Surveys in Borders
The Borders Branch of the SOC carries out a variety of surveys in the Region. Some of these surveys are part of wider national surveys which are organised by other national organisations and some surveys are “in house”. The information below gives you an idea of the range and nature of surveys undertaken currently and in the past.
National surveys
Breeding Bird Survey
The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Volunteers survey a single one square kilometre grid square in the early and late breeding season. The Survey has been running since 1994, when it was introduced to replace the Common Bird Census which commenced in 1962.
The BBS is a fundamental part of BTO data collection to gain an insight into the fortunes of Britain’s breeding birds. More information on BBS can be found here:
Related to BBS is the Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) which surveys a length of waterway focussing on breeding birds. Between them, BBS and WBBS, in Borders, survey about 50 sites a year.
If you are interested in volunteering to do BBS or WBBS work and feel that you have the skills to visually and aurally identify common breeding birds then please contact Neil Stratton (BTO representative for Borders).
The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Volunteers survey a single one square kilometre grid square in the early and late breeding season. The Survey has been running since 1994, when it was introduced to replace the Common Bird Census which commenced in 1962.
The BBS is a fundamental part of BTO data collection to gain an insight into the fortunes of Britain’s breeding birds. More information on BBS can be found here:
Related to BBS is the Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) which surveys a length of waterway focussing on breeding birds. Between them, BBS and WBBS, in Borders, survey about 50 sites a year.
If you are interested in volunteering to do BBS or WBBS work and feel that you have the skills to visually and aurally identify common breeding birds then please contact Neil Stratton (BTO representative for Borders).
Wetland Bird Survey
The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is also administered by BTO. There are typically about 30 sites surveyed in Borders, usually from autumn through to spring.
WeBS is a monitoring scheme for non-breeding waterbirds throughout the UK. The UK is of great international importance for waterbirds because of its position along a major flyway for Arctic-nesting birds.
Further information about WeBS can be found here. If you are interested in volunteering to do WeBS counts and feel that you have the skills to identify common waterbirds then please contact Tom Brewis (WeBS local organiser for Borders).
WeBS is a monitoring scheme for non-breeding waterbirds throughout the UK. The UK is of great international importance for waterbirds because of its position along a major flyway for Arctic-nesting birds.
Further information about WeBS can be found here. If you are interested in volunteering to do WeBS counts and feel that you have the skills to identify common waterbirds then please contact Tom Brewis (WeBS local organiser for Borders).
Heronries Census
The BTO Heronries Census began in 1928 as a one-off investigation for the journal British Birds but has matured into an annual survey still ongoing nearly 100 years later. Its Grey Heron data represent the longest-running monitoring dataset for any breeding bird in the world.
Further information about the survey, once again administered by BTO, can be found here. If you wish to express an interest in the survey then please contact Malcolm Ross (Heronries Census organiser for Borders) .
Further information about the survey, once again administered by BTO, can be found here. If you wish to express an interest in the survey then please contact Malcolm Ross (Heronries Census organiser for Borders) .
Local surveys
Over the years the Borders Branch has been involved in a number of local surveys ranging in scale from comprehensive data collection of all species for the whole of Borders and Lothian in order to produce two local tetrad atlases to a more recent and more localised survey of possible sites occupied by Marsh Tits.
In the past year or so there have been three local surveys:
Gadwall survey
Watch out for updates on this. At the moment there is insufficient data with which to make and statements.
Nightjar survey
In the 2007-2013 South-east Scotland Atlas breeding evidence of Nightjar was found in only a single tetrad ('probable breeding' in Berwickshire). However, with much potentially suitable habitat in the Borders and birds present in the adjacent areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Northumberland, it was widely assumed that Nightjar might well be present in the region but be being overlooked due to their scarcity, nocturnal behaviour, and their presence in remote and under-watched areas of the region.
In 2022, an SOC grant allowed the SOC Borders Branch to purchase five professional audio wildlife recorders which could be left in the field for a number of weeks and then collected with the recordings checked for Nightjar and other species. Branch members deployed these devices across the Borders in a number of different locations which had seen previous records of Nightjar and which held habitat which looked suitable for breeding.
Due to a combination of strategic placing of these devices and first-hand observations in an increased effort to survey this species, presence of Nightjar was confirmed in four tetrads across the region in 2022 – the highest ever number of records in a single year. Three of these sites featured “churring” males, displaying probable breeding behaviour, and at least one site featured two birds present. Further, due to the increased publicity and awareness of the survey, a further three casual but unconfirmed records of Nightjar were submitted over the course of the year. This resulted in a total of potentially eight different birds over the course of the year.
The novel detection method also resulted in a rich set of records of species which would have otherwise been undetected, including Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Snipe, Woodcock, Cuckoo, Common Sandpiper, Grasshopper Warbler, Red Grouse, Water Rail, Redstart, Tree Pipit, Stonechat, Quail, and inland Sandwich Tern. This was an increase of records of crepuscular or nocturnal species, and early morning songsters, plus records from remote areas of the Borders where the branch aims to improve coverage.
2022 was the pilot year for this survey, in which the branch was successful in confirming the hypothesis that this rare summer migrant was more widespread than previous years suggested. It has also led us to increased contact with our Dumfries & Galloway counterparts, where Nightjar surveys are well-established. In application of D&G’s established methodology, in future years the intention is to continue monitoring these confirmed sites through improved links with landowners, continue surveying of new areas to ascertain further distribution, further utilisation of membership expertise within the branch to monitor the breeding status of Nightjar. There has still never been a confirmed record of breeding Nightjar in the Borders, but the project will endeavour to monitor the breeding status of these birds in the future and bring the membership further news.
Marsh Tit survey
The aim of the survey was to get a better idea of the status of this species in Borders, where it has declined greatly in the last 30 years or so and appears to be on the brink of local extinction. Since Borders Region is essentially the only region in Scotland that has recorded observations of Mash Tit in the last few years, this decline is of national significance.
The survey was carried out by local birders and commenced at the beginning of March and finished on 7 May 2022. Sites were chosen using a combination of locations of recent historical records and those considered to have appropriate habitat.
Some 54 individual surveys were carried-out, focusing on 63 one km grid squares in a total of 40 tetrads and amounting to a total of over 100 man-hours contributed by 17 volunteers.
Despite the efforts of all volunteers no observations of Marsh Tit were made. This therefore strongly underlines the belief that the Marsh Tit is probably either already extinct in the region or very close to it.
Because of the complete absence of any observations of Marsh Tit, it was decided not, as planned, to continue with surveys in the post-breeding period. Local birders are, however, asked to keep an eye (and ear) out for this species and to make sure that they report details of any encounter.
Below is a summary of the locations of the survey sites.
A short paper on the apparent disappearance of Marsh Tit in Borders (and Scotland) is under preparation and will hopefully appear in Scottish Birds in the near future.
In the past year or so there have been three local surveys:
- A survey of Gadwall: ongoing
- A survey of Nightjar: ongoing
- A survey of Marsh Tit: March 2022 – May 2022.
Gadwall survey
Watch out for updates on this. At the moment there is insufficient data with which to make and statements.
Nightjar survey
In the 2007-2013 South-east Scotland Atlas breeding evidence of Nightjar was found in only a single tetrad ('probable breeding' in Berwickshire). However, with much potentially suitable habitat in the Borders and birds present in the adjacent areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Northumberland, it was widely assumed that Nightjar might well be present in the region but be being overlooked due to their scarcity, nocturnal behaviour, and their presence in remote and under-watched areas of the region.
In 2022, an SOC grant allowed the SOC Borders Branch to purchase five professional audio wildlife recorders which could be left in the field for a number of weeks and then collected with the recordings checked for Nightjar and other species. Branch members deployed these devices across the Borders in a number of different locations which had seen previous records of Nightjar and which held habitat which looked suitable for breeding.
Due to a combination of strategic placing of these devices and first-hand observations in an increased effort to survey this species, presence of Nightjar was confirmed in four tetrads across the region in 2022 – the highest ever number of records in a single year. Three of these sites featured “churring” males, displaying probable breeding behaviour, and at least one site featured two birds present. Further, due to the increased publicity and awareness of the survey, a further three casual but unconfirmed records of Nightjar were submitted over the course of the year. This resulted in a total of potentially eight different birds over the course of the year.
The novel detection method also resulted in a rich set of records of species which would have otherwise been undetected, including Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Snipe, Woodcock, Cuckoo, Common Sandpiper, Grasshopper Warbler, Red Grouse, Water Rail, Redstart, Tree Pipit, Stonechat, Quail, and inland Sandwich Tern. This was an increase of records of crepuscular or nocturnal species, and early morning songsters, plus records from remote areas of the Borders where the branch aims to improve coverage.
2022 was the pilot year for this survey, in which the branch was successful in confirming the hypothesis that this rare summer migrant was more widespread than previous years suggested. It has also led us to increased contact with our Dumfries & Galloway counterparts, where Nightjar surveys are well-established. In application of D&G’s established methodology, in future years the intention is to continue monitoring these confirmed sites through improved links with landowners, continue surveying of new areas to ascertain further distribution, further utilisation of membership expertise within the branch to monitor the breeding status of Nightjar. There has still never been a confirmed record of breeding Nightjar in the Borders, but the project will endeavour to monitor the breeding status of these birds in the future and bring the membership further news.
Marsh Tit survey
The aim of the survey was to get a better idea of the status of this species in Borders, where it has declined greatly in the last 30 years or so and appears to be on the brink of local extinction. Since Borders Region is essentially the only region in Scotland that has recorded observations of Mash Tit in the last few years, this decline is of national significance.
The survey was carried out by local birders and commenced at the beginning of March and finished on 7 May 2022. Sites were chosen using a combination of locations of recent historical records and those considered to have appropriate habitat.
Some 54 individual surveys were carried-out, focusing on 63 one km grid squares in a total of 40 tetrads and amounting to a total of over 100 man-hours contributed by 17 volunteers.
Despite the efforts of all volunteers no observations of Marsh Tit were made. This therefore strongly underlines the belief that the Marsh Tit is probably either already extinct in the region or very close to it.
Because of the complete absence of any observations of Marsh Tit, it was decided not, as planned, to continue with surveys in the post-breeding period. Local birders are, however, asked to keep an eye (and ear) out for this species and to make sure that they report details of any encounter.
Below is a summary of the locations of the survey sites.
A short paper on the apparent disappearance of Marsh Tit in Borders (and Scotland) is under preparation and will hopefully appear in Scottish Birds in the near future.
| Place | GR | Tetrad | Surveyor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ettrick Marshes | NT2714 | NT21S | AP Mossop/A Reid/A Pearson/T Brewis |
| Ettrick Water, Selkirk | NT4527 | NT42N | A Pearson |
| The Haining (Selkirk) | NT4627/4727 | NT42T | A Pearson |
| The Haining (Selkirk) | NT4628 | NT42U | A Pearson |
| Bowland (Clovenfords) | NT4439 | NT43P | K Loudon |
| Tweedbank | NT5134 | NT53C | A Bramhall |
| Allan Water (Langlee) | NT5235 | NT53H | A Bramhall |
| Drygrange (Melrose) | NT5735 | NT53S | MB Ross |
| Cowdenknowes (Lauder) | NT5737 | NT53T | L McLeish |
| Redpath-Leaderfoot-Gledswood (Melrose) | NT5734/5834/5835 | NT53X | A Reid |
| St Leonard's Mill (Lauder) | NT5546 | NT54N | R Catalano |
| Bruntaburn Wood (Westruther) | NT5951 | NT55V | R Catalano |
| Woodside (Harestanes) | NT6425 | NT62M | N Stratton |
| Nisbet | NT6725 | NT62S | N Stratton |
| Mellerstain House (Gordon) | NT6438/6439/6538/6539 | NT63P | A Reid |
| Spottiswoode (Westruther) | NT6048/6049/6148/6149 | NT64E | R Catalano |
| Floors Castle | NT7034/7134 | NT73C | R Jackson |
| Gavinton (Duns) | NT7652 | NT75R | AP Mossop |
| Hen Poo (Duns) | NT7754 | NT75S | A Reid |
| Cheeklaw (Duns) | NT7852 | NT75W | AP Mossop |
| Elba (Abbey St Bathans) | NT7860 | NT76V | R Jackson |
| Dunglass Burn (Cockburnspath) | NT7671 | NT77Q | K Loudon |
| Pease Bay Dean NR | NT7870/7970 | NT77V | F Evans |
| Yetholm Loch | NT8027 | NT82D | N Stratton |
| The Hirsel | NT8240/8241/8340/8341 | NT84F | L Hanson |
| Lennelhill-Tweedmill (Coldstream) | NT8642/8643 | NT84R | AP Mossop/R Jackson |
| Edrom (Chirnside) | NT8255 | NT85H | F Evans |
| Todheugh (Chirnside) | NT8356 | NT85I | G Paterson |
| Whitehall (Chirnside) | NT8754 | NT85S | K Loudon |
| Edington Mill (Chirnside) | NT8954 | NT85X | G Paterson |
| Houndwood (Grantshouse) | NT8463 | NT86L | DK Graham |
| Hutton Mill (Chirnside) | NT9154 | NT95C | G Paterson |
| Paxton House-Fishwick Mains Dean | NT9250/9251/9350/9351 | NT95F | T Brewis |
| Linn Dean (Paxton House) | NT9254/9352 | NT95G | T Brewis |
| Clarabad Mill-Hutton Bridge (Foulden) | NT9254/9354 | NT95H | T Brewis |
| Paxton East-Witches Cleuch | NT9453/9552 | NT95L | T Brewis |
| Paxton Wood (Whiteadder) | NT9452 | NT95M | T Brewis |
| Mire Loch (St Abb's Head) | NT9168/9169 | NT96E | C Hatsell |
| Ale Water (Linthill-Millbank-Ayton Mains) | NT9262/NT9362 | NT96G | DK Graham |
| Mainholm Bank (Newcasteton) | NY4783 | NY48R | M Scott |
Location of tetrads containing surveyed sites.
