Showing papers by "The Lodge published in 2013"

Grassland Restoration on Landfill Sites in the East Midlands, United Kingdom: An Evaluation of Floral Resources and Pollinating Insects

Abstract: Pollinators are declining in Europe due to intensification of agriculture, habitat loss and fragmentation. Restored landfill sites are a significant potential reserve of semi-natural habitat, so their conservation value for supporting populations of pollinating insects was here examined by assessing whether the plant and pollinator assemblages of restored landfill sites are comparable to reference sites of existing wildlife value. Floral characteristics of the vegetation and the species richness and abundance of flower-visiting insect assemblages were compared between nine pairs of restored landfill sites and reference sites in the East Midlands of the United Kingdom, using standardized methods over two field seasons. No differences were found between the restored landfill and reference sites in terms of species richness or abundance of plants in flower and both types of site had similar assemblages of pollinators. However, plant and insect assemblages differed across the season, with species richness and abundance being lower for the restored landfill sites in the spring and higher in the autumn compared to the reference sites. The results indicate that in this region, landfill sites are being restored to a state comparable to that of the reference sites with regards to their provision of floral resources and the associated insect pollinator assemblages. Since there are currently 2,200 working landfill sites in England and Wales, covering 28,000 ha, and closing at a rate of 100 per year, this is potentially a significant reserve of land that could be restored

Density-dependent survival and recruitment in a long-distance Palaearctic migrant, the Sand Martin Riparia riparia

Abstract: Long-term studies can provide powerful insights into the relative importance of different demographic and environmental factors determining avian population dynamics. Here we use 23 years of capture–mark–recapture data (1981–2003) to estimate recruitment and survival rates for a Sand Martin Riparia riparia population in Cheshire, NW England. Inter-annual variation in recruitment and adult survival was positively related to rainfall in the sub-Saharan wintering grounds, but unrelated to weather conditions on the breeding grounds. After allowing for the effects of African rainfall, both demographic rates were negatively density-dependent: adult survival was related to the size of the western European Sand Martin population (probably reflecting competition for resources in the shared wintering grounds) while recruitment was related to the size of the local study population in Cheshire (potentially reflecting competition for nesting sites or food). Local population size was more sensitive to variation in adult survival than to variation in recruitment, and an increase in population size after 1995 was driven mainly by the impact of more favourable conditions in the African wintering grounds on survival rates of adults. Overwinter survival in this long-distance Palaearctic migrant is determined partly by the amount of suitable wetland foraging habitat in the sub-Saharan wintering grounds (which is limited by the extent of summer rainfall) and partly by the number of birds exploiting that habitat.

The status of the Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, in the UK and Isle of Man in 2010

Abstract: Capsule The fourth national survey of Hen Harrier showed that the population in the UK and the Isle of Man declined significantly between 2004 and 2010.Aim To estimate the size of the breeding Hen Harrier population (with associated 95% confidence intervals) in the UK and Isle of Man, constituent countries and Scottish regions, in 2010 and calculate population change since previous surveys in 1998 and 2004.Methods Complete surveys were made of 10-km squares likely to be occupied by breeding Hen Harriers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, using standard methods developed for previous national surveys. In Scotland, a ‘census’ area was non-randomly selected for survey by volunteers, and randomly selected squares were surveyed in two strata covering the rest of the known range.Results The UK and Isle of Man Hen Harrier population was estimated at 662 territorial pairs (95% confidence interval (CI): 576–770), a significant decline of 18% since 2004. Scotland holds the bulk (76%) of the po...

Bird use of establishment-stage Miscanthus biomass crops during the breeding season in England

Abstract: Capsule Summer bird densities in establishment-stage (2–3-year-old) Miscanthus were the same as in winter wheat fields for many species, but were higher for Lapwing, and for Reed Bunting and Blackbird late in the summer. Aims To compare abundances of farmland birds in establishment-stage Miscanthus biomass crops with those in crop types they are likely to replace (winter wheat and grassland) during the breeding season. In particular, to investigate whether such a rapid-growing, dense crop has lower abundances of field-nesting species. Methods Bird surveys were conducted in 51 Miscanthus fields and an equal number of grass or winter wheat control fields between May and July, in Lincolnshire and southwest England. Results Species richness was similar in Miscanthus to that in winter wheat and grass. Skylark densities were similar in Miscanthus and wheat, while Lapwing densities were higher in Miscanthus and grass than wheat. Miscanthus contained very high densities of Reed Buntings and Blackbirds late in the...

Sharing future conservation costs - Response

Abstract: In their letter, Sheil et al. appear to have misinterpreted several key points. Far from ignoring local opportunity costs, we assumed that for reasons of fairness and effectiveness, establishing new protected areas "will require the full opportunity costs of conservation to be paid" (Supplementary