Ponies, pigs and poo: four-legged conservationists help Nightjar numbers hit record high across RSPB reserves

A conservation success story to end on

Ponies, pigs and poo: four-legged conservationists help Nightjar numbers hit record high across RSPB reserves - RSPB

Nightjar roosting on a log, camouflaged well against the light colour of the log — Nightjar adult roosting during daylight hours, perched on a log, relying on camouflage and immobility for disguise. Credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

Nightjar numbers across RSPB reserves in England and Wales hit a record high in 2022, up 11% on the previous year.

RSPB Arne in Dorset, where the number of territorial male Nightjars has tripled since 1990, will feature as the live filming location for this year’s series of Springwatch, starting on BBC Two next Monday (29).

Cattle, pigs, ponies and donkeys are being used at Arne to create a dynamic mosaic of habitats that benefit Nightjars and other key species.

The number of Nightjars at RSPB reserves across England and Wales has hit a record high following decades of conservation work to help turn around the fortunes of the threatened species. A total of 198 territorial male Nightjars were recorded during surveys last year, up from 178 in 2021.

Nightjars migrate to the UK each year from their wintering grounds in Central Africa. Typically found on lowland heathland in the UK, their numbers fell in part because of habitat loss and the resulting break-up of connected heathland areas. Work by the RSPB and other conservation organisations to halt the decline has seen the species move from the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List, to the Amber List.

Survey results from 2022 included a record 60 territorial males at RSPB Arne in Dorset - set to feature as the lead filming location for this year’s series of Springwatch. Thanks to a team of conservationists, aided by four-legged helpers including cattle, pigs, ponies and donkeys, Nightjar numbers at Arne have tripled from the 20 males recorded in 1990.

Conservation work at RSPB Arne has succeeded in encouraging Nightjars to breed successfully in increasing numbers, with the 630-hectare reserve restored to a mosaic of heathland, grassland and woodland. Creating a variety of habitats for the birds is key and a herd of native Red Devon cattle are doing exactly that, assisted by ponies, donkeys and pigs.