Winter Gull Survey relaunched

After a 20-year absence, the Winter Gull Survey (WinGS; www.bto.org/our-science/projects/winter-gull-survey) has been relaunched by the BTO. The survey was first established in 1952, when its aim was to collect information about the population size and distribution of gulls wintering in Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. More than 70 years since it was first launched, the survey’s overarching objectives remain the same, but is underpinned by a new urgency to understand and address the status of the various gulls added to the Red and Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent research into bird populations in Britain has revealed a decline in both breeding and overwintering populations of gulls, a worrying revelation given that Britain harbours a significant proportion of the global population of breeding gulls of various species. Currently, there are over 50 sites in Britain that have been designated as Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation owing to the presence of internationally important numbers of gulls during the breeding season. Britain is also considered an important area for gulls during the winter period, but these winter ranges are often not considered when designating protected sites, which means there is little targeted conservation for wintering gulls. The WinGS survey aims to address this gap in protected site designation by monitoring overwintering gulls and providing evidence to underpin the conservation of these species.