New report reveals scale of declines of UK migratory birds wintering in Africa

Turtle dove - Andy Hay

The migration of millions of birds across the face of the planet is one of nature’s greatest annual events. Every spring some species move north, while every autumn those same species move south, very often linking continents.

Although these migration patterns are as regular as the seasons, monitoring is revealing that, for some species, fewer birds are making the journey each season as the populations of these birds, including species nesting in the UK, are declining rapidly.

The latest in the annual series of State of the UK’s Birds report (published today, Thursday 16 October, 2014) includes a migratory birds section, including trends for 29 migrant species which nest in the UK in summer and spend the winter around the Mediterranean, or in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.  For the first time the recent population trends for these migratory species have been combined into an indicator revealing some marked differences between species that winter in different areas.

Species, such as whinchat, nightingale, tree pipit and spotted flycatcher, which winter in the humid zone of Africa – stretching across the continent from southern Senegal to Nigeria and beyond - show the most dramatic declines: the indicator for this group of species has dropped by just over 70 per cent since the late 1980s. This contrasts with species, such as sand martin, whitethroat and sedge warbler, wintering in the arid zone (just below the Sahara desert). These species have fluctuated considerably since 1970, but show a less than 20 per cent decline overall.

Nightingale - Andy Hay

One of the most dramatic declines is that of the turtle dove with a decline of 88 per cent since 1995. The following species have also declined over the same period: wood warbler, 66 per cent; pied flycatcher, 53 per cent; spotted flycatcher, 49 per cent; cuckoo, 49 per cent; nightingale, 43 per cent; and yellow wagtail, 43 per cent.

Concern about migratory bird species is growing and future editions of the State of the UK’s Birds report will contain a regular update to the migratory birds indicator. To understand the changing status of the UK’s migratory birds, researchers need to understand more about what’s driving these declines. Evidence is currently being gathered from a variety of sources including tracking studies and on-the-ground surveys.

Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director, said: “West Africa is the winter home for many species bird species that breed in the UK. But many of these birds that cross continents are in rapid decline. Their nomadic lifestyle, requiring sites and resources spread over vast distances across the globe makes identifying and understanding the causes of decline extremely complex. The problems may be in the UK or in West Africa, or indeed on migration in between the two.”

David Noble, Principal Ecologist at BTO said: "We can accurately monitor the patterns of decline in these once-familiar summer breeders thanks to several decades of careful observations by an army of volunteer birdwatchers. More recently, tracking devices have shed light on migratory routes and key wintering areas. To take appropriate action, further study is needed to determine the pressures faced in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as breeding here in the UK.”

Colette Hall, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Species Monitoring Officer said: “The length of many bird migrations – often thousands of miles – makes it very difficult to pinpoint where and what is causing populations to fall. So the more information we can get all along the migration routes – on land use changes, new infrastructure etc - the better we can target protection measures. It’s important that we help build up the capacity of local bird organisations and volunteers across the world to provide vital information through their own long-term monitoring.”

Alan Law, Director of Biodiversity Delivery at Natural England said: “It is self-evident that effective conservation of a migratory species requires appropriate measures to be in place at each step of the migratory cycle.  For some species, there is growing evidence of pressure on breeding success here in England. Our focus therefore is to ensure that well-managed habitats are available in this country so that migratory species can breed here successfully; this work involves close collaboration with land managers both on designated conservation sites and across the wider farmed countryside”.

David Stroud, Senior Ornithologist with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, said: “Migratory birds depend on conservation actions in all the countries they move through in the course of their annual cycle.  The UK is working with these countries to help improve the condition of their critical habitats through its participation in multi-lateral environmental agreements such as the Biodiversity Convention and the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.”

The State of the UK’s Birds report also covers the UK’s Overseas Territories. The latest evidence reveals mixed fortunes for two important albatross populations in the UK’s Overseas Territories. Seventy per cent of the world’s black-browed albatrosses nest in the Falkland Islands. A population increase here has allowed researchers to downgrade the extinction threat of this species from Endangered to Near Threatened. Sadly, the fortunes of the grey-headed albatross have deteriorated as declines have been reported in nesting colonies on South Georgia, which hosts half the world’s population.

Cuckoo at Lunt meadows- L Bimson

The State of the UK’s Birds report is published by a partnership of eight organisations: RSPB; British Trust for Ornithology; Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust;  Natural Resources Wales; Natural England; Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Scottish Natural Heritage; and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

ends

For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact:

Chris Collett, Communications Manager, 0191 233 4317, 07885 834889

Paul Stancliffe, BTO Media Manager: 01842 750050 / 07585440910; email - paul.stancliffe@bto.org

Mark Simpson, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust press officer: 01453 891138 /  07825 890590

Joint Nature Conservation Committee Press office: tel: 01733 866839, email: communications@jncc.gov.uk

Ellen Softley, Natural England press office: 0300 060 0213/ 07990 804795 ellen.softley@naturalengland.org.uk

New report charts ongoing disappearance of the UK's 'familiar' countryside birds

Turtle Dove Andy Hay

The latest State of the UK s Birds report, published today, reveals many of our most familiar countryside birds are undergoing sweeping changes with some experiencing  plummeting population declines, compared with the 1990s. It is now known that in some parts of the UK these birds have disappeared completely.

A section of the report looks at the UK s 107 most widespread and common breeding birds. Of these species, 16 have declined by more than one third since 1995, including willow tit, starling, cuckoo, lapwing, whinchat and wood warbler. Many of these species are reliant on habitats in the so-called  wider countryside  rather than being maintained on special sites, such as nature reserves, Of particular concern, is that the number of grey partridge has halved since 1995.

Yellow Wagtail - Andy Hay

The unique British race of the yellow wagtail - a bright  yellow-headed  version, whose population is found almost entirely in the UK - has declined by 45 per cent over the same period.

This year the alarming decline of some of the UK s most familiar countryside birds has been brought into sharp focus with the launch of the Bird Atlas 2007-11, published by the BTO last month. That mammoth mapping project covered all of the UK's breeding and wintering birds and revealed how many countryside birds are disappearing from the UK. For example, yellow wagtails have vanished from large areas of England and virtually disappeared from Wales, whilst the range of the turtle doves has shrunk by 34 per cent just since the previous atlas was undertaken in 1988-91.

Dr Mark Eaton is an RSPB conservation scientist. Commenting on the report, he said:  I think many of us have been shocked by how poorly some of our most familiar species are faring. Many of the birds were referring to arent rare and dont occur in remote locations. To the contrary, they are ones you used to see while walking the dog or enjoying a family picnic. But over two decades many of these species have ebbed away from huge swathes of our countryside. In contrast some species, such as the red kite, have become conservation success stories as this species has returned to our countryside.

The list of familiar countryside birds which are declining include:   Willow tit, a woodland bird which has declined by 82 per cent since 1995 and its range has halved over the last two decades; 

Cuckoo - L Bimson

Cuckoo, whose numbers have halved since 1995. The latest bird atlas reveals that although its range has contracted by just eight per cent over the last 40 years, though there are marked declines in abundance in the south and east of Britain;  Whinchat, a bird of open countryside which has declined in number by 60 per cent since 1995, and in range by 48 per cent over the last 40 years; Starling, a bird of urban areas and farmland whose population

has decreased by 53 per cent since 1995. The atlas reveals that its range has contracted by five per cent over the last 40 years with a steep decline in abundance in Britain, and an increase in Northern Ireland; wood warbler, a summer-visiting woodland bird, which has  endured a 69 per cent decline since 1995, and a range contraction of 34 per cent since the 1970s; Yellow wagtail, a bird of farmland and wetland which has experienced a 45 per cent decline in numbers since 1995. The atlas reveals that the yellow wagtail s range has contracted by 32 per cent;  Lapwing, a bird of farmland and wetland which has endured a 41 per cent population decline since 1995. The atlas reveals that their range has contracted by 18 per cent over the last 40 years, with the greatest losses in western Britain and Northern Ireland; 

Snipe - L Bimson

 Snipe, a wetland bird whose breeding range has shrunk by 31 per cent over the last 40 years;  Grey partridge, a farmland bird whose population has declined by 53 per cent since 1995 and whose range has contracted by 40 per cent

over the last 40 years;  Corn bunting, a farmland bird whose population has declined by 34 per cent since 1995. The atlas shows that the corn buntings distribution has contracted by 56 per cent over the last 40 years; and the species is now extinct in Ireland.

Phil Grice is a senior environmental specialist   Ornithology at Natural England. He said:  Whilst we have made great progress with reversing the declines in many of our rarer bird species, thanks to site management and species recovery work, improving the fortunes of our  wider countryside  birds requires us to think beyond good management of our special sites, like SSSIs. Through Environmental Stewardship and initiatives like Nature Improvement Areas, we are working in close partnership with farmers and other land managers to make a difference for biodiversity across whole landscapes, allowing people to experience England s characteristic wildlife close to where they live .

Colette Hall is a species monitoring officer with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. She said:  There s worrying evidence here that the breeding ranges of many of our waders are drastically shrinking. Were loosing much-loved species like snipe or lapwing completely from southern parts of England now. A main cause seems to be loss of habitat due to wetlands being drained for farming or development. We need to protect and restore these habitats in order for species like these   and all wetland wildlife   to survive and prosper.

However, the report is not all bad news. Following its reintroduction into England and Scotland and its ongoing recovery in Wales thr red kite

Blackcap - LBimson

has increased in number by 676 per cent since 1995. Among songbirds, the goldfinch and the blackcap have also increased their populations since 1995 by 109 per cent and 133 per cent, respectively. 

Dawn Balmer, of the British Trust for Ornithology, is the lead author on the recently-published bird Atlas. She said:  The latest findings  from fieldwork carried out by an army of volunteers for the atlas, provides a unique opportunity to assess changes in range for all UK species over winter and the during the breeding season. One of the most striking changes is for avocet which has expanded its range in the UK more than 17-fold over the last 40 years. Better monitoring of non-native species has also revealed the extent of their spread, such as a 50 per cent increase for Canada goose since 1988 91.

The State of the UK s Birds report also looks at how birds are faring in the UK s Overseas Territories. Although across these territories  globally there are 32 species of bird facing extinction, the report delivers good news for some species, including the Ascension  frigatebird and Murphy s petrel, as a result of concerted conservation action.

David Stroud of JNCC said:  The UK s Overseas Territories contain more species of bird facing extinction than the whole of mainland Europe.  Twenty-one of these species occur nowhere else in the world, so the UK has sole and total responsibility for them.

The State of the UK s Birds 2013 report is produced by a coalition of three NGOs - RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the  Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust   and the UK Government s statutory nature

conservation bodies    Natural England (NE), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. (JNCC).