The 10th NI Seabird Report charts the fortunes of Northern Ireland's breeding seabird species and sheds light on the initial impact of avian influenza. The report highlights that Fulmars continue to be at a low ebb in Northern Ireland, with numbers at most sites monitored in 2022 mostly stable or declining slightly. Kittiwake numbers continue to increase at monitored sites, while the numbers of Common Terns appear to have recovered after a bad year in 2020, when the total coastal Northern Irish population (including Belfast Lough RSPB, Carlingford Lough, Cockle Island, Larne Lough and Strangford Lough) more than halved from 2019 levels due to losses at Larne and Belfast Loughs. The report also documents the impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza on Northern Ireland's seabirds, reveals how detection dogs are being used to monitor burrow-nesting species, explores the foraging behaviour of Black Guillemots, and highlights the monitoring work being done in Strangford Lough.

Many insect-eating birds are declining but it's hard to find data that can test whether insect declines are driving these losses. Understanding the relationships between insect populations, their avian predators and the effects of a changing climate, is an important part of identifying the reasons behind changes in bird populations. This paper uses nearly 30 years of data on aerial insect abundance and Swallow numbers and breeding success to explore these relationships.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and BTO organised a virtual workshop to develop thinking to support ongoing efforts to manage the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak, and to consider longer-term evidence requirements to enable positive conservation actions and species recovery. The HPAI workshop report includes discussions about the impacts of the disease, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities.

The SHOT-SWITCH project was set up to monitor the effectiveness of voluntary initiatives to move away from the use of lead shot in game shooting. In the study’s third season, reported here, 94% of Pheasants sampled had been killed using lead ammunition, a slightly but significantly smaller proportion than in the preceding two seasons. There is currently no evidence that voluntary initiatives to promote the replacement of lead with non-lead ammunition by suppliers and retailers of wild-shot game are working.

The populations of many migrant birds have been in decline for decades, prompting research to understand the nature of these declines so that they can be addressed. The highly complex annual cycles of migrant birds, with their long migration routes and a dependence on different sites at different times of the year, makes it very difficult to identify the drivers of decline and to implement conservation action. While our knowledge is still incomplete, can we afford to wait until we have all of the answers?

The BirdTrends 2022 report is a one-stop shop for authoritative information about the population status of the common breeding birds of the wider UK countryside. The report is based on data gathered by the many thousands of volunteers who contribute to BTO-led surveys. For each of 121 species, users can quickly access the latest information on trends in population size, breeding performance and survival rates, as measured by our long-term monitoring schemes. For each species, you will find: The latest conservation listings and estimates of UK population size A summary of changes in the size of the population and the possible causes of these changes Graphs and tables showing changes in UK population size, breeding performance and survival since our monitoring began Wherever possible, graphs and tables separately for UK countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) Alerts, drawing attention to population declines of greater than 25%, or greater than 50%, that have occurred over the the most recent five-, ten- and 25-year assessment periods and the maximum period available (usually 50 years). Text, tables, graphs and presentation for each species are updated annually to include the latest results alongside interpretative material from the literature. Information on demographic trends and on the causes of change is gradually being expanded. Read the full report

This study identifies what could be a previously undetected biodiversity decline that potentially represents a significant conservation and economic issue in the UK.