Supervisors: Ken Norris, Guy Anderson (RSPB)
Spotted Flycatchers are a Red List and BAP Priority Species, with a 75% population decline in the UK from 1974-1999. They are a ‘habitat-edge’ species, characteristic of the transition between wooded and open habitats occurring in both farmland and woodland landscapes, but have shown similar population declines in both broad habitat types
- The spotted flycatcher is a western Palearctic migrant and so factors in the wintering areas or on migration may have impacted on breeding populations. There is evidence that the decline in the population may be associated with reduced survival rates of first-year birds. This could be due to reduced survival on migration routes or wintering grounds, or it could result from poorer post-fledging body condition or foraging opportunities on the breeding grounds
- There are also strong reasons to suspect that changes in the breeding grounds have also had an effect. There is good evidence that large-scale declines of invertebrates have taken place on farmland in recent decades as a result of agricultural intensification. Reductions in invertebrate abundance may have contributed to the population decline, by impacting on breeding success
- It is possible that simplification of habitat structure has made it harder for spotted flycatchers to find suitable areas to forage. It is therefore possible that habitat structure has an important influence on invertebrate availability, beyond the effect of food abundance alone
- This project will determine how prey abundance, habitat structure and weather interact to affect breeding spotted flycatchers in different habitats.
- To determine whether habitat composition, habitat structure and/or the abundance of suitable invertebrate prey are associated with the presence/absence of spotted flycatchers on two scales: (i) landscape and (ii) territory
- To examine variation in productivity per pair and chick condition between birds breeding in different landscapes and habitats in relation to available foraging habitats and insect abundance and weather conditions
- To determine chick diet in different landscapes and to determine whether diet composition is related to productivity or chick condition variables and to what extent it is affected by weather conditions
- To estimate annual survival rates of breeding adult birds on the intensive study sites
- To use historical data to investigate the possibility of changes in the length of the breeding season in the UK.
METHODS
Habitat composition, structure and abundance of suitable invertebrate prey will be measured at both presence and absence sites at both the landscape and territory scale.
Nests will be monitored to determine fledging success and any causes of nest failure. Chick biometrics will be taken to measure body condition and chicks colour-ringed at a suitable age.
The provisioning rate of adult birds feeding chicks will be measured & chick diet will be determined by faecal analysis. Foraging locations of adult birds will be determined be direct observation.
OUTPUTS
A range of papers in quality ecological and conservation journals from all project components, articles for bird/wildlife journals and magazines and for in-house publications of collaborating organisations (RSPB, EN, BTO). Advisory material for the species and habitats concerned & management recommendations for all classes of breeding habitat aimed at increasing breeding spotted flycatcher populations in the UK.
The study is funded by ...With support from ...
