The return of the Merlin to the south Pennines

Brown, Alicia; Stillman, Richard A.

doi:10.1080/00063659809461100

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…summed distances from simulated nests to the nearest roosting and foraging habitats) through least-cost analyses [49] , assuming that (1) breeding individuals flew at minimum on a daily basis, the straight route from nests to the nearest roost and foraging site [18] ; and (2) that movement distances in patchy landscapes typically match the linear distances between habitat patches to minimize movement costs [21] . Nest locations (hereafter, nests) were simulated with the tool ‘ create random points ’ in ArcGIS 10 by randomly spreading nests at a minimum distance of 50 m [33] among the patches of breeding habitat that we had previously defined in analyses of habitat selection in both study areas [50] . Numbers of nests simulated in both plots ( n = 60) matched the estimated breeding density (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Induced Changes in Landscape Configuration Influence Individual Movement Routines: Lessons from a Versatile, Highly Mobile Species

et al. 2014

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Landscape conversion by humans may have detrimental effects on animal populations inhabiting managed ecosystems, but human-altered areas may also provide suitable environments for tolerant species. We investigated the spatial ecology of a highly mobile nocturnal avian species–the red-necked nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis)–in two contrastingly managed areas in Southwestern Spain to provide management recommendations for species having multiple habitat requirements. Based on habitat use by radiotagged nightjars, we created maps of functional heterogeneity in both areas so that the movements of breeding individuals could be modeled using least-cost path analyses. In both the natural and the managed area, nightjars used remnants of native shrublands as nesting sites, while pinewood patches (either newly planted or natural mature) and roads were selected as roosting and foraging habitats, respectively. Although the fraction of functional habitat was held relatively constant (60.9% vs. 74.1% in the natural and the managed area, respectively), landscape configuration changed noticeably. As a result, least-cost routes (summed linear distances) from nest locations to the nearest roost and foraging sites were three times larger in the natural than in the managed area (mean ± SE: 1356±76 m vs. 439±32 m). It seems likely that the increased proximity of functional habitats in the managed area relative to the natural one is underlying the significantly higher abundances of nightjars observed therein, where breeders should travel shorter distances to link together essential resources, thus likely reducing their energy expenditure and mortality risks. Our results suggest that landscape configuration, but not habitat availability, is responsible for the observed differences between the natural and the managed area in the abundance and movements of breeding nightjars, although no effect on body condition was detected. Agricultural landscapes could be moderately managed to preserve small native remnants and to favor the juxtaposition of functional habitats to benefit those farm species relying on patchy resources.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Induced Changes in Landscape Configuration Influence Individual Movement Routines: Lessons from a Versatile, Highly Mobile Species

et al. 2014

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“…Few remotely sensed land cover maps have been used more widely in landscape ecology than the Land Cover Map of Great Britain (LCMGB —Fuller et al ., 1994) and its successor the UK Land Cover Map 2000 (LCM2000 —Fuller et al ., 2002). Ecological studies have examined invertebrates (Brookes et al ., 2000; Hill et al ., 2001; Eyre et al ., 2003), birds (Gibbons et al ., 1995; Tucker et al ., 1997; Bellamy et al ., 1998, 2003; Brown & Stillman, 1998; Stillman & Brown, 1998; Griffin & Thomas, 2000; Kenward et al ., 2001) and mammals (Rushton et al ., 2000; Hale & Lurz, 2003; White et al ., 2003). Most focused on one or a few species, others covered a very limited spatial range; many combined both limitations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indices of bird‐habitat preference from field surveys of birds and remote sensing of land cover: a study of south‐eastern England with wider implications for conservation and biodiversity assessment

Fuller

Devereux

Gillings

et al. 2005

Global Ecology and Biogeography

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Aim This paper describes the development of novel indices of bird-habitat preference to examine bird species' use of habitats and their distributions relative to habitats. It assesses the implications for bird conservation regionally and the scope for biodiversity assessments generally.Location A 200 km by 400 km area of farmland with seminatural and urban areas, covering south-eastern England.Methods Cluster analysis was used to link birds to landscapes. Cluster centroid coordinate values were processed to derive indices of bird-habitat preference. Further developments assessed the relative values of individual habitats for birds. ResultsClustering objectively linked birds to landscapes. Maps of the clusters showed strong regional patterns associated with distinctive habitat assemblages. Derived indices related bird species directly to individual habitats and habitats to birds. Even rare species and scarce habitats showed successful linkages, often to each other. Objective corroboration strongly supported the associations of coastal, wetland, urban and woodland birds and habitats; but, it suggested that farmland birds, whose numbers have nearly halved since 1977, may prefer alternative habitats. Main conclusionsLand cover maps from remote sensing provide an effective way to link birds to habitats and vice versa . Thus, generalized habitat maps might be used to extrapolate localized or sample-based bird observations or the results of autecological studies, helping to predict and understand bird distributions in the wider countryside. The weak links between farmland birds and farmland habitats in a region dominated by farming, suggests that reasons for the decline in farmland birds may be deep seated and thus hard to reverse. The procedures described are repeatable elsewhere and applicable more generally to evaluate landscapes and biodiversity. It is suggested that remote sensing could rarely be bettered as a means of assessing habitats, comprehensively, over wide areas, in most parts of the world.

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2020

Behavioural Ecology of Western Palearctic Falcons

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The return of the Merlin to the south Pennines

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Human-Induced Changes in Landscape Configuration Influence Individual Movement Routines: Lessons from a Versatile, Highly Mobile Species

Human-Induced Changes in Landscape Configuration Influence Individual Movement Routines: Lessons from a Versatile, Highly Mobile Species

Indices of bird‐habitat preference from field surveys of birds and remote sensing of land cover: a study of south‐eastern England with wider implications for conservation and biodiversity assessment

Competition and Defence

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