Nest Recording

The BTO’s Nest Record Scheme (NRS) gathers vital information on the productivity of the UK’s birds, using simple,
standardised techniques.We monitor over 100 nest boxes each year as well as monitoring breeding waders and
Nightjars and Swallows. All our record are submitted to the BTO for national colation and analysis.

National NRS data are analysed annually and the results are published in the ‘Breeding Birds in the Wider
Countryside’ report along with information on species’ abundance obtained through other BTO monitoring
schemes. Nest record data are also used to investigate the causes of species-specific trends in breeding
success .A species’ population size is dependent on survival rates, movements of individuals and levels of
productivity. The NRS is able to provide the vital evidence needed to confirm whether a species in decline is
encountering problems at the nesting stage.

Stock_Dove_pulli_16Aug2009_A

 

Little_Ringed_Plover_pulli_26May2009_B

Stock Doves

 

Little Ringed Plovers
Annual Nest Record Totals
Species 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total
Great-crested Grebe       1 1
Mandarin     1 4 5
Kestrel 1   1 1 3
Peregrine   1     1
Coot       5 5
Oystercatcher     1 1 2
Ringed Plover       1 1
Little Ringed Plover 3 2 4 3 12
Lapwing   2   1 3
Stock Dove   4 7 3 14
Woodpigeon 1 1     2
Collared Dove   1     1
Barn Owl 1   2 1 4
Little Owl   1 3 1 5
Tawny Owl   1 2   3
Nightjar 1   3 7 11
Swallow 15 15 11 20 61
Robin     2 1 3
Blackbird   1 1   2
Long-tailed Tit       1 1
Coal Tit       1 1
Blue Tit 20 22 33 33 108
Great Tit 50 48 48 37 183
Nuthatch 1 2 1 1 5
Jackdaw 1 1   3 5
Raven   1     1
Starling     2 1 3
Goldfinch 1       1
Total 95 103 122 127 447
Species 11 15 16 21 28

Several of these species are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - our members
have the appropriate licenses to monitor the nests and ring the young of these species.

Nesting Productity

We monitor a total of approximately 100 nest boxes at Padworth
Common and Hosehill Lake, these are mainly used by Blue Tits and
Great Tits, with the occasional extra species like Nuthatch. A study
of this size allows us to estimate survival for the two Tit species for
the different stages of the breeding cycle ie egg to chick, chick to
fledging and egg to fledging. Even after the first few years it is
already showing differences between the sites in the same year and
between years. Tracking this back to detailed ecological causes is
obviously fairly complicated and we leave that bit of complex statistics
to the BTO!

Great_Tit_FL_17May07_A

Even these boxes give us the occasional surprise. In 2009 one box was being used by Blue Tits which started
laying eggs, the parents were then usurped by Great Tits which started laying their clutch straight away. The
result was a mixed brood being raised by Great Tit parents. The Blue Tit chicks probably fledged but were very
small and they probably got squeezed out sometimes in the push to get fed.
PADWORTH COMMON 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge
BLUE
TIT		 Started attempts 14 7 8 11 11
Total Count 140 132 132 79 62 60 89 78 69 118 91 75 115 103 93
Average size 10.00 9.43 9.43 11.29 8.86 8.57 11.13 9.75 8.63 10.73 8.27 6.82 10.45 9.36 8.45
Survival Egg to hatch 94.3%   78.5%   87.6%   77.1%   89.6%  
Hatch to fledge   100.0%   96.8%   88.5%   82.4%   90.3%
Egg to fledge 94.3% 75.9% 77.5% 63.6% 80.9%
GREAT TIT Started attempts 12 19 15 15 11
Total Count 117 105 86 148 140 139 165 144 126 119 87 70 95 87 82
Average size 9.75 8.75 7.17 7.79 7.37 7.32 11.00 9.60 8.40 7.93 5.80 4.67 8.64 7.91 7.45
  Egg to hatch 89.7%   94.6%   87.3%   73.1%   91.6%  
  Hatch to fledge   81.9%   99.3%   87.5%   80.5%   94.3%
  Egg to fledge 73.5% 93.9% 76.4% 58.8% 86.3%
HOSEHILL LAKE LNR 2007 2008 2009 2010  
Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge Eggs Young Fledge      
BLUE
TIT		 Started attempts 16 12 14 19 20
Total Count 137 114 103 116 114 100 141 117 115 184 149 146 188 182 156
Average size 8.56 7.13 6.44 9.67 9.50 8.33 10.07 8.36 8.21 9.68 7.84 7.68 9.40 9.10 7.80
Survival Egg to hatch 83.2%   98.3%   83.0%   81.0%   96.8%  
Hatch to fledge   90.4%   87.7%   98.3%   98.0%   85.7%
Egg to fledge 75.2% 86.2% 81.6% 79.3% 83.0%
GREAT TIT Started attempts 26 29 29 30 25
Total Count 198 162 148 210 195 193 254 233 218 234 191 161 231 210 191
Average size 7.62 6.23 5.69 7.24 6.72 6.66 8.76 8.03 7.52 7.80 6.37 5.37 9.24 8.40 7.64
  Egg to hatch 81.8%   92.9%   91.7%   81.6%   90.9%  
  Hatch to fledge   91.4%   99.0%   93.6%   84.3%   91.0%
  Egg to fledge 74.7% 91.9% 85.8% 68.8% 82.7%

Web design - DataFlex Solutions Ltd

© Reading & Basingstoke Ringing