Once all the data was received, it showed that there was an increase in the breeding of robins, and that there was a ten percent increase in song thrushes in gardens across the United Kingdom. The organizer of the RSPB Make Your Nature Count, Richard Bashford, commented that it was very exciting to see the increase of song thrushes, blackbirds and robins, as it means that weather conditions were ideal during the breeding season. Since 2010, blackbirds had increased by fifteen percent. Bashford said that even though the numbers of the song thrushes had increased, it is important to remember that they did go through a period of decline and are slowly beginning to recover and have a far way to go before their numbers are satisfying, even though there are not any guarantees that the same favorable outcome will appear next year. House sparrows also seemed to increase by approximately twenty percent, but are still to be watched carefully. Thirty percent increases were recorded for chaffinches and blue tits.

The survey was performed in rural areas, urban and suburban areas and it was also the first time the public participants were asked to be on the lookout for grass snakes and bats. Almost one in fifty of the participating members reported grass snakes and they are more likely to be found in rural areas. Thirty-three percent of the participants also reported bats. As an added request they were also asked to take note of toads and frogs, as there had been a decline in their numbers over the last two years. The wildlife in any garden impacts the environment, and through the voluntary services of the public the RSPB is able to conduct their surveys and compile their reports to keep constant records on the various species.

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In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, with its most distinctive feature being its bill that is spoon shaped. It is a very shy wading bird that is located in the Chukotka Region of Russia, but during winter they migrate to countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, taking on eight thousand kilometer journeys to find the warmth of summer. They have also been seen in China, Japan, Thailand and North Korea.

Fully grown, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a mere fourteen to sixteen centimeters, with a reddish brown head, and featuring dark brown streaks over its breast and neck. Conservationists estimate that the Spoon-billed Sandpiper population declines by approximately a quarter every year, and therefore a dedicated team has joined forces to establish a project that will assist in increasing the population. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, along with Birds Russia, will be leading the team and working closely with a variety of organizations, such as the Moscow Zoo and RSPB, to make the project work. They are hoping to either capture a few breeding pairs of Spoon-billed Sandpipers to breed in captivity, and then release back into the wild, or find eggs which will be incubated at the Moscow Zoo, after which the chicks will be transported to Gloucestershire to be raised until they are old enough for release.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust is organizing fundraising events for the project, as well as creating public awareness regarding the plight of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. While raising awareness, hunters will be given compensation if they are prepared to take down their nets, as well as given compensation for every live Spoon-billed Sandpiper they release. It will be the first time that conservationists will attempt to breed these birds in captivity, and if they are successful, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper might stand a fighting chance of avoiding extinction.

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During a very severe winter experienced in the United Kingdom in 2009, a significant decrease in small bird sightings was noticed. The new information received proved that the numbers were on the rise again. During the campaign, more than ten million birds were counted and recorded by the public, and it showed that the number of small birds in the United Kingdom had doubled, with sightings of goldcrests, blue tits, greenfinches, wrens, pheasants, jays, kestrels, lapwings, robins and even waxwings, which migrate to the United Kingdom from Scandinavia. It was the most successful count of waxwings in over thirty years. The research also showed that house sparrows were the most highly sighted birds in the gardens of the United Kingdom.

Sarah Kelly, the co-ordinator of the Big Garden Birdwarch, commented: “We were really interested to see how the small birds fared after such a disastrous last year.” She went on to say, “It appears that many may have had a decent breeding season and have been able to bounce back a little.”

The real excitement, however, was with the wonderful sightings of the waxwings. Even Mark Eaton, scientist for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, commented on them saying, “We knew this was going to be a bumper year for waxwings as we’d had so many reports from all over the UK. But the Big Garden Birdwatch is the first indicator of exactly how many were seen in gardens, and we’re pleased that so many people got to enjoy sightings of these beautiful birds.”

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This beautiful bird has found its way onto the critically endangered list, the IUCN Red List, of bird species and it is estimated that there are fewer than 250 birds remaining in the world. Recent studies have revealed that there could be ways to save this wonderful bird, as they began to investigate the reasons behind the speedy decline in the species. The University of East Anglia has recently published their results.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds funded the project and studies were concentrated in Cambodia, as the biggest collection of the white-shouldered Ibis is found here. Watching and studying the approximately 160 to 200 birds, has revealed that they prefer open areas, with open sand areas and ground level vegetation, as it makes access to prey easier, makes it easier for the birds to see oncoming danger and assists them in landing and take off as there are less obstacles. What has made the study even more fascinating is the fact that human interaction almost always plays a negative role in the survival of animal and bird species, but in the case of the white-shouldered Ibis, human activity is playing a vital role in the protection of the remaining birds. Open fields where livestock graze and areas that are burnt down by farmers to create more open fields, in turn accommodate these birds and opens more habitats to them. As the white-shouldered Ibis seems to be dependant on the farmers for their existence, it is hoped that this relationship between farmer and Ibis can assist in the survival of the species and hopefully increase white-shouldered Ibis numbers.

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For more information on your nearest venue location and the Feed the Birds Day 2009 initiative, kindly visit the Royal Society of the Protections of Birds website at http://www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds/index.asp or contact them on 01767 680 551 (office hours).

Date: 24 – 25 October 2009
Venue: Various
City: Various
Country: United Kingdom

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Albatrosses do not generally receive a lot of public attention, but they are certainly no less important than other birds. This large sea bird is currently facing a huge dilemma – as many as three quarters of albatross species are at the brink of extinction. The main cause for their demise is the fact that they are easily entangled in long fishing lines which are dropped into the water to catch fish such as tuna. The bird then swoops down on the baited lines to which it is attracted, quickly becomes entangled in the lines and it is then eventually pulled underwater where it drowns. It would seem to be such a simple problem to solve, but up until now conservationists have not have much success in helping to stem the number of fishing industry-related deaths.

Fortunately a South African initiative called the Albatross Task Force (ATF) project has now found a way to make the lines safer and so reduce the probability of the birds being drawn to them and becoming entangled. The project’s main preservation technique involves attaching brightly colored streamers to the back of the vessels. These streamers, known as tori lines, flap in the wind and scare the birds away, so helping them to avoid becoming entangled. The initiative also looks at educating fishermen so as to help them avoid catching albatrosses. They share specialist knowledge with the fishermen and also encourage them to fish at night when activity is low. Finding more effective ways to keep the lines down under the water is also encouraged. While changing entrenched attitudes takes time, new laws stipulating that no more than 25 birds may be caught during fishing trips is a very powerful motivator.

So far the Albatross Task Force project has been incredibly successful in helping these endangered birds to avoid premature deaths. The project was launched in 2006 and in 2008 the number of birds killed by fisheries in South Africa dropped by an incredible 85%. Expanding the project to encompass other countries is simply the next logical step, and the UK Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is very supportive of the move. Hopefully this creative and forward-thinking initiative will save yet another bird species from extinction.

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Sometimes the daily habits of a certain bird species may be so obscure that ornithologists are not even sure how many of them exist. That certainly seems to be the case with the Slender-billed Curlew as it seems there is some doubt as to whether or not this bird is still surviving or has become completely extinct.

The last time there was a confirmed sighting of one of these birds, it was in Morocco in 1999. That may not seem so bad, but when you consider that these birds were quite common in the 19th century, you start to understand why only one occasional sighting raises concerns. In fact, between 1980 and 1990 it was estimated that there were only about 100 of these birds left and experts now guess that that number may be less than half – or the birds may have died out completely. However, ornithologists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Birdlife International refuse to give up hope. They are asking bird-watchers to join in a massive operation to try and establish how many of these birds may still exist in the wild. Their hope is that if any of the birds are found still breeding, their natural habitat can be protected and the birds might stand a chance of recovering somewhat.

The speedy disappearance of the bird, however, might not be entirely due to diminishing habitat. It seems that the bird is also a target for predators and hunters, since it is plump and is not easily encouraged to flee from possible danger. Little wonder then with those characteristics – and its possible extinction – that it has been called the ‘European dodo’.

With possibly less than 50 birds remaining in the wild, one may be inclined to think that hopes of reviving wild bird populations, or the species as a whole, are hopeless. But according to Nicola Crockford at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, this is not necessarily the case. She said: “Although the situation for the slender-billed curlew does look gloomy, that other species have risen from the ‘dead’ recently does fuel our optimism.” Hopefully these efforts will prove successful and, not only will the birds be found to be still existing and breeding in the wild, but they will be successfully protected and slowly start to grow in numbers.

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For many bird lovers it seems like the sort of thing dreams are made of – giving up everything to enjoy a year spotting some of the most rare birds in some of the most exotic locations around the globe. Welsh ornithologists Alan Davies and Ruth Miller have done just that. They’ve sold their home and belongings, quit their jobs and set off to break the bird-spotting world record.

The pair of ornithologists met each other as officers with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Their journey together may have started simply enough, but no one would have guessed where it would end up taking them. As part of their goal to break the current record of 3,662, which was set in 1995, Alan and Ruth have set off on a year-long tour that has taken them to the far-flung corners of the globe. They started their journey by selling their house in Llandudno and they used the proceeds to fund their little odyssey. They then set off in hot pursuit of migrating birds, following them to countries such as Finland, Canada and Ethiopia. Their travels across Africa have taken them into some notoriously dangerous territory where common people openly carry AK47 rifles. They have seen a lot in their travels and it seems they don’t regret their decision one bit. The bird they are hoping will help them beat the old record was a sighting of the Blue Bonnet Parrot which they spotted in New South Wales, Australia. They have spotted as many as 3,666 different bird species to date.

One of the rarest birds they have spotted in their travels was the Sidamo Lark in Ethiopia. This small bird is found in only about one square kilometer of desert in that country. They have also seen other stunning birds, such as an Andean Condor, a Burrowing Owl and a Vermilion Flycatcher. While the trip has had its highs, it has also had its lows, and while in Vancouver, Canada, their car was broken into and their video camera complete with footage of the Blue Cotinga and other rare birds spotted in Panama was stolen. They also didn’t budget for the extreme credit crunch that hit this year and so ran out of funds about half way through the year. Nevertheless, they are making the most out of their time abroad and they still plan to travel to India, South Ecuador and Malaysia. They also hope to beat the 4,000 barrier along the way. Unfortunately, their efforts won’t make it into the Guinness Book of World Records because it would have been impossible to ensure that an independent adjudicator was present with each new sighting, but they have tried to film or photograph as many of the sightings as possible and will be submitting their record to the American Bird Association.

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The RSPB has been particularly excited, and also perplexed, at the highs and lows in bird populations this breeding season. On the one hand, it appears that many of their conservation efforts have paid off with the organization enjoying one of the best bird breeding seasons on record. However, at the same time a number of more common bird species are clearly struggling to deal with climatic changes and their numbers are dwindling.

some bird species but, despite that, this was one of the best breeding seasons on record.” He then went on to discuss some of the bird numbers recorded during the season at the Minsmere nature reserve. It seems it was a good season for Terns, but other birds such as the Turtle Dove and Spotted Flycatcher were noticably absent and worrying. In the end there were a record 102 bird species breeding at the Minsmere nature reserve during the course of the season. Unfortunately several Bittern nests failed due to flooding and the Avocets were not terribly successful breeders.

The arrival of a pair of Arctic Terns at Minsmere for the first time was probably the first sign that it would be a good season for Terns in general. Not long after they arrived, a pair of Sandwich Terns, which have been absent in the area for several years, joined the existing Tern colony which numbered around 86 pairs by the end of the season. Not too far away, 41 pairs of young Terns took it upon themselves to raise about 33 youngsters. The Havergate Island Reserve was home to a further 43 pairs of common Terns for the breeding season. Another bird species which arrived in large numbers at the two RSPB nature areas was the Black-headed Gull. A record 758 pairs of these birds were to be found at the Minsmere ‘scrape’ during peak season. Unfortunately the Mediterranean Gulls that had formerly seen an increase, dropped to just two pairs. There were 19 pairs of Common Gulls and three great Black-backed Gull pairs, while the lesser Black-backed Gulls increased to a whopping 1,185 pairs and the Herring Gulls increased to 501 pairs. The increase to three pairs of Stone-Curlews at Minsmere was also noteworthy.

The Avocets nesting at Minsmere increased very slightly in numbers and suffered a bit of tragedy with heavy spring rainfall causing only four chicks to fledge successfully of all those hatched from the 130 pairs nesting at the sight. Birds that researchers are concerned about include Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwit, Bitterns, Dartford Warblers, Yellowhammers, Spotted Flycatchers and Turtle Doves. The Nightjar and Woodlark populations managed to remain stable this year.

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Considered to be on the brink of extinction in Britain just over a decade ago, the bittern has made a remarkable come-back, with the species enjoying its best recorded nesting season in the past 130 years. The loud “booming” mating call of the bittern assisted conservationists in tracking the birds, resulting in a count of 75 males, an astonishing 47 percent increase on last year’s numbers and nearly seven times as many as the 11 which were counted in 1997.

This is, of course, excellent news for conservationists and bird lovers who are making efforts to counteract the negative impact of climate changes, habitat loss and other factors threatening bird-life on our planet. The figures that were released by the RSPB and Natural England are evidence of the success of conservation work that has focused on restoring the bittern’s freshwater reedbed habitat. Much of the bittern’s traditional nesting spots have been concentrated in the coastal areas of East Anglia, however these are being threatened by the slow, but steady, rise in sea levels prompting conservationists to establish inland wetland sites as an alternative habitat for these shy wading birds. The bitterns have responded to the efforts being made on their behalf by widening out their range to incorporate ten English counties, including a newly-created site in Somerset, compared to last year’s eight nesting locations and only four in 1997.

Bitterns feed on insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians that are found in the marshy areas they favor as breeding grounds. It is believed that the habitat conservation efforts, coupled with the wet weather which created excellent feeding conditions, have resulted in the females being in good breeding condition.

In the late 19th century bitterns had disappeared from the U.K. as a result of the wetlands being drained, but they re-colonized in 1911 and were found breeding in the Norfolk Broads. Currently, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge-shire are home to around three-quarters of the bittern population in the U.K. RSPB conservation director, Dr. Mark Avery acknowledges that the bittern has had a rather “ill-fated history” in the U.K. with the 19th century extinction, as well as the near extinction in the late 1990s. The efforts being made by the RSPB and associated conservationists in a bid to ensure that this bird never faces extinction again, has benefited a wide range of other wildlife too.

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