Species Decline

[Terry P]

Not wishing to totally ruin the woodcock photo thread with the discussion on decling numbers of woodcock and mallard i though i'd start a thread here. Prompted by fisherman mike I've visited the bto site and spent a couple of hours going through relevant species.

Firstly the claimed 40% decline in mallard numbers,after reading all I could find on mallard the only reference to any decline is in the number of mallard migrating here in the winter,this sadly is the one and only reason it has been put on the amber list,this is despite th fact that on the list of most increased its number 9 with and increase of over 50% its number in the rest of europe is described as a widespread increase. Tufted duck and canada geese have show large increase also.

Pintail numbers are on the drop but this is put down to less breeding habitat,they seem to be the most vunerable to global warming.Yet on my marsh numbers are increasing year on year for the last 5.

Right the poor old woodcock,it would seem it is indeed in decline,but after reading all the data it goes on to admit that its imformation my be flawed due to the woodcock being very elusive and and difficult to record,its original source of info the CBC collected might be wrong and they discontinued its survey, they also state that the areas they survey were perhaps not the best areas for them to survey. Then the BBS took over this sounds maimly RSPB run. But they also admited that they were inefficiant at records the british breeding population. A special woodcock survey was carried out in 2003 and the base numbers of woodcock were found to be far higher than first thought.

It goes on to state that the number of migrant woodcock shot since 1945 and increased,this from a population that they claim but give no data is in decline.

My main concern about the BBS is this, are the surveys only carried out on reserves,sssi sites etc,are shooting estates,wildfowling club marshes etc included in the surveys.

Curlew and redshank are in decline dispite being taken off he shooting list many years ago,yet on some grouse and other gamekeeper managed moors thier breeding numbers are showing an increse.

Food for thouhgt indeed,easy to claim something is on the decrease when not all things are taken into consideration.

Sorry for the waffle, but i'm a window cleaner and its hailstoning outside,all you boys on pigeon watch will be pleased to read that dispite all your efforts the woodie is on the way up lol

[Richie10]

Interesting.

 

I thought it was all doom and gloom. The Sparrow population has plummetted and the woodpecker population increased, neither to do with shooting.