By Rebecca Mills, Scottish Lowlands placement student
This blog is a follow on from my last blog about winter bird surveys which you can find here.
What are breeding bird surveys?
Breeding bird surveys are an essential part of biodiversity monitoring in the UK, to understand the changing numbers of resident and migratory birds. We are currently carrying out breeding bird surveys on six different farms across Scotland as part of the new PepsiCo FAB (Farming Arable Biodiversity) project. In this project we are collaborating with and advising farmers who produce for Quaker Oats how to increase biodiversity on their farms by implementing habitat measures, all whilst demonstrating that this does not come at a cost to productive agriculture.
When are breeding bird surveys carried out?
Breeding bird surveys are carried out from April to July, one hour after sunrise until mid-morning as this is when many bird species are at their most active. We are visiting each farm three times throughout this period to get a good idea of the population of different species.
How do we do breeding bird surveys?
Prior to starting each survey, we record several factors: temperature, visibility, rain, wind, cloud cover %, start time and the date. The surveys are carried out in good conditions where possible. This means no strong winds, rain, or poor visibility. Transects are walked around the farm which cover key bird habitat, such as wild bird seed mixes and hedges (if present). As we walk the transects, each bird we hear or see is plotted onto a map of the farm using the BTO species codes to be collated onto a spreadsheet later.
My perspective and highlights
I have enjoyed doing the breeding bird surveys as I have noticed my bird ID knowledge improving since doing winter birds surveys for the PARTRIDGE project. It is always a treat seeing the beautiful sunrises in the morning and being on the farms surrounded by bird song.
A highlight of the breeding bird surveys was hearing a corn bunting at one of the farm sites. I heard plenty of them when I visited Germany with the PARTRIDGE project, but they are a red listed species in Scotland having declined by 86% since 19671. So, it was such a treat to hear their rattling call as we walked past a corn bunting mix the farmer had sewn in one of the fields. We still have one survey left at each of the sites and I am looking forward to seeing what other species we discover.
