Bird Surveys

A close-up view of a male Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

The Wildlife Survey Unit undertakes a variety of surveys for wild birds, the survey that is required depends on the type of development and the likely bird assemblage on the site. Below is a guide to the commonest types of survey and the likely scenario in which each would be needed, click on the link for a fuller explanation of what each survey entails.

  • A Breeding Bird Survey is basically a survey undertaken during the breeding season to assess the species composition and numbers present

    • A Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) at its nest on a shingle bank
  • A Wintering Bird Survey is a survey undertaken during the winter period again to assess the species composition and the numbers present

  • A Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is a survey undertaken monthly between September and March of sites located on large inland waterbodies, rivers, estuaries and coastal sites, assessing the species composition and numbers present

  • A Vantage Point Survey is an ornithological survey assessing the height of flying birds of species with a high collision risk during the breeding and/or the wintering season. This survey is particularly used in relation to birds and wind farms or other developments affecting airspace that birds fly through

    • Spotted Flycatcher, an increasingly rare summer migrant to the UK

  • A Species-specific survey is a survey solely concentrating on a single species of conservation interest. This could be for example, a Barn Owl survey in relation to a barn conversion or a Nightjar survey in relation to a development adjacent to a heathland

If you are still unsure as to which bird survey would be most suitable to your development or project, please contact us to discuss the matter further.