Saving Nature With Science

Albatrosses are among the most threatened bird families, and they mostly nest on very remote islands. Keeping track of their numbers is therefore very challenging and expensive – unless we could use pictures taken from satellites to count breeding pairs. Conservation Scientist, Steffen Oppel tells the story.

Many of the world’s albatross species are threatened by fisheries at sea and invasive species on the islands…

This year, the RSPB is partnering with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Natural England, to conduct three national species surveys. Conservation Scientist, Andrew Stanbury, explains why such surveys are important and how to get involved.

Populations of many wild birds in the UK are monitored through a suite of well-established schemes, each targeting a different array of species. For example, trends in common…

Today sees the publication of a special edition of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences) dedicated to the life’s work and memory of Professor Dame Georgina Mace DBE FRS (1953–2020).  Georgina was an amazing individual and a profoundly influential scientist in biodiversity research and conservation. Today’s publication, edited by Jon Bridle, Andrew Balmford, Sarah Durant,…

A new scientific paper led by the RSPB, documents the catastrophe of the first bird extinction since records began from the mainland Western Palearctic region, covering Europe, North Africa, northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and part of temperate Asia west of the Ural Mountains. 

Graeme Buchanan, Head of International Conservation Science writes on this devastating news. 

This bird, the Slender-billed…

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one the world’s rarest and most endangered waders. RSPB has been involved in the international effort to save it since 2010. Migrants Recovery programme Manager, Guy Anderson, reports on September fieldwork in eastern China, a hotspot for ‘spoonies’ along their 8,000km migration route. 

Precious service stations for migratory waterbirds 

 “Thumpth……..Thumpth………Thumpth…….”…

The RSPB supports and supervises a wide range of MSc projects each year. If you are interested in any of the projects below and you are already enrolled on an MSc course at a university, send an e-mail with “MSc project” as the subject to the project coordinator listed in the advert. 

This year, we have 18 opportunities, we look forward to hearing from you. 

Temporal changes in White-necked Picathartes colon…

Field Officer, Hannah Greetham shares her experiences of collecting data in some very special locations. 

I am obsessed with seabirds and the remote islands that come with it. This year I was lucky enough to visit two of the remotest uninhabited islands within the UK Overseas Territories, Gough Island (a sub-Antarctic Island in Tristan da Cunha) and Henderson Island (a tropical island in Pitcairn Islands).  To get to these…

Autumn is a time of change in the natural world. Summer’s screaming Swifts are gone, so too are the Turtle Doves, Pied Flycatchers and other migrant birds that brought song and life to our cities, farmland, woodlands and moorlands. These birds make incredible journeys. And it’s thanks to technology that we’re able to appreciate those journeys in some considerable detail – from the routes they take to the timings and strategies…

A new open-access toolkit, Participatory Approaches for Engaging Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples in Conservation, has been developed by the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science to support global conservation practitioners. It has resources and ideas for a wide range of users, including fundraisers, practitioners and community organisers involved in planning or delivering conservation programmes with local communities…

Andrew Stanbury updates us on the latest Birds of Conservation Concern update

Few wildlife spectacles are more impressive as a busy seabird colony in the height of the breeding season. Whether that be a large gannetry, tern or auk colony, the sights and smells staying with you forever. The UK’s breeding seabirds are, however, in trouble. Today, sees the publication of updated ‘Birds of Conservation Concern’ assessments…

Leaping between the trees of Sierra Leone’s Gola Rainforest National Park are 12 different species of primates. Studying their lives and the threats they face is no easy task in the depths of a tropical forest. To celebrate World Primate Day, we go behind the scenes to find out what this important work is really like for those undertaking it on the ground. Join Nick Williams, Flyway Conservation Outreach Officer…

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is an important step towards meeting net zero targets. Wind and solar are the main energy sources being pursued, but with land across the UK a finite resource, there has been debate about whether large-scale deployment of such power generation technologies on land could exacerbate future land use challenges. In a new RSPB study, we show that this need not be the case…

In today’s blog, former RSPB MSc student Emily Upcott (now at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) shares findings from a scientific paper based on her MSc project, and the work of other MSc students, exploring conservation conflict between marsh harriers and breeding waders.  

 Full paper can be found here 

 Marsh Harriers tend to nest in tall marshy habitats like reedbeds, which are often found close to wet grassland…

The story of the Bittern in the UK is often heralded as a conservation success story. From a low point of just eleven booming males in 1997, the most recent counts in 2023 saw 236 males booming mating calls resonating across their reedbed habitats.

However, a new report out this month warns that we should not rest on our laurels when it comes to the future of these enigmatic birds. Bittern – Booming or Boom And Bust…

Scientific research in the Gola Rainforest of Sierra Leone and Liberia takes many fascinating forms. To celebrate World Rainforest Day, we will be exploring some of the innovative research methods that the RSPB are trialling, together with our partners, to better understand this remarkable part of West Africa. Nick Williams, Flyway Conservation Outreach Officer, picks up the story.

A hornbill calls sorrowfully as it cruises…

A new paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science today https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240498 explores the role of scientists in society at a time of great environmental change. It asks simply whether it is sufficient for scientists to be ‘honest brokers’ in decisions that affect society, as it has traditionally done, or whether something must change.

Here the lead author, Prof. Richard Gregory…

In today’s blog, RSPB volunteer Ali Barratt describes the results from a ground-breaking citizen science project published today in which used photographs to study Puffin diet around the UK.

full paper can be found here

Atlantic puffins are endangered in Europe, and numbers have been declining for decades1. Changes in prey availability through climate change, unsustainable fishing and other human activities has…

Simon Wotton dissects this years survey results.  

The 29th annual report of the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) has just been published, documenting the 30th year of fieldwork.

The report documents the population trends of widespread UK breeding bird species during the periods 1994–2023 and 1998–2023 respectively. These are the main schemes for monitoring the population…

Simon Wotton digests the most recent BTO publication. 

The 41st Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) report, for 2022/2023, has just been published, which also includes results for the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP). WeBS aims to assess the size of non-breeding waterbird populations, determine trends in numbers and distribution, and assess the importance of individual sites for waterbirds. The GSMP monitors the abundance…

A new study mapping moorland burning has been published by RSPB in the peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rse2.389

RSPB Conservation Scientist Mike Shewring describes the main findings.  

Moorland burning in the UK, conducted for Red Grouse shooting, deer and livestock grazing, has come under increasing scrutiny due to evidence of…

As we enter the new breeding season, Simon Wooton reflects on the results from a record year in 2023.  The story of the Bittern continues to be one of UK conservation success, with 2023 continuing the trend of a steadily increasing population. ...

This week sees the publication of a new RSPB Research Report that provides updated colony counts for seabirds across the UK, following the 2021–22 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak. In today’s blog, Linda Wilson, Senior Conservation Scientist, explains the key findings and what this tells us about the effects of HPAI so far on the UK’s seabirds.

Back in May 2023, a major programme of…

An adult Greenfinch displaying typical symptoms of trichomonosis.

Photo attribution: Chris / The last of the Greenfinches: Yarburgh 2010 /CC BY-SA 2.0

What is trichomonosis? 

Garden bird trichomonosis is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae, which causes lesions in the gullet, preventing swallowing of food and water. Therefore, affected birds often become emaciated and may die of starvation.…

New figures show Cranes continue to recover after going extinct in the UK 400 years ago. In today’s blog Andrew Stanbury, RSPB Conservation Scientist, takes us through their comeback and how conservation action has played a vital role.

Credit:  Nick Upton (rspb-images.com) 

All too often in nature conservation, stories are full of doom and gloom; highlighting species in steep decline. However, today is World Wetland…

Last autumn we announced the provisional results of the sixth national Capercaillie survey. This week saw the publication of the scientific paper for the survey in the journal Bird Study. Here, Nick Wilkinson, Conservation Scientist, explains more about the survey findings. 

Capercaillie - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

The latest national survey showed that the Capercaillie population in Scotland had fallen to an estimated…