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 (less 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
Total No squares surveyed 25 17 65 75 85 95 83 0 97 109 102 120 106 129
Mute Swan . 2 1 6 5 15 26 . 57 6 11 31 35 21
Whooper Swan . . . . 2 1 . . . . . . . .
Greylag Goose . . . . 2 . 2 . 11 6 . . 3 62
Canada Goose . . . 2 . . 2 . . 2 1 2 4 17
Brent Goose . . . . . . . . . . 81 . . .
Shelduck . . 4 . 3 4 4 . 13 10 3 3 9 6
Gadwall . . . . 3 . . . 2 . . 3 8 .
Teal . . 6 3 . 2 1 . 5 6 . . 7 4
Mallard 33 3 23 59 47 62 77 . 150 100 46 168 118 123
Shoveler . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . .
Pochard 2 . . 3 4 27 . . 5 6 . 7 12 .
Tufted Duck . . 5 46 38 24 75 . 17 52 . 34 87 56
Scaup . . . . . . 3 . . 4 . . 187 .
Eider . . . . 4 2 5 . 18 . 4 5 3 7
Goldeneye . . . . 1 . 1 . . . . . 146 2
Red-breasted Merganser . . . 2 . . 1 . 12 . 2 10 2 1
Goosander . . . . . . . . . 4 . . 1 .
Ruddy Duck 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Red Grouse . . . 6 3 6 2 . 3 3 2 1 2 3
Red-legged Partridge . . . . . . 2 . 2 . . 3 . 2
Grey Partridge . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . .
Quail . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . .
Pheasant 5 2 36 45 61 49 64 . 73 74 104 109 97 175
Little Grebe 2 1 3 4 14 7 11 . 9 15 4 9 16 12
Great Crested Grebe 2 . . 16 8 10 16 . 9 5 6 15 56 9
Fulmar . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4 3
Gannet . . . . . . . . 2 . 2 14 7 3
Cormorant 11 1 2 8 40 18 33 . 98 48 19 64 74 70
Shag . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 4 .
Little Egret . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 .
Grey Heron 4 . 19 22 36 31 51 . 59 53 25 69 41 49
Hen Harrier . 1 2 4 1 2 . . 2 5 4 3 3 2
Sparrowhawk 3 . 14 12 12 7 12 . 9 23 15 29 32 27
Buzzard 2 . 8 10 15 28 25 . 26 43 40 80 56 77
Kestrel 6 2 10 15 11 13 9 . 8 14 10 17 29 12
Merlin . . . . 1 . 3 . . 1 . . 2 1
Peregrine 1 . 2 1 1 1 3 . . 4 2 4 3 2
Water Rail . . . 4 . 1 . . 3 2 2 3 1 .
Moorhen 2 8 17 15 26 18 14 . 25 25 16 22 22 23
Coot 5 . 3 5 16 15 21 . 18 22 5 16 23 22
Oystercatcher . . 3 . 33 14 28 . 25 9 21 14 38 34
Ringed Plover . . . . 2 5 4 . 12 3 11 5 3 6
Golden Plover . . . 2 . 1 4 . 175 21 . 5 815 .
Lapwing 5 8 24 43 28 24 23 . 29 32 37 25 27 26
Dunlin . . 2 . 1 . . . 10 . 7 3 2 .
Snipe 3 1 16 24 21 11 13 . 26 34 55 14 22 27
Woodcock . . . . . . . . . 1 . . 3 .
Whimbrel . . 1 6 15 . 3 . 31 60 2 39 14 51
Curlew 15 13 48 56 69 65 163 . 69 54 62 40 42 58
Redshank . . 9 4 . . 10 . 6 1 12 21 11 4
Common Sandpiper . . . . 2 . . . . . . 1 1 .
Turnstone . . . . . . . . 5 . 15 8 63 .
Black-headed Gull 45 34 83 288 178 308 431 . 283 350 199 304 718 448
Common Gull . . 2 67 5 19 10 . 27 25 34 18 120 56
Lesser Black-backed Gull 12 5 17 158 107 82 75 . 35 151 40 84 82 104
Herring Gull 18 5 11 60 161 165 126 . 131 118 185 106 125 134
Great Black-backed Gull . . . 4 6 3 . . . 9 . 9 5 3
Kittiwake . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 .
Sandwich Tern 1 . . . 1 . . . 3 . 7 5 15 .
Common Tern . . 5 5 2 3 6 . 25 13 13 2 1 6
Guillemot . . . . . 4 . . . . . . 1 2
Razorbill . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . 1
Black Guillemot . . . . . . 4 . 9 7 3 12 12 7
Rock Dove . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . .
Feral Pigeon 3 71 64 24 94 33 75 . 28 60 112 166 104 268
Stock Dove . . . 1 3 2 . . . 2 1 4 . 14
Woodpigeon 138 47 450 417 599 610 689 . 672 1052 674 1187 799 1094
Collared Dove 17 9 30 25 53 45 86 . 73 79 104 170 115 108
Turtle Dove . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Cuckoo 3 3 43 45 30 29 23 . 31 31 46 55 19 43
Long-eared Owl . . . . 1 2 . . 2 1 3 2 1 .
Short-eared Owl . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Swift 24 14 49 66 109 85 128 . 67 131 57 155 425 60
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
Sand Martin 1 . 4 33 24 19 15 . 42 43 149 118 75 56
Swallow 193 128 586 602 733 979 1236 . 962 969 943 1436 1313 1459
House Martin 32 17 124 98 209 191 253 . 257 193 190 469 293 212
Tree Pipit . . 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Meadow Pipit 224 159 515 554 680 754 1347 . 673 1003 677 1288 648 965
Rock Pipit . . . . . . . . . 2 . . 7 5
Yellow Wagtail . . . . 1 . 2 . . . . . . .
Grey Wagtail 1 2 8 11 15 40 32 . 30 46 25 32 19 36
Pied Wagtail 10 7 37 58 58 66 84 . 72 91 71 102 110 124
Waxwing . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 .
Dipper . . 2 2 2 . 6 . 5 1 3 3 1 4
Wren 196 141 732 941 1116 1145 1279 . 1129 1375 1237 1603 1304 1763
Dunnock 24 26 151 150 218 235 237 . 267 356 263 327 399 350
Robin 127 84 544 506 723 763 781 . 680 787 626 798 763 1063
Whinchat . . 1 . 2 . 1 . 4 . . . . 1
Stonechat . 1 1 9 16 23 46 . 22 39 22 40 33 68
Wheatear 7 13 23 35 19 21 31 . 37 23 15 51 41 42
Ring Ouzel . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . .
Blackbird 134 75 618 520 732 697 935 . 844 868 773 1092 862 1090
Fieldfare . 18 . . 52 . . . 1 25 . 39 . .
Song Thrush 51 22 163 189 293 253 291 . 283 332 330 364 269 371
Redwing . 12 . . . . 1 . 1 . 1 25 20 .
Mistle Thrush 71 14 111 148 120 145 160 . 214 200 238 196 200 241
Grasshopper Warbler 7 2 34 61 56 25 23 . 23 36 19 24 26 29
Sedge Warbler 19 12 102 82 95 95 149 . 78 70 100 133 58 136
Reed Warbler . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Blackcap 3 . 16 40 57 36 43 . 69 89 54 107 96 101
Garden Warbler . . . 7 . 4 1 . . . . . . .
Lesser Whitethroat . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . .
Whitethroat 6 5 19 25 14 13 22 . 25 15 49 35 25 33
Wood Warbler . . . 1 . . . . 2 . . . . .
Chiffchaff 21 11 73 102 95 52 59 . 68 74 62 58 58 117
Willow Warbler 72 36 535 587 741 607 705 . 519 614 558 716 550 830
Goldcrest 15 11 126 201 151 153 185 . 94 199 108 229 142 269
Spotted Flycatcher 3 2 20 23 8 21 8 . 11 15 23 19 15 8
Long-tailed Tit 2 . 6 52 32 53 46 . 47 63 26 71 84 61
Coal Tit 26 12 146 139 197 182 172 . 222 288 193 367 188 378
Blue Tit 64 66 278 343 321 367 313 . 353 459 461 673 466 580
Great Tit 34 13 152 175 222 202 220 . 246 308 207 415 323 481
Treecreeper 1 . 8 13 11 21 15 . 13 36 6 19 17 13
Jay . . 4 1 11 5 4 . 10 15 9 16 9 8
Magpie 140 62 347 414 438 517 592 . 515 530 520 721 578 709
Jackdaw 294 79 424 783 788 1027 901 . 1154 1371 977 1363 1224 1862
Rook 477 399 858 1682 2172 2924 2352 . 2780 2277 1851 3205 1775 2878
Carrion Crow 4 10 14 32 23 17 17 . 23 3 16 1 . 43
Hooded Crow 46 24 137 227 321 295 341 . 413 542 368 435 294 580
Raven 5 7 13 43 31 41 54 . 46 76 67 78 46 88
Starling 473 163 868 931 1688 1672 2851 . 1995 2463 2661 2728 2179 3231
House Sparrow 118 34 308 190 336 381 481 . 367 425 467 776 637 603
Tree Sparrow 2 . 15 3 6 16 38 . 47 22 20 8 93 30
Chaffinch 175 93 831 725 942 1136 1127 . 961 1186 1121 1425 1058 1550
Brambling . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . .
Greenfinch 28 16 160 90 117 137 232 . 221 256 223 329 350 390
Goldfinch 12 2 26 53 47 46 94 . 126 135 137 267 182 304
Siskin 5 1 18 68 21 19 34 . 15 23 5 16 20 61
Linnet 43 24 108 84 115 134 176 . 148 199 167 173 200 230
Twite . . 1 2 . . . . 4 . . . . .
Lesser Redpoll 8 5 53 138 45 81 99 . 89 145 42 134 85 173
Crossbill . . 9 20 68 1 6 . 2 7 10 11 2 21
Bullfinch 25 6 74 87 45 30 34 . 46 64 41 105 70 103
Yellowhammer 14 6 27 20 24 25 34 . 33 15 27 13 43 43
Reed Bunting 23 13 74 96 75 86 71 . 75 93 80 153 71 90
Corn Bunting . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . .
Peafowl . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . .
Total number of Species 71 63 88 95 101 93 100 0 104 100 97 108 113 102

 


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