The RSPB is warning that some of Scotland’s globally important seabird colonies could become extinct if the Scottish government does not act quickly.

Species like Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin are struggling to cope with increasing challenges including lack of food and the effects of climate change, leaving Scotland’s once bustling 'seabird cities' in danger of failing entirely. The RSPB's warning comes after end-of-season counts at its coastal reserves revealed that these species are continuing to experience severe long-term declines. Recent reports that numbers had stabilised now appear to have been premature.

Recent counts carried out at Noup Cliffs RSPB, Orkney, reveal a 41 per cent fall in numbers of Common Guillemot since the last census in 2000. Dunnet Head RSPB on the Caithness coast saw a decline of around 45 per cent, from 8,980 to just 4,880 birds, since 2000, while Common Guillemots on Ailsa Craig RSPB in the Firth of Clyde have suffered a decline of over 27 per cent.

The charity is calling on the Scottish government to urgently designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the country’s seabird populations. To date, only Black Guillemot is listed in government proposals, leaving species like Common Guillemot, Kittiwake, Arctic Skua and Razorbill unprotected at sea. In contrast with its close cousin, Black Guillemot appears to be doing well, with colony counts in the northern isles in particular showing good productivity. Extensions of protected areas around the colonies feeding grounds in 2009 would seem to have been nowhere near enough.

Allan Whyte, Marine Policy Officer at RSPB Scotland, said: “Scotland is home to 24 species of breeding seabird and it is baffling that the Scottish government chooses to ignore all but one when designating MPAs. Puffin, Kittiwake, Common Guillemot and the rest are struggling to survive in these tough times. The Scottish government must throw these birds a lifeline and designate MPAs to protect this amazing group of species. It is time we take action to give all of our seabirds a fighting chance.”

An impressive 2,000 Saker chicks have hatched in 2013 as a result of an artificial nesting programme in Mongolia. The project, which is run in partnership by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Mongolia's Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, was launched in 2010 with the aim of increasing the wild Saker population.

In 2010, EAD — on behalf of the United Arab Emirates government — signed an agreement with the government of Mongolia to build 5,000 artificial nests in the Mongolian steppes to encourage breeding among the species and increase the world's population of Sakers. EAD reported that 3,700 chicks have been born since the project was first launched.

Several of the artificial nests have been fitted with cameras that record continuously, allowing officials to record the falcons' eating habits and predator threats. This year, the project has also been extended to address the problem of Sakers being electrocuted by power lines — a major cause of falcon mortality in Mongolia and China, which kills one falcon each week. Officials took a number of steps to address this issue, including adding insulation covers to the power lines.

This project has been instigated partly in response to the last 20 years when the United Arab Emirates has been the main destination for thousands of falcons caught and sold illegally for hefty sums on the black market. Kazakhstan is estimated to lose up to 1,000 Sakers per year to Middle Eastern falconers.

H.E Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of EAD, commented on the project's progress: "This initiative was introduced to promote sustainable breeding practices and to provide birds with safe and secure breeding environments in a bid to boost global population numbers. I am happy to report that, in addition to the success we have seen with the breeding, we have also built up the capabilities of local biologists and have incorporated an educational programme in schools in Mongolia as well as two schools in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council."

More information can be found on the Middle East Falcon Research Group website.

The Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI, BirdLife in Puerto Rico) has signed an agreement with Cafiesencia, a local NGO, to collaborate in promoting economic sustainability and biodiversity conservation through the production of "Ecological Shade-grown Coffee" in the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) of Maricao and Susua in Puerto Rico.

Maricao and Susua IBA is home to the globally threatened Puerto Rican Nightjar (Caprimulgus noctitherus) and Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae). It also supports populations of many Neotropical migratory birds, and 18 restricted-range species including the Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus), which is the charismatic species featured on the branding of coffee being produced by participating farmers. The IBA is also recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area in recognition of its importance for plants, bats, reptiles and amphibians.

The Shade-grown Coffee Round Table is made up of representatives from national and federal government, NGOs and farmers, and is developing the criteria for certification of the ecological shade-grown coffee. They have identified a niche for an organization with expertise in bird conservation and agri-tourism to develop workshops for farmers, establish bird monitoring plots and train farmers in birdwatching. With this niche in mind, Cafiesencia, the leading NGO of the Round Table, has invited SOPI to participate in this initiative and start by establishing of bird monitoring plots. By signing this agreement, both organizations will work with coffee-farming communities to implement best practices that benefit birds, the forests and people. "It is important to maintain agriculture and conservation in harmony as they will both benefit each other in the long term," said Lisette Fas, Executive Director of Cafiescencia.

SOPI is supporting the production and marketing of this shade-grown coffee as it represents an important means of conserving birds (through the maintenance of the shade-providing canopy trees) and securing a premium price, thereby improving the livelihoods of the farmers. Ela M. Cruz, SOPI's Executive Director, said: "If the recommended best practices are adopted by the farmers, these farms will provide excellent buffer zones and wildlife corridors to the adjacent protected areas, and protect an important watershed. In return, the biodiversity — including the birds — will provide pest control and pollination services, and the coffee that is produced will command a premium price." In parallel to working on best practices, SOPI will also promote birding in these farms as an additional income-generating activity which will reinforce this production system as a win-win for both the farmers and biodiversity.

For more information about SOPI's conservation work, please visit their website atwww.avesdepuertorico.org.

During the last few decades, the population of British House Sparrows has declined by roughly half, causing great alarm among both scientists and the general public. However, the latest data from the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Garden BirdWatch, suggests that the decline is levelling off in our gardens.

The decline of the House Sparrow has been dramatic, falling from around 12 million British pairs in the 1970s to between six and seven million pairs currently, with a greater reduction in population size in urban and rural areas, than in suburban ones. Given that gardens are thought to be a particularly valuable habitat for our House Sparrows, it is encouraging that the latest BTO Garden BirdWatch data indicate that numbers are stabilizing, which is also reflected in data from the wider countryside.

The reasons behind the decline very much depend on population location, as House Sparrows are fairly sedentary birds. Populations across Britain were affected by loss of nesting sites and food sources, especially the lack of invertebrates to feed their young. However, in rural areas, changes in farming practices are thought to have had a large effect but in urban and suburban populations causes were more complex and may have included increased competition with other birds and increased pesticide use in gardens.

Clare Simm, from the BTO Garden Ecology Team, said: "This complexity is also reflected in the factors that are driving the change in this delightful bird's fortunes. We are a nation of wildlife lovers and more people are now managing their gardens for wildlife, which will be benefitting our House Sparrows. There is also a greater awareness of clean feeding stations and in reducing garden pesticide use. The combination of these factors could be helping the House Sparrow to maintain its population."

This news does not necessarily mean that House Sparrows are out of danger, as the turning point has only occurred in the last few years. Clare Simm has recommended five simple things that anyone can do in their gardens to encourage House Sparrows:

• Let an area of your garden go wild to encourage insects
• Plant species such as hawthorn and Ivy which provide thick vegetation for House Sparrows to hide in
• Provide your birds with a home, using either a House Sparrow terrace or a group of nest boxes (with 32mm entrance holes) near the eaves of your house
• If you feed your birds, provide them with a suitable seed mix that includes large grains
• Regularly clean your feeding stations to prevent disease

You can find out more about the Garden BirdWatch on the BTO website.

It is a question people have pondered for centuries: how do migrating birds
navigate between breeding and wintering grounds? Do they have some genetic GPS
to steer them along time-honoured routes, or do they learn the way from parents
or elders in migrating flocks? New research shows that, in the case of the
endangered Whooping Crane of North America, the birds do learn routes from older and more experienced companions — and all of them become better at navigating with age and experience.

University of Maryland ecologist Thomas Mueller and colleagues took advantage
of eight years of detailed migration data compiled on birds bred in captivity
and released in Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge for a journey to
their Florida breeding grounds. Flying groups that include a migration-savvy
seven-year-old crane veer off course 38% less often than groups in which the
oldest birds are only a year old, according to an eight-year study of Whooping
Crane migration between Wisconsin and Florida. On average, the one-year-olds
that don't follow older birds veer off the flight path by 60 miles (97km). But
the cranes' migration ability improves steadily with age, the study shows.
Groups with even one of these older birds deviate less than 40 miles (64km), on
average, from the most efficient route.

 Other likely variables for navigation success, including gender and the size
of flying groups, appeared to make no difference in the results. Mueller, a
co-author of the study, and his team theorized that the older birds recognize
landmarks better and may also know how best to cope with bad weather — two
skills they apparently pass on to the young birds that follow their lead. "As
the oldest bird in the flying group gets older, it seems that there's dramatic
improvement in its migratory efficiency for about the first five years," Mueller
said. "There is a very big difference if the oldest bird in a flying group is
one or two years old or if it's five or six or seven years old. A bird can be
pretty young and still have great success," he added, "as long as it flies with
a bird that is pretty old."

What's new?
Previous studies have suggested that learning plays some role among migrating
species. However, as Mueller cited, what is new here is that learning takes
place over a number of years and the older birds are crucial to the development
of the younger birds. Mueller explained: "That was difficult to look at before
because the data simply didn't exist. Usually tracking data on animals lasts for
a year or two years if you're lucky."

As part of unprecedented efforts to save and reintroduce the species,
scientists collected data to gauge the success of breeding, training, and the
birds' subsequent 1,300-mile (2,100km) migration. Individual birds were
identified and tracked with satellite transmitters, radiotelemetry, and human
observers. "Usually you don't even know if a bird is two or three or four years
old," Mueller continued. "There are lots of [previous] comparisons between
juveniles and adults, but here we had the full progression of many years as well
as the information of how old the birds were, how they were related to one
another, and exactly where and when they migrated."

What does this mean?
The Whooping Crane research is important new evidence showing how bird
migration is, at least in part, a learned skill. But it won't put to rest the
long-running debate on the respective roles played by genetics and social
learning.

 In fact, Mueller said, the study suggests an interesting combination of
genetics and learned behaviour at work. It begins when the time comes for the
cranes' first autumn flight to their southern wintering grounds and the
captive-bred animals are actually guided by humans who fly ultralight aircraft
all the way to Florida. "If you think about even that initial migration, it
needs to be at least somewhat learned," he explained. "They may have a natural
tendency to migrate in the fall, but we don't think many would get anywhere
where they could survive without some training."

 But genetics do begin to play a more easily visible role on the return trip,
he added. "Then after they've been shown the route once, in the spring they know
it's time to initiate a return and there's a genetic component in play there.
Because nobody has showed them this, so it's genetics combined with the learned
knowledge from the trip south in the fall."

 What's next?
Co-author Sarah Converse, a research scientist with the U.S. Geological
Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, has worked extensively with the
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, which runs the eastern migratory population
reintroduction program. She said: "Our results suggest that an effort to restore
Whooping Crane populations isn't just an effort to restore a biological
population, but also an effort to restore a culture, where knowledge is
transmitted across generations via learning, rather than genetics."

 "We can imagine that the low breeding success that we are currently
struggling with in this reintroduced population might actually improve over
time, with increased experience and learning of appropriate breeding behaviours.
For example, maybe chicks learn from their parents how to themselves be
successful parents. Overall, these results suggest that patience may well be
important if we hope to restore migratory Whooping Cranes to eastern North
America."

Last winter was a trial for us all, and our garden birds did not have an easy
time of it either. The British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Garden Bird Feeding
Survey saw unprecedented numbers of birds driven into Britain's gardens in
search of food. As winter looms once again, an army of 'citizen scientists' is preparing to chart the changing fortunes of our winter visitors.

The combination of poor fruit and seed yields in the wider countryside last
autumn, and the long, cold winter that followed, brought unprecedented numbers
of birds to our gardens. Perhaps the most striking arrival was the number of Siskins visiting gardens in search of food — numbers last winter were more than double the previous five-year average — a response to very poor crops of Sitka Spruce and birch seed, which Siskins usually take in winter.

 While the stories emerging from individual winters are fascinating, it is the
quantity of information collected by the BTO's armchair birdwatchers since 1970
that has proved so important. These long-term changes hint at what the future
might hold for our gardens and their visiting bird communities. Garden
birdwatchers may be seeing less of 'common' species, such as Collared Dove, Song Thrush and Starling, which are disappearing from our gardens
quite rapidly. However, fortunes for other birds are improving with Bullfinch, Goldfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker becoming regulars.

 As the nation hopes that this winter is not as long or cold as the last one,
a certain group of birdwatchers are probably in two minds. For those who
participate in the BTO's Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS), it is time to dust
off their notebooks and start recording from the warmth of their living
rooms.

Clare Simm of the BTO Garden Ecology team shares her thoughts as to what may
happen this winter: "With an unusually late start to the breeding season this
year, and a slow move towards the warm weather, it is difficult to predict
exactly how our birds will be faring as they enter the winter months. If this
winter is anywhere near as cold as last, then we might expect a sudden influx
into gardens once the autumn seed and berry stocks are depleted. One thing is
for sure, our 'citizen scientists' will be the first to notice and tell us."

 For a free guide on what to feed your birds this winter, information on how
to become a citizen scientist with the BTO and the opportunity to contribute to
valuable work like this, email [email protected],
telephone 01842 750050 or write to GBFS, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk,
IP24 2PU.

Conservationists in Somerset are celebrating the news that the Avalon Marshes
  has had its best year ever for rare breeding herons.

Following the first  British nesting Great Egrets last year in the marshes, this summer has seen two  pairs successzfully raise young; one pair again at Natural England’s (NE)  Shapwick NNR (producing two fledglings) and a second pair within the boundary of  the RSPB’s Ham Wall nature reserve (producing three). The Avalon Marshes is a  huge wetland recreation site to the west of Glastonbury, managed jointly by NE, Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), Hawk and Owl Trust (HOT) and RSPB.

Ham  Wall RSPB has also been hosting a nesting pair of Little Bitterns. This is the
  only known British breeding location for these remarkably shy and diminutive
  herons, and this year two chicks fledged. In addition to this, Bittern itself
  has had yet another amazing year across the marshes, with as many as 33 booming  males being heard. The area is now one of Britian’s hotspots for this rare and remarkable bird.
Alongside the bitterns and egrets, the area has also
  provided a home for four pairs of Marsh Harrier, which produced 13
  young.

Ray Summers, RSPB warden for Ham Wall said: “We are all
absolutely  delighted. Since we took on the land at Ham Wall back in the mid
1990s, we’ve  been working hard to recreate a pristine wetland. To have all
these nesting  herons and harriers is a fantastic seal of approval for the work
we’ve done, and  really demonstrates the quality of the site for
wildlife."

Mark Blake,  Reserve Manager for SWT, said: ”It has been an
exciting year on the Avalon  Marshes and we are delighted to see Marsh Harrier
breeding at Westhay Moor for  the second year. The habitat creation and
management being carried out by the  partners is going from strength to strength
and we look forward to further  breeding success in future.”

Chris Sperring MBE Conservation Officer for  HOT said: “The Avalon Marshes just get better every year. The success is down to  a wonderfully balanced and organised
partnership, particularly heartening when  we see so many new species
establishing, and some old friends like the Marsh  Harrier on the rise as
well.  The careful management also creates a very human  experience, as I
found out recently while on a footpath with a Kingfisher  hovering less than 3
metres from me.”

Tadcaster police and the RSPB are appealing for information after a Red Kite was poisoned in the area. The bird was found at Toulston Polo Ground, Tadcaster in October 2012, by a member of the public who contacted Yorkshire Red Kites, who in turn reported the suspected poisoning to North Yorkshire Police.

Following a post-mortem examination and forensic testing it was found to have
died from the illegal poison Carbofuran, which was banned in 2001. The RSPB have offered a £1,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest and charging of those responsible for the bird's death.

Between 2002 and 2011, there were 292 confirmed cases of birds of prey being
killed by Carbofuran poisoning in England. PC Sarah Ward of Tadcaster Safer
Neighbourhood Team said: "This crime is appalling. The use of Carbofuran is both
unlawful and highly dangerous. It is highly toxic and a few granules could kill.
Someone has put Carbofuran into the countryside unlawfully, risking the lives of
people, domesticated animals and wildlife. I urge anyone with information to
contact the police or RSPB immediately."

The Red Kite that died was hatched in Wales in 2009 and is believed to be one
of a breeding pair that first bred at Tadcaster Grammar School in 2012. They are
the first-known Welsh-born Red Kites to have bred in Yorkshire.

 Bob Elliot, RSPB Head of Investigations, said: "Since their successful
release back into the Yorkshire countryside in 1999, Red Kites have suffered at
the hands of illegal poisoning in North Yorkshire with this incident being the
twentieth poisoned Kite since 2000." Mr Elliot added: "Birds of prey are still
being targeted by those intent on killing our most protected species and it is
simply not acceptable to still be finding poisoned, trapped and shot raptors in
our countryside."

 Doug Simpson, Yorkshire Red Kites Coordinator, said: "The loss of any bird
through illegal poisoning is a big disappointment. It is particularly
disappointing in this case, with this kite being of Welsh origin and the first
from that source known to have bred in Yorkshire."

 Anyone who can help to identify those responsible for this poisoning should
contact Tadcaster police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Sarah Ward. You can
also contact the RSPB on 0845 4663636 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800
555111.

A rare sighting of a marked Spoon-billed Sandpiper on migration was reported last weekend from Rudong mudflats north of Shanghai. The critically endangered bird was identified by a lime green plastic flag on its leg marked '01' that was
attached by scientists from Birds Russia on its breeding grounds this
summer.

Conservationists know that this bird 'Lime 01' fathered six fledglings this
summer — three that were hand-reared by conservationists and three that he
raised himself — which is 10 times the average for the species.

 In all, this summer sixteen hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper fledglings and
eight adults were marked with uniquely inscribed plastic leg flags. Birdwatchers
are being asked to report all sightings of Spoon-billed Sandpipers.

Coordinator of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force, Christoph Zöckler,
said: "The Rudong mudflats are an extremely important stop-over site for the
Spoon-billed Sandpiper to rest and feed and it is very exciting news that our
Russian breeding birds have been sighted there. Unfortunately these mudflats,
like much coastal wetland along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, are
threatened by the development. Alongside illegal trapping and hunting, it has
pushed these birds to the edge."

 WWT Head of Species Conservation Department, Baz Hughes, said: "This is why
we're taking extreme measures to prevent its extinction: hand-rearing chicks to
boost numbers, but Spoon-billed Sandpipers rely on the help of so many people.
Reports like this are only possible thanks to the support of birdwatchers
throughout Asia and are an invaluable part of its conservation."

Rudong mudflats are the most significant known staging post in China for
Spoon-billed Sandpipers, where 106 individuals were counted last year in
October. Demand for land is high in the region, which is only 150km from
Shanghai, and land has already been reclaimed from the marshes at Dongling to
the southern end.

Pavel Tomkovich of Birds Russia, who caught and marked the bird with Nikolai
Yakushev, said: "When I marked 'Lime 01' I wondered if anybody would ever see it
on its travels, almost a quarter of the way round the world, as looking for
Spoon-billed Sandpipers can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Looking
for marked birds is even more difficult as we were only able to mark eight adult
birds with these unique flags. Thanks to the reports of local birdwatchers,
we're learning their stopover points."

 'Lime 01' was seen leaving the breeding grounds on 4th August and was seen
5,000km away at Rudong on 31st August. Spoon-billed Sandpipers can cover as much
as 1,000km per day, leaving around three weeks during which it may have been
staging elsewhere

BTO Head of Projects, Nigel Clark, said: "We've known for a few years that
they stop at Rudong mudflats and we hope to be able to protect it. But our
calculations indicate that 'Lime 01' probably stopped somewhere else for up to
three weeks before reaching Rudong. We want to find out where that is in case it
is under threat."

 Zhang Lin of the "Spoon-billed Sandpiper in China" Team said: "The first
Spoon-billed Sandpiper arrived at Rudong about two weeks ago since when I have
been regularly scanning the increasing numbers of waders at the high-tide roost
at Rudong. When I glimpsed a bird on 31st August that looked like it had a lime
green leg flag I knew something exciting was in front of me. On closer
inspection it turned out to be 'Lime 01'. I was over the moon as this is the
first time that one of the birds marked in 2013 has been seen in China. It is
amazing to see how these little but critically endangered birds are connecting
our key sites along the flyway between Russia and China. They are very important
as they allow us to track whether efforts to save the species are working."

 Guidance on reporting Spoon-billed Sandpiper sightings is available from the
East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force www.eaaflyway.net/spoon-billed-sandpiper.php. To
follow the progress of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper conservation breeding
programme visit www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com.

A question that the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Garden Ecology Team hears a lot at this time of year is "Where have all my birds gone?"

One of the most conspicuous disappearances from British gardens at the end of the summer is that of the Blackbird. For a bird that features in the majority of British gardens, the sudden loss of 'your' local Blackbird must come as quite a shock. But all is well. As results from the BTO's weekly Garden BirdWatch (GBW) survey show, it happens every year — there is always a pronounced 'trough' between September and October when Blackbirds are more absent from people's gardens.

So, where are they going? The answer is twofold. Your Blackbirds may have been looking a bit tatty towards the end of the summer because they have been frantically feeding their chicks, squeezing in and out of hedges. At the end of a busy breeding season they moult into new feathers. Individuals tend to hide away while they do this in order to avoid predators as they expend a lot of energy during the moulting process and are less manoeuvrable on the wing.

The second reason for their absence is that Blackbirds head out of gardens to take advantage of the natural food bounty in the wider countryside. During the autumn, Blackbirds feed up for the winter and the abundance of natural fruits, like blackberries, provides what they need. This use of natural fruits during the autumn has also been reflected in the GBW results from 2012. There were many more Blackbirds seen in gardens in autumn 2012, echoing the poor berry crop of last year.

You may miss your Blackbirds but they will start to head back into your gardens later on in the year. However, they may not return alone. Clare Simm, of the BTO Garden Ecology team, explains why: "When our British Blackbirds return to our gardens in the winter, they are often joined by immigrants. Large numbers of Blackbirds migrate from Sandinavia and continental Europe to spend the winter here in Britain and Ireland. A few of our Blackbirds migrate too, but generally only moving within Britain, often moving south and west during the autumn, pursuing the milder weather."