This will be an exciting survey to participate in, distinctive birds in special, wonderful
habitat. The BTO needs your help to survey Nightjars, Woodlarks, Dartford Warblers and
other important heathland bird species. The survey aims to cover all the main occupied sites
as well as surrounding suitable habitats where these species may have expanded more
recently.
In the UK, the previous population estimates made for Woodlark, Nightjar and Dartford
Warbler are now almost 20 years old, based on data from surveys undertaken at a time
when all three species had undergone a substantial increase in both population size and
range. Both Woodlark and Dartford Warbler were at their most northerly recorded UK
breeding range extents, while Nightjar was regaining ground in northern England and even
into Scotland.
In 2004, the Nightjar population was 4,600 territories (churring males).
In 2006, Dartford Warblers numbered 3,214 territories and the Woodlark population
was 3,064 territories.
The BTO urgently need updated population estimates to assess how breeding numbers and
range for each of these species have changed throughout the UK and Channel Islands. We
also need to know how birds are faring on the network of protected heathland sites that
support most of the populations of these specialist species.
The Heathland Birds Survey has been designed to cover the current known distribution of
Woodlark, Nightjars and Dartford Warblers, but also to pick up recent range expansion or
contraction. The data collected will be used to calculate up-to-date population figures for
key protected sites, as well as wider national and regional population estimates. The data
may also help with future designations of other important sites for heathland birds.
These heathland species are important features of protected sites, including Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), which are vulnerable to
habitat change and damage such as that caused by fires and extreme weather events. Given
the large proportion of Nightjar, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark populations that depend
upon these habitats, it is vital that we have updated population estimates to ensure that
sites are maintained appropriately and continue to support these rare species.
Please take part
The Heathland Birds Survey will open for registration in January, when volunteers will be
able to sign up for the survey, request survey sites for each species and access the online
data entry system through the online project portal.
All volunteers must follow BTO’s Guidance for volunteer fieldworkers and the
organisation’s Code of Conduct.
Skills
To volunteer for the Heathland Bird Survey, you need to be able to identify Nightjar,
Woodlark and Dartford Warbler by calls, song and sight. You will be surveying up to three
species, using similar survey methods for each of the species. You will also need to record
observations of 12 other heathland assemblage bird species:
Hobby, Long-eared Owl, Cuckoo, Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler, Stonechat,
Tree Pipit, Linnet, Stone-curlew, Snipe, Curlew, Redshank
Time
Volunteers will make between two and four visits for each of the species during the
species’ survey periods:
Woodlark (15 February – 31 May) * – two early morning visits between sunrise and
11 a.m.
Dartford Warbler (1 April – 30 June) * – two early morning visits between sunrise
and 11 a.m.
Nightjar (25 May – 15 July) – two evening visits covering the two-hour period after
sunset, or the two hours prior to sunrise. We recommend a daytime recce visit
before the survey is undertaken.
*On sites where both Woodlark and Dartford Warbler occur, volunteers will need to make
three visits to cover the survey periods, recording both species on each visit.
Volunteers will usually need to spend up to two hours per visit, to survey all the suitable
habitat in a single 1-km survey square. However, where small amounts of habitat are
present at least two squares could be covered per morning.
Location
Survey sites (1-km squares) for each species include known or recently occupied locations,
including some of the larger protected sites (SSSIs and SPAs), as well as a random sample of
squares containing potentially suitable habitat nearby. This combination of survey squares
allows us to get good coverage of the current known distribution but also pick up recent
range expansion and contraction.
Volunteers will be able to request a survey site for each species through the Heathland Birds
Survey online portal when the survey opens for registration in January.
Access permission
All observers are reminded of the need to obtain permission to cross any private land in
England.
Methods
During the survey period, volunteers will need to:
Record all observations of the three target species including sex, activity and
relationships between individuals
Record basic habitat-use information for each territorial bird observed
Plot all observations of the three target species on the survey map provided
Record all observations of an additional 12 ‘heathland assemblage’ species, with a
count of the number of pairs/territories found in the survey square
The known likely suitable habitat will be indicated on the survey map, but volunteers should
check the whole square in case of other suitable areas which need to be included.
Please Sign Up
The Heathland Birds Survey will open for registration in January, when volunteers will be
able to sign up for the survey, request survey sites for each species and access the online
data entry system through the online project portal.
Please visit this page in January to sign up.
If you have any questions/problems, please do not hesitate to make contact with me.
Mick Wright
BTO RR Suffolk
Email: Kupe1515@sky.com
Yorumlar