Here at RSK Biocensus, our team of highly skilled ornithologists have been busy over the winter undertaking non-breeding bird surveys across the country.
The geographical spread of our work got us thinking, how many species of bird do we collectively record as a company whilst on survey in a calendar year? To find out, we undertook the first annual Biocensus yearlist challenge in 2025, and now the results are in…
In 2025 our ornithologist team collectively recorded a highly impressive 179 bird species on our surveys in the UK, covering the length and breadth of the country.
From Storm Petrels on the Isles of Scilly, to important farmland bird assemblages on solar farms in Lincolnshire, and nesting Golden Eagles in Perth & Kinross, our surveyors recorded a huge variety of species across a range of projects and habitats.
Some standout highlights from the year included James Salisbury‘s amazing Red-necked Phalarope find on a tiny HS2 holding pond in Buckinghamshire, and the breeding seabird assemblages recorded by George Wilkinson and Rob Regan on offshore platforms in Liverpool Bay.
There were some surprising omissions from the list however, with no observations of Quail, Long-eared Owl, Redstart or Hawfinch during the year, highlighting the unpredictability of recording bird populations, though this just makes them all the more exciting!
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the yearlist. With nearly 20 colleagues getting involved throughout the entire country, we could not be happier with the efforts in our first edition of the yearlist, and we hope for an even better turnout this year.
With 2026 well underway our new yearlist challenge is in full swing, and at the time of writing the total stands at a very respectable 107 species. Will we manage to beat out 2025 total? Stay tuned to our socials throughout the year to find out, and to our colleagues taking part, happy birding!