Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

About: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a nonprofit organization based out in Sandy, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Biodiversity. The organization has 670 authors who have published 1425 publications receiving 88006 citations. The organization is also known as: RSPB & Plumage League.

Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Abstract: The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the subpolar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9–5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations has been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

Massive wreck of seabirds in eastern Britain, 1983

Abstract: Seabird wrecks normally follow stormy weather, but it is still unclear whether storm conditions affect the birds directly, through food availability, or both.

Recent patterns of change in vegetation structure and tree composition of British broadleaved woodland: evidence from large-scale surveys

Abstract: Evidence is presented of widespread changes in structure and species composition between the 1980s and 2003–2004 from surveys of 249 British broadleaved woodlands. Structural components examined include canopy cover, vertical vegetation profiles, field-layer cover and deadwood abundance. Woods were located in 13 geographical localities and the patterns of change were examined for each locality as well as across all woods. Changes were not uniform throughout the localities; overall, there were significant decreases in canopy cover and increases in sub-canopy (2–10 m) cover. Changes in 0.5–2 m vegetation cover showed strong geographic patterns, increasing in western localities, but declining or showing no change in eastern localities. There were significant increases in canopy ash Fraxinus excelsior and decreases in oak Quercus robur/petraea. Shrub layer ash and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum increased while birch Betula spp. hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and hazel Corylus avellana declined. Within the field layer, both bracken Pteridium aquilinum and herbs increased. Overall, deadwood generally increased. Changes were consistent with reductions in active woodland management and changes in grazing and browsing pressure. These findings have important implications for sustainable active management of British broadleaved woodlands to meet silvicultural and biodiversity objectives.

Habitat selection and foraging behaviour of breeding Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola : a comparison between contrasting landscapes

Abstract: Diet, feeding behaviour and habitat selection of breeding Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola were studied by radiotracking birds from March to July in two contrasting situations: a 171-ha lowland plantation of Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, Beech Fagus sylvaticus and pine Pinus sylvestris/P. nigra in Derbyshire, central England, and an area of c. 900 ha of fragmented, naturally regenerating birch Betula pendula/B. pubescens woodland and hill margin in an upland glen in Angus, northeast Scotland. Earthworms were the most important diet component of adults and chicks in terms of biomass at both sites (50–80%), the rest comprising mainly spiders, harvestmen and beetles. In spring both sexes flew c. 1 km after dusk to feed on fields at night, with up to 94% of nocturnal radiolocations on fields in March, dropping to 18% in July. This behaviour probably reflected seasonal changes in the relative availability of earthworms in fields and woodland. Diurnal home range sizes were similar at both sites and the mean size of 30-day ranges was 62 ± 20 ha (± se), although Woodcock changed locations regularly and areas used for feeding on a daily basis were typically smaller than 1 ha. In the lowland plantation, Sycamore with Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis ground cover was highly used relative to availability. In the upland margin study area, the same held for dense sapling-stage birch. These habitats appear to represent a compromise between food availability and protection from avian predators. Recently documented changes in the structure of British woods during the last 30 years, suggestive of reduced management and increased grazing/browsing, are likely to have been detrimental to breeding Woodcock.