The Severn Estuary's changing wader populations during the last two decades

Abstract

Many of the changes in population size which have occurred in the wading birds of the Severn Estuary reflect changes that have taken place in Britain as a whole. An important exception is the dunlin, which has maintained its numbers in the Severn despite undergoing a significant decline nationally. The fluctuations of several species show evidence of the effects of the hard winters of 1979, 1982 and 1986, the dry conditions of 1976 and perhaps of good breeding seasons in the high Arctic. Bridgwater Bay has declined in importance for nearly all species, with many individuals appearing to have switched to the Rumney on the northern shore.