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What the eye doesn’t see: the prevalence of fraud in ornithology

There is a tendency to see examples of fraud in ornithology as rare aberrations. This paper outlines some known and suspected historical examples of fraud, and argues that fraud of one kind or another has occurred more or less consistently, if uncommonly, in ornithology…

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An unprecedented influx of Iceland Gulls in the northeastern Atlantic in January/February 2012

An unprecedented influx of Iceland Gulls into northern Britain occurred during January and February 2012. That influx is described here, with particular attention to the numbers involved, the age composition of the birds and the occurrence of Kumlien’s Gulls…

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Habitat of territorial Firecrests in north Norfolk

The habitat occupied by territorial Firecrests in north Norfolk was investigated. A total of 63 territories were discovered in three breeding seasons between 2008 and 2011. The species of trees and shrubs found in each territory were recorded…

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The increasing Firecrest population in the New Forest, Hampshire

The first confirmed breeding record of Firecrests in the UK was in the New Forest, Hampshire, in 1962. The New Forest has remained a stronghold for this species in the UK and, since 2000, numbers appear to have increased significantly

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The Nightingale in Britain: status, ecology and conservation needs

The Common Nightingale is currently on the UK’s Amber list of birds of conservation concern, but the recent population trend indicates that the species now warrants Red-list status. England lies at the edge of the Nightingale’s global distribution…

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Spotted Crakes breeding in Britain and Ireland: a history and evaluation of current status

The Spotted Crake is a very rare breeding bird in Britain and Ireland, with around 30–80 singing males/pairs recorded annually. Following major declines in the mid nineteenth century…

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The Great Bustard in Hungary

Until the early part of the twentieth century the Great Bustard was fairly widespread in Hungary but hunting and modern farming practices have led to a dramatic contraction in its range…

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Important Bird Areas: South Georgia

The mountainous island of South Georgia, situated in the cold but productive waters of the Southern Ocean, is one of the world’s most important seabird islands. It is estimated that over 100 million individual seabirds are based there…

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Citril Finch on Fair Isle: new to Britain

A Citril Finch was found on Fair Isle on 6th June 2008; it remained on the island until 11th and was trapped on 7th. The bird was in immaculate condition and was accepted…

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Bitterns and Bittern Conservation in the UK

Once widespread and even locally numerous across the lowlands of the UK, the Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris had been extirpated by a combination of habitat loss and persecution by the late 1880s. After the species returned, at the start of the second decade of the twentieth century, numbers increased to a peak in the 1950s…

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