Bird Brain UK Ltd was commissioned by Natural England to undertake a breeding bird survey to update the evidence relating to the status of breeding birds within the study area around the Mucking Flats and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The study area included land between Mucking village and Tilbury Fort.
The survey took place over six visits between March and July 2024. Birds and their behaviour were recorded and mapped. BTO breeding status codes were used and birds were assessed as being either ‘confirmed’, ‘probable’ or ‘possible’ breeders (where these terms are used in the report, they are used in the context of the BTO definitions). The survey visits took place during optimal weather conditions (minimal rain and wind) and surveyors used passive and parabolic recorders to record bird calls. An additional long-eared owl survey took place using thermal image cameras.
The survey identified 128 different bird species and 75 of these were ‘confirmed’ or ‘probable’ breeders. Bird population estimates were calculated for target species.
The survey concluded that the site had large areas of undisturbed land and diverse habitats supporting substantial numbers of breeding birds. In particular the East Tilbury Quary and Mucking Landfill compartments, being generally free from dogwalkers, held large numbers of breeding skylark. The Cetti’s warbler population was greater than 1% of the GB breeding population demonstrating the importance of the survey area to this species. Some species had low breeding success recorded for example, pochard, but this mirrored national trends (nevertheless pochard still also exceeded 1% of the GB breeding population).