| EBCC NewsletterSummer 2021 |  | Photo by Martin Pelánek; phototrip.cz Dear reader,Greetings. I’m writing this from the Shetland islands at the very north of the British Isles, where I’m helping with a survey of the UK’s small breeding population of Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus, amidst amazing scenery and abundant populations of waders and seabirds. Across Europe there have been many barriers to fieldwork caused by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last year-and-a half, but I hope all readers of this newsletter have been able to take part in fieldwork this spring, if only briefly. Even if you are not able to conduct formal surveys, everyone should be able to submit data to the national and international data portals that feed into EuroBirdPortal. The many monitoring schemes run across the EBCC network engage with thousands of volunteers in relationships which should be of mutual benefit. The data collected helps us monitor and understand biodiversity at national level and, through the projects of the EBCC, at a European scale. In return, volunteers receive training, education, the enjoyment of being in nature as well as a feeling of self-worth through contributing to a greater cause. By sharing our knowledge across the EBCC community, we can continue to learn how to nurture these relationships, to grow our monitoring networks to strengthen the value of our work as well as enriching the lives of thousands of volunteers. All the best, |  |  | The EBCC Annual General Meeting The AGM took place on 20 April online. We are happy that as many as 55 participants attended the event. There were EBCC work updates, Treasurer´s report, and the election of new delegates on the agenda. We heard three talks: Karen Aghababyan spoke on atlas work in Armenia, Viesturs Kerus presented a new Latvian atlas, and Dimitrije Radisic informed us about the new monitoring program in Serbia. In case you could not participate, you can read the Minutes or watch the video, which is now available online at the EBCC YoTube channel |
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|  | The next EBCC conference, Bird Numbers 2022: Beyond the Atlas: Challenges and Opportunities, will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, from 4 to 8 April 2022. Five plenary speakers, Dr Alexander Mischenko, Prof. Juliet Vickery, Dr Martin Warren, Dr Thomas Sattler and Dr Verena Keller, will not only talk about birds but also about butterflies, habitat changes in eastern Europe and the human aspects of bird monitoring and atlas work. Keep up to date with the preparations for the conference by creating an account at ebcc2022.ch. | Bird Census News 34 | |  | EBBA2 species list now available in different languagesDo you have difficulties finding a species in the EBBA2 book because you don’t know the scientific or English name? The atlas team has prepared an index file with species names in different European languages. | |  | In mid June, the regular PECBMS report summarising the activities between December 2020 and June 2021 was published. We completed the data revision on a national basis and continued RSWAN modification for PECBMS data, RTRIM-shell modification for national coordinators, data control of PECBMS species, online tool updates, database transformation from Access to R and helping coordinators to deal with all the changes. We have updated the RTRIM-shell tutorial and ran a webinar for coordinators, where we also introduced a new PECBMS Forum on Slack as a tool for fast communication and advice. PECBMS data were used in three research papers. We are pleased to say that with our support, a new generic bird monitoring scheme in Serbia started with 2021 as a pilot year. | |  | SEBI 001 indicator updateEuropean Environment Agency published population indices of common birds and common farmland birds based on PECBMS data. The report also presents the European butterfly index. Between 1990 and 2019, the common bird index declined by 8%; the decline in common farmland birds was much more pronounced, at 27%, while the common forest bird index increased by 5%. Although this indicator uses 1990 as a baseline, significant decreases had occurred before this date (Butchart et al., 2010). Grassland butterfly numbers declined significantly between 1991 and 2018, by 25%. Similarly to birds, the main driver of the decline in grassland butterflies is the intensification of farming and changes in rural land use, including the abandonment of grasslands. |
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|  | BOU conference on MonitoringThe British Ornithologists‘ Union is hosting a conference called‚ Developments in monitoring science‘ on 24–25 November 2021. This will be a virtual meeting and will be relevant to ornithologists, citizen scientists and researchers. Registration costs will be £25 BOU members, £50 non-members (early bird) and £75 non-members (post-early bird). |
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|  | Irish birds are faring worse than ever beforeAn update to the ‘Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland’ was recently published in the Irish Birds Journal, a collaboration between BirdWatch Ireland and RSPB Northern Ireland. The results are worrying: more species than ever are now on the Irish Red list. The latest review of the Birds of Conservation Concern provides alarming reading, with a 46% increase in the number of Red-listed species, those of the highest conservation concern. A total of 54 Irish bird species (26%) are now on the Red List. | State of nature in CataloniaIn 2020 the report “Estat de la natura a Catalunya 2020” was published, an overview of the state of nature in Catalonia, trends and main drivers. It revealed a mean 25% decrease in animal populations over the last 20 years: Thanks to biodiversity monitoring schemes such as the Catalan Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (SOCC), the report was possible. |
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|  | New Citizen Science project to increase knowledge on the impact of exotic birds in EuropeLast April, LabOr – Laboratory of Ornithology of the University of Évora (Portugal) launched the IBISurvey, a citizen science initiative focused on exotic birds and funded by MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. IBISurvey (Introduced Bird Interaction Survey) aims to assess the environmental, societal and economic impacts of exotic birds in European countries. Reporting their behaviours is crucial to determine their impacts, including feeding on crops and behaving aggressively towards birds of native species. The project website is available in six languages. There you can learn about the identification and ecology of the 76 exotic bird species most often observed in the wild across Europe and record your observations by filling a questionnaire. The compilation of interactions of exotic birds with other animals, plants and humans is essential to assess their impacts on the environment, agriculture, human health and economy. We strongly welcome and acknowledge your participation! |
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| | The UK Breeding Bird Survey Report 2020The BTO/RSPB/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey Report 2020 was published on 13 May. Despite limited 2020 data due to COVID-19 restrictions, the latest report reveals interesting trends. For instance, it shows different fortunes in two similar bird species. During the last 24 years, the breeding population of Willow Warblers in England has declined by 45%, whilst that of the Chiffchaff has increased by 114%. |
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