Threatened Nightingale site confirmed as Britain's best in new national survey
21 Jun 2018 | No. 2018-19
The dramatic decline of UK Nightingale populations – we have lost over 90% of these iconic birds in the last 50 years – has led to the species being placed on the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List. But the number of birds present has, until now, remained unknown, despite this knowledge being essential for assessing the importance of individual sites occupied by the species.
The latest figures from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), just published in a scientific paper using state-of-the art methods for assessing the size of national bird populations, make for interesting reading.
A team lead by Dr Chris Hewson at the BTO, and relying on thousands of hours of volunteer surveying, used several analytical methods to create and assess the most robust population estimate possible. Dr Hewson’s population estimate tells us that the number of singing males is between 5,095 – 5,983 individuals, distributed at sites spread across the south and east of England. Moreover, the importance of Lodge Hill in Kent, threatened with development following a series of planning applications, was highlighted.The results presented in the paper confirms that the site holds over 1% of the UK population, making it of national importance.
Dr Hewson said, “Understanding how many Nightingales we have left is vitally important if we are to save the species here in the UK, as it enables us to assess which sites are nationally important. The relevant bodies can then look into protecting those sites that exceed critical thresholds of importance, hopefully ensuring that future generations can hear the beautiful song of the Nightingale for themselves.”
In 1999 the UK Nightingale population estimate was 6,700 singing males but this was likely to have been a significant underestimate due to the methods used. The new study highlights the importance of accounting for birds missed during surveys and accurately scaling-up to account for birds outside of surveyed areas when creating national population estimates. The importance of using multiple methods to allow the robustness of population estimates to be assessed was also emphasised, especially when the results have implications for site protection and subsequent planning decisions.
This research was made possible thanks to the support of Nightingale survey volunteers across the country, donations from the public, grants from charitable trusts and from Anglian Water who have championed our work with Nightingales for many years. If you would like to help the BTO with our continuing research you can donate via www.bto.org/donate.
Contact Details
Paul Stancliffe
(BTO Media Manager)
Office: 01842 750050
(9am to 5:30pm Mon-Thurs), (9am to 5pm Friday)
Mobile: 07585 440910
Email: press [at] bto.org ()
Chris Hewson
(Senior Research Ecologist)
Office: 01842 750050
(9am to 5:30pm Mon-Thurs), (9am to 5pm Friday)
Email: chris.hewson [at] bto.org (chris.hewson)chris.hewson [at] bto.org (@bto.org)
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Please contact images [at] bto.org quoting reference June 2018 - 19
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Notes to editors
1. The paper, Estimating national population sizes: Methodological challenges and applications illustrated in the common nightingale, a declining songbird in the UK has just been published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, a journal of the British Ecological Society. The abstract is available at https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2664.13120
To request a copy of the paper, please contact Dr Chris Hewson, chris.hewson [at] bto.org
2. The Nightingale survey was only possible due to the number of volunteers who took part and the generous support of Anglian Water. The site assessment work was funded by Natural England.
3. The BTO is the UK's leading bird research charity. A growing membership and up to 60,000 volunteer birdwatchers contribute to the BTO's surveys, collecting information that underpins conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Thetford, Stirling, Bangor (Wales) and Bangor (Northern Ireland), who analyse and publicise the results of surveys and projects. The BTO's work is funded by BTO supporters, government, trusts, industry and conservation organisations.
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