Month: March 2019

General

In search of Steppe Whimbrel

Originally posted on wadertales:
It’s unsurprising if you have not heard of a Steppe Whimbrel; the subspecies was declared extinct in 1994. In this context, a new paper in Wader Study, based on detailed studies of two birds that were found in Mozambique in 2016, adds immensely to our knowledge. Bleak times for the Numeniini The curlew family is facing huge pressures across the globe.… Continue reading In search of Steppe Whimbrel

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General

From local warming to range expansion

Originally posted on wadertales:
Over the last century, Icelandic black-tailed godwits have increased 10-fold in numbers and their breeding range has expanded throughout lowland Iceland. Although changing climatic conditions seem likely to have enabled this process, how might warmer conditions have led to this growth? This blog is a summary of a paper by José Alves and colleagues in Ecology & Evolution. Setting the scene… Continue reading From local warming to range expansion

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General

The waders of Northern Ireland

Originally posted on wadertales:
Northern Ireland is a great place for wintering waders but the same can no longer be said for its breeding species. There are far too few places left in which Curlew bubble and Snipe drum. Waders provide some of the best birdwatching spectacles in Northern Ireland, as flocks swirl around coastal estuaries, when the tide rises on a winter’s day. Birds… Continue reading The waders of Northern Ireland

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General

Ireland’s Curlew Crisis

Originally posted on wadertales:
To put the rapid loss of Ireland’s breeding Curlew into context, it’s equivalent to the human population of the Republic dropping from 4.8 million to less than 200,000. In their paper in Wader Study, the journal of the International Wader Study Group, Barry O’Donoghue and his colleagues reveal the results of the 2015-17 survey of breeding Curlew in the Republic of… Continue reading Ireland’s Curlew Crisis

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General

Do population estimates matter?

Originally posted on wadertales:
This month (March 2019) saw the publication of Population estimates of wintering waterbirds in Great Britain, which includes all the wader species from Little Stint to Curlew. Given that the Wetland Bird Survey already covers about 2000 wetlands and provides annual monitoring, why do we need to know the total number of birds in Great Britain? I suggest four reasons: If… Continue reading Do population estimates matter?

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