Like several species, the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra, was once common across lowland Europe, but has suffered substantial declines in recent decades as agricultural practices have intensified. Populations are now increasingly concentrated in more upland areas, where agriculture is of a lower intensity, but where environmental constraints, such as low ambient temperatures, may limit habitat suitability. Recent research by BTO Scotland shows that Whinchats in British uplands favour warm south- and east- facing breeding sites, which can support birds at higher altitudes than cooler north- and west-facing sites. Territory size also increased with altitude, which, along with a reduced likelihood of Whinchats being found on higher ground, provides further evidence of the constraints these birds experience at altitude. As uplands represent a refuge for a number of declining bird species, the management of the hill margins has important conservation implications. Consideration of aspect and altitude in targeted habitat management could therefore help to optimize the breeding sites available for vulnerable species.

The BirdTrends 2020 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.

To inform the design and implementation of land-use policies that consider the variety of goods and services people derive from ecosystems, it is essential to understand spatial patterns of individual services, how multiple services relate to each other, and how these relationships vary across spatial scales and localities. Despite the importance of freshwater as a determinant of regional economic and human demographic patterns, there are surprisingly few studies that map the provision of a range of services associated with the quality of the aquatic environment. Here we examine relationships between indicators of riverine water and associated habitat quality, freshwater biodiversity, three terrestrial ecosystem services, and terrestrial biodiversity across England and Wales. The results indicate strong associations between our indicators of freshwater services. However, a comparison of these indicators of freshwater services with other ecosystem services (carbon storage, agricultural production, recreation) and biodiversity of species of conservation concern in the surrounding terrestrial landscape shows no clear relationships. While there are potential policy "win-wins" for the protection of multiple services shown by associations between indicators of freshwater services and carbon storage in upland areas of Britain, the other ecosystem services showed either negative or no relationships with the indicators of freshwater services. We also consider the influence that spatial scale has on these relationships using River Basin Districts. Our results indicate that relationships between indicators of services can change dramatically depending on the societal pressures and other regional conditions. Thus, the delivery of multiple ecosystem services requires the development of regional strategies, or of national strategies that take account of regional variation.