Digital aerial surveys (Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay) winter 2020/2021

The Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay SPA was classified in 2017 and is designated for wintering black-throated diver Gavia arctica, great northern diver Gavia immer and Slavonian grebe Podiceps auritus, which are all listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive . The wintering population of black-throated divers in Great Britain is estimated to be 560 individuals (Musgrove et al. 2011). In winter, the UK as a whole contains a small fraction of the estimated European breeding population (153,000 - 276,000 individuals; Delaney & Scott 2006), with most of the population wintering in the eastern North Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Adriatic Sea (BirdLife International 2004). The aerial survey work will enable Natural England to determine an up-to-date population estimate of black-throated divers, great northern divers and Slavonian grebes and understanding of the distribution of birds within the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay SPA. High quality data on abundance and distribution of the qualifying features is required to inform management of the SPA and assess its condition. The population abundance estimates will also provide a comparison for future site monitoring to report on the condition of the site as part of a rolling monitoring programme.