EBCC Newsletter

Autumn 2021

Photo by Karel Šimeček; karelsimecek.cz

Dear reader,

The first EBCC conference I attended was in Kayseri, Turkey, in 2004. It left me with vivid memories; of some great birding (Radde’s Accentors Prunella ocularis and Red-fronted Serins Serinus pusillus!) and, more importantly, of an amazing conference full of learning, and new and friendly people. I did not know it at the time, but many of those people have become friends, colleagues and collaborators who I have met time after time at EBCC conferences since. The EBCC is, more than anything, a community, and our conferences are where we come together to meet old friends and make new ones, share knowledge on what we have been doing, and make plans for what we will do next.

Our next conference is in the spring of 2022, and our hosts at the Swiss Ornithological Institute have a wonderful venue waiting for us in Lucerne. Conference sessions will cover a broad range of topics related to bird monitoring, research and conservation, and we already have a great line-up of plenary speakers. I would like to encourage all readers of this newsletter to join us there, and better still to contribute to the conference. Details of the conference, of how to register, and how to submit an abstract, can be found in the links below; whilst we live in an uncertain world we are determined to make this happen. Put the dates 4th-8th April 2022 in your diary and we’ll see you in Switzerland!

All the best,

Submit abstracts for the 22nd EBCC conference

The Bird Numbers 2022 “Beyond the Atlas: challenges and opportunities” conference, organised by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, will be held from 4th to 8th April 2022 in Lucerne, Switzerland. The closing date for submitting abstracts for oral presentations is 30th September (and 31st December for posters). Details on how to submit abstracts can be found online. Despite the uncertainties regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, we encourage participants to register. If it turns out that a conference with physical attendance is not possible, the Local Organising Committee will look for alternatives together with the EBCC board. You also may follow the EBCC conference on Twitter..

Submit abstracts

New report: State of birds in Switzerland 2021

The annual publication “The State of Birds in Switzerland” (in English, French, German and Italian) summarises the results of various monitoring projects, conducted with the support of more than 2,000 volunteers in all parts of the country. The 2021 report focuses on EBBA2 and its implications for Switzerland. It also takes a closer look at trends in scarce breeding birds like Western Yellow Wagtail, rare passage migrants such as Glossy Ibis, and local winter visitors such as Whooper Swan. You can also explore interactive graphics from the Swiss Bird Index SBI® and the breeding bird index for each species until 2020.

Read the report

25 years of Sacre

The Sacre program (Common bird monitoring in Spain) coordinated by Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO/BirdLife) was launched in 1996 with the support of RSPB. Since 1996, almost 2,700 volunteers have registered. Thanks to their 25 year-long efforts, we know that 37% of the 114 species with well-established population trends are in an unfavourable status. However, 44% of the evaluated species have had a positive population trend. Currently, the volunteers can record the data directly on a mobile phone during their fieldwork and upload the data online. Moreover, in 2020 an app called Avefy was produced, that allows training in the identification of birdsong. Read more in an article by Virginia Escandell and Emilio Escudero.

Learn More

A pilot year of bird monitoring in Serbia

Serbia has successfully started a pilot year of the common bird monitoring scheme, thanks to the Serbian coordinators’ efforts, keen volunteers and regular contact with the PECBMS coordination unit. In total, 27 field workers completed surveys of 34 plots selected in a stratified random way. The scheme is anticipated to become a part of a network of so-called International Census Plots organised by within the EBCC to increase coverage of Europe by common bird monitoring schemes. The scheme will be developed further and discussed within the PECBMS network.

More than 7000 EBBA2 books sold

The publisher Lynx has informed EBCC that more than 7000 European atlases have been sold by August. Unfortunately, the book is out of stock temporarily, but a new print run should be available in late September 2021. Readers from more than 50 countries have ordered the book, the majority of them from Europe but also from other parts of the world. The EBCC is pleased that the book has received much attention and believes it will be used widely.

The birds´ population trends vary geographically across central Europe

A new paper by Diana Bowler and her colleagues was published in Basic and Applied Ecology. International cooperation among the monitoring schemes reveals geographic variation in the population trends of common breeding birds in four central European countries. While the effect of species’ temperature preference and a preference for forest habitat was positively associated with population trends consistently across all countries, the association of trends and effects of species’ preference for farmland habitat and species’ migratory status were more heterogeneous. The paper suggests a more diversified approach can help the conservation of declining species.

Read the abstract

The new coordinator of bird monitoring in Estonia

In January, Meelis Leivits took over the role of Renno Nellis. Meelis has been involved in monitoring thanks to his father Agu, who brought him to bird ringing and monitoring projects. For over ten years, he worked for governmental organisations responsible for bird monitoring and reporting on the status of populations of breeding birds. Today he coordinates breeding bird monitoring in wetland habitats and plans to improve the representativeness of Estonian bird indicators.

Learn More

Meet national coordinators involved in the PECBMS

We plan to introduce you to the national coordinators of European bird monitoring schemes to facilitate knowing who is who in the network. First, meet the Italian team: Laura Silva works in Lipu BirdLife Italia, coordinating the Italian common breeding bird monitoring scheme since 2017. Mattia Brambilla is interested in biodiversity in farmland habitats, the effects of climate change, ecology, and the conservation of birds of conservation concern or monitoring plans. Finally, Gianpiero Calvi is particularly interested in bird monitoring, and his primary skill is data analysis. Mattia and Gianpiero also represent Italy as EBCC national delegates.