This report builds on Ross et al. (2016) using computer simulations to examine how survey coverage affects the precision of population estimates. This work will provide a first step towards improving the population estimates of urban gulls, assuming surveys go ahead in the future. Includes annex: Results for Northwest England. To support delivery of the latest census of the breeding seabird population of Britain and Ireland, a previous Natural England commissioned report (Ross et al. 2016) reviewed the survey methods in order to make recommendations for the most cost-effective survey design for quantifying (urban) gull abundance in UK and Ireland. Within that report, recommendations were made on the expected necessary coverage, with reference to previous analogous bird surveys across similar geographic scales. This report builds on Ross et al. (2016) using computer simulations to examine how survey coverage affects the precision of population estimates. This work will provide a first step towards improving the population estimates of urban gulls, assuming surveys go ahead in the future.

Waterbirds in the UK presents the summarised results of the annual WeBS report, and full data available via the WeBS Report Online. It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.

The main theme of The State of the UK’s Birds report (SUKB) 2016 is the latest Birds of Conservation Concern 4 list – BoCC4 published in 2015 - and the species whose status has changed. The increase in the Red list by 15 species is due to problems in all habitats including farmland, woodland and coasts but most notably in uplands with five new upland species moving onto the red list.One of these is Curlew. The UK supports 27% of the global population, and the long-term trend shows a 64% decline from 1970 to 2014. This, combined with the bird's global status of Near Threatened, suggests that the Curlew is one of the most pressing bird conservation priorities in the UK. “The BTO is working with others on a programme of research to understand the causes of Curlew decline and guide potential management solutions. This involves analyses of long-term data collected by thousands of volunteers, using novel tracking technology to study the needs of individual birds, and working with local enthusiasts to inform the recovery of local populations” - James Pearce-Higgins, Director of Science, BTO Upland birds Whinchat, another largely upland species monitored by the BBS shows a 53% decline during the last two decades. As an Afro-Palearctic migrant, this species is part of another group for which there is particular concern. Threats and pressures during migration and on the wintering grounds need to be considered alongside the impact of changes in upland habitats in the UK. More unexpected perhaps, is that Grey Wagtail has moved from the Amber list to the Red list. Alongside declines in Common Sandpiper and Dipper, this raises wider concerns about species associated with upland streams and rivers. The other two upland species to show marked declines are Merlin and Dotterel, the latter a montane species likely to affected negatively by climate change and grazing pressure. Scarce and rare breeding species As well as the annual update of changes in widespread breeding species based mainly on the BBS, SUKB 2016 once again includes a summary of trends in scarce and rare breeding species, drawn mainly from the annual reports of the Rare Breeding Bird Panel (RBBP) and the SCARABBS programme of periodic surveys. Of the 91 species reported on in the most recent RBBP report covering 2014, 71 were assessed by BoCC4. Eight species showed an improvement in status (including Woodlark, Bearded Tit and Chough, which joined the Green list), with conservation action to maintain suitable reed beds helping the populations of species such as Bittern recover. Five species, Pochard, Slavonian Grebe, Merlin, Dotterel and Black Redstart moved onto the Red list. The remaining 20 of the 91, not assessed by BoCC4, are those which are not considered to be a regular component of the UK’s avifauna. This may be because they breed only occasionally (eg. European Bee-eater), or indeed have never bred, but from time-to-time visiting individuals exhibit breeding behaviour (eg. Great Reed Warbler). The RBBP logs such occurrences, as it may be that they represent a precursor to future colonisation, such as the first Little Egrets that displayed to each other in the early 1990s, before first breeding in 1996 and the subsequent population explosion. The importance of volunteer data Thousands of dedicated volunteers contributed to the data used throughout most of this report. Data used to calculate UK population trends and related research. Over 2,600 volunteers participated in the Breeding Bird Survey in 2016 alone, one of many surveys highlighted in the report. This particular survey provides annual population trends for 111 species, including upland species such as Curlew, Whinchat and Grey Wagtail. At a smaller, but equally as important scale, the 258 volunteers who contribute to the Waterways Breeding Bird Survey allow monitoring on those species specific to waterways, such as Common Sandpiper and Dipper and cover almost 300 sites annually. Who produces the report SUKB is produced by a coalition of three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – the RSPB, BTO and the WWT – and the UK Government’s statutory nature conservation agencies – Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Natural England (NE), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland (DAERA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

This report provides findings from the first year of a study that has used Movetech ‘GPS-GSM’ tracking devices to track the movements of Lesser Black-backed Gulls from a breeding colony at the Ribble and Alt Estuaries SPA and so investigate their use of the SPA and the Warton Aerodrome. The study had two main objectives: (i) to assess the flight altitudes of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls from the breeding colony at Banks Marsh in the Ribble and Alt Estuaries SPA during the 2016 breeding season; and (ii) to assess the home ranges of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls from this colony and their temporal and spatial overlap with the SPA and the area of potential risk of collision with aircraft.

This is the fourth edition of the Northern Ireland Seabird Report, covering 2016. This report is the published outcome of the work of the BTO NI Seabird Coordinator, and the activities of the evolving Northern Ireland Seabird Network of volunteers and organisations, such as National Trust, Ulster Wildlife and the RSPB, that have provided data for 2016 and previous years. This 2016 report on breeding seabirds in Northern Ireland is like the preceding reports. We have kept the detail from previous years, even where data have changed little since our last report. It is important that this report represents a summary of current species knowledge, and that reference to other, earlier, reports is not necessary. In this approach we are taking a similar stance to JNCC and their online Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP) report and this is doubtless the best way to present such a report. As in previous years several articles have been submitted for inclusion in the report. These articles provide further detail on the monitoring in Northern Ireland, and highlight some of the exciting seabird research being undertaken. We are very grateful to the authors for giving their time to produce these articles. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this report and, additionally, encourage more people to join the Seabird Network. Naturally, a summary such as this does not report all data but all records collected are of real value in understanding our local seabirds. The report is only as robust as the data we are aware of, so if you have seabird population data, either recent or historic, then please share it with us, and JNCC, for the benefit of seabirds in Northern Ireland.