- Thumbnail
- Resource ID
- 5d95f9e2-940c-11ed-bdec-0242ac140006
- Title
- Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS)
- Date
- Jan. 14, 2023, 1:07 p.m., Publication
- Abstract
- WeBS surveyors monitor the UK's internationally important non-breeding waterbirds. Following a tradition begun in 1947, wetland sites are counted once per month, providing data for population and trends in abundance and distribution. The network of sites legally protected for their importance to wintering waterbirds depends fundamentally on the WeBS counts. "Waterbirds" includes wildfowl (ducks, geese and swans), waders, rails, divers, grebes, cormorants and herons. Gulls and terns are optionally included. In a typical year over 220 waterbird species, races or populations are counted in WeBS, including non-native, feral and vagrant species. National trends are produced for the most numerous 110 of these. Over 3,000 volunteer counters contribute to the Core Counts survey, making over 40,000 visits each year to 2,800 sites. Each counter adopts a place to count monthly. Non-breeding waterbird numbers peak in different numbers for different species, so counting is done year-round where possible and reported on WeBS years running from July to June, although the core counting season is September to March. As non-breeding waterbirds can be very mobile, the Counts are nationally synchronised, with counters requested to visit during the day on priority Core Count dates (Sundays) if at all possible. At coastal locations, counting is done at high tide. At large sites, several counters will be working as a team. Each counter surveys the whole of their defined count area, known as a WeBS sector, identifying all the waterbird species present and counting the number of individuals of each species. Counters can also add supplementary data, such as evening roost counts of gulls, or casual counts of notable numbers of passage species that are higher than those present on their Core Count visits. There is also a Low Tide Counts scheme where extra counts at low tide are occasionally made on estuaries.
- Edition
- --
- Responsible
- teresafrost
- Point of Contact
- Frost
- teresa.frost@bto.org
- Purpose
- --
- Maintenance Frequency
- monthly
- Type
- not filled
- Restrictions
- None
- None
- License
- Access by request only
- Language
- eng
- Temporal Extent
- Start
- Jan. 1, 1947, midnight
- End
- --
- Supplemental Information
- No information provided
- Data Quality
- --
- Extent
-
- x0: -13.691115021441021
- x1: 1.764096856185006
- y0: 49.8652445081276
- y1: 60.85618805863203
- Spatial Reference System Identifier
- EPSG:4326
- Keywords
- no keywords
- Category
- None
- Regions
-
United Kingdom