Niamh: The breeding success of farmland birds and the impact of agri-environment scheme habitats
In the UK, farmland bird species declines have been greater than in any other bird species group. Agri-environmental schemes (AES) are being implemented in an attempt to reduce the deleterious impacts of agriculture. However, assessments of AES have failed to identify their primary within year benefit for birds. Feedback would be gratefully received on two proposed field studies to investigate whether nidifugous and nidicolous bird breeding success on conventional farmland is limited by invertebrate food supplies. First, imprinted grey partridge chicks and fecal analysis will be used to rank AES options in terms of their invertebrate food resources and accessibility; second, corn bunting and yellowhammer habitat preference will be investigated on farms with and without AES habitats.
Will: Paddies paradox
In the UK, farmland bird species declines have been greater than in any other bird species group. Agri-environmental schemes (AES) are being implemented in an attempt to reduce the deleterious impacts of agriculture. However, assessments of AES have failed to identify their primary within year benefit for birds. Feedback would be gratefully received on two proposed field studies to investigate whether nidifugous and nidicolous bird breeding success on conventional farmland is limited by invertebrate food supplies. First, imprinted grey partridge chicks and fecal analysis will be used to rank AES options in terms of their invertebrate food resources and accessibility; second, corn bunting and yellowhammer habitat preference will be investigated on farms with and without AES habitats.