10-year review of British birds
October 28th, 2009 | by lucy |
The good news is that several of Britain’s most endangered species are no longer on the red list: bittern, avocet, osprey, stone-curlew and cirl bunting have all benefited from targeted conservation. Red kites and sea eagles are recovering rapidly thanks to successful reintroduction programmes. The bad news is that four out of every ten common birds in Britain are declining, notably the nightingale, skylark, swift, guillemot and house sparrow.
This is the conclusion of the State of the UK’s birds report produced by a coalition of Britain’s leading conservation bodies. The challenge for the next decade will be to understand why so many species are dwindling, with an emphasis on international cooperation. And hopefully there’s still time to save the common scoter from disappearing. RSPB
Fears about the impact of last December’s severe weather, the coldest in 100 years, were unfounded. The drop in small bird populations witnessed in the 
The oldest osprey of the UK – and probably the world – has returned to her eyrie in the Scottish highlands. When she left for West Africa at the end of last summer, no one expected her to return. At 26 she’s lived 3 times longer than most female ospreys. In her life she’s laid 58 eggs and hatched 48 chicks, a massive individual contribution to the survival of ospreys in Scotland, where there are still only about 200 breeding pairs. The questions now are if her mate will return and if she is still fertile. Events can be followed on the 
The construction company currently finishing off the Shard building in London, which will be the UK’s tallest skyscraper, recently had to call the council to remove a squatter from the 72nd floor: a young fox. He was surviving on scraps left by builders. After a check-up at the Riverside Animal Centre, the fox has been released on the streets of Bermondsey, having shown the type of curiosity we associate with cats. 
Otters, water voles and fish are all benefitting from the improved quality of the UK’s waterways, now described as the cleanest since the industrial revolution. Since almost disappearing from the wild in the 1970s, otters are thriving, particularly in the south west of England, Cumbria and Northumberland. The population of water voles, highly precarious in the 1990s, is also beginning to recover. The good results of stricter pollution controls and extensive conservation work are set to continue in the new year with the introduction of new European water quality directives. 
