Proceedings of the eleventh annual IALE(UK) conference, held at University of East Anglia, 10th-13th September 2002.

 Edited by: Dan Chamberlain & Andy Wilson

Preface

Birds are the ideal study organisms for landscape ecology. The popularity of ornithology means that birds represent some of the most complete information on distributions of any organism. Ornithological survey data exist for many regions of the world and are often long-term and extensive in the geographical areas covered. Regular monitoring of bird populations, often by volunteers, has provided the basis for a huge range of scientific research, several examples of which appear here (e.g. Atkinson & Robinson 2002, Kahl et al. 2002)*.

The proceedings of the 11th IALE(UK) Conference address a wide range of issues relating to the distribution of birds. Research on forest habitat, especially in relation to fragmentation, is particularly well represented in papers from both sides of the Atlantic (Hinsley et al. 2002, Sallabanks 2002), but a range of landscapes is considered, including wetlands (Bosschieter & Goedhart 2002), savannah (Stoate 2002), desert (Roshier & Reid 2002), prairie (Luedrers et al. 2002), arable farmland (Ewald et al. 2002), urban (Lepczyk et al. 2002) and even the open sea (Robinson & Reid 2002). Increasingly, conservation measures are being applied at larger scales. The detailed management of small nature reserves and valuable sites is no longer the only priority to conservationists. There is increasing appreciation that measures to maintain and enhance ornithological abundance and diversity are also required at a landscape scale as well as a local scale. Recent analyses of abundance-distribution relationships in birds have greatly contributed to our understanding of the scales at which conservation measures should be undertaken (Gaston 2002). An appreciation of how birds respond to different landscape scales in different regions (Fuller 2002) and of the difficulties in interpreting such large-scale patterns (Dawson 2002) are crucial to the understanding of how birds respond to habitat change at the landscape level. However, we do not restrict ourselves to large scales. In order to understand wider distributions, we often must consider finer scale associations with habitat (Angelstam et al. 2002) and food sources (Robinson et al. 2002) as well as aspects of animal behaviour (Sutherland 2002). This conference has therefore adopted a broad definition of landscape ecology and any study considering bird distributions in relation to macro- and micro- habitats and in relation to other species (e.g. predators, prey, competitors) is relevant to these proceedings.

The editors are indebted to several people who helped in the production of this proceedings volume and the conference organisation. We are very grateful to the members of the IALE(UK) committee for their suggestions and advice. We are particularly grateful to John Dover whose experience of proceedings publication proved invaluable and to Bob Bunce for coercing us into running the conference in the first place. Rob Fuller and Simon Gillings provided much needed input into the selection of papers and the structure of the conference. We also thank Simon for his excellent cover design. Christine Dover, Andy Elvin and Mary Gray ensured smooth running of the accounts. Heidi Mellan did an excellent job in the final production of the manuscripts. Nicki Read has been absolutely indispensable in both the production of the proceedings and in the running of the conference. Finally, we would like to extend our thanks to all contributors for making this such a valuable conference.

* All references quoted in the Preface are from this volume.

 

PART 1. FRAGMENTATION AND FOREST ECOLOGY

Effects of forest fragmentation on breeding bird populations: Conflicting views from North America

R. Sallabanks 3

Birds and habitat quality: effects of wood size and spatial arrangement in the landscape

S.A. Hinsley, P.E. Bellamy, R.A. Hill and A. Dawson 15

Effects of forest structure on the presence of woodpeckers with different specialisation in a landscape history gradient in NE Poland

P. Angelstam, M. Breuss, G. Mikusinski, M. Stenström , K. Stighäll and

D. Thorell 25

Fragments are not like real islands : Landscape context and population trends of birds in boreal forests

L. Brotons, M. Mönkkönen and J-L. Martin 39

Estimation of dispersal of the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus in a fragmented habitat

L. Bosschieter and P.W. Goedhart 48

Are sensitive avian species still present in fragmented woodlots of southwestern Quebec (Canada)?

V. Carignan and P. Drapeau 56

Mapping forest pattern and structure at a landscape scale using airborne laser scanning technology

R.A. Hill, S.A. Hinsley and D.L.A. Gaveau 60

Broadleaved woodland restoration in West Sussex using Geographical Information Systems

S.E. McKenzie 68

The quality of small woods for the European Nuthatch Sitta europaea.

A.G.M. Schotman 73

Nest site selection of Siberian Tits Parus cinctus in different landscape levels

C. Siffczyk, M. Orell and A. Nikula 81

Quantifying temporal variation in abundance of birds

J.D. Toms, S.J. Hannon and F.K. Schmiegelow 87

Abstracts

Relationships between bird distribution and landscape patterns at scales relevant to forest management

P. Mairota, P. Piussi and G. Tellini Florenzano 95

Effect of wood size and vegetation patch structure on the breeding bird community

R. Santolini and G. Pasini 96

The impact of forest management on biodiversity at the landscape scale: An investigation of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix and Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus populations

K. Watts, M. Griffiths and C. Quine 97

PART 2. SCALE AND DISTRIBUTION

Spatial differences in habitat selection and occupancy by woodland bird species in Europe: a neglected aspect of bird-habitat relationships

R.J. Fuller 101

Behavioural approaches to landscape ecology

W. J. Sutherland 112

Predicting the distribution of Golden Plovers Pluvialis apicaria at two spatial scales

G. M. Buchanan and J. W. Pearce-Higgins 118

Land cover change and breeding range shifts of Golden-winged Warblers Vermivora chrysoptera in the lower peninsula of Michigan

K. Kahl and B. Maurer 126

Avian distribution patterns in North Humberside woodlands: The role of habitat and landscape-scale factors revisited

D. McCollin 134

Patterns of bird assemblages at regional and landscape scales

I. Poudevigne, R.S.E.W. Leuven and A. Jackson 139

Broad scale processes in dynamic landscapes and the paradox of large populations of desert waterbirds

D.A. Roshier and J.R.W. Reid 148

 

Abstracts

 

Alluvial grassland avifauna : The value of a multi-scale approach for habitat selection studies

J. Branciforti and S. Muller 156

Intensification and land abandonment : landscape scale effects on bird communities in mediterranean habitat mosaics

L. Brotons and J.-L. Martin 157

Birds in the transition between pasture and forest: A comparison of ancient and modern landscapes

C. Purschke and P. Angelstam 158

Landscape changes in the Highlands of Scotland - consequences for birds

R.W. Summers and K.-B. Strann 160

Grain size relevance for bird communities in complex landscapes: a case study in Italian 'coltura mista' landscape (Tuscany)

G. Tellini Florenzano and L. Lapini 162

PART 3. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES AND NOVEL APPLICATIONS

An innovative approach to multi-species avian conservation

J. Bayliss, V. Simonite and S. Thompson 165

Je m'en vais chercher

D. G. Dawson 175

Direct analysis of remote sensing data to identify bird habitats: An exploratory approach

M. Deconchat, J.-C. Foltête C. Monteil and G. Balent 185

Random draw models that incorporate local recruitment predict local avian species richness

A.M. Dolman and T.M. Blackburn 193

Integrating human, satellite and avian perspectives of the landscape for analysis of forest bird distribution patterns

E.J. Laurent, J.P. LeBouton, M.B. Walters, and J. Liu 198

The spatial structure of seabird distributions

R.A. Robinson, J.B. Reid and M.C. Bailey 203

PART 4. CONSERVATION

Abundance, occupancy and conservation biology

K. J. Gaston 215

 

A simple method to select avian indicators of ecological integrity: A case study in eastern New Brunswick (Canada)

V. Carignan and M.-A. Villard 228

The geographic dispersion and abundance of Harlequin Ducks Histrionicus histrionicus wintering in Iceland

A. Gardarsson 233

Birds associated with agricultural crops in Malta

S.M. Haslam and A. Vella 238

Dealing with population fluctuations in waterbird conservation

S.F. Jackson, K.J. Gaston and M.Kershaw 242

Landowner perceptions and activities related to birds across rural-to-urban landscapes

C.A. Lepczyk, A.G. Mertig and J. Liu 251

Ecological corridors, scenario and Life

G. Pungetti and T. van der Sluis 260

The landscape ecology of the Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita in the Souss-Massa National Park, southern Morocco

P.M. Rice, A. Aghnaj, C. G. R. Bowden, K. W. Smith, H. R. Fox and H.M. Moore 264

Use of Savanna landscapes by migratory warblers and sedentary farmers in Senegal

C. Stoate 273

Abstracts

Threat and endemism: good indicators of patterns of biodiversity on a national scale?

A. Bonn, A.S.L. Rodrigues and K.J. Gaston 281

Using GIS to assess the potential impact of lead pollution on an endangered population of Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti within the Donana National

Park, Spain

M. Carlisle 282

Ecological Frameworks and Biodiversity Action Plans - Making the Link

P. James, M. North and S. Clarke 283

Seasonal patterns in the occurrence of birds along the River Taia, Sierra Leone, West Africa: Migrational movement along river corridors?

D. McCollin and A. R. Lebbie 284

Bird diversity of forested, lowland agricultural landscapes in Ireland

J.A. Pithon, J. Breen, P. Giller, T. Kelly, R. Moles, K. Mullen, D. Mullins and J. O'Halloran 285

PART 5. AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY

Landscape diversity and bird populations: the need for regionally flexible and scale-dependent agri-environment schemes

Philip W. Atkinson and Robert A. Robinson 289

Determinants of Whitethroat Sylvia communis distribution in different agricultural landscapes

M.A. Eaton, C. Stoate, M.J. Whittingham and R.B. Bradbury 300

Spatial variation in densities of farmland birds in relation to pesticide use and avian food resources

J. A. Ewald, N.J. Aebischer, N.W Brickle, S.J. Moreby, G.R. Potts and

A. Wakeham-Dawson 305

Using satellite imagery to aid the implementation of a recovery plan for a declining farmland bird

N.G. Kingdon and E.A.D. Darling 313

Influence of landscape metrics on bird populations of arable farmland in southern Portugal

P.J. Leitão, R. Morgado, A. Delgado & F. Moreira 318

Predictions of Lapwing Vanellus vanellus habitat occupancy using rule-based models

H. A. Lyons, T. P. Milsom, A. E. Riding, A. W. Murray, S. D. Langton, W. K. Parkin, J. D. Hart, J. D. Bishop and F. W. Kirkham 322

Permanent and temporary linear habitats as food sources for the young of farmland birds

S.J. Moreby 327

Assessing the post harvest quality of different stubble types for use by seed-eating farmland birds within the agricultural landscape

L. J. Robinson, K. Norris and P.W. Atkinson 333

A new design for the arable landscape and its use by farmland passerines

C. Stoate and K. Murray 342

 

 

Abstracts

 

Bird seed/fruit dispersal and seed source abundance in the colonization success of woody plant species in three experimental hawthorn hedgerows

J. I. Jackson, D. McCollin and S. Waite 346

The influence of large herbivores on habitat and spatial structure of breeding avian populations in North Dakota mixed grass prairie

A. S. Lueders, P. L. Kennedy and D. H. Johnson 347