LifeCycle issue 13, Autumn 2024

Issue 13 contains articles on monitoring Kestrels, highlights a Stonechat monitoring project in the New Forest and a Goosander-tagging project in Scotland, and sheds light on some unusual Rock Pipi

Improving acoustic species identification using data augmentation within a deep learning framework

Watching Out for Waders: The Working for Waders Nest Camera Project

Low rates of nest and chick survival, caused mainly by predation, have driven large declines in breeding wader populations across Scotland.

Annual Report & Accounts 2023/24

Protected areas, drought, and grazing regimes influence fire occurrence in a fire-prone Mediterranean region

This study builds on previous work as part of the ‘Polesia: wilderness without borders’ project, which

Estimating the distribution of reed Phragmites australis in Britain demonstrates challenges of remotely sensing rare habitat types at large spatial scales

Although the reed plant is an invasive species in much of the world, in Britain reedbed is a relatively scarce habitat, but one that is important for a several bird species.

Trial of the use of silicone cord leg-loop harnesses on Black-legged Kittiwake during the 2023 breeding season

Testing harness designs for tracking seabirds

Waterbirdnews Issue 40 (Autumn 2024)

The newsletter of the Wetland Bird Survey and the Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme.

Browse all issues of Waterbirdnews >

Influence of wind on kittiwake Rissa tridactyla flight and offshore wind turbine collision risk

Many new offshore wind farms are planned, but much uncertainty remains in Kittiwake collision risk, which makes decision-making around offshore wind farm development less efficient.

New insights into the migration and wintering areas of Scottish-breeding Arctic Skuas

Arctic Skuas breed in dwindling numbers on Scotland’s northern coasts and islands.

The status of the UK’s breeding seabirds: an addendum to the fifth Birds of Conservation Concern in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man and second IUCN Red List assessment of extinction risk for Great Britain

The conservation status of breeding seabirds is updated in this paper, with an additional five (Leach’s Storm-petrel, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Arctic Tern and Great Skua) joining the B

Differential changes in the morphology and fuel loads of obligatory and partial migrant passerines over half a century in Britain

Climate change can also lead to changes in distribution, at either the northern or southern end of their migratory route.

Diversity in Irish and British avifauna assemblages: What can variation in diversity profiles reveal about the forces that drive assemblage composition and structure?

Treating gaps and biases in biodiversity data as a missing data problem

However, such data do need to be treated carefully if they are to yield reliable evidence. One problem that frequently occurs is that of gaps in coverage caused by, for example, missing visits.

How effective has the management of Cockle and Mussel fisheries on The Wash estuary been in ensuring that there is sufficient food for birds?

Does the management of shell fisheries leave food for the birds?

During the 1980s, high fishing mortality of the Mussel stocks led to an almost complete disappearance of Mussel beds in The Wash, with the Mussel fishery closing in 1994.

The value of seabird foraging ranges as a tool to investigate the impact of offshore wind farms

The UK’s seabirds have experienced substantial population declines in recent years, thanks to many pressures including overfishing, climate change, severe weather and most recently,

Supplementary bird feeding as an overlooked contribution to local phosphorus cycles.

Does feeding birds alter the phosphorus cycle

The seeds, grains and nuts that make up the supplementary food provided to birds at feeding stations are typically imported to the sites where they are used, and may have been grown many hundreds o

Population and distribution change of Eurasian Woodcocks Scolopax rusticola breeding in the UK: results from the 2023 ‘Breeding Woodcock Survey’

Breeding Woodcocks are difficult to monitor through traditional multi-species surveys because of their nocturnal behaviour and cryptic plumage.

Active European warzone impacts raptor migration

Collaborative research involving BTO has examined the effects of the conflict in Ukraine on the migration of the endangered Greater Spotted Eagle.

The Breeding Bird Survey 2023

The 2023 BBS report celebrates the survey’s 30th anniversary, and the commitment and dedication of nearly 9,000 volunteers who have contributed since 1994.