Wednesday 24 August 2011

BTO Pied Flycatcher Surveys

During my time at Bangor University I have been involved with a Pied Flycatcher project at Aber Falls in Abergwyngregyn. Aber Falls is a prime site for this species and with lots of ancient oak woodlands and steep slopes, a population of 30 Pied flycatchers now breed here..

In late April, through to May and June, myself and several other dedicated volunteers survey these boxes and monitor the breeding success, right through until the youngsters fledge.

The data collected from these surveys is sent to the Nest Record Scheme (NRS) at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) where the data is collated and used to produce trends in breeding performance of these birds and helps us to identify species that may be declining because of problems at the nesting stage.

Many different subjects are recorded during these surveys such as nest building stages, number of eggs laid, incubation period and the number of chicks that fledged.

On a personal note, the breeding population at Aber Falls this year totalled 30 pairs which successfully fledged 200+ young.

For more information about the NRS and how you can get involved, please visit the NRS

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