Productive summer for resident birds

12 December 2011

Two volunteer schemes; the Nest Record Scheme (NRS) and the Constant Effort Sites (CES) which are part of the JNCC/BTO partnership, have published preliminary figures for surveys undertaken in 2011.  The results show that this summer was a productive one for many of our resident bird species. "CES data indicate that, while numbers of resident birds were low following the cold winter, they were able to produce large numbers of young" reported Dr Greg Conway, CES Organiser. 

The volunteers for the Nest Record Scheme count the eggs and chicks in individual nests and sumbit their data to the NRS, whilst licensed bird ringers catch birds in mist nets at Constant Effort Sites to assess the ratio of young to adult birds. Some of the winners in 2011 were Dunnocks, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Kestrels and Great Tits.  Barn Owls and Tawny Owls also benefited from a thriving rodent population early in 2011 and a very dry start to the breeding season. 

Full details of the preliminary results can be found at www.bto.org/ces-results and www.bto.org/nrs-results