Wetland birds being frozen out of Britain

Although avocet and godwits doing well August 2011: After a run of mild winters in the past decade, the two most recent have been much colder - and it appears to be driving many wetland birds away from our shores.

Wetland birds often respond strongly to freezing conditions - and while there have been influxes of ducks such as mallards and teal to the UK, presumably escaping from even colder parts of continental Europe, numbers of lapwing and golden plover have declined, according to the results of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Wintering population trends, covering a ten-year period since 1997/98, show that numbers of avocet have risen by 95 per cent and black-tailed godwit by 54 per cent; both species are using our estuaries in greater numbers than ever before. But some familiar waders are declining, such as dunlin (down 39 per cent), ringed plover (down 26 per cent), curlew (down 16 per cent) and redshank (down 13 per cent).

Period of freezing conditions can have a profound effectThere have been changes at inland wetlands, too. For example, 2009/10 was the first winter when the total number of gadwall counted by WeBS exceeded that of another duck, the declining pochard. Whereas the number of gadwalls in Britain and elsewhere in Europe has risen in recent years, the pochard has decreased substantially, probably as a result of a shift in wintering range towards central Europe.

Chas Holt, WeBS Organiser at BTO, said: ‘In 2009/10, WeBS volunteers made more than 34,000 visits to wetland sites to count waterbirds. Once again this is a fantastic effort, and fundamental in helping to illustrate what is happening to Britain's internationally important waterbird populations.
'Although some familiar waders are declining in the UK partly because of range shifts in response to generally milder winters, a period of freezing conditions can have profound effects on some species. Collaboration with other national bird monitoring schemes helps us to place into context the increases and decreases experienced in the UK.'

Mobile birds often escape the harshest conditionsRichard Gregory is the head of the RSPB's species monitoring and research section. He said: ‘We have every right to be concerned about the impacts of climate change on wildlife, but we have to consider the impacts of extreme weather too. Mobile species, such as ducks and wading birds, often escape the harshest conditions, highlighting the importance of maintaining a UK-wide and international network of protected sites, where millions of birds can continue to find a safe refuge.'

David Stroud, JNCC's senior ornithologist said: ‘The UK submits these WeBS counts to international monitoring programmes which allow us to understand changes of these migratory waterbird populations at wider, international scales. To that end they are a critical means by which the UK contributes to obligations under a number of international conservation treaties.'

Richard Hearn, Head of Species Monitoring at WWT, said: ‘This year, as every year, our conservation team and reserve managers have been eagerly awaiting the WeBS results. They are a vital part of our conservation and management toolkit, and they show that many waterbird species in the UK are now decreasing.

'This is worrying, but it confirms the need for WWT's conservation activities on species such as Bewick's swan and Greenland white-fronted goose. Other species, such as pochard, still visit some WWT reserves in large numbers, despite decreasing by almost a half in the UK as a whole, so we're developing plans to further investigate their declines.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wetland-weather2011.html

Barn owls starving to death in the freeze

Snow fun for barn owls as numbers reported dying this winter grows

December 2010. The RSPB is receiving a growing number of calls from members of the public who have discovered dead barn owls recently. Although owls have been found dead in a range of locations, there has been a significant number found in barns and out-buildings.

Starving
Experts at the RSPB believe it is because the cold weather is making food almost impossible to find and the birds are dying of starvation within their roosting locations.

The wildlife charity is worried that the current big freeze can only make this situation worse and is appealing for vigilance where the birds are known to be roosting in the coming weeks.

Barn owls feed on small mammals like voles and mice, and with the ground frozen and covered in snow, this food is almost impossible to find.

Younger owls suffer most
The problem is likely to be most serious for barn owls born this year, that are less experienced at dealing with difficult conditions. It is thought that these first year birds will account for a high percentage of the mortality.

All owl death reports received so far are about barn owls, and the RSPB believes this is likely to be because they commonly live close to man, usually in out-houses, barns and farm buildings, so they are easier to notice.

Mark Thomas, RSPB Investigations Officer says: "We have been receiving a growing number of calls from people who have discovered dead barn owls in recent days and we believe it's because they are starving in the cold weather as the icy, snowy conditions make their main food sources like voles and mice much harder to find.

What to do?
"Although practically there is little that can be done to supplement the diets of barn owls, farmers and members of the public are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any sick or injured looking owls to a wildlife rescue centre immediately. It's very distressing for both the birds and the people who discover them, as they are beautiful and charismatic species of the British countryside.

"Prompt action could save the life of a starving bird and once they've been fed up they should soon be fit for release back in the original location."

Barn owls are most commonly seen at dusk, in open country, along field edges, riverbanks and roadside verges. They nest and roost in buildings found near these habitats, such as farm outbuildings and barns.

Despite the UK Barn owl population doing well in recent years, a high mortality event such as this could have serious conservation implications.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/barn-owls010.html