The Rare Breeding Birds Panel

Success! Lesser spotted woodpeckers, a male and female pair. The morning after the lesser spotted woodpecker workshop. @ukrbbp.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

What a weekend! It was a privilege for Kent to host 2026 @lesserspotnet.bsky.social workshop in the Blean! Interesting discussions had between different regions, good connections made, exciting things ahead. Some Lesser Spots didn’t go a miss either @kentishplover.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

Recent efforts are finding LSW at previously undiscovered sites, with passive acoustic monitoring being a game-changer. Now is the best time to find this elusive species - get tips on how to find them, as well as a new guidance note on acoustic recording, at www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

A male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in a Kentish wood

Workshop attendees enjoying the sight and sound of a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers

Attendees at the 2026 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker workshop

LSW habitat, Kent

The RBBP were delighted to be part of the fantastic workshop on Lesser Spotted Woodpecker monitoring & research, organised by @lesserspotnet.bsky.social in Kent at the weekend. There’s amazing progress being made by enthusiasts across England and Wales #ornithology #UKbirding

March and April are the best time to look & listen for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers calling and drumming in wet, broadleaf woodland. Find out more about Woodpecker Network, listen to Ken Smith's zoom talk for Essex Birdwatching Society from January. ebws.org.uk/talks/jan26

BirdWatch Ireland CEO Andrew Kelly & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting at a table outside smiling as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

RSPB Chief Executive Beccy Speight & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting together at a table in the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Scottish Ornithologists Club President Ruth Briggs are sitting at a table smiling and holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Welsh Ornithological Society Chair Anne Brenchley are sitting at a table together looking down and holding pens as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31. Wildlife and nature themed artwork hangs on the wall behind them.

1/ Five leading charities forge partnership for bird conservation for the Bird Atlas 2027–31! 🐦 But what is the Bird Atlas? ⬇️🧵 #Ornithology

@btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Looking - and listening - for Marsh Harriers YouTube video by Rare Breeding Birds Panel

Another species that’s worth looking for establishing territories in the early spring is the Marsh Harrier. Learning their call might help as well - have a listen to this
youtu.be/d5wD5vivbfE?...

Some advice on looking for displaying Goshawks YouTube video by Rare Breeding Birds Panel

Early spring is by far the best time to record breeding Goshawks as they display over territories, particularly on calm and sunny days - here’s some encouragement from RBBP Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social #ukbirding #ornithology

youtu.be/hVgl6jYOX6A?...

It’s nearly March, spring is springing, and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel has emerged from hibernation again to encourage you to get out recording rare breeding birds #UKbirding #ornithology

It looks like sunshine and showers for most of the UK this weekend, so why not get out looking for Woodlarks, Goshawks, Long-eared Owls, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and other early breeding species?

It’s nearly March, spring is springing, and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel has emerged from hibernation again to encourage you to get out recording rare breeding birds #UKbirding #ornithology

Little Egret Population Estimates Visit the post for more.

New blog from BTO Senior Research Ecologist Ian Woodward for @ukrbbp.bsky.social delves into a new method for estimating breeding populations of Little Egrets. It discovered they were higher than previously thought – likely exceeding 2,000 pairs in the UK! #Ornithology

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Little Egret Population Estimates Producing population estimates for Little Egret A paper in the January 2026 issue of British Birds has described a new approach to estimating the breeding population of Little Egrets in the UK, ...

BLOG: Ian Woodward, senior research ecologist at @btobirds.bsky.social, describes how combining data from the RBBP and the BTO’s Heronries Census has improved our knowledge on the UK’s Little Egret population, as in new @britishbirds.bsky.social paper #birds #ornithology rbbp.org.uk/2026/01/30/l...

@jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social @birdtrack.bsky.social

Little Egret Population Estimates Producing population estimates for Little Egret A paper in the January 2026 issue of British Birds has described a new approach to estimating the breeding population of Little Egrets in the UK, ...

BLOG: Ian Woodward, senior research ecologist at @btobirds.bsky.social, describes how combining data from the RBBP and the BTO’s Heronries Census has improved our knowledge on the UK’s Little Egret population, as in new @britishbirds.bsky.social paper #birds #ornithology rbbp.org.uk/2026/01/30/l...

A Little Egret in flight showing its white plumage, black bill and legs, and yellow feet. Wording below reads: New Study. Producing breeding population estimates to monitor Little Egret trends. BTO logo is top right of the image.

1/🧵 New BTO-led research sheds light on the number and range of Little Egrets with population estimates higher than previously thought – likely exceeding 2,000 pairs in the UK! 🙌 #Ornithology @britishbirds.bsky.social

📖 www.bto.org/little-egret...

Great to see RBBP data being used in work led by @btobirds.bsky.social that improves our knowledge on the status of Little Egrets in the UK… there are more than we thought!

A Roseate Tern perches on a rock, showing its dark bill, silvery-grey upperparts and rosy-washed breast. Image credit bottom right reads Roseate Tern by Sam Langlois / BTO.

4/Roseate Tern numbers fell from 154 pairs in 2022 to 118 in 2023 following deaths of 90 adults from bird flu in the 2022 breeding season. Although breeding numbers were lower than prior to bird flu, there are signs of hope with 2024 representing the second most successful breeding season on record.

A Slavonian Grebe on water showing its black cheeks, yellow tufts on the side of its head and red eye. Image credit bottom right reads Slavonian Grebe by Edmund Fellowes / BTO.

3/ However, there’s also some concerning news from the report. In northern Scotland, numbers of Slavonian Grebes fell to just 16 pairs, the lowest total since the @ukrbbp.bsky.social began reporting in 1973.

A White-tailed Eagle flies through a blue sky, showing its brown plumage, white tail and yellow beak. Image credit bottom right reads White-tailed Eagle by Sarah Kelman / BTO.

2/A pair of Temminck’s Stint laid four eggs in 2023 but sadly the nest was washed out by rising water levels.

The report also revealed 15 species reached record totals in 2023! This included White-tailed Eagle, with 160 pairs in the UK, and Marsh Harrier, which reached 500 pairs for the first time.

A Hoopoe perches on fallen tree trunk showing its orange crest, down-curved bill, and black, white and sandy brown plumage. Image credit bottom right reads Hoopoe by Edmund Fellowes / BTO.

1/🧵 Two bird species bred in the UK in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s!

The latest report by @ukrbbp.bsky.social published in @britishbirds.bsky.social confirmed a pair of Hoopoes raised three young from a nest in Leicestershire and Rutland. #Ornithology

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the trunk of a tree. A grey box to the left features the words: New study. Bioacoustics as a tool for the detection and monitoring of a scarce woodland bird – the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. ww.bto.org/LSWBioacoustics. BTO logo is top left of the image. Image credit bottom left reads: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker © Denja1 from Getty Images via Canva.com.

1/ A new study from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social & BTO in @britishbirds.bsky.social looks at how passive acoustic monitoring is an effective way of surveying Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ➡️ www.bto.org/LSWBioacoust...

#bioacoustics #ornithology @simongillings.bsky.social @hosbirding.bsky.social

Our paper in December's @britishbirds.bsky.social describes success in using sound recording for detecting Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. We found Lesser Spots still present in woodlands where they have not been seen/heard for years. This is very exciting www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/index.php/ne...

Indeed ☹️

Most other species near our 2,000 pr threshold are concentrated into relatively few breeding sites (e.g. Med Gull), or have a significant annual monitoring effort (e.g. Peregrine). These make data collation, often of a high % of the pop, comparatively easy. This certainly isn’t true for Willow Tit

There was a good case, yes, but with a population nearly three times our threshold, we felt that this was too much mission creep, especially given our limited resources. Hopefully repeated national surveys will track the population, and more effectively than our data collation could.

Reviewing the RBBP species list Reviewing the RBBP species list Mediterranean Gull, Mark Eaton The RBBP collects data and reports upon all native species with UK breeding populations of fewer than 2,000 pairs. In addition, s...

NEW BLOG - the RBBP reviews what species we should collect data on regularly. Here’s an explanation of what we consider when species are removed, and why Avocet and Mediterranean Gull are staying on our list, for now rbbp.org.uk/2025/11/25/r...

@jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @birdtrack.bsky.social

Reviewing the RBBP species list Reviewing the RBBP species list Mediterranean Gull, Mark Eaton The RBBP collects data and reports upon all native species with UK breeding populations of fewer than 2,000 pairs. In addition, s...

NEW BLOG - the RBBP reviews what species we should collect data on regularly. Here’s an explanation of what we consider when species are removed, and why Avocet and Mediterranean Gull are staying on our list, for now rbbp.org.uk/2025/11/25/r...

Thank you, Ian! We're really going to miss you on the panel - your broad knowledge of birds and habitats, questioning mind and great company have made you a wonderful person to work with.