilson et al. 2005.

For details and maps for each wader species click on the link below:

Oystercatcher

Lapwing

Snipe

Curlew

Redshank

County by county summaries

Click on a region to go to the county summaries for that region.

Table 1.  Sites covered and breeding pairs of waders located by county, Government Office Region and country

Table 2.  Percentage changes in breeding pairs of waders between 1982 and 2002 by county, Government Office Region and country (+ increase from 0 in 1982, - none in 1982 or 2002)

OYSTERCATCHER  Haematopus ostralegus

Oystercatchers have been expanding their range inland over recent decades.  Overall, 973 pairs were located in 2003, many more than in 2002 than in 1982, representing a population increase of 52%.  However, most of this increase has occurred in Northwest England and Eastern England – grassland Oystercatchers remain scarce Wales and the southwest.

One reason for the increases in Oystercatcher numbers is that they are adaptable birds – able to can feed on a wide range of farmland habitats.

LAPWING   Vanellus vanellus

Lapwings are still the most widespread wader on lowland wet grassland but are now scarce in Wales and Southwest England.  Although still found on almost half of sites surveyed, there was a large drop in numbers between 1982 and 2002.  In England the decline was 35% while in Wales, 69% of Lapwings were lost between 1982 and 2002.

The largest populations of Lapwings on lowland wet grassland are on the Norfolk Broads and North Kent Marshes, with notable concentrations on single sites elsewhere, such as Otmoor in Oxfordshire, the Somerset Levels, the Ouse and Nene Washes and the Derwent Valley in Yorkshire.

SNIPE Gallinago gallinago

Snipe decreased faster than any other species of wader between 1982 and 2002 with a loss of 61% of the population in lowland England and Wales.  Declines were particularly steep (more than 90%) in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Southeast England.

In 1982, Snipe was the third most numerous species of wader on lowland grassland (after Lapwing & Redshank) but by 2002 both Oystercatcher and Avocet outnumbered it on the sample of more than 1000 sites covered.  The populations that remain in the lowland are now concentrated onto a few key sites, such as the Ouse & Nene Washes and the Lower Derwent Valley.  Three percent of sites surveyed held 90% of the Snipe population.

CURLEW Numenius arquata

Although primarily a bird of the uplands, in some lowland areas of Britain the Curlew is a typical bird of lowland wet grassland, although it is never common.  Most of these found in the 2002 survey were in lowland areas of the north and west, with notable concentrations in the Severn Valley in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire and the Lower Derwent Valley.

Of the 435 pairs located in 2002, only 19 were found east of a line from The Wash to The Solent.  Populations declined in most areas with a 33% decrease across England and Wales as a whole.

REDSHANK  Tringa totanus

Redshank was the second most numerous wader species in 2002, after Lapwing.  However, the bulk of the population was found in East and Southeast England, away from where, there were strong declines between 1982 and 2002.  As with Lapwing, the largest declines were in the Southwest, West Midlands and Wales, where only 19 pairs were found, all in Gwent.

Strongholds remain on some important reserves, such as the Ouse & Nene Washes and in the North Kent Marshes, where an estimated population of almost 700 pairs represents a substantial increase since 1982.  Careful grassland management and reversion of arable land to grazing land in that area show that it is possible to reverse declines with the help of incentives available through the Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme.