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23rd April 2001
The dawn chorus, a familiar feature of the UK countryside in spring, is becoming muted as millions of birds disappear.
A comparison of today's countryside with that of 30 years ago shows that there are now an estimated 35 million fewer songbirds. Less birdsong is being heard than ever before as farmland and woodland bird decline continues across the UK countryside. Favourite bird sounds are vanishing from some areas.
The impact of intensive farming began to show its effect on the population of birds on agricultural land in the mid 1970s. Since then many familiar farmland birds have substantially declined in numbers and some woodland birds are also on the way down.
The effects are even being detected in many gardens. Song thrushes are no longer a common garden bird and in many places there may be only one singing where once several would be heard. Other garden species like chaffinch, robin and wren are surviving well and still make their contribution to the chorus both in suburbia and in woodlands.
RESIDENTS
Birds which depend on farmland have suffered the greatest declines with a wide range of species affected. Birds found in a wider range of countryside habitats have also been in decline, resulting in a quieter dawn chorus overall.
SUMMER VISITORS
The dawn chorus reaches its peak when all of the summer visitors have arrived, joining resident birds in woodlands, wetlands and elsewhere. May and June sees the greatest number and variety of birds in song.
Predominantly farmland birds which have declined include:
Corn bunting - more than three-quarters have vanished from farmland and other countryside. A shortage of insects for chicks, and wildflower seeds, resulting from pesticide use affects their breeding success. Changes in grazing and mowing practices have also reduced nest site availability.
Lapwing - a recent survey revealed that lapwings have declined faster than any other farmland bird with nearly 50 per cent vanishing from England and Wales between 1987 and 1998. Lapwings should be put onto the Red List of species of the highest conservation concern.
Linnet - more than half have vanished, more from farmland than woodland. Herbicides have caused a loss of 'weed' seeds, the removal of hedges, gorse thickets and other scrub has reduced the number of suitable nesting sites, and there has been a switch to autumn-sown cereal crops with a loss of winter stubbles.
Reed bunting - more than half have vanished. This decline coincides with that of many other farmland birds which depend on cereal, grass and wildflower seeds and also feed their young on insects. Also nesting cover has become sparce on heavily managed farmland.
Skylark - more than half of our skylarks have vanished. On farmland along three-quarters have gone with the biggest declines in the arable areas of southern England. Breeding success and survival have been affected by a reduction in crop diversity, loss of winter stubbles and increased use of herbicides and insecticides.
Yellowhammer - more than half have vanished from the countryside, more from woodland than farmland making this species a strong candidate for admission to the Red List of species of the highest conservation concern.
Birds in the wider countryside include:
Blackbird - more than a quarter have vanished, mainly from farmland. It is thought that reduced food availability throughout the year may be behind these declines, combined with habitat loss.
Dunnock - more than a third have vanished. Loss of nest sites and lack of available food - insects in the summer and weed seeds in winter - may be behind the decline.
Mistle thrush - more than a third have vanished. Another thrush decline which is probably linked to food availability - especially invertebrates in summer.
Song thrush - half have vanished, more from farmland than woodland. Evidence shows that they are failing to rear enough young each year on intensively managed arable farmland. Lack of food during June-July may be preventing thrushes from rearing enough broods of young each year.
Starling - nearly two-thirds have vanished, more from farmland than woodland. Such declines make the starling a strong candidate for admission to the Red List of species of the highest conservation concern.
The populations of many woodland bird species have been stable or increasing. Where there are fewer blackbirds and thrushes, their places in the dawn chorus will have been filled by chaffinches, robins, wrens, great tits and woodpigeons.
More detailed information about the latest population changes can be found in The State of the UK's Birds 2000. This PDF file is available to download on the main RSPB website at www.rspb.org.uk.
Reproduced below is a copy of a press briefing from Chris Mead:
The unprecedented invasion of hundreds of migrant large birds of prey, Honey Buzzards, that took place over a week ago is resolving itself as they make their way south through Britain. Some are still being seen as far North as Cumbria but the main action, over the last day or two, has been on the coast of Sussex. Over 100 birds have passed through Essex, where birdwatchers have only recorded a total of 40 individuals in the last 50 years! Beachy head, in Sussex, recorded over 60 on just Saturday with the three day total of records in Sussex probably reaching 150. Apart from Beachy the other main site was Selsey Bill in the west of the county.
The birds search for lift to enable them to soar and use much less energy on their migration. Bird flight specialists think that it may save as much as 97% of energy over flapping flight and that migrating birds of prey thus do not need to feed whilst migrating. However, these birds excursions over the North Sea will have meant that their energy resources have been depleted and there are some records of the Honey Buzzards attacking wasp nests, their favourite food, and eating the fat, energy-rich larvae. One in Norfolk stayed by the large nest it had dug out for more than 24 hours.
These birds will be very late reaching the Straits of Gibraltar, their route into Africa, where the stream of Honey Buzzards from Europe sometimes reached 100,000 in the Autumn. The main passage in most years is in the first half of September. Birdwatchers were astonished that the totally unprecedented invasion of migrating Honey Buzzards through Britain started last week. Several places have recorded more birds in a single flock than are normally seen on migration through the whole country in autumn. And some knew where they should call in - there have been several records of Honey Buzzards over-flying the RSPB headquarters at The Lodge, Sandy!
Exceptional weather conditions, that caused the German hot air balloon to be blown to Carnoustie, have been responsible for blowing these birds across the North Sea - probably from the German coast just south of Denmark. Nothing like it has happened since bird recording started in earnest in the 19th century. In Britain the Honey Buzzard, a large bird of prey that famously predate wasp nests to eat the grubs, is a very rare but increasing breeding bird. There may now be 50 or 60 breeding pairs scattered over the country rather than the dozen or so pairs previously reported in a good year.
However, they are migrants and breed in large numbers across Europe and into Asia. As predominately soaring birds they are generally loath to cross the sea - except at the shortest water crossings - and so, although tens of thousands of these magnificent birds migrate to Africa each autumn from adjacent countries, only a handful are normally seen in Britain. There were a handful of sightings last Monday and Tuesday week but Wednesday, almost a fortnight ago, saw the real start of the influx. By Sunday, with hundreds of birders on the look out, the numbers dropped and it looked as if it was all over. But on Monday very large numbers were again recorded and some new birds were certainly involved - a few were seen coming in off the sea.
The rough total of records, some will be the same birds seen twice,
were as follows:
Wednesday 20th 80+
Thursday 21st 60+
Friday 22nd 130+
Saturday 23rd 220+
Sunday 24th ca. 45
Monday 25th 180+
Since then up to 150 a day
Flocks of the birds have been seen using thermals to gain height - including several crossing the Thames on the London/Essex border and others were seen over central London! Birdwatchers have been out with their binoculars during the lunch break or have even seen them from their office windows on Monday. One of the wonders of the bird world is the stream of over 100,000 migrants, of this species, which pass across the Straits of Gibraltar every Autumn. The birds involved with Britain over the last few days are youngsters. The majority of the birds will already be in Africa and the ones in Britain now will be very late.
These are rather strange birds with dense feathers, like scales, on the head and face to protect them against the stings of the wasps. They feed by digging out the nests with their strongly clawed feet. They often dig holes up to a foot deep in the ground but seldom feed on migration. They look very like Common Buzzards, scientific name Buteo buteo, with distinctive bars on the underwings, but are not closely related - scientific name Pernis apivorus. They are very conspicuous on migration when circling round and round, on stiff wings, gaining height in rising air. Some other birds of prey are probably also involved including Common Buzzards, Ospreys and Hobbys. Even the Common Buzzards are probably from migrant Scandinavian populations that winter in Africa.
Chris Mead, Hilborough, Norfolk
25th January 2000
Drastic declines in the UK’s skylark numbers are largely the result of a move from spring-sown to autumn-sown cereals by UK farmers, according to new research carried out by the RSPB.
A study involving 995 skylark nests, carried out between 1996 and 1999, across 24 farms in East Anglia, Oxfordshire and Dorset, found that twice the density of skylarks was found in spring cereals compared to autumn-sown cereal crops.
Spring-sown cereals allow the remains or ‘stubble’ of the previous crop to be left unploughed, providing food and cover for skylarks over the preceding winter months. Spring-sown crops also provide safer nesting sites and allow skylarks to make more breeding attempts, as the growing crop remains relatively short throughout the breeding season.
Between 1968 and 1996, the area of spring-sown cereals grown in the UK has dropped from 73 per cent to just 16 per cent of the UK’s total cereal area. This decrease, resulting from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), has contributed significantly to a drop in the UK skylark numbers of 75 per cent on UK farmland over the same period.
The RSPB skylark research was funded by Tesco Stores Ltd, as part of the company’s support for the UK Skylark Biodiversity Action Plan, one of the UK Government’s Species Action Plans designed to help some of our most threatened wildlife. The study’s findings are the first tangible output of the Biodiversity Action Plan process, and are the first step toward preventing further skylark declines.
A Tesco spokesperson said: "Tesco is committed to meeting the needs of our customers and of our suppliers. Our involvement in the Skylark Action Plan further demonstrates that Tesco is also committed to encouraging responsible farming methods which benefit wildlife and local communities."
Mark Avery, RSPB conservation director, added: "Increasing the area of spring-sown cereals is a feasible solution. The Government’s recently announced additional funding for environmental schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, should be used to support arable farmers to sow spring sown cereals and to leave winter ‘stubbles’. This is an opportunity not to be missed and would go a long way to helping farmers meet the challenge of skylark conservation."
Additional Notes:
1. The findings of the study, co-authored by Paul Donald, RSPB, are ‘in press’ and will be published later this year in the proceedings of the BOU Farmland Bird conference.
2. As official ‘Champion’ of the UK Skylark Action Plan, Tesco has contributed £100,000 per annum over the last three years. This demonstrates Tesco’s belief in the need for sustainable development and its support for responsible farming.
3. Figures from the BTO show that cereals are one of the single most important habitat for skylarks, holding 40 per cent of farmland skylarks in England and Wales ( 34 per cent in Scotland). Over three million hectares (12.4 per cent of the UK’s total land area) is currently given over to cereal crops.
4. Between 1968 and 1996 the area of spring cereals fell from three million hectares to 500,000 hectares. The numbers of skylarks declined overall by 60 per cent from 1972 to 1996, with a fall of 75 per cent on farmland (figures from the BTO/JNCC Common Bird Census).
5. Spring-sown cereals may further favour skylarks because there are generally fewer applications of pesticides made than in winter crops. Further benefits to skylarks arise from the use of spring cereals in farming systems involving both arable and livestock production. These systems provide a patchwork of grass pastures and arable crops.
6. In comparison to spring cereals, skylarks do equally well in the relatively small area of set-aside ( 10 per cent of the total area under cereals), where 10 per cent of farmland skylarks are found.
7. Options within agri-environment schemes such as the Arable Stewardship Scheme (now entering its final year) are likely to benefit skylarks significantly if made available on a wider scale. For example, winter stubbles followed by a spring sown crop fit well into existing agricultural systems and provide winter feeding and summer nesting sites for skylarks and many other farmland birds. This combination is a popular option with farmers and offer good value for the public’s money. Following winter stubble s with summer fallow provides highly important nesting and feeding areas where spring cropping is not practicable due to soil type (ie where the soil remains too wet).
8. The RSPB is the charity that takes action to protect wild birds and the environment. It is the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe with over one million members. The RSPB is the UK member of BirdLife International, a global partnership of wildlife conservation organisations.
9. The RSPB website address is: www.rspb.org.uk
      
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