Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS)

The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is the scheme that monitors non-breeding waterbirds in the whole of the UK. The principal aims of WeBS are to identify population sizes, determine trends in numbers and distribution and to identify important sites for waterbirds.

WeBS is jointly run by the British Trust for Ornithology, The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

For more information about WeBS, go to the WeBS home page.

We need people with good wader/wildfowl identification skills to take part in the monthly WeBS Core Counts. To find out more about how you might get involved and help somewhere in Hampshire ….

for the coast, contact Geoff Butler
for inland waters, contact Keith Wills
for the Avon Valley, contact John Clark

Address details for these contacts can be found on the Scientific Committee page.

WeBS counts for all the Hampshire waters are summarised in the annual Waterbirds in the UK published by the BTO. Low tide counts are carried out at approximately five year intervals on the main Hampshire sites – Langstone Harbour, Posrtmouth Harbour and Southampton Water.

Dates for WeBS for 2025

Inland

The WeBS dates for inland counts are shown on the BTO website.

Coastal

The dates for coastal counts are governed by the dates and times of spring tides, and the amount of daylight hours. Therefore they may differ from the inland counts – and around the country. Dates and high tide times for 2025 are shown below.