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2 Polish Journal of Ecology

2 2008

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Predation survival of ground nesting birds in grass and wheat fields: experiment with plasticine eggs and artificial nests

Purger J., Csuka S., Kurucz K.

Polish Journal of Ecology

2008

Vol. 56, nr 3

481-486

There are no agricultural activities in Hungarian energy grass plantations (Elymus elongatus (Host) Runemark before harvesting in August, so the breeding success of the ground-nesting Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.) and Common quail (Coturnix coturnix (L.)) is probably higher than in the neighbouring intensively managed grain fields. The dominant nest predators of these bird species (e.g. Red fox Vulpes vulpes L.) prey mostly on small mammals, thus the abundance of small mammals can influence the survival rates of ground-nesting birds. These assumptions were tested using artificial ground-nests and small mammal live traps in late May 2005. Of the nests, 25 were placed in the energy grass field which covered 60 ha and another 25 in the wheat field which area was 20 ha. Each of the nests contained one chicken egg, one quail egg and one plasticine dummy-egg. Real eggs were placed for the evaluation of nest predation rates and artificial plasticine eggs for predator identification from tooth and bill imprints. Following the placement of artificial nests, they were checked repeatedly between 16.00 and 18.00 every day. In both plots, 25 traps were set up, baited for 4 nights with quail egg and for another 4 nights with plasticine egg. Artificial nests lasted for 3 days in the wheat field and for 4 days in the energy grass field. The major predators in wheat were birds (16%) and mammals (84%), whereas in energy grass all predation (100%) was caused by mammals. There was no significant difference between types of predators in the two habitats. On-spot observations, traces and marks left on plasticine eggs, several droppings and the patterns of nest predation all suggested that the majority of nests were destroyed by Red fox. A significantly higher proportion of plasticine eggs were damaged in wheat (80%) than in energy grass (48%). Based on marks left on plasticine eggs, small mammal abundance was higher in wheat (80%) than in energy grass (33%), the latter habitat not yielding any small mammal captures at all. Traps in the wheat field caught significantly more small mammals with plasticine eggs (14) than with quail eggs (5). Plasticine eggs had greater attraction effect on small mammals, thus could negatively influence experiments with artificial ground nests.

Effect of change in land use on breeding bird communities in a Silesian farmland (SW Poland)

Kopij G.

Polish Journal of Ecology

2008

Vol. 56, nr 3

511-519

Two study areas, 210 ha (A) and 120 ha (B), have been selected. Arable grounds dominated (92%) in the study area A, while meadows (63% in 1989 and 47% in 2003) - in the study area B. The changes in land use in both study areas have occurred in 2003 comparatively with 1989. In the study area A, an increase of the area with maize (from 1.1 ha to 38.4 ha) and oat (from 5.6 to 28.4 ha), and decrease in area of the rape (from 41.3 to 0.3 ha) and root plants (from 16.7 to 6.4 ha) have been recorded, while the clover and broad bean have totally disappeared as cultivated plants. In the study area B, a conversion of some dry meadows into arable grounds and an abandonment of more than half of the remaining area of meadows has been carried out. The landscape in the study area A was more fragmented in 1989 than in 2003, while in the study area B the reverse was true. On average, cereal areas increased - especially wheat (from 1.5 to 2.4 ha), maize (from 0.6 to 3.8 ha) and oat (from 0.6 to 1.9 ha), while rape areas decreased (from 2.0 to 0.3 ha). The mapping method has been employed to show the effect of these changes on breeding bird community in both years (1989 vs. 2003). In the study area A, density (pairs x 100[^-1] ha) of the Skylark Alauda arvensis (28.1 vs. 17.1) and Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris (12.9 vs. 2.4) has significantly decreased; while that of Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra (1.4 vs. 8.1) and gallinaceous birds (2.9 vs. 8.1) has significantly increased over the last 14 years. The most numerous species in the group of gallinaceous birds, the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix, probably benefits from the enlargement of oat and barley cultivations. The Skylark was negatively affected by the enlargement of study areas with cultivated plants, especially with the wheat and maize. The Corn Bunting has been, probably, positively affected by the enlargement of maize and barley cultivations, as well as from the warming effect. The decline of the Marsh Warbler could have been caused by the decrease of the area with rape cultivations but it may also reflect short-term fluctuations. In the study area B, only densities of the Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs and Blackbird Turdus merula have significantly increased, and no statistically significant declines were recorded. These increases can be linked to changes in the age structure of tree and shrub stands in the existing small forests, clumps and hedgerows, but these species show probably a general increase in numbers over large areas of farmlands in Poland and possibly in some other European countries.