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.

Stone‐curlews Burhinus oedicnemus and recreational disturbance: developing a management tool for access

Abstract: Stone-curlews Burhinus oedicnemus have a vulnerable population status in the UK after a large population decline and range contraction since the 1930s Much Stone-curlew breeding habitat is open-access land designated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 In order to guide the conservation and habitat management for this species whilst allowing recreational access, a tool known as the Stone-Curlew Access Response Evaluator (SCARE) has been developed SCARE offers a method to assess the effects of scenarios for future changes in disturbance type, routes and frequency and will be valuable in making informed decisions about the management of public access to Stone-curlew breeding sites and the deployment of habitat creation measures

Estimating the annual number of breeding attempts from breeding dates using mixture models

Abstract: Well-established statistical methods exist to estimate variation in a number of key demographic rates from field data, including life-history transition probabilities and reproductive success per attempt. However, our understanding of the processes underlying population change remains incomplete without knowing the number of reproductive attempts individuals make annually; this is a key demographic rate for which we have no satisfactory method of estimating. Using census data to estimate this parameter from requires disaggregating the overlying temporal distributions of first and subsequent breeding attempts. We describe a Bayesian mixture method to estimate the annual number of reproductive attempts from field data to provide a new tool for demographic inference. We validate our method using comprehensive data on individually-marked song sparrows Melospiza melodia, and then apply it to more typical nest record data collected over 45 years on yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella. We illustrate the utility of our method by testing, and rejecting, the hypothesis that declines in UK yellowhammer populations have occurred concurrently with declines in annual breeding frequency.

Recent population trends in cliff-breeding seabirds in britain & ireland

Abstract: Summary The findings of an annual sample census of four species of cliff-breeding seabirds at study plots in selected British and Irish colonies are presented. The numbers of Guillemot and, to a lesser degree, Razorbill were found to be increasing significantly at most study plots in north and east Britain. With the exception of one Razorbill study plot in Orkney, the only declines detected in these species were in a few colonies in southwest Wales and west Ireland. The magnitude and direction of changes in Kittiwake numbers at study plots showed much local and regional variation, notably in marked decreases in the majority of study plots in Orkney and increases in northwest Ireland. The few data for Fulmar indicate continuing increases in several areas. The results have shown that the census is capable of measuring accurately changes of small magnitude. The problem of whether study plots can be used to infer colony and population change is discussed and comparison made with the findings of other census work.

The UK great bustard Otis tarda reintroduction trial: a 5-year progress report

Abstract: The great bustard Otis tarda became extinct in the UK during the 19th century due to a combination of factors, including hunting, egg collection and changes in agriculture. In 2003 a 10-year licence was granted to begin a trial to reintroduce the species back to the UK. Here we report on the first 5 years of the trial and assess the progress made towards establishing a founder population. From April 2004 to September 2009 a total of 102 great bustard chicks were imported from Russia and 86 released on Salisbury Plain. Monitoring showed that post-release survival was 18% in the first year following release, and that mortality of released bustards was mainly attributable to predation and collisions. Estimated adult survival was 74%, although the sample size was small. All known surviving great bustards are faithful to the surroundings of the release site, returning throughout the year. A lek has been established where males have been observed displaying to females. The first nesting attempt was in 2007, and in 2009 two females aged 3 and 4 years successfully nested, fledging one chick each. Models incorporating the new demographic estimates suggest that at the end of the 10-year trial period the project can expect to have 8–26 adults as a founder population.

Scenarios of habitat management options to reduce predator impacts on nesting waders

Abstract: Summary Wetland ecosystems throughout the world are threatened by drainage and intensification of agriculture. Consequently, many wetland species of conservation concern are now restricted to fewer and smaller sites, and maintaining these species often requires intensive habitat management. In Western Europe, breeding wader populations have declined severely as a result of wetland degradation, but very high levels of predation on eggs and chicks are now preventing population recovery. Wet grassland management for breeding waders has focussed on providing suitable nesting habitats, but the potential for management of landscape features to influence predation rates remains largely unknown. Using a 7-year study of breeding lapwing Vanellus vanellus and redshank Tringa totanus we first identify features that influence nest predation, and then use this information to compare the magnitude of change in nest predation rates that could potentially result from future landscape management scenarios. As lapwing nest predation rates are higher (i) in fields further from patches of tall vegetation, (ii) close (<50 m) to field edges in wet fields, (iii) further from field edges in dry fields and (iv) in areas of low lapwing nesting density, we modelled a series of realistic scenarios in which the area of tall vegetation and the extent and distribution of surface water were varied across the reserve, to quantify the magnitude of change in nest predation rate that could potentially have been achieved through management. Modelled scenarios of changes in surface water and area of tall vegetation indicated that reduced surface flooding combined with removal of tall vegetation could result in significant increases in lapwing nest predation rates in areas with low nesting densities and nests in field centres. By contrast, a ~20% reduction in nest predation, corresponding to ~100 more chicks hatching per year, is predicted in scenarios with expansion of tall vegetation in areas with high lapwing nest density and nests close to field edges. Synthesis and applications. These management scenarios suggest that, for breeding waders in wet grassland landscapes, creating areas of tall vegetation and concentrating surface flooding (to encourage high nesting densities and influence nesting distribution) can potentially help to reduce the unsustainably high levels of nest predation that are preventing population recovery.