Counting birds on farmland habitats in winter

Atkinson, Philip W.; Fuller, Richard A.; Gillings, Simon; Vickery, Juliet A.

doi:10.1080/00063650609461446

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The product of habitat‐specific bird density and habitat area estimates gave regional habitat‐specific population estimates. These were summed across regions and as the field methods were not sufficiently intensive to provide absolute counts for certain species (Atkinson et al. 2006), all habitat‐specific population estimates were divided by the total estimate to give the percentage of birds associated with each habitat type.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the implications of the loss of set‐aside for farmland birds

Gillings

Henderson

Morris

et al. 2010

Ibis

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Between 1988 and 2007, set-aside, a European Commission production control measure, took an average of 10% of arable farmland in the EU out of production each year. In 2007, the set-aside rate was set to 0% and the scheme was later abandoned altogether. By assessing associations of farmland birds with set-aside and quantifying the extent of set-aside loss, this study aims to assess the implications of set-aside loss for farmland bird conservation. During the lifespan of set-aside, a large number of studies assessed the biodiversity value of set-aside and other agricultural crops and habitats. Where possible we considered measurable benefits of set-aside. However, some studies did not specify the type of set-aside and in some cases set-aside fields were grouped with cereal stubble fields. In these cases, we took the pragmatic approach of assessing the value of generic stubble fields as a conservative minimum estimate of the value of set-aside fields. A reanalysis of data from 30 intensive studies demonstrates that farmland bird densities tended to be higher on set-aside than on either cereal or oilseed rape crops. Without mitigation, these are the two crops likely to replace most set-aside fields. We estimate that 26-52% of the farmland populations of key granivorous passerines were present on stubble fields, giving an indication of the proportion of birds likely to be present on set-aside fields within this broader category. An extensive survey of lowland farmland during winters ⁄ 2001 , repeated in February 2008, showed a doubling of the number of 1-km squares with no stubble and a halving of the number of squares with more than 10 ha of stubble. After set-aside abandonment, 72% of squares had no stubble in the important late winter period, confirming that many of the former stubble fields were retained as set-aside. A simple correlative model suggests that this could cause a small increase in the rate of decline of Skylark Alauda arvensis and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella populations, assuming causal links between stubble area and demography. However, even if this assumption cannot be supported, these results clearly indicate that a significant proportion of some farmland bird populations will need to find alternative breeding and foraging habitats.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the implications of the loss of set‐aside for farmland birds

Gillings

Henderson

Morris

et al. 2010

Ibis

Self Cite

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“…When counting birds in a plot, the observer is allowed to search for quiet birds and track down unfamiliar vocalizations for visual identification or tape-recording for subsequent identification (ralpH et al, 1993). The area-search method has been used to count birds in grassland habitats, and enhancing detectability of secretive species is one of its main advantages (Dieni & Jones, 2002;atkinson et al, 2006;roberts & scHnell, 2006). Because we were interested in an index of abundance rather than density estimates, area-search enabled us to better locate secretive species in tall vegetation than the time-consuming spotmapping or distance sampling methods.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird-habitat associations in coastal rangelands of southern Brazil

Dias

Bastazini

Gianuca

2014

Iheringia, Sér. Zool.

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ABSTRACT. Nearly all remnants of temperate grasslands in southeastern South America are used for livestock ranching and are subject to habitat degradation resulting from this activity. Exploring how habitat features affect the composition of grassland avifaunal communities is a first step to understand how current cattle-ranching management practices impact avian diversity. We used canonical ordination to test for relationships between five habitat variables and the composition of the bird community in coastal grasslands in southern Brazil. We sampled pastures with different heights, from overgrazed short-grass to tall herbaceous vegetation. We recorded 1,535 individuals and 27 species of birds. The first ordination axis indicated a strong contribution of mean vegetation height on the composition of the bird community, whereas the second axis revealed the influence of herbaceous vegetation patchiness and woody vegetation cover. Three groups of species were revealed by the ordination: one more diffuse associated with intermediate and tall herbaceous vegetation, another with short grass, and a third with vegetation patchiness and woody vegetation. Species restricted to tall herbaceous vegetation are negatively impacted from habitat degradation resulting from overgrazing and trampling by livestock, and mowing and burning of tall plants. Occurrence of these species in our study area is related with the presence of swales immediately behind the dune system and where remnants of tall vegetation persist. Birds of pastures with ample cover of short herbaceous plants, including one globally threatened species and six other restricted to short-grass habitat, apparently benefit from local livestock management practices. Woody vegetation possibly functions as a keystone structure, enabling the occurrence in grasslands of avian species that rely on shrubby habitat. Although livestock ranching promotes the diversity of habitats by creating distinct patches of vegetation height in grasslands, current management practices directed to the maintenance of short grass pastures may eliminate an entire subset of species, including regionally threatened taxa, and reduce avian diversity. The maintenance of large patches of tall herbaceous plants is needed to ensure the survival of species reliant on this type of grassland structure in our study area. KEYWORDS.Habitat use, livestock ranching, grassland management, canonical ordination, "Campos" grasslands.RESUMO. Associações entre aves e variáveis de habitat em campos costeiros do sul do Brasil. Praticamente todos os remanescentes de campo temperado no sudeste da América do Sul são usados para a pecuária e estão sujeitos à degradação de habitat resultante dessa atividade. Explorar como a composição das comunidades de aves é influenciada por características de habitat é um passo inicial para compreender o impacto que as atuais práticas de manejo da pecuária em campos nativos exercem sobre a biodiversidade. Nós usamos ordenação canônica para testar as relações entre cinco variáveis de hab...

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“…Even though 30% of individuals congregated on stubble, this is not a very large percentage in comparison with other studies. In the UK, for example, more than 40% of all birds were concentrated on stubble (Atkinson et al 2006, Perkins et al 2008. The higher proportion of birds that we recorded on stubble could be explained in part by the smaller area of fallow land in Poland.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…fallow land), stubble and specific habitats such as manure heaps. For more open habitats (ploughed fields, winter cereals) the much less time-consuming perimeter count method was used, because it is reliable for most species, including thrushes, flocking finches and buntings (Atkinson et al 2006). In the present study only small granivorous passerine species were analyzed because the harsh climatic conditions in Poland restricted wintering numbers of other species that feed on small soil invertebrates (Orl / / / / / owski 2006).…”

Section: Field Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%