Natural England is using pioneering technology to track the movement and habitat preferences of a small wading bird, Jack Snipe, for the first time in the UK.
- GPS tags fitted to track movements and habitat of Jack Snipe wading birds
- One of 10 tagged birds at wetland sites in the Midlands has just been recaptured
- Data will help landscape scale conservation and other species
After 10 birds were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) archival tags in south Staffordshire earlier this year, a tagged Jack Snipe has just been recaptured.
The tags Natural England have used are accurate to 10 metres to record the location of the bird at set times. While Jack Snipe have been previously tagged in the UK, the tags used were not so accurate.
The GPS tags help to better understand the birds' habitat needs and how best to manage sites for them and other wildlife. This will help Natural England to understand more about the Jack Snipe population numbers and contribute towards wider nature recovery.
The recaptured tagged Jack Snipe
The birds were tagged at wetland sites in the Natural England Midlands Heathland Heartland project area in Staffordshire and the West Midlands.
Kevin Clements at Natural England, who has been involved with the project since the start, said:
Action for nature's recovery needs to be evidence-led and projects like this show how science can play such a vital role. We were excited to recapture one of the 10 tagged birds recently and, as far as we are aware, this the first documented migration route of any Jack Snipe in the UK and elsewhere.
There is estimated to be a UK wintering population of about 110,000 Jack Snipes, but due to the secretive nature of the birds it's impossible to census them accurately. We hope that this project will give us a better picture of how stable their population is and calculate overall population figures.
The GPS tracker shows that the Jack Snipe's journey included visits to Germany, Poland and Latvia before returning back to Staffordshire.
The Jack Snipe project aims to gain insight into the birds' migration routes, breeding areas and winter foraging and day roosting behaviour. It is hoped that data gathered from the tags will help inform landscape scale conservation management that would also benefit other species. By improving wetlands where Jack Snipe roost and making other sites more favourable, we can also help other wetland species recover. Such as other wading birds, wildfowl and mammals like Otter and Water Vole.
The Jack Snipe is a winter visitor to the UK, appearing mostly from September to April, and breeding in northern Eurasia. It can be found in marshes, wet grasslands and the muddy fringes of reedbeds. It will also feed overnight in fields of short grass or stubble, on insects, worms and snails.
The tags were funded by Natural England. The project has been developed in partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology, Belvide Ringing Group, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and University Centre Sparsholt.
Natural England
Natural England is the government's adviser for the natural environment in England.
Its mission is building partnerships for nature's recovery. This reflects the need for Natural England to work with and through a wide range of people. As well as the need for rapid action to re-build sustainable ecosystems and thereby protect and restore habitats, species and landscapes.
Natural England's vision is of thriving nature for people and planet. Its ambition is not just to improve nature, but to see it thriving everywhere. This is because Natural England recognises that a healthy natural environment is fundamental to everyone's wealth, health and happiness.
