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.

Factors influencing Willow Tit Poecile montanus site occupancy: a comparison of abandoned and occupied woods

Abstract: The British Willow Tit Poecile montanus kleinschmidti underwent a decline of 85% between 1970 and 2003. The cause of this decline is unknown. However, several hypotheses have been put forward to account for it: competition from other tit species, predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major and habitat change. In order to test these, woods that are currently occupied by Willow Tits were paired with woods (within 50 km) that had been abandoned by Willow Tits five or more years previously. Point counts for other tit species (potential competitors) and woodpecker species (potential predators) were carried out at ten evenly spaced points throughout each wood. Habitat variables were collected within a 50-m radius of where a Willow Tit was located (in the occupied woods) or where maps showed a Willow Tit had been located (for abandoned woods). No evidence was found for differences in numbers of potential competitor or potential predator species in abandoned and occupied woods. Soil water content was found to be higher at occupied sites. No other habitat features differed between the two categories of site. The drying up of British woods could therefore be implicated in the Willow Tit decline and this warrants further investigation.

An agri-environment option boosts productivity of Corn Buntings Emberiza calandra in the UK: AES improves Corn Bunting productivity

Abstract: The potential for agri‐environment schemes to reverse farmland bird declines is limited for some species by a lack of suitable prescriptions, in particular effective in‐field options for species that breed in crops. We assess the provision of alternative nesting habitat for increasing productivity of the Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra. Breeding success was monitored over three years in response to a tailored option that provided extensively managed crops of spring‐sown barley, most of which were funded by existing agri‐environment schemes and were left unharvested. Corn Buntings nested in both extensively managed crop provisions and conventional intensively managed barley crops. Females that used extensively managed crops for first nesting attempts were almost four times more likely to re‐nest, despite their later onset of breeding, than females nesting in conventional crops. The latter rarely produced a second nest and, when they did, usually switched nesting habitat. Extensively managed cereal crops were strongly selected by breeding females and supported a high proportion of the breeding population. A re‐nesting model demonstrated that differential re‐nesting rates led to 26% higher annual productivity per female in extensively managed cereal crops. Scenario testing illustrated the importance of timely establishment and deferred harvest of these extensively managed cereals. We recommend the provision of unharvested, extensively managed cereal crops as an agri‐environment option for Corn Buntings where intensively managed cereal crops are the main nesting habitat.

Continued declines of Redshank Tringa totanus breeding on saltmarsh in Great Britain: is there a solution to this conservation problem?

Abstract: Capsule: Over 50% of saltmarsh breeding Common Redshank have been lost since 1985, with current conservation management having only limited success at halting these declines. Aims: To update population size and trend estimates for saltmarsh-breeding Redshank in Britain, and to determine whether conservation management implemented since 1996 has been successful in influencing grazing intensity and Redshank population trends. Methods: A repeat national survey of British saltmarsh was conducted in 2011 at sites previously visited in 1985 and 1996. Redshank breeding density and grazing pressure were recorded at all sites; the presence of conservation management was additionally recorded for English sites. Results from all three national surveys were used to update population size and trend estimates, and to investigate changes in grazing pressure and breeding density on sites with and without conservation management. Results: Of the 21 431 pairs breeding on saltmarsh in 1985, 11 946 pairs remained in 2011, wi...

Adult Survival and Breeding Dispersal of Roseate Terns Within the Northwest European Metapopulation

Abstract: Roseate terns are rare and restricted range breeders in NW Europe, with a population size of below 1,100 pairs and 95% of these within four colonies. The apparent survival and breeding dispersal rates of adults was estimated from live resighting data collected at three of the largest colonies between 1995 and 2007. These parameters were estimated using a multi-state model implemented in program MARK, with transition rates equating to breeding dispersal. The program U-CARE identified transience and trap-dependence in the data and so these effects were specified in the model. Time-averaged apparent survival rates were 0.735 yr-1 for birds during the interval following their first encounter and 0.855 yr-1 for “older” birds. Survival varied among years but not colonies. Breeding dispersal rates varied among colonies, being highest towards the largest and most productive colony, intermediate in the reverse direction and lowest between the two smaller colonies. Since the largest colony is not en route ...

Getting Road Expansion on the Right Track: A Framework for Smart Infrastructure Planning in the Mekong.

Abstract: The current unprecedented expansion of infrastructure promises to enhance human wellbeing but risks causing substantial harm to natural ecosystems and the benefits they provide for people. A framework for systematically and proactively identifying the likely benefits and costs of such developments is badly needed. Here, we develop and test at the subregional scale a recently proposed global scheme for comparing the potential gains from new roads for food production with their likely impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Working in the Greater Mekong-an exceptionally biodiverse subregion undergoing rapid development-we combined maps of isolation from urban centres, yield gaps, and the current area under 17 crops to estimate where and how far road development could in principle help to increase food production without the need for cropland expansion. We overlaid this information with maps summarising the importance of remaining habitats to terrestrial vertebrates and (as examples of major ecosystem services) to global and local climate regulation. This intersection revealed several largely converted yet relatively low-yielding areas (such as central, eastern, and northeastern Thailand and the Ayeyarwady Delta), where narrowing yield gaps by improving transport links has the potential to substantially increase food production at relatively limited environmental cost. Concentrating new roads and road improvements here while taking strong measures to prevent their spread into areas which are still extensively forested (such as northern Laos, western Yunnan, and southwestern Cambodia) could thus enhance rural livelihoods and regional food production while helping safeguard vital ecosystem services and globally significant biological diversity.