Press Releases - July/Aug 2005 - Item 2

News Release 2005/07/18
- issued by BTO, on behalf of BTO, JNCC and RSPB

4th July 2005

Migrants bounce back – good news from Africa

Latest results from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) reveal the resilience of the UK’s bird populations, as many species recovered after the falls in numbers of 2003. The annual BBS survey involves 2,000 birdwatchers, experienced volunteers who are out at dawn to count the UK’s birds.

Volunteer birdwatchers involved with the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey in the summer of 2004, counted more than 700,000 birds on 2,512 1-km squares throughout the UK, recording 219 bird species. This year, there is good news for many of our African migrant species, for the Corn Bunting and for the Raven. Some of our widespread farmland birds that have been in long-term decline are beginning to show signs of improvement, especially Tree Sparrow and Song Thrush. But, there is bad news for Lesser Redpoll and Yellow Wagtail, amongst others, and signs that Sparrowhawk numbers are starting to decline. Farmers and gardeners may not be happy to see that the most commonly encountered species is now the Wood Pigeon. More details about these species are given below

THE GENERAL PICTURE

• The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is administered by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) from its headquarters in Thetford, Norfolk. Across the UK, voluntary Regional Organisers play a vital role in coordinating the efforts of local birdwatchers. Volunteer birdwatchers are assigned 1-km squares that they visit three times in the season. Having got up very early in the morning, each volunteer spends about two hours counting all the birds they see and hear along their chosen 2-km route.

• The BBS started in 1994. This carefully designed, yet simple survey has attracted many participants. The good level of coverage throughout the UK means that we are able to report separately on changes in bird populations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and in nine English Government Office Regions, as well as for the UK overall.

• Of sixteen widespread species that are red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) on the basis of long-term population trends, nine declined significantly on BBS squares between 1994 and 2004 (see Notes to Editors). Two red-listed species (Song Thrush and Tree Sparrow) have increased significantly in the same time period.

** SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOW **

Images to use alongside this story can be obtained from BTO by e-mailing
(this service is available outside office hours)

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS

Migrants bounce back - big changes between 2003 and 2004

Several migratory species of bird showed a marked increase in numbers between 2003 and 2004. Over three times as many Sand Martins were encountered (representing a massive increase of 247%) and numbers of Cuckoo (a bird which has declined by 43% between 1970-2001) were up by 31%, Whitethroat (19%), Chiffchaff (17%) and Willow Warbler (12%). Of 25 summer visitors from Africa that are monitored by the BBS, all but three increased in numbers between 2003 and 2004. For many migratory species, this year-to-year variation is driven predominantly by conditions on the African wintering grounds. Whitethroat, Cuckoo, Willow Warbler and Sand Martin all winter south of the Sahara, and years of poor rainfall have been shown to coincide with falls in the British breeding populations. The increases presumably reflect a good breeding season in 2003 and/or better than average winter conditions in Africa during the winter of 2003/2004.

Lesser Redpoll - new species already in trouble

The Lesser Redpoll was first classified as a distinct species as recently as 2001, and has been amber-listed in the BoCC on the basis that nearly one quarter of the European population resides in the UK. Numbers fell by 29% between 2003 and 2004. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that Lesser Redpolls have declined dramatically as a breeding species in most southern and Midland counties of England, to the point of near extinction in some.

Good news for Corn Bunting?

Numbers of Corn Bunting increased by 21% between 2003 and 2004. After many years of decline, the first signs of a possible recovery are emerging from BBS data. In the period between the mid-1970s and the year 2000, Corn Bunting numbers fell by nearly 90%, with many parts of the country being abandoned. The causes of this dramatic decline are linked with agricultural intensification, and in particular, the reduced amount of seed available to them in the winter. However, numbers have begun to stabilise in the last four years, possibly in response to conservation efforts and sympathetic farm management. With the anticipated widespread adoption of newly introduced Government funded agri-environment schemes, such as the Entry Level Scheme (ELS) in England, which encourage farmers to adopt more ‘wildlife friendly’ farm management options, we may yet see a recovery in the fortunes of our largest bunting. A graphic is available from

Yellow Wagtail - no good news for this migrant

Of the 25 summer visitor species monitored by the BBS, the Yellow Wagtail was the only one to show a decline in numbers of any note (down 13%) between 2003 and 2004. Numbers of Yellow Wagtail have declined by 27% in the UK since 1994, continuing a trend that started in the 1970s. Britain holds almost the entire population of the distinctive race flavissima, (aptly translated as ‘the yellowest’) and so population changes in the UK are of special significance. This species has disappeared or become very scarce in many of its lowland wet meadow haunts where it was traditionally found only twenty years ago. Farmland drainage, the conversion of pasture to arable land, the change from spring to winter cereals, and the loss of insects associated with cattle have been cited as potential causes.

Sparrowhawk - a hint of hard times for hawks

Numbers of one of our most commonly encountered predators, the Sparrowhawk, fell by 17% between 2003 and 2004, adding to a long-term decline of 21% over the entire survey period (1994-2004). Sparrowhawk numbers increased strongly in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s as the population recovered from the crash caused by organochlorine pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s. During the recovery period, many eastern counties from which the bird had all but disappeared were re-colonised. Numbers reached a peak in the mid-1990s, after which they have remained relatively stable, until now!

Raven’s rocket!

According to Mike Raven, the lead author of the report:
“Numbers of Raven have increased by 91% since the start of the Breeding Bird Survey in 1994
(for maps showing BBS squares with Raven for 1994 & 2004 please e-mail request to ). Two hundred years ago, Ravens could be found across the UK, breeding in virtually every county in the country. By the end of the 19th century, and after years of persecution from gamekeepers, this species was restricted to the remote crags and uplands of western and northern Britain. However, in the past ten years birds have slowly begun to spread eastwards, with breeding pairs now found again in some of our southern lowland counties. There may yet come a time, when captive Ravens residing in the Tower of London are again joined by wild birds.”

Wood Pigeons everywhere!

The most commonly encountered species across the whole of the UK in 2004 are given in the table below. The figures indicate the number of BBS 1-km squares that the species was recorded in (out of 2,512 squares surveyed). The most commonly encountered bird is now Wood Pigeon, which has overtaken Chaffinch, Blackbird and Wren since 2003.

Red-listed species

It is particularly important to monitor the fortunes of red-listed species of conservation concern. For nine species, 1994 to 2004 BBS results reveal declines.

Four red-listed species increased

Notes for Editors

1. The full title of this report is The Breeding Bird Survey 2004 by Mike Raven, David Noble and Stephen Baillie. More information on the BBS can be found on www.bto.org/bbs

2. The results from the BBS are designed to monitor a wide-range of common birds across all habitats. The survey started in 1994 and has now replaced the long-running Common Birds Census, which was largely restricted to farmland and woodland habitats. The results from both schemes provide a unique monitoring system for the UK’s common breeding birds.

3. Changes in the status of breeding birds are used by Government in their headline indicator of sustainable development in the United Kingdom.

4. The BBS is a line-transect survey carried out on randomly selected 1-km squares of the National Grid. During the breeding season, each observer firstly makes a single visit to record the habitat and then two visits to count the birds.

5. The BBS is a partnership between the British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales, and also on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

6. This important survey is carried out by volunteer birdwatchers throughout the UK, who receive no financial reward or expenses for their efforts. We are indebted to them for their tremendous support.

For further information please contact:

Mike Raven on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours

David Noble on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours

Graham Appleton on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours
Graham is available outside office hours on 07974 668503

Images to use alongside this story can be obtained from BTO by e-mailing
(this service is available outside office hours)

Back to Index of 2005 Press Releases

Next 2005 Press Release