Number of 1km squares in which each species
was recorded in Northern Ireland



These figures show the total number of squares in which a given species was recorded at least once in a particular year. They provide as useful indication of which species are widely distributed and which have more restricted distributions. For comparative purposes the data can be used to calculate the frequency of occurrence of each species by dividing the number of squares occupied 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 distributions 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 . 1 1 3 3 6 7 . 8 4 7 9 6 8 5 7
Whooper Swan . . . . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Greylag Goose . . . . 1 . 1 . 3 2 . . 1 3 2 4
Canada Goose . . . 1 . . 1 . . 1 1 1 1 3 1 2
Brent Goose . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Shelduck . . 1 . 2 3 2 . 4 5 1 2 3 3 3 1
Gadwall . . . . 2 . . . 1 . . 2 1 . 1 1
Teal . . 2 1 . 1 1 . 1 2 . . 1 3 2 3
Mallard 7 2 14 15 15 18 19 . 23 32 20 33 33 36 33 40
Shoveler . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pochard 1 . . 1 1 1 . . 1 1 . 1 1 . 1 1
Tufted Duck . . 2 2 3 3 2 . 3 3 . 4 4 7 4 6
Scaup . . . . . . 1 . . 1 . . 1 . . .
Eider . . . . 1 1 2 . 2 . 1 2 2 3 3 3
Goldeneye . . . . 1 . 1 . . . . . 2 1 . 1
Red-breasted Merganser . . . 1 . . 1 . 2 . 1 1 1 1 1 3
Goosander . . . . . . . . . 2 . . 1 . . .
Ruddy Duck 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 .
Red Grouse . . . 3 2 3 1 . 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2
Red-legged Partridge . . . . . . 1 . 1 . . 1 . 1 1 1
Grey Partridge . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Quail . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . .
Pheasant 4 2 24 22 24 26 32 . 38 37 41 53 37 65 60 61
Peafowl . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . .
Little Grebe 1 1 2 4 3 3 5 . 7 6 3 4 6 6 6 6
Great Crested Grebe 1 . . 5 4 4 3 . 4 3 1 4 2 4 3 4
Fulmar . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 1 . 1
Gannet . . . . . . . . 1 . 1 2 2 2 . 2
Cormorant 2 1 2 3 6 5 8 . 10 9 6 12 12 12 12 14
Shag . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1 . 1 1
Little Egret . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . .
Grey Heron 3 . 11 13 19 16 20 . 23 31 16 30 26 22 19 19
Hen Harrier . 1 1 3 1 2 . . 2 4 1 3 3 2 2 3
Goshawk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sparrowhawk 3 . 13 10 11 7 11 . 8 21 13 26 30 24 12 10
Buzzard 1 . 6 8 10 18 18 . 21 30 32 52 40 49 41 54
Kestrel 3 2 9 13 9 13 9 . 7 13 10 17 21 12 8 11
Merlin . . . . 1 . 3 . . 1 . . 2 1 1 .
Peregrine 1 . 2 1 1 1 3 . . 4 2 4 3 2 3 4
Water Rail . . . 3 . 1 . . 2 1 1 2 1 . . .
Moorhen 2 4 9 9 14 11 8 . 9 13 10 13 10 13 16 11
Coot 1 . 2 4 7 6 6 . 6 7 2 6 8 9 10 6
Oystercatcher . . 2 . 2 2 5 . 4 1 3 5 3 5 7 5
Ringed Plover . . . . 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2
Golden Plover . . . 1 . 1 1 . 2 1 . 1 3 . 2 5
Lapwing 3 1 10 8 4 8 11 . 10 10 9 13 10 7 10 12
Dunlin . . 1 . 1 . . . 1 . 1 1 1 . 1 1
Snipe 2 1 12 16 12 8 10 . 18 15 16 13 14 20 9 13
Woodcock . . . . . . . . . 1 . . 3 . . 1
Black-tailed Godwit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Whimbrel . . 1 2 2 . 1 . 2 2 1 1 2 3 2 3
Curlew 8 5 23 21 30 29 32 . 28 25 19 18 12 19 21 15
Common Sandpiper . . . . 1 . . . . . . 1 1 . . .
Redshank . . 2 1 . . 5 . 2 1 1 4 3 2 3 3
Turnstone . . . . . . . . 1 . 1 1 1 . . 1
Arctic Skua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 .
Kittiwake . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . .
Black-headed Gull 6 4 12 11 21 26 21 . 19 28 27 23 23 27 22 20
Common Gull . . 1 3 2 3 5 . 7 4 4 6 8 12 10 8
Lesser Black-backed Gull 5 2 6 16 16 18 16 . 11 22 8 21 14 25 27 29
Herring Gull 9 2 5 10 16 13 25 . 24 14 20 16 19 32 22 24
Great Black-backed Gull . . . 3 3 3 . . . 2 . 4 4 2 6 6
Sandwich Tern 1 . . . 1 . . . 2 . 1 1 2 . 3 4
Common Tern . . 2 2 1 1 2 . 5 4 3 1 1 1 2 .
Arctic Tern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Guillemot . . . . . 1 . . . . . . 1 1 1 1
Razorbill . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . 1 1 1
Black Guillemot . . . . . . 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2
Rock Dove . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Feral Pigeon 1 1 1 3 9 8 13 . 8 6 18 18 15 34 18 21
Stock Dove . . . 1 2 1 . . . 2 1 1 . 5 3 1
Woodpigeon 17 11 55 58 70 77 71 . 83 96 88 102 97 115 106 102
Collared Dove 3 5 14 15 18 18 23 . 25 33 36 42 43 44 42 41
Turtle Dove . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cuckoo 2 3 22 27 24 21 16 . 24 22 29 36 13 22 19 16
Long-eared Owl . . . . 1 2 . . 2 1 1 2 1 . 1 .
Short-eared Owl . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Swift 4 3 9 11 14 17 26 . 16 23 15 29 38 23 20 20
Kingfisher . 1 2 1 2 1 2 . 3 2 2 1 5 1 . .
Skylark 12 10 41 35 34 37 35 . 39 37 35 39 34 38 36 36
Sand Martin 1 . 3 8 7 4 5 . 4 6 12 9 8 9 8 11
Swallow 17 13 53 64 72 81 75 . 91 89 89 106 99 120 108 101
House Martin 7 6 28 23 27 37 42 . 39 39 44 63 54 51 55 57
Tree Pipit . . 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . . .
Meadow Pipit 19 13 47 53 54 63 64 . 74 82 66 75 65 90 78 82
Rock Pipit . . . . . . . . . 1 . . 1 1 1 2
Yellow Wagtail . . . . 1 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Grey Wagtail 1 1 6 10 9 23 19 . 20 25 18 26 19 23 22 24
Pied Wagtail 7 5 21 26 37 33 40 . 34 56 49 59 56 62 58 61
Waxwing . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . .
Dipper . . 1 1 2 . 4 . 3 1 1 3 2 3 3 4
Wren 22 15 58 71 75 87 79 . 92 105 99 117 106 125 116 112
Dunnock 9 8 42 47 58 63 58 . 70 86 78 88 93 96 91 82
Robin 21 14 55 67 76 87 76 . 86 98 94 108 99 120 108 108
Whinchat . . 1 . 2 . 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . .
Stonechat . 1 1 5 9 14 16 . 11 17 11 17 17 27 18 13
Wheatear 4 4 7 9 8 13 12 . 17 13 8 13 10 15 9 8
Ring Ouzel . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 .
Blackbird 21 14 55 64 74 85 77 . 88 98 94 108 95 114 107 103
Fieldfare . 1 . . 2 . . . 1 1 . 2 . . 5 4
Song Thrush 15 11 49 54 64 66 66 . 81 87 84 94 86 106 99 97
Redwing . 1 . . . . 1 . 1 . 1 1 3 . 2 2
Mistle Thrush 10 7 39 43 47 56 52 . 66 69 71 77 72 78 74 71
Grasshopper Warbler 4 2 13 26 26 15 13 . 13 20 13 14 14 16 18 26
Sedge Warbler 4 3 24 29 29 31 31 . 29 25 30 30 31 40 38 31
Reed Warbler . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . .
Blackcap 3 . 6 12 19 13 16 . 30 36 30 51 42 45 51 48
Garden Warbler . . . 2 . 3 1 . . . . . . . . 2
Lesser Whitethroat . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Whitethroat 4 2 8 13 9 8 10 . 19 14 27 21 13 20 19 21
Wood Warbler . . . 1 . . . . 2 . . . . . . .
Chiffchaff 6 5 24 31 31 17 25 . 30 28 27 33 27 49 49 41
Willow Warbler 14 10 52 61 68 76 72 . 80 92 82 97 84 104 101 97
Goldcrest 6 3 30 40 41 43 34 . 43 41 37 61 48 76 75 56
Spotted Flycatcher 1 2 12 17 7 12 7 . 10 10 17 15 12 6 8 5
Long-tailed Tit 1 . 6 15 10 14 7 . 15 20 10 17 25 22 25 14
Blue Tit 14 11 52 58 65 69 59 . 77 88 84 98 90 107 97 93
Great Tit 11 9 47 48 54 57 54 . 74 77 77 90 87 105 98 92
Coal Tit 10 5 39 40 57 58 47 . 64 70 63 83 63 90 80 78
Marsh Tit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Treecreeper 1 . 5 8 8 12 7 . 10 21 6 13 13 12 8 6
Jay . . 2 1 4 5 3 . 4 7 7 10 7 7 10 7
Magpie 18 13 56 64 71 80 69 . 83 93 89 104 96 110 106 101
Jackdaw 18 10 45 52 64 70 64 . 79 82 81 88 92 107 94 96
Rook 15 12 38 53 65 73 68 . 76 86 84 92 92 100 97 90
Carrion Crow 2 2 3 4 5 4 5 . 2 1 4 1 . 3 1 1
Hooded Crow 15 8 46 63 64 67 70 . 86 100 88 101 92 111 101 101
Raven 3 2 8 24 16 22 23 . 21 27 28 29 24 34 31 32
Starling 18 11 50 53 65 67 70 . 81 91 85 102 95 110 97 101
House Sparrow 7 8 35 31 40 49 45 . 52 55 60 67 61 69 65 72
Tree Sparrow 2 . 4 2 4 6 8 . 7 3 6 1 9 11 10 18
Chaffinch 22 14 59 67 79 85 76 . 89 99 97 113 101 123 111 109
Brambling . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . .
Greenfinch 10 5 31 28 39 40 44 . 50 63 59 68 79 79 69 56
Goldfinch 6 2 9 20 23 22 37 . 44 44 51 66 57 78 71 74
Siskin 2 1 6 12 3 4 11 . 9 10 3 4 7 17 14 11
Linnet 12 7 25 24 26 38 30 . 36 39 30 48 36 47 53 56
Twite . . 1 1 . . . . 1 . . . . . . .
Lesser Redpoll 2 2 22 25 20 32 24 . 31 25 17 33 21 50 49 45
Crossbill . . 2 8 2 1 2 . 1 2 2 2 1 4 4 2
Bullfinch 8 3 29 34 23 15 20 . 22 32 21 43 35 42 44 47
Yellowhammer 6 3 10 9 7 9 8 . 4 8 6 5 12 15 12 13
Reed Bunting 9 6 26 33 24 27 24 . 30 34 34 50 37 47 39 43
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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