NRS annual totals
The table below shows the number of nests monitored per species for the Nest Record Scheme in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and in total since the survey started in 1939.
Species in the table that are marked with an asterisk are ones for which we particularly wish to encourage more monitoring because although they are common we receive relatively few records for them. The species shown in italics are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which means it is illegal to approach their nests without a permit. More information about Schedule 1 permits can be found here.
Note that the totals below only include records of nesting attempts that have got at least as far egg-laying. Every year we also receive c.7,000 records of empty nest boxes and territories.
Download the totals in a spreadsheet
Species |
2022 |
2023 |
All |
Mute Swan* |
82 |
105 |
8,758 |
Black Swan |
0 |
2 |
10 |
Whooper Swan |
0 |
1 |
41 |
Greylag Goose |
27 |
24 |
1,703 |
Canada Goose |
47 |
93 |
6,107 |
Egyptian Goose |
11 |
10 |
286 |
Shelduck |
7 |
7 |
487 |
Mandarin Duck |
35 |
47 |
1,262 |
Wigeon |
0 |
4 |
186 |
Gadwall |
15 |
9 |
413 |
Teal |
2 |
2 |
268 |
Mallard |
72 |
59 |
11,475 |
Garganey |
0 |
1 |
16 |
Shoveler |
4 |
6 |
287 |
Red-crested Pochard |
1 |
0 |
40 |
Tufted Duck |
12 |
5 |
1,662 |
Eider* |
201 |
361 |
14,704 |
Common Scoter |
5 |
3 |
101 |
Goldeneye |
18 |
17 |
578 |
Goosander |
7 |
8 |
544 |
Red Grouse |
19 |
5 |
960 |
Black Grouse |
1 |
0 |
118 |
Red-legged Partridge |
2 |
2 |
543 |
Grey Partridge |
2 |
1 |
908 |
Pheasant |
11 |
12 |
2,727 |
Red-throated Diver* |
2 |
12 |
2,580 |
Black-throated Diver |
1 |
2 |
274 |
Fulmar* |
29 |
117 |
8,789 |
Manx Shearwater |
8 |
3 |
1,585 |
Gannet |
22 |
0 |
85 |
Cormorant* |
128 |
118 |
4,469 |
Shag* |
104 |
327 |
19,723 |
Bittern |
1 |
2 |
48 |
Little Egret |
85 |
113 |
597 |
Grey Heron* |
120 |
106 |
10,330 |
White Stork |
12 |
12 |
33 |
Spoonbill |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Little Grebe |
22 |
20 |
3,249 |
Great Crested Grebe |
25 |
47 |
5,376 |
Honey-buzzard |
10 |
10 |
330 |
Red Kite |
172 |
210 |
4,752 |
White-tailed Eagle |
9 |
15 |
145 |
Marsh Harrier |
50 |
85 |
755 |
Hen Harrier* |
92 |
110 |
2,564 |
Goshawk |
337 |
312 |
4,059 |
Sparrowhawk* |
42 |
27 |
6,648 |
Buzzard |
178 |
186 |
10,243 |
Golden Eagle |
19 |
30 |
1,025 |
Osprey |
48 |
77 |
544 |
Kestrel |
558 |
579 |
17,105 |
Merlin* |
126 |
115 |
5,472 |
Hobby |
86 |
93 |
2,404 |
Peregrine |
240 |
212 |
6,316 |
Water Rail |
8 |
7 |
186 |
Moorhen* |
148 |
126 |
28,640 |
Coot |
190 |
189 |
27,817 |
Oystercatcher* |
315 |
230 |
24,482 |
Black-winged Stilt |
1 |
0 |
6 |
Avocet |
53 |
45 |
1,684 |
Stone-curlew |
52 |
53 |
782 |
Little Ringed Plover* |
68 |
79 |
3,877 |
Ringed Plover* |
54 |
106 |
13,183 |
Dotterel |
0 |
8 |
349 |
Golden Plover* |
24 |
5 |
1,150 |
Lapwing* |
376 |
307 |
33,458 |
Temminck's Stint |
0 |
1 |
3 |
Dunlin |
3 |
1 |
692 |
Snipe* |
23 |
8 |
2,012 |
Woodcock |
11 |
1 |
753 |
Black-tailed Godwit |
59 |
54 |
330 |
Whimbrel |
0 |
2 |
162 |
Curlew* |
166 |
168 |
4,120 |
Common Sandpiper* |
25 |
21 |
2,065 |
Green Sandpiper |
0 |
1 |
8 |
Greenshank |
8 |
11 |
275 |
Wood Sandpiper |
2 |
0 |
17 |
Redshank* |
9 |
7 |
3,840 |
Red-necked Phalarope |
0 |
1 |
171 |
Arctic Skua |
1 |
6 |
447 |
Great Skua |
1 |
0 |
721 |
Kittiwake* |
365 |
555 |
25,926 |
Black-headed Gull* |
173 |
197 |
14,295 |
Mediterranean Gull |
26 |
10 |
210 |
Common Gull* |
63 |
40 |
7,572 |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
24 |
29 |
5,395 |
Herring Gull |
67 |
123 |
9,653 |
Great Black-backed Gull |
47 |
52 |
3,972 |
Hybrid Gull |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Little Tern* |
436 |
358 |
10,447 |
Sandwich Tern |
24 |
0 |
1,981 |
Common Tern* |
49 |
65 |
10,106 |
Roseate Tern |
154 |
118 |
2,811 |
Arctic Tern* |
25 |
815 |
21,265 |
Guillemot |
0 |
4 |
2,049 |
Razorbill |
31 |
106 |
2,409 |
Black Guillemot |
2 |
29 |
2,622 |
Puffin |
60 |
0 |
1,404 |
Rock Dove |
29 |
15 |
1,277 |
Feral Pigeon |
7 |
4 |
2,503 |
Stock Dove |
1,020 |
1,072 |
28,243 |
Woodpigeon |
512 |
503 |
41,486 |
Collared Dove |
88 |
64 |
7,583 |
Turtle Dove |
2 |
0 |
2,199 |
Ring-necked Parakeet |
12 |
4 |
216 |
Cuckoo |
55 |
32 |
2,735 |
Barn Owl |
3,515 |
3,350 |
51,645 |
Little Owl |
150 |
156 |
4,992 |
Tawny Owl |
542 |
616 |
19,440 |
Long-eared Owl |
12 |
10 |
1,062 |
Short-eared Owl |
7 |
21 |
587 |
Nightjar |
131 |
117 |
3,511 |
Swift |
269 |
286 |
5,042 |
Kingfisher |
30 |
24 |
1,128 |
Green Woodpecker |
4 |
5 |
643 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker |
38 |
45 |
3,844 |
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
21 |
21 |
437 |
Chough |
123 |
129 |
1,640 |
Magpie* |
48 |
62 |
9,675 |
Jay |
4 |
2 |
1,855 |
Jackdaw |
523 |
487 |
17,064 |
Rook* |
647 |
1,508 |
21,665 |
Hooded Crow |
23 |
21 |
1,474 |
Carrion Crow* |
67 |
88 |
9,961 |
Raven |
110 |
123 |
6,687 |
Goldcrest |
13 |
3 |
1,156 |
Firecrest |
25 |
25 |
78 |
Blue Tit |
7,913 |
7,649 |
229,474 |
Great Tit |
4,330 |
4,439 |
156,051 |
Crested Tit |
1 |
3 |
693 |
Coal Tit |
77 |
138 |
7,800 |
Willow Tit |
32 |
4 |
941 |
Marsh Tit |
44 |
40 |
2,463 |
Woodlark |
79 |
83 |
3,612 |
Skylark* |
49 |
40 |
10,150 |
Sand Martin |
898 |
1,162 |
16,752 |
Swallow |
1,464 |
1,602 |
107,348 |
House Martin |
321 |
338 |
14,709 |
Cetti's Warbler |
21 |
17 |
173 |
Long-tailed Tit |
179 |
143 |
10,261 |
Wood Warbler* |
44 |
42 |
4,370 |
Chiffchaff |
159 |
165 |
6,826 |
Willow Warbler* |
136 |
117 |
17,240 |
Blackcap |
177 |
128 |
7,129 |
Garden Warbler |
30 |
27 |
3,130 |
Lesser Whitethroat |
2 |
4 |
1,108 |
Whitethroat* |
74 |
86 |
8,653 |
Dartford Warbler |
22 |
18 |
843 |
Grasshopper Warbler |
34 |
46 |
783 |
Sedge Warbler* |
54 |
50 |
5,872 |
Reed Warbler |
602 |
715 |
29,168 |
Nuthatch |
198 |
301 |
8,391 |
Treecreeper |
47 |
51 |
3,623 |
Wren* |
244 |
245 |
21,710 |
Starling* |
249 |
213 |
22,828 |
Dipper* |
601 |
484 |
18,428 |
Ring Ouzel* |
42 |
66 |
2,563 |
Blackbird* |
931 |
894 |
161,630 |
Song Thrush* |
485 |
444 |
86,998 |
Redwing |
0 |
1 |
130 |
Mistle Thrush* |
44 |
29 |
9,450 |
Spotted Flycatcher* |
160 |
87 |
14,396 |
Robin |
376 |
361 |
30,898 |
Nightingale |
8 |
0 |
604 |
Pied Flycatcher* |
2,102 |
2,383 |
69,875 |
Black Redstart |
8 |
2 |
220 |
Redstart* |
266 |
264 |
10,520 |
Whinchat* |
117 |
126 |
3,883 |
Stonechat |
315 |
236 |
7,759 |
Wheatear* |
66 |
57 |
4,931 |
Dunnock* |
220 |
221 |
37,686 |
House Sparrow |
513 |
424 |
22,494 |
Tree Sparrow |
1,602 |
1,431 |
62,722 |
Yellow Wagtail* |
10 |
3 |
1,207 |
Grey Wagtail* |
161 |
112 |
9,016 |
Pied Wagtail* |
145 |
100 |
13,687 |
Tree Pipit |
95 |
60 |
3,140 |
Meadow Pipit* |
196 |
163 |
13,818 |
Rock Pipit* |
6 |
4 |
1,103 |
Chaffinch* |
106 |
86 |
28,454 |
Greenfinch* |
24 |
25 |
16,594 |
Goldfinch |
91 |
101 |
5,510 |
Siskin |
0 |
2 |
171 |
Linnet* |
198 |
208 |
33,615 |
Lesser Redpoll* |
9 |
8 |
1,544 |
Common Redpoll* |
1 |
0 |
4 |
Common Redpoll |
1 |
0 |
4 |
Common Crossbill |
17 |
9 |
277 |
Scottish Crossbill |
1 |
1 |
10 |
Common Rosefinch |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Bullfinch* |
22 |
35 |
7,062 |
Hawfinch |
5 |
2 |
277 |
Yellowhammer* |
91 |
67 |
9,834 |
Cirl Bunting |
54 |
42 |
1,014 |
Reed Bunting* |
103 |
86 |
9,944 |
Corn Bunting* |
20 |
29 |
1,470 |
Overall Total |
40,970 |
42,975 |
2,106,309 |
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