Totals of individuals counted in Northern Ireland



These figures are totals of the maximum counts recorded from each square in a given year. The maximum count is calculated for each species separately and is based on all birds seen and heard, including those in flight. These figures provide a useful indication of the relative abundance of different species, although they do not take account of differences in detectability between species. They do not provide measure of absolute abundance because BBS surveys do not detect all of the birds present in a particular square. For comparative purposes the data can be used to calculate the mean count per square by dividing the species totals in the table by the total number of squares surveyed. This measure has the advantage that it can be used to compare results based on different numbers of squares. Particular care should be taken in interpreting such results where only a few squares could be surveyed (fewer than 30-50 squares). While these figures may provide a general indication of major changes in abundance over time, they do not provide a statistically robust measure of such changes because they do not take account of the BBS sampling strategy or of temporal variation in the sample of squares surveyed. BBS trend analyses are available here

 
 

Species 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Total No squares surveyed 25 17 65 75 85 95 83 0 97 109 102 120 107 129 119 116
Mute Swan . 2 1 6 5 15 26 . 57 6 11 31 35 21 11 47
Whooper Swan . . . . 2 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Greylag Goose . . . . 2 . 2 . 11 6 . . 3 62 18 11
Canada Goose . . . 2 . . 2 . . 2 1 2 4 17 15 7
Brent Goose . . . . . . . . . . 81 . . . . .
Shelduck . . 4 . 3 4 4 . 13 10 3 3 9 6 11 2
Gadwall . . . . 3 . . . 2 . . 3 8 . 1 6
Teal . . 6 3 . 2 1 . 5 6 . . 7 4 4 7
Mallard 33 3 23 59 47 62 77 . 150 100 46 168 118 123 103 132
Shoveler . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pochard 2 . . 3 4 27 . . 5 6 . 7 12 . 11 4
Tufted Duck . . 5 46 38 24 75 . 17 52 . 34 87 56 43 61
Scaup . . . . . . 3 . . 4 . . 187 . . .
Eider . . . . 4 2 5 . 18 . 4 5 3 7 16 9
Goldeneye . . . . 1 . 1 . . . . . 146 2 . 3
Red-breasted Merganser . . . 2 . . 1 . 12 . 2 10 2 1 2 7
Goosander . . . . . . . . . 4 . . 1 . . .
Ruddy Duck 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 .
Red Grouse . . . 6 3 6 2 . 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 2
Red-legged Partridge . . . . . . 2 . 2 . . 3 . 2 1 1
Grey Partridge . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Quail . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . .
Pheasant 5 2 36 45 61 49 64 . 73 74 104 109 98 173 143 162
Peafowl . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . .
Little Grebe 2 1 3 4 14 7 11 . 9 15 4 9 16 12 15 15
Great Crested Grebe 2 . . 16 8 10 16 . 9 5 6 15 56 9 13 15
Fulmar . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4 3 . 2
Gannet . . . . . . . . 2 . 2 14 7 3 . 2
Cormorant 11 1 2 8 40 18 33 . 98 48 19 64 74 70 104 123
Shag . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 4 . 5 2
Little Egret . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . .
Grey Heron 4 . 19 22 36 31 51 . 59 53 25 69 41 49 33 55
Hen Harrier . 1 2 4 1 2 . . 2 5 4 3 3 2 2 6
Goshawk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sparrowhawk 3 . 14 12 12 7 12 . 9 23 15 29 32 26 13 13
Buzzard 2 . 8 10 15 28 25 . 26 43 40 80 57 77 58 81
Kestrel 6 2 10 15 11 13 9 . 8 14 10 17 29 12 9 13
Merlin . . . . 1 . 3 . . 1 . . 2 1 1 .
Peregrine 1 . 2 1 1 1 3 . . 4 2 4 3 2 4 5
Water Rail . . . 4 . 1 . . 3 2 2 3 1 . . .
Moorhen 2 8 17 15 26 18 14 . 25 25 16 22 22 23 25 16
Coot 5 . 3 5 16 15 21 . 18 22 5 16 23 22 73 46
Oystercatcher . . 3 . 33 14 28 . 25 9 21 14 38 34 15 18
Ringed Plover . . . . 2 5 4 . 12 3 11 5 3 6 14 4
Golden Plover . . . 2 . 1 4 . 175 21 . 5 815 . 82 41
Lapwing 5 8 24 43 28 24 23 . 29 32 37 25 27 23 33 38
Dunlin . . 2 . 1 . . . 10 . 7 3 2 . 18 1
Snipe 3 1 16 24 21 11 13 . 26 34 55 14 22 27 16 19
Woodcock . . . . . . . . . 1 . . 3 . . 1
Black-tailed Godwit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Whimbrel . . 1 6 15 . 3 . 31 60 2 39 14 51 13 14
Curlew 15 13 48 56 69 65 163 . 69 54 62 40 42 58 123 53
Common Sandpiper . . . . 2 . . . . . . 1 1 . . .
Redshank . . 9 4 . . 10 . 6 1 12 21 11 4 24 26
Turnstone . . . . . . . . 5 . 15 8 63 . . 17
Arctic Skua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 .
Kittiwake . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . .
Black-headed Gull 45 34 83 288 178 308 431 . 283 350 199 304 718 448 191 306
Common Gull . . 2 67 5 19 10 . 27 25 34 18 120 56 160 104
Lesser Black-backed Gull 12 5 17 158 107 82 75 . 35 151 40 84 82 104 190 182
Herring Gull 18 5 11 60 161 165 126 . 131 118 185 106 125 134 141 134
Great Black-backed Gull . . . 4 6 3 . . . 9 . 9 5 3 19 10
Sandwich Tern 1 . . . 1 . . . 3 . 7 5 15 . 7 9
Common Tern . . 5 5 2 3 6 . 25 13 13 2 1 6 5 .
Arctic Tern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Guillemot . . . . . 4 . . . . . . 1 2 7 1
Razorbill . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . 1 3 8
Black Guillemot . . . . . . 4 . 9 7 3 12 12 7 6 6
Rock Dove . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . .
Feral Pigeon 3 71 64 24 94 33 75 . 28 60 112 166 104 207 95 118
Stock Dove . . . 1 3 2 . . . 2 1 4 . 14 13 1
Woodpigeon 138 47 450 417 599 610 689 . 672 1052 674 1187 810 1090 1131 1149
Collared Dove 17 9 30 25 53 45 86 . 73 79 104 170 115 108 100 139
Turtle Dove . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cuckoo 3 3 43 45 30 29 23 . 31 31 46 55 19 43 36 30
Long-eared Owl . . . . 1 2 . . 2 1 3 2 1 . 1 .
Short-eared Owl . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Swift 24 14 49 66 109 85 128 . 67 131 57 155 425 63 114 81
Kingfisher . 2 2 1 2 2 2 . 4 3 2 1 5 1 . .
Skylark 87 58 290 232 357 275 637 . 241 340 276 290 158 204 243 178
Sand Martin 1 . 4 33 24 19 15 . 42 43 149 118 75 56 64 99
Swallow 193 128 586 602 733 979 1236 . 962 969 943 1436 1314 1431 1063 1159
House Martin 32 17 124 98 209 191 253 . 257 193 190 469 295 216 275 263
Tree Pipit . . 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . . .
Meadow Pipit 224 159 515 554 680 754 1347 . 673 1003 677 1288 648 960 758 632
Rock Pipit . . . . . . . . . 2 . . 7 5 3 5
Yellow Wagtail . . . . 1 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Grey Wagtail 1 2 8 11 15 40 32 . 30 46 25 32 22 36 32 34
Pied Wagtail 10 7 37 58 58 66 84 . 72 91 71 102 110 117 122 99
Waxwing . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . .
Dipper . . 2 2 2 . 6 . 5 1 3 3 2 4 5 4
Wren 196 141 732 941 1116 1145 1279 . 1129 1375 1237 1603 1316 1747 1825 1560
Dunnock 24 26 151 150 218 235 237 . 267 356 263 327 399 350 356 389
Robin 127 84 544 506 723 763 781 . 680 787 626 798 768 1058 958 941
Whinchat . . 1 . 2 . 1 . 4 . . . . 1 . .
Stonechat . 1 1 9 16 23 46 . 22 39 22 40 33 68 36 26
Wheatear 7 13 23 35 19 21 31 . 37 23 15 51 41 41 27 20
Ring Ouzel . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 .
Blackbird 134 75 618 520 732 697 935 . 844 868 773 1092 866 1084 1075 920
Fieldfare . 18 . . 52 . . . 1 25 . 39 . . 133 56
Song Thrush 51 22 163 189 293 253 291 . 283 332 330 364 272 374 422 422
Redwing . 12 . . . . 1 . 1 . 1 25 20 . 82 4
Mistle Thrush 71 14 111 148 120 145 160 . 214 200 238 196 202 241 187 178
Grasshopper Warbler 7 2 34 61 56 25 23 . 23 36 19 24 26 29 31 42
Sedge Warbler 19 12 102 82 95 95 149 . 78 70 100 133 58 135 108 79
Reed Warbler . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . .
Blackcap 3 . 16 40 57 36 43 . 69 89 54 107 96 101 157 143
Garden Warbler . . . 7 . 4 1 . . . . . . . . 2
Lesser Whitethroat . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Whitethroat 6 5 19 25 14 13 22 . 25 15 49 35 25 33 43 37
Wood Warbler . . . 1 . . . . 2 . . . . . . .
Chiffchaff 21 11 73 102 95 52 59 . 68 74 62 58 58 117 90 118
Willow Warbler 72 36 535 587 741 607 705 . 519 614 558 716 552 832 829 884
Goldcrest 15 11 126 201 151 153 185 . 94 199 108 229 143 269 408 107
Spotted Flycatcher 3 2 20 23 8 21 8 . 11 15 23 19 15 8 10 7
Long-tailed Tit 2 . 6 52 32 53 46 . 47 63 26 71 84 61 55 39
Blue Tit 64 66 278 343 321 367 313 . 353 459 461 673 467 577 517 458
Great Tit 34 13 152 175 222 202 220 . 246 308 207 415 331 478 485 452
Coal Tit 26 12 146 139 197 182 172 . 222 288 193 367 188 378 284 240
Marsh Tit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Treecreeper 1 . 8 13 11 21 15 . 13 36 6 19 17 13 9 7
Jay . . 4 1 11 5 4 . 10 15 9 16 9 8 11 8
Magpie 140 62 347 414 438 517 592 . 515 530 520 721 580 701 658 609
Jackdaw 294 79 424 783 788 1027 901 . 1154 1371 977 1363 1224 1801 1621 1604
Rook 477 399 858 1682 2172 2924 2352 . 2780 2277 1851 3205 1788 2809 2101 2673
Carrion Crow 4 10 14 32 23 17 17 . 23 3 16 1 . 43 1 1
Hooded Crow 46 24 137 227 321 295 341 . 413 542 368 435 298 548 462 483
Raven 5 7 13 43 31 41 54 . 46 76 67 78 46 89 72 69
Starling 473 163 868 931 1688 1672 2851 . 1995 2463 2661 2728 2189 3196 1665 1690
House Sparrow 118 34 308 190 336 381 481 . 367 425 467 776 637 596 588 659
Tree Sparrow 2 . 15 3 6 16 38 . 47 22 20 8 93 30 35 67
Chaffinch 175 93 831 725 942 1136 1127 . 961 1186 1121 1425 1065 1538 1316 1219
Brambling . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . .
Greenfinch 28 16 160 90 117 137 232 . 221 256 223 329 350 392 198 179
Goldfinch 12 2 26 53 47 46 94 . 126 135 137 267 182 305 253 288
Siskin 5 1 18 68 21 19 34 . 15 23 5 16 20 61 59 29
Linnet 43 24 108 84 115 134 176 . 148 199 167 173 200 230 242 383
Twite . . 1 2 . . . . 4 . . . . . . .
Lesser Redpoll 8 5 53 138 45 81 99 . 89 145 42 134 85 170 148 167
Crossbill . . 9 20 68 1 6 . 2 7 10 11 2 21 37 4
Bullfinch 25 6 74 87 45 30 34 . 46 64 41 105 71 103 78 103
Yellowhammer 14 6 27 20 24 25 34 . 33 15 27 13 43 43 29 43
Reed Bunting 23 13 74 96 75 86 71 . 75 93 80 153 71 89 85 96
Corn Bunting . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total number of Species 71 63 88 95 101 93 100 0 104 100 97 108 113 102 108 112

 


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