Wader Calendar

Key Survey Information

View a summary of the key survey information in the Wader Calendar Infographic.

View Infographic

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The Wader Calendar is a quick and easy way for farmers to record waders on their farm and contribute to a national monitoring scheme.

We want to enable farmers to monitor waders on their land to collect evidence that can be used to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of conservation management.

There is no strict survey methodology - just weekly estimates of five target waders on your farm April to July. The time it takes depends on your methods, keeping notes as you go should only take a few minutes each week, but dedicated counts at set times in the week may take longer. You only need to be able to recognise and identify the five target species: Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Snipe.

We hope this method will allow farmers to contribute to the available information on waders for their farms. Farmers and waders in the UK have both been impacted by the sweeping changes to farming landscapes and practices over the last century. Farmers are the traditional custodians of waders and increasing their involvement in wader monitoring and conservation will improve the outlook for waders in the UK.

Time / skill required

  • Keeping notes as you go should only take a few minutes each week, but dedicated counts at set times in the week may take longer. The survey runs April to July.
  • Recognise and identify the five target species: Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Snipe.
Project Lead
Email Contact
waders@bto.org

Project timeline, contributions & findings

Project timeline

  • Winter/Spring Please enter your details on the Wader Calendar Online Form to register your interest (no commitment to complete the survey)

  • 28th March (2022) The first week of the survey begins

  • 31st July (2022) The last day of the survey

  • By 30th November (2022) Return a scan or photo of your completed wader calendar to waders [at] bto.org

Taking part

Please enter your details on the Wader Calendar Online Form to register your interest (this is not a commitment to complete the survey, and you do not need to have waders on your farm). You can request a paper pack using the Online Form, or download and print the
to begin your weekly wader counts from the week commencing 28th March 2022. You can find guidance on how to use the Recording Form and what to record in the Wader Calendar
.

Method

There is no strict survey methodology. Just keep weekly estimates of the number of five target waders on your farm from April to July. The time it takes depends on your chosen methods, keeping notes as you go should only take a few minutes each week, but dedicated counts at set times in the week may take longer. You only need to be able to recognise and identify the five target species: Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Snipe. See our Wader Behaviour Guide for help recognising key wader behaviours.

The final week of the survey ends on 31st July 2022. Please fill in your Farm Details, Method Used and Notes on Page 2 of the Wader Calendar 2022 Recording Form and send a scan/photo of both pages of your Wader Calendar 2022 Recording Form to waders [at] bto.org, or post to the address below before the 30th November 2022:

FAO: Paul Noyes
BTO Scotland
Beta Centre (Unit 15)
Stirling University Innovation Park
Stirling
FK9 4NF

Resources

Recording Form:

Instructions:

Wader Calendar 2022 Survey Instructions

Wader Calendar 2022 Survey Instructions (PDF, 152.59 KB)

Behaviour Guide: Wader Survey Behaviour Guide

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