Welcome to the
web-site

Welcome to .

Before telling you about what we are and what we are setting out to achieve it might be helpful if we told you where we are!!

The Isle of Man is a small Island situated in the middle of the Irish Sea roughly midway between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Despite our central location within the British Isles we are an independent nation, with its own Government, laws, tax system and economy. We also enjoy a climate that is much milder than that of our near neighbours, due partly to the influence of the Gulf Stream which moves through the Irish Sea. This is one of the factors that make our habitats and hence birdlife distinctly different from that found in adjacent Isles.

About this web-site.

The site has been provided free of charge thanks to the support of Internet Service Providers Enterprise PLC, who have also provided much of the computer equipment being used by the charity.

Within the site there is a wealth of information that we hope you will enjoy and feel able to spend some time browsing.

The following pages contain details about what we are and the research we are undertaking, describing the methods we are employing and the ways in which our work is breaking new ground in ornithological research within Europe. It also contains up to date information about the areas we have surveyed, regular updates on the birds of note that are being seen around the Island and maps depicting areas we have surveyed.

What is ?

We are a charity, registered on the Isle of Man, which has been formed to undertake scientific research on the birds of the Island. We are run by a Board of four Directors, employ two full-time and two seasonal contract staff and operate from the home of one of the Directors. Formed in September 1997 the charity commenced a five-year research programme in April 1998.

Why undertake research into our birdlife?

It is a fact of life that, as human populations continue to grow and more people turn towards ‘the great outdoors’ to pursue their leisure activities, the pressure upon our natural environment increases. An understanding of the state of our environment is therefore important, if effort is to be made to minimise the adverse effects of human activity, preserve remaining wildlife and make effective effort to redress the balance by enhancing the environment for the benefit of nature and humans alike.

Birds have long been recognised as effective indicators of the general state of health of the environment. They are highly visible and vocal, people enjoy seeing them and, when properly studied, fluctuations in populations can be readily identified, thereby giving an early indication that something may be amiss with the environment as a whole.

The majority of western and most eastern European nations have therefore undertaken studies to establish the distribution and abundance of their birdlife, Britain and Ireland being no exception.

There has never been a comprehensive survey on the status of birdlife on the Isle of Man – until now.

The information gathered from surveying is used in a variety of ways. It identifies the general ‘health’ of the nations entire bird population and also identifies those species that are in decline in numbers or whose preferred habitats are becoming threatened. From this comes the ability to use the information gathered to assist in planning, environmental and conservation initiatives and developing agricultural support mechanisms that are sympathetic to the needs of birds and the wider environment. A growing number of counties in the British Isles are now undertaking atlas work, a reflection of the need to gather greater detail on bird distribution and abundance.

has been established to undertake the first comprehensive survey of all bird species to be found on the Island during both the winter and summer. During the five year programme of work professional ornithologists will survey the entire Island using new and innovative survey techniques. Such methods will generate data that will provide distribution and abundance information for all species and, for many common species, an actual estimate of the numbers of birds present will be obtained.

All of these facets of the work of mba combine to make it the most comprehensive survey in Europe of a nations birdlife.