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Wild Birds

Answer

DEFRA annually monitors the numbers of a whole range of birds, through the Breeding Bird Survey. This survey, conducted and funded jointly by the British Trust for Ornithology, the RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, assesses trends in the numbers of common species of birds across the country. A range of other surveys, funded by these organisations, assesses trends in scarcer species. Annual reports are produced for each of the surveys, but summary information derived from them is contained in the report ““The State of the UK's Birds 2004””¹ which as published in July 2005.his report revealed:"Major successes since 1970 include scarce breeders with mainly southern distributions, such as little ringed plovers, woodlarks and Dartford warblers, that may be benefiting from climate change; species such as the buzzard that may be experiencing less persecution than in the past; and species such as the woodpigeon, which may be benefiting from changes in agricultural cropping patterns.""Recent surveys have detected encouraging increases for some of our most vulnerable breeding species: corncrakes, bitterns and nightjars. One species, the hen harrier, showed encouraging increases in the north and west but worrying declines elsewhere in its range.""The all-species, farmland and woodland wild bird indicators for the UK have all shown a slight increase over the last year. However, the farmland bird indicator remains below 60 per cent. of its 1970 value.""2004 was the poorest breeding season on record for many of our seabirds, such as kittiwakes and guillemots, raising concerns about environmental changes in the seas surrounding the UK."The report recognised encouraging progress towards meeting species' targets in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan where concerted conservation action has resulted in increases in numbers of bitterns, corncrakes, stone-curlews and cirl buntings—all species that were at serious risk of extinction as recently as the mid-1990s. While there is no reason for complacency, indications are that the dramatic rate of long-term decline in overall bird populations may have been halted."¹ Eaton M. A., Noble D. G., Cranswick P. A., Carter N., Wotton S., Ratcliffe N., Wilson A., Hilton G. M., and Gregory R D., 2004. The state of the UK's birds 2003. BTO, the RSPB and WWT, Sandy."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

440 c514-5W;440 c513-4W; 31336

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Birds Conservation Nature conservation Population Wildlife

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk