Birds’ interactions with the landscape –BTO research from global to local

Dr Andy Clements, BTO

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• Professionals + 50,000 volunteers

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Not just counting birds

Photo: Chris Wernham

BTO BBS data 1967-2005. In Newton 2010. Photo: Jill Pakenham

Net population changes during the period 1967-2005.

Declining migrants

What 100 years of ringing tells us

Photo: Amy Lewis

Satellite tracking

Unbiased information

Complete annual cycle

Actual migration track – route, stop-overs and wintering destinations

Interactions between conditions and events

Photo: Phil Atkinson

Cuckoo population trends

Data: BTO/RSPB/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey. Photo: Amy Lewis

Where are they now?

Photo: Phil Atkinson

Photo: Juan Pablo Moreiras / Fauna & Flora International

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51 45 39 33 27 21 15 9 3 -3Degrees North

Num

ber

of d

ays

Sus

sex/

Ant

wer

p

Nor

ther

n It

aly

So

uthe

rn F

ranc

e

Afr

ican

coa

st

Arid ZoneHumid Zone

NW

Mor

occo

Nor

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nSpa

in

How long did they stop over?

Photo: Amy Lewis

16 June – 3 July16 June – 3 July

7 – 20 July7 – 20 July

25 July – 1 October25 July – 1 October

2011201120122012

7 June – 10 July7 June – 10 July

19 July – 19 August19 July – 19 August

28 August – 17 September28 August – 17 September

16 March – 2 April16 March – 2 April

16 March – 1 April16 March – 1 April

10-29 April10-29 April

8-13 April8-13 April

<              FEBRUARY              ><                    MARCH                    ><                  APRIL                     >       

2012     

1                                                                                                         

2                                                   

3                                                                           

4                                               

       

2013     

5                                                                                       

6                                                                       

2                                                       

7                                                         

8                                               

00000011112211111112212222333331235666755556777788877777777665245554443311111111000000000

Mean Duration 13.7 (7.8 sd) daysMean Total Duration 29.1 (8.2 sd) days

Timing of pre-Sahara crossing stopovers of Common Cuckoos in West Africa

Photo: Amy Lewis

Spring

23-Mar 

10-Apr 

12-Apr 

14-Apr 

16-Apr 

18-Apr 

20-Apr 

22-Apr 

24-Apr 

26-Apr 

28-Apr 

30-Apr 

02-May 

04-May 

06-May 

08-May 

10-May 

12-May 

14-May

2011 1                       

2                     

3                             

4             

5                             

6                         

7                   

8                                 

9 N O N E

2012 6                         

10                           

11                     

8                             

4 N O N E 

2013 12                                           

13                                           

14                                     

15                                     

16                 

NN 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 5 5 5 9 10 11 13 13 14 15 15 13 14 13 12 12 12 11 9 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 0

Timing of pre-Sahara crossing stopovers of Common Swifts in West Africa

ITCZ and rainfall mid-winter

ITCZ and rainfall late March

Rainfall late February

Photo: Amy Lewis

Rainfall late March

Photo: Amy Lewis

Rainfall late April

Photo: Amy Lewis

• Use of previously unsuspected stop overs in West Africa by several species

• Use of this stop over occurs when drought-breaking rains associated with ITCZ cause a burst of insect availability

• Spring migration strategies of particular importance as they have the potential to strongly influence arrival times of the early-breeding British populations

Data: Newson in prep. Photo: John Harding

Arrival datesD

iffer

ence

in m

edia

n ar

riva

l dat

e (d

ays)

Difference in median arrival date between Inland Observation Points (1963–66) and BirdTrack / Migration Watch (2002–10)

Dawn Balmer et al.

We did it!

• c.40,000 observers

• c.19 million records

• >3,850 10-kms

• >182,000 TTVs

• >50,000 tetrads

• >500 species

Headline statistics

Photo: John Harding

Header (title of slide)

Main body text

Source: xxxxxxx

Header (title of slide)

Main body text

Source: xxxxxxx

Change in abundance averaged across migrants

Change in abundance averaged across raptors

Ducks, geese & swansWetland birds

Farmland birds

•Large range contractions 1970 – 1990

•No marked recent range expansions

•Continued range contractions in some species

Photo: Jill Pakenham

B=-56%I=-100%

B=-17%I=-53%

Change in abundance averaged across waders

B=+25%I=+249%

Photo: Edmund Fellowes

Photo: Chas Holt and Edmund Fellowes

????. Photo: Chris Hewson

Deer and Nightingales

Habitat available Habitat used

Coppice >9 years (unprotected)

Young coppice with deer

Young coppice deer excluded

Photo: Edmund Fellowes

1996 2007

The spread of Muntjac

Data: BTO/RSPB/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey. Photo: Mike Toms

Photo: Rebecca Nason

Thanks to:

Sovon for the invitation to speak

Professor Ian Newton, FRS; Professor Tim Birkhead, FRS

BTO staff: Graham Appleton; Phil Atkinson; Dawn Balmer; Rob Fuller; Chris Hewson; Chas Holt; Dario Massimino; Nick Moran; Andy Musgrove; Nancy Ockenden; James Pearce-Higgins; Nicki Read; Paul Stancliffe; Mike Toms

Mike McCarthy

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca NY USA

Ghana Wildlife Society; Naturama; RSPB; BirdWatchIreland; Scottish Ornithologists Club

Essex & Suffolk Water, BBC Wildlife Fund, Mark Constantine & The Sound Approach, and all our individual Cuckoo sponsors

Our fabulous BTO volunteers who have collected all the data

And to all of you for coming.

Happy Birthday Sovon