The 2022 report of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel was published in British Birds in November 2024 (Eaton et al. 2024) and can be obtained by subscription at www.britishbirds.co.uk; a pdf of the report will be available at www.rbbp.org.uk in due course.

The report documents the status of the 108 species and subspecies of rare and scarce native birds that were recorded breeding, or showing signs of breeding, in the UK in 2022. Population totals are given for each species in the report, alongside a breakdown in records by country and recording area, and where possible updated trends are given. A table summarising species’ totals and trends can be found here. In addition, records were compiled for 14 rare non-native breeding species.

The 2022 report was enabled by the collation of nearly 11,000 individual records, which, once duplicate records were identified, provided almost 7,600 unique records. The most important sources of data are the detailed submissions compiled by the UK’s county and regional bird recorders. These recorders, all of whom are volunteers, are uniquely placed to understand the relevance and context of the records they receive from birders. Of course, county recorders, and in turn RBBP, are highly dependent on observers submitting records in the first place. It is vital that birders across the UK continue to make their sightings available, not least for the value these records have for conservation, as outlined in this report. Other than data submitted by county bird recorders, our important data sources include returns from Schedule 1 licence holders, the BTO/JNCC Nest Record Scheme, raptor study groups, annual species’ monitoring, periodic national surveys, and counts from RSPB reserves.

Glossy Ibis; Mark Eaton

The 108 species and races of rare breeding birds reported breeding, or showing signs of breeding, in the UK in 2022 is three fewer than the record total reported for 2021 but still the second-highest total RBBP has reported on, suggesting a continuation of the increasing trend in rare breeding bird species in the UK, largely driven by the arrival of colonising species. Perhaps the most notable record in this report is the first confirmed breeding of Glossy Ibis, with a pair breeding successfully in Cambridgeshire. Earlier colonists continue to prosper – of the 14 new colonists and reintroduced species to have established populations in the UK since the RBBP began reporting in 1973, five – Mediterranean Gull, Eurasian Spoonbill, Great White Egret, Little Egret and White-tailed Eagle– were reported at record levels in 2022, with another two – Common Crane and Green Sandpiper – just below their previous maxima. Most of these species are expanding their ranges into the UK from the south. More appear to be on the way. Black-winged Stilts bred for the ninth successive year, with eight young fledging, and the two pairs of Bee-eaters that fledged four young in Norfolk made it the fourth year breeding had been attempted in the UK in the last decade. A male Iberian Chiffchaff raised a brood of hybrid chicks with a female Common Chiffchaff in London and the presence of both sexes of Baillon’s Crake at at least one site suggests that breeding might be imminent, if it has not occurred already.

As well as new colonists, a number of species continue to recover from historical depletion, with three raptors being reported in record numbers. The number of Eurasian Goshawk pairs reported leapt by 24% since 2021 (which itself was a record year), Marsh Harrier is increasing across much of its range, as is Osprey, which bred in Dorset and Yorkshire for the first time in centuries. The final record-setter is Wood Sandpiper, for which 61 pairs were recorded, continuing the recent increase in numbers in a range of northern waders. The return of Temminck’s Stint as a breeding species, following 24 years without breeding, was one of 2021’s greatest surprises, and two pairs were present (and very likely attempted to breed) at the same Highland site in 2022.

Four successive winters without any lengthy spells of cold temperatures have been good for some resident species, hence Dartford Warbler and Woodlark both reached the highest totals since the last national survey for both species in 2006. Other species which had good years in 2022 included Black-necked Grebe and Black Redstart.

Arctic Skua; Ian Francis

The publication since our last report of the results of Britain and Ireland’s fourth seabird census, Seabirds Count has provided a vital stocktake on our internationally important breeding seabirds, and our report highlights the fortunes of the four rare breeding seabirds. Mediterranean Gulls continue to flourish, and there were 159 pairs of Roseate Terns at the beginning of the 2022 breeding season. Little Terns have, however, declined by 25% since the last census in 1998–2002, although in 2022 they achieved the highest productivity RBBP has reported upon. Seabirds Count confirmed fears of a rapid ongoing decline in the Arctic Skua population, with a 66% drop in numbers over 18 years.

Sadly, the impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is a concern for all our seabirds – at least 90 adult Roseate Terns died from the disease at the colony on Coquet Island, Northumberland, in 2022, along with an even great number of chicks. There is evidence, reviewed in the report, that the disease also impacted the productivity of raptors such as White-tailed Eagle and Golden Eagle in 2022.

While Arctic Skua may be one of the most rapidly declining rare breeding bird species in the UK, others are also struggling. Slavonian Grebe remained at the lowest level since the start of annual monitoring in 1971 with pairs having extremely poor breeding success in 2022. Numbers of Corn Crakes have declined by 28% in the last ten years, and the population of Black-tailed Godwits in the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens fell owing to several years of poor productivity, despite recent conservation efforts. Marsh Warbler numbers dropped dramatically, with a total of only three pairs, none of which were confirmed to have bred – but, as numbers are influenced heavily by conditions on spring migration, a recovery of sorts is possible in future years.

Golden Oriole; Ron Macdonald

There are a number of species for which populations have declined to a point at which they are no longer considered regular breeders in the UK, but retain a regular presence in RBBP reports, usually through the occurrence of migrant individuals holding territory. There were single records of Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Wryneck and European Serin in 2022, and two of Golden Orioles. Unfortunately, Montagu’s Harrier may be on the way to joining this list, although a displaying male did its best to attract a mate in Wiltshire. One species from this group, Common Rosefinch, did actually breed in 2022, on Fair Isle, for the first time in the UK since 2001.

Furthermore, there are species that have been regular breeders previously but were not reported showing breeding behaviour at all in 2022. Yellow-legged Gull bred in the UK every year from 2001 to 2019, but the species has now been absent from our reports for three years, and while the Fieldfare has always been a very rare breeding bird, numbers reported by the RBBP have declined in recent years and the blank in 2022 was the fourth such year in the last decade. Less meaningful in conservation terms, but always of interest to the birdwatcher, the list of oddities in 2022 included Blue-winged Teal, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Black-browed Albatross, Dusky Warbler and, for the first time in a RBBP report, a pair of Little Buntings.

As always, we wish to thank all those who support the work of the RBBP particularly those such as county bird recorders who collate and submit data to us, and the observers who make the thousands of records of rare breeding birds that contribute to our reports.

Dr Mark Eaton

Secretary, Rare Breeding Birds Panel, 1^st November 2024.