Bird Trends in the Heart of England 1977-2016

This BOS report reviews the population trends of Farmland and Woodland species in south central England compared to the whole of England for the 40 year period 1977 to 2016.

The report constitutes a local version of the Defra publication Wild Bird Populations in England.

Utilising the information from the BOS long term summer (SRSS) and winter (WRSS) surveys, this report analyses the status of key farmland and woodland species, comparing their population trends against the whole of England.

Defra produces an annual review of the status of birds within England by creating a population index for farmland, woodland and other categories of birds. The trends for each category provides a quick snapshot of the overall bird populations, giving a measure by which the impact of environmental changes can be quickly assessed.

The BOS have used the same analytical approach as Defra to enable a direct comparison of local and English population trends for each species category and for individual species. This provides a way to quickly see if farmland and woodland birds are fairing worse or better locally compared to the national trend. The report is fully illustrated with detailed population trend charts and comparitave status assessments for each species. In addition to reviewing the farmland and woodland species as a group, detailed analysis of each species is also presented, comparing their popluation trends against the BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data.

The report highlights species that are undergoing significant local population declines, allowing environmental groups, including the BOS, to try and put in place measures to assist these species. It also notes species that are doing better locally.

This report will be of direct interest to local planners and wildlife organisations, providing key information on the current status of birds in the same format as used by the national reports produced by Defra, JNCC, BTO and the RSPB.

The report can be downloaded for from this link: Bird Trends in the Heart of England 1977-2016

The content can be reproduced as long as it is suitably credited to the BOS and the organisations providing the data the report uses. 

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