Sadly, rescue work doesn’t always result in a positive outcome. Some birds succumb to their injuries before we can begin treatment, and others brought in to us as so badly injured that the kindest thing to do, for the birds welfare, is to euthanise them. Whilst this decision is never taken lightly, the deceased birds can still provide useful information about the ecosystems they came from.
Here, we’ve spoken to Elaine Potter, an Environmental Scientist with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who run the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme.
Can you explain what the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme is?
The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) is a long-term, national monitoring scheme that quantifies the concentrations of contaminants in the livers (and eggs) of selected species of predatory birds in Britain to determine how and why they vary between species and regions, how they are changing over time, and the effect that this may have on individual birds and bird populations.
Where do you get your samples from?
Samples are submitted by members of the public who find dead birds of prey while out walking or in their gardens, and by wildlife centres like yourselves. To request a submission pack, people can complete a ‘Contact Us’ form on our website or telephone 01524 595830 and leave their details (name and address plus bird species so we know what size box to send out).
What is the process between someone finding a dead raptor and you being able to use the results in reports?
Someone finds and freezes a dead bird of prey (double bagged paying attention to good hygiene) and provides us with their details (name and address plus bird species so we know what size box to send out). We send out a submission pack which contains everything they need (bags, postage label, etc.) to submit the bird, postage paid. We currently receive more than 600 bird of prey carcases each year; on receipt all birds are logged in and frozen. Depending on the research questions of our funders, selected birds have a post mortem where the tissues are harvested and frozen. Then a post mortem report is emailed to the person that submitted the bird. At the end of each calendar year, tissue samples are selected from the freezer and sent for analysis at the UKCEH Analytical Chemistry Facility in Lancaster. Analysis can take months as the labs are busy with a broad range of analyses and therefore, there may be a significant lag between bird submission and analysis.
Most recently, analysis of barn owl tissues has enabled us to report on ‘Second generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) residues in barn owls 2019’.
What have been your main findings?
We publish reports, scientific papers, data and news. The two latest papers reported Concentration and origin of lead (Pb) in liver and bone of UK buzzards, and The Importance of Trophic Pathways for Secondary Exposure to Anticoagulant Rodenticides.
Are your reports used to inform or make changes to best practice guidelines (in terms of rodenticide and lead use)?
Yes, Lee Walker (our principal investigator) recently attended a meeting of the Government Oversight Group (GOG) which oversees the UK rodenticide stewardship regime. Lee presented the findings of our most recent monitoring of anticoagulant rodenticide residues in barn owls and red kites; the reports can be found here. This work provides independent evidence as to whether there is any change in wildlife exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides that may be associated with stewardship.
What one piece of advice would you give to anyone wanting to help wildlife?
If you find a baby animal or bird on its own, its mother will usually be close by so it is best to leave it where it is and watch from a distance. If you find a dead bird of prey and are safely able to collect and freeze for us, please complete a contact us form. If the dead bird has any sign of decomposition we cannot harvest the tissues so please leave it where it is to decompose and return to nature.
To find out more about the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme, please visit their website:
https://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/