Passerine Birds
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Increase diversity after upland restoration
Data collection in progress
Cairngorms Connect
Scotland
Problem: In the UK, ancient native woodland is now an extremely localised habitat, largely restricted to the Highlands of Scotland and covering approximately 1% of its former range. This is due to land conversion (deforestation) for sheep grazing, grouse shooting, and an overabundance of grazing deer, combined with a dense mat of heather, prevent the forest from regenerating.
Action: Cairngorms Connect is removing non-native trees, planting specific tree species that require help to re-establish (enrichment plantings), and reducing deer numbers to allow the woodland to naturally regenerate.
Indicator: Some songbirds such as the willow warbler, are known to quickly colonise developing woodland areas. Other songbirds, such as the ring ouzel are of particular conservation interest and may respond positively to woodland expansion. A greater diversity of songbirds colonising the area will indicate a shift from open heathland to a developing woodland habitat that can support these species.
Methods
Two complementary approaches are being used to monitor passerines across the project area. The first is a “longitudinal” study (measuring change through time): four sites are monitored every year at a range of altitudes (300, 500, 700, 900 m above sea level), to track changes in the bird assemblage in real time.
The second is a “chronosequence” approach (simultaneously comparing different areas that are at different stages of restoration): 40 sites are monitored in one year each across the study area (with resurvey planned for ten years later), as well as 20 sites each in comparison areas in Norway and the Eastern Cairngorms, to indicate how species assemblages in the Cairngorms Connect area compare to areas of geographically and climatically similar habitat in places under contrasting management regimes.
The same longitudinal and chronosequence approaches are also used to monitor moth populations and vegetation.
At each site, birds are surveyed with a 5-minute point count at dusk and another at dawn in June and July, where the species and number of individuals of all birds seen or heard are recorded.
Results
Surveys are ongoing, but this page will be updated with data as soon as it is available.
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