Conservation Evidence: Evidence Data

Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Spray water to deter birds from pondsA replicated study from Sweden found that a rotating water spray deterred birds from fish ponds, but that birds often became used to the spray. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F255https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F255Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:57:49 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance at nest sites Six studies (two replicated and controlled, two before-and-after and two small studies) from across the world found increased numbers of breeders, higher reproductive success or lower levels of disturbance in waders and terns following the start of access restrictions or the erection of signs near nesting areas. One Canadian study involved the use of multiple interventions. A before-and-after study from the USA found that a colony of black-crowned night herons Nycticorax nycticorax was successfully relocated to an area with no public access. One small study from Europe and one replicated and controlled study from Antarctica found no effect of access restrictions on the reproductive success of eagles or penguins, respectively. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F309https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F309Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:56:43 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Start educational programmes for personal watercraft ownersA before-and-after trial in the USA found that rates of disturbance by personal watercraft decreased and reproductive success of common terns Sterna hirundo increased following a series of educational programmes aimed at recreational boat users. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F314https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F314Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:11:40 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use nest covers to reduce the impact of research on predation of ground-nesting seabirdsA before-and-after study in Canada found that protecting Caspian tern Sterna caspia nests after researchers disturbed parents from them significantly increased hatching success. This was due to a reduction in predation by ring-billed gulls Larus delawarensis. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F316https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F316Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:26:31 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Treat wetlands with herbicideThree of four studies, one replicated and controlled, found that numbers of terns, American coot and waders were found at higher densities on wetland areas sprayed with herbicide, compared to unsprayed areas. However, one study found that wader numbers were not as high as on ploughed areas. One replicated and controlled study found that songbird densities were lower on sprayed than unsprayed areas. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F347https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F347Sun, 29 Jul 2012 14:26:26 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Restore or create shrubland Only one of the four studies captured investigated the effects of shrubland restoration in isolation. This small before-and-after study from the UK found that one or two pairs of northern lapwing bred on an area of restored moorland, whereas none had previously bred in the area. A study from the USA and one from the Azores found that populations of target species (gamebirds and seabirds) increased following shrubland restoration, amongst other interventions. A replicated study from the UK which did not distinguish between several interventions performed found a negative relationship between the combined intervention and the ratio of young-to-old grey partridges. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F364https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F364Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:03:08 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Restore or create coastal and intertidal wetlands All six studies found, from the USA and UK, found that target bird species used restored or created wetlands. Two found that numbers and/or diversity were at least as high as in natural wetlands, one that numbers were higher than in unrestored sites. Three found that bird numbers on wetlands increased over time. Two studies from the UK found that songbirds and waders decreased following wetland restoration, whilst a study from the USA found that songbirds were more common on unrestored sites than restored wetlands. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F367https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F367Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:15:07 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use multiple barriers to protect nests A replicated, controlled study from the USA found no evidence that erecting an electric fence around nests protected by individual barriers increased fledging success in piping plovers Charadrius melodus. A replicated study from the USA found that removing the outer of two nest protection fences after 15 days appeared to reduce predation compared to when both fences were left for 18 days. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F404https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F404Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:00:00 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use aversive conditioning to reduce nest predation by avian predators Five studies from the USA and Europe found reductions in consumption of eggs treated with various chemicals. A further ex situ study from the USA found that American kestrels Falco sparverius consumed fewer chicks when they were treated, but not to the point of losing body condition. Three studies from the USA found some evidence that treating eggs with some chemicals may have reduced predation of eggs after treatment stopped, or of untreated eggs, although two of these were only short term experiments and the third found that the effect was lost after a year. Four studies from the Europe and the USA found no evidence for conditioning, or a reduction in predation of wild (untreated) eggs. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F418https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F418Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:50:26 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Reduce inter-specific competition for nest sites of ground nesting seabirds by removing competitor species Four studies from Canada and the UK found increased tern Sterna spp. populations following the control or exclusion of gulls Larus spp. In two studies many interventions were used, making it impossible to tell which was responsible. One study from the UK and one from Canada found that controlling large gulls had no impact on smaller species. Two studies from the USA and UK found that exclusion devices successfully reduced the numbers of gulls at sites, although one found that they were only effective at small colonies and the other found that methods varied in their effectiveness and practicality. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F422https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F422Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:21:39 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Replace nesting substrate following severe weatherTwo before-and-after studies from Canada found that common tern Sterna hirundo populations increased at one colony where nesting substrates were replaced, but decreased at a second. Several other interventions were used at both sites, making it difficult to evaluate the effects of substrate replacement. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F474https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F474Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:47:05 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Remove vegetation to create nesting areas Two out of six studies found that the number of waders and terns nesting in an area increased following the removal of vegetation, and another found that a tern colony moved to an area prepared by removing vegetation. Two of these studies used multiple interventions at once. One study found a decrease in colony size after several interventions, including vegetation control. A study from the UK found that gulls and terns nested in an area cleared of vegetation and a controlled study from Puerto Rico found that although no terns nested in plots cleared completely of vegetation, more nested in partially-cleared plots than in uncleared plots. A before-and-after study from Canada found that tern nesting success was higher after plots were cleared of vegetation and other interventions were used. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F505https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F505Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:00:49 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for gulls, terns and skuas to increase reproductive success Four studies of three experiments from Europe and Alaska found that providing supplementary food increased fledging success or chick survival in two gull species, although a study from the UK found that this was only true for one island, with abnormally low breeding success. A second island with higher success was not affected by feeding. Two of the experiments fed parent birds and one fed the chicks directly. One study from the Antarctic found no effect of feeding parent skuas on productivity. One study from Alaska found increased chick growth when parents were fed; one study from the Antarctic found no increase in chick growth. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F525https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F525Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:37:48 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use vocalisations to attract birds to safe areas Six studies from North America, the Galapagos and the Azores found that seabirds were more likely to nest in areas where vocalisations were played, or were successfully attracted to nest in new areas, following the playing of vocalisations. Four of these studies used several interventions at once. One study found that some calls were more effective than others. Two studies from the USA and the Galapagos found that birds did not colonise all new areas where vocalisations were played. It is possible that the result from the Galapagos was due to only having a single year’s data. One controlled study from Hawaii found that albatross were more likely to land in areas where vocalisations were played than in areas without vocalisation playback. A small controlled study from New Zealand found that terns were not more likely to land in areas where vocalisations were played. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F585https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F585Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:54:59 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use decoys to attract birds to safe areas Seven studies found that birds bred in areas where decoys (of birds or nests) were used to attract birds. Six of the studies used several interventions at once. Two studies from the USA found that least terns Sterna antillarum and herons were not attracted to new areas to breed when decoys were used. Five studies from North America and France and Spain found that more birds landed near decoys than in control areas. The two studies to compare decoy types found that three-dimensional models were better than two-dimensional ‘cut-outs’ and plastic models of birds were better than rag decoys. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F586https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F586Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:25:17 +0100