Red-throated diver national surveys in Scotland - raw data
Citation
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Red-throated diver national surveys in Scotland - raw data. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/zdu5jy accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-13.Description
Red-throated divers are birds of conservation concern due to large declines in the 19th century. While the population increased in the 20th century, there was not considerable change to the breeding range. This dataset contains the results of systematic national surveys in 1994 and 2006. The dataset contains the raw data, i.e. un-interpreted red-throated diver sightings. As such, it does not report any indirect evidence that has been used to indicate presence in the 5km summary dataset, which is also available on the NBN. In addition to the data collected for the national surveys, this dataset also contains data collected on additional visits in the survey years. These data are either from sites that were not included in the surveys, or from sites visited outside the survey period. These data are flagged in the dataset. The surveys were carried out by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) under the Statutory Conservation Agencies and RSPB Breeding Birds Scheme (SCARABBS).
Purpose
Sampling Description
Quality Control
These data have been gathered by trained field-workers and the data are of a high quality.These data have been mapped and checked for sensitivities and typographical/geographical errors.
Method steps
- The surveys give a complete census of Shetland, Orkney, and a stratified sample of 5km grid squares in the rest of the known breeding range. In 2006, two Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the Hebrides with Red-Throated Diver as a qualifying feature (Rum and Mointeach Scadabhaigh) were also fully surveyed. In most cases, 5km squares were surveyed twice between 15 May and 15 August. Randomly selected grid squares with no suitable habitat were only surveyed once. Surveyors recorded the number of breeding and apparent non-breeding pairs on each loch, in addition to the number and size of any young. Although it was not a requirement to search for nesting scrapes, a number were found and recorded.
Taxonomic Coverages
Geographic Coverages
Bibliographic Citations
Contacts
originatorRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds
metadata author
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
distributor
NBN Atlas
27 Old Gloucester St, Holborn
London
WC1N 3AX
London
GB
email: admin@nbnatlas.org
Conservation Data Management Unit
administrative point of contact
email: dataunit@rspb.org.uk