Saturday 04 February 2012
Headlines
Did you find this story interesting? (0) (0)
22/01/2010 10:20:21
60% winter losses of grey partridges attributed to sparrow hawks
This winter scientists from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust are radio-tagging 100 wild grey partridges as well as sparrowhawks to discover the cause of heavy winter losses of this seriously threatened farmland bird on its Grey Partridge Recovery Project on farmland at Royston in Hertfordshire.
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s five-year Grey Partridge Recovery Project has achieved an impressive increase in wild grey partridges with grey partridges peaking at 18.4 pairs per sq kilometre, which equates to a 640 per cent rise since intensive management started in 2002. However, despite this impressive result, a worrying issue was the problem of winter losses, which amounted to nearly 60 per cent per year over the duration of the project.
To investigate the cause of these high losses and to thus develop an appropriate practical solution the Trust set up an initial study last winter. Dr Francis Buner, the project scientist explains, "We radio-tagged 64 wild partridges located on one of the project’s participating farms in December 2008 and then located them at least once every week. Until the end of January none of the tagged birds had left the area and none of them died, despite the obvious presence of sparrowhawk females hunting in the same area. However, towards the end of January when the coveys started to break up the situation started to change."
Monitoring the radio-tagged birds the research team located 28 radio tagged females, which were seen in pairs while eight of the 36 tagged cocks started to disperse in search of a mate. One moved 6km away but still failed to find a partner to produce a brood. However, all other dispersing male birds were predated, including the only dispersing hen. Apart from these nine birds all other radio-tagged individuals set up their breeding territories within a distance of 1km from where they were captured.
By the end of April, 24 birds (24 per cent) were killed by raptors and nine (15 per cent) were probably scavenged, most likely by foxes. Thus between February and April, 55 per cent of the population was killed by predators. Francis Buner says, "This is quite remarkable considering that none of these birds had died until the end of January and it is apparent that these losses began as soon as the coveys started to break up into pairs and move from the safety of the middle of the stubble fields towards the edges and along the hedges where it might be easier for predators to spot them."
The initial findings of this study confirm the importance of winter stubble and other widely used cover types such as rape and game cover strips. However, the time of year indicates that this cover provides less protection during the pre-laying period between February and May.
Francis Buner explains the importance of this study in helping to conserve vulnerable farmland bird species, "The research, which is continuing this winter, will involve radio-tracking partridges as well as sparrowhawks to monitor their hunting behaviour. This will help us to improve the design of winter escape cover for threatened species such as partridges and other birds during this vulnerable time. Everything we can do to help improve safety for these declining birds is a crucial factor in ensuring their future survival."
 | Dr Francis Buner a research scientists with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is radio-tracking grey partridges this winter to investigate huge over-winter losses |
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s five-year Grey Partridge Recovery Project has achieved an impressive increase in wild grey partridges with grey partridges peaking at 18.4 pairs per sq kilometre, which equates to a 640 per cent rise since intensive management started in 2002. However, despite this impressive result, a worrying issue was the problem of winter losses, which amounted to nearly 60 per cent per year over the duration of the project.
To investigate the cause of these high losses and to thus develop an appropriate practical solution the Trust set up an initial study last winter. Dr Francis Buner, the project scientist explains, "We radio-tagged 64 wild partridges located on one of the project’s participating farms in December 2008 and then located them at least once every week. Until the end of January none of the tagged birds had left the area and none of them died, despite the obvious presence of sparrowhawk females hunting in the same area. However, towards the end of January when the coveys started to break up the situation started to change."
Monitoring the radio-tagged birds the research team located 28 radio tagged females, which were seen in pairs while eight of the 36 tagged cocks started to disperse in search of a mate. One moved 6km away but still failed to find a partner to produce a brood. However, all other dispersing male birds were predated, including the only dispersing hen. Apart from these nine birds all other radio-tagged individuals set up their breeding territories within a distance of 1km from where they were captured.
By the end of April, 24 birds (24 per cent) were killed by raptors and nine (15 per cent) were probably scavenged, most likely by foxes. Thus between February and April, 55 per cent of the population was killed by predators. Francis Buner says, "This is quite remarkable considering that none of these birds had died until the end of January and it is apparent that these losses began as soon as the coveys started to break up into pairs and move from the safety of the middle of the stubble fields towards the edges and along the hedges where it might be easier for predators to spot them."
The initial findings of this study confirm the importance of winter stubble and other widely used cover types such as rape and game cover strips. However, the time of year indicates that this cover provides less protection during the pre-laying period between February and May.
Francis Buner explains the importance of this study in helping to conserve vulnerable farmland bird species, "The research, which is continuing this winter, will involve radio-tracking partridges as well as sparrowhawks to monitor their hunting behaviour. This will help us to improve the design of winter escape cover for threatened species such as partridges and other birds during this vulnerable time. Everything we can do to help improve safety for these declining birds is a crucial factor in ensuring their future survival."
User Comments
|
Farming items for Sale
|
2009 - Valtra - N101, Hi-Tech - Ballyclare
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
1992 (K) Case 895L Stockman 4wd - St Johns(GBP 7500)
John Deere - 6630P TRACTOR 2008 - Norwich(GBP 36250)
JCB 8250 - Chippenham(GBP 96938)
1997 New Holland 4835 4wd - Ballyclare(GBP 10250)
Related News
Seeds Of Change For The Declining Tree Sparrow And Grey Partridge - 13 Apr 2004Two very threatened bird species, the wild grey partridge and the tree sparrow, both of which have suffered massive national population declines in th...
New Figures Give Renewed Hope for the Wild Grey Partridge This Christmas - 15 Dec 2003The wild grey partridge, immortalised in the traditional Christmas carol, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, has seen a massive 85% decline in its populati...
New Lincolnshire Trophy for Grey Partridge Conservation - 18 Mar 2004Leading wildlife research charity, The Game Conservancy Trust is urging farmers, landowners and shooting estates across Lincolnshire to enter a new aw...
Major increase in rare grey partridge and birds of prey thanks to Lincolnshire Farm - 01 Sep 2005The numbers of grey partridge, a declining game bird, and of several birds of prey have doubled over the last ten years in Owmby by Spital, Lincolnshi...
A King Amongst Dukes For Saving Grey Partridges - 18 Oct 2005Over 60 farmers and landowners from across Northumberland recently attended the launch of the Northumberland Grey Partridge Recovery Group, which is b...
Up, up and away - Grey partridges soar at Royston - 30 Sep 2006New figures just released by The Game Conservancy Trust show that grey partridges, one of Britain's most threatened birds, have increased eleven-f...
New targets reflect the slow recovery of wild grey partridges - 15 Feb 2007In 1995, because of the sharp population decline of wild grey partridges, this iconic farmland bird was given priority under the Government's UK B...
Organic grass seed mixtures increase from 50% to 60% - 08 Dec 2004From 31 December 2004, Defra will require organic farmers to sow organic grass and forage seed mixes with a minimum organic content of 60 per cent by ...
McCormick celebrates 60 years Doncaster production - 29 Jul 2006with Diamond Edition commemorative tractors " Just 60 each of the best-selling CX105 and MTX150 available in the UK " Metallic silver wheels and b...
Milking over 300 cows in just 60 minutes - 19 Dec 2007The ability to milk over 300 cows an hour is the result of a new milking plant installation at Grove Dairy Farm in Castlederg, Ireland. Since compl...
you only shoot them any way do not keep blameing raptors if you farmers stoped playing about with nature and left it alone every thing would be fine ie poisons we owe alot to the sparrowhawk we might not be here to day had theyhad not have died first a wildlife lover.
Posted By Anonymous At 06/03/2010 12:54:55