Winter use of wild bird cover crops by passerines on farmland in northeast England

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1 Bird Study (23) 5, Winter use of wild bird cover crops by passerines on farmland in northeast England CHRIS STOATE, 1 JOHN SZCZUR 1 and NICHOLAS J. AEBISCHER 2 1 The Allerton Research and Educational Trust, Loddington, Leics LE7 9XE, UK and 2 The Game Conservancy Trust, Fordingbridge, Hants SP6 1EF, UK Capsule Declining farmland species were more abundant in these crops which can be matched to the birds requirements. Aims To assess the use of seed-bearing crop by a range of bird species in winter. Methods The study was carried out over three winters at a site in County Durham (England). Eleven bird species were represented, five of which are nationally targeted for conservation action. Results Bird abundance was significantly higher where wild bird cover crops were present. Kale Brassica napus and Quinoa Chenopodium quinoa were the most used crop species, although cereals and linseed were also used. Conclusion Simple crop mixtures can be designed to meet the needs of farmland bird communities. Our results suggest that seed production may be limited within government agri-environment schemes by restrictions on fertilizer use. The agronomy of seed-bearing crops for birds requires further investigation. Many bird species associated with farmland habitats have undergone substantial population declines since the 197s (Fuller et al. 1995). Recent demographic studies have suggested that declines were due to a reduction in adult and first-year survival for such species as Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella, Reed Bunting Emberiza shoeniclus, Blackbird Turdus merula, Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs and Redpoll Carduelis flammea (Thomson et al. 1997, Peach et al. 1999, Siriwardena et al. 1999, 2). Nesting success has been suggested as driving changes in the population trend for Linnet Carduelis cannabina. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus populations are driven by a combination of adult/first-year survival and the number of fledglings per nesting attempt (Siriwardena et al. 2). Traditionally winter has been regarded as having the greatest impact on passerine survival, its effect being dependent on the availability of food (Fuller et al. 1995, Evans 1997). Within agricultural ecosystems, abundance of winter food for granivorous birds has declined over the past half century as livestock and their winter feed sites have been lost from many farms (O Connor & Shrubb 1986). Increased autumn cultivation has been associated with loss of winter stubbles on some soils, and Correspondence author. chris.stoate@ukonline.co.uk improved herbicides have reduced abundance of seeding weeds in any stubbles remaining (Campbell et al. 1997). Donald & Evans (1994), and other studies, have documented the considerable use of stubbles by seedeating birds on farmland in winter. Provision of weed-rich cereal stubbles has been a central element of the currently successful restoration of Cirl Buntings Emberiza cirlus in Devon, although management practices designed to benefit Cirl Buntings in the breeding season have also been adopted (Peach et al. 21). Loss of weedy winter stubbles from arable landscapes has been driven by economic forces as, where the difference in gross margins between spring and autumnsown crops is high, the opportunity cost of maintaining stubble is too high to be economically viable without agri-environment scheme support. An option under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in England provides an annual payment to farmers for maintaining winter stubbles of 4/ha each year (DEFRA 22). A possible, more cost-effective option, especially on clay soils where spring cultivation is not practical, may be to grow much smaller areas of high-yielding seedbearing crops specifically for birds. Such a practice is already adopted on many farms for gamebirds such as Pheasant Phasianus colchicus and Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufus for shooting. Under current set-aside 23 British Trust for Ornithology

2 16 C. Stoate, J. Szczur and N.J. Aebischer regulations, such habitats can be created on the statutory set-aside area within the Wild Bird Cover option so that crop production is not compromised. They have also subsequently been incorporated into the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Here we investigate the winter use by seed-eating passerines of different wild bird cover crop mixtures, relative to that of commercial crops. STUDY AREA AND METHODS The study was conducted over three winters (1997/8, 1998/9 and 2/1) on a lowland part of the Raby Estate in County Durham, England (54 35 N, 1 5 W). The farmland is mainly arable (Wheat Triticum sp., Barley Hordeum sp. and Oilseed Rape Brassica napus) and crops are mainly autumn-sown. The estate is a farming business, and cropping practices reflect those of other farms in the area. Outside the cropped area, some habitats are managed to meet the requirements of gamebirds. Wild bird cover (WBC) crops were planted in strips, approximately 2-m wide, along the edges of arable fields, with the exception of three small fields devoted entirely to WBC crops. These crops took two main forms. One was a Kale Brassica napus based mixture designed to provide food and cover in winter. The other was a cereal-based mixture designed to provide invertebrate-rich foraging areas during the breeding season, and also seed food in winter. Seed-bearing crops Approximately 3 fields were surveyed each year, about half of which had strips of WBC along one edge, but the area surveyed and crops grown varied between years (Table 1). Potential foraging habitats associated with commercially cropped fields at Raby Home Farm included winter cereals, Oilseed Rape and pasture. An area of 21 hectares was used as the study area, of which 16% was occupied by WBC crops. In 1998/9, where two crops were planted in the same strip, each was sown as a pure stand in alternate 6-m drill widths across the strip, instead of in the intimate mixtures required by set-aside regulations. A derogation from the Ministry for Agriculture Fisheries and Food was obtained for this purpose. The crops were replanted for the 1999/2 winter, but cold wet weather following drilling, combined with the low nutrient status of the soil resulted in crop failure. For the 2/1 winter there was a partial failure of some crops. Fieldwork was also conducted over a part of the estate not monitored in previous years (Piercebridge) and the monitored area at Home Farm was reduced in order to ensure adequate coverage. Survey methods Bird counts were conducted twice each month (over three consecutive days) from October 1997 to March In 1998/9 and 2/1, bird counts were conducted three times per month in October, November and December, and twice per month in January, February and March (except in March 21 because of restrictions associated with foot and mouth disease). Each count was conducted over a two-day period, and counts were separated by at least one week. All birds within each habitat and dense vegetation were Table 1. Areas of farmland planted to different crop types on the Raby Estate in 1997, 1998 and 2. Area (ha) Raby Home Farm Piercebridge Crop type (code) Commercial crop (CC) Arable crops Pasture Wild Bird Cover st-year Kale and Quinoa (K1Q) nd-year Kale (K2) Mixed cereal, Linseed & Rape (MC) 1.2 Mixed Cereal & Linseed (MC) Triticale/Rape mixture (TR) Barley (B).6 Rape (R).3 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

3 Wild bird cover crops 17 surveyed to within a few metres while every point within very open habitat such as pasture was visited to within a maximum of 5 m of the observer. The number and species of birds, and the habitat in which they were first observed, was recorded on a large-scale map. Within plots comprising two crop species, birds were allocated to a single crop. Flying birds were not recorded and counts were not conducted in the very early morning or late in the evening to avoid including birds that were travelling to or from roost sites. Data for species with ten or more birds present on five or more visits were analysed statistically (see Fig. 1 for species list). Patterns of annual and seasonal variation in species density were examined by generalized linear modelling of counts, using Poisson error (corrected for overdispersion), logarithmic link function and ln(area surveyed) as offset. The model included the factors year, month and the year month interaction; it was fitted using Genstat 5 (Genstat Committee 2). Because the same model was fitted to 11 different species, the levels for significance were adjusted for multiple testing by Bonferroni correction. The area of each habitat was available from estate maps (drawn up as a requirement of the Arable Area Payments scheme) and represented the availability of that habitat to birds. Availability remained constant throughout the winter. The number of birds observed in each habitat on a given visit indicated habitat use by each species. Both availability and use were expressed as proportions relative to total area (availability) or total birds seen (use). The proportional habitat use and availability summed to one over all habitats, so the proportional use or availability of any one habitat type was not linearly independent of the others. The data were therefore analysed using compositional analysis. In 2/1, an area of farmland not previously used for planting wild bird cover crops was surveyed. Monthly total counts of birds at this site (Piercebridge) were made (as above) in the winter of 1999/2, in the absence of WBC crops, and over the same area in 2/1 with WBC crops present. Numbers of birds were compared between years using a paired t-test. The seasonal pattern of overall abundance of songbirds at Piercebridge in 2/1 would be expected a priori to follow the general pattern observed at Home Farm, so for comparison, predicted monthly densities and approximate standard errors were produced from the Home Farm data using the generalized linear model involving month and year described above, standardized to the 2/1 level. RESULTS Bird abundance varied through the winter (Fig. 1). The seasonal pattern of abundance was consistent across years (no significant month year interaction) for all species except Linnet (F 9,22 = 3.97 (P =.44) and Reed Bunting (F 9,22 = 6.38, P =.2). For Linnet, a mid-winter peak occurred in all three years, but varied in its timing and spread from year to year. For Reed Bunting, numbers peaked in March in the first year, and in late December or January in the following years. For most other species, the pattern was for an increase Annual density (birds/km 2 ) Chaffinch Linnet Yellowhammer Goldfinch Greenfinch Reed Bunting Dunnock Tree Sparrow Blackbird Song Thrush Figure 1. Annual densities (means ± se) of 11 species of songbird on the Raby Estate observed over the winters , and 2 1, in order of overall abundance. An asterisk () indicates significant differences between years after taking seasonal effects and multiple testing into account. Species in decreasing order of abundance. Redpoll 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

4 18 C. Stoate, J. Szczur and N.J. Aebischer to a mid-winter peak, generally in December/January, followed by a decrease (Fig. 2). The notable exception was Song Thrush, whose numbers peaked in March after remaining low over mid-winter. In all 28 combinations of species and year, use differed significantly from random. In all cases, commercial crops were ranked lowest and at least one seed-bearing crop type was ranked higher than these. For some species significant differences were identified between the use of different seed-bearing crops (Table 2). Blackbird made significantly more use of first-year Kale and Quinoa than other habitats in two of the three years. First and second-year Kale also ranked highly for Song Thrush, Dunnock, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Second-year Kale ranked significantly higher than firstyear Kale for Linnet in two out of three years, while first-year Kale ranked significantly higher than secondyear Kale for Redpoll, and for Tree Sparrow. For Goldfinch, cereal-based mixtures ranked significantly higher than other habitats. First-year Kale and Quinoa and cereal mixtures ranked significantly higher than other habitats for Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. 5 Totals Chaffinch Linnet 6 Yellowhammer Goldfinch Greenfinch Monthly density (birds/km 2 ) Reed Bunting Dunnock Tree Sparrow 1 2 Blackbird Song Thrush Redpoll Month Figure 2. Monthly densities (means ± se) of 11 species of songbird on the Raby Estate observed over the winters , and 2 1. An asterisk () indicates significant differences between months after taking year effects and multiple testing into account. Species in decreasing order of abundance (note different vertical scales). 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

5 Wild bird cover crops 19 Table 2. Relative crop use by the 11 most abundant species at Raby in 1997/8, 1998/9 and 2/1. K1Q, first-year Kale and Quinoa; K2, second-year Kale; B, Barley; T, Triticale; L, Linseed; R, Rape; MC, mixed crops; CC, commercial crop. = P >.5, = P <.5. Year is that in which winter ended. Species Year Visits Rank order Statistical significance Blackbird K1Q MC K2 CC Λ =.7, P < K1Q TR BL K2 CC Λ =.18, P < B K1Q K2 R CC Λ =.2, P <.1 Song Thrush K2 K1Q TR BL CC Λ =., P < K1Q B R K2 CC Λ =., P <.1 Dunnock K1Q K2 MC CC Λ =., P < K1Q K2 TR BL CC Λ =.3, P < K1Q K2 R B CC Λ =., P <.1 Chaffinch K1Q K2 MC CC Λ =.17, P < K2 K1 BL TR CC Λ =.4, P < K1Q K2 R B CC Λ =.3, P <.1 Greenfinch K2 K1Q MC CC Λ =., P < K2 BL K1Q TR CC Λ =., P <.1 Goldfinch MC K1Q K2 CC Λ =.5, P < BL K2 K1Q TR CC Λ =., P <.1 Redpoll K1Q MC K2 CC Λ =., P < K1Q K2 TR BL CC Λ =., P <.1 Linnet K1Q MC K2 CC Λ =.7, P < K2 BL K1Q TR CC Λ =., P < K2 R B K1Q CC Λ =.4, P <.1 Tree Sparrow K1Q BL TR K2 CC Λ =., P < K1Q B R K2 CC Λ =., P <.1 Yellowhammer K1Q MC K2 CC Λ =.5, P < BL TR K1Q CC K2 Λ =., P < B K1Q K2 R CC Λ =.1, P <.1 Reed Bunting K1Q MC K2 CC Λ =.11, P < BL K1Q TR K2 CC Λ =.3, P < K1Q B K2 R CROP Λ =., P <.1 Use of discrete strips Goldfinch made significantly more use of Barley and Linseed than any other habitat and within this crop type, all individuals were observed using Linseed (t 14 = 7.8, P <.1). Redpoll made significantly more use of Kale and Quinoa than other habitats, all individuals being observed in Quinoa (t 14 = 4.38, P <.1). Tree Sparrow used Kale and Quinoa more than any other habitat except Barley and Linseed, and within Kale strips, 97% of birds were observed in Quinoa (t 14 = 4.9, P <.1). Yellowhammer made more use of Barley and Linseed than any other habitat, and within this combination, 92% were using Barley (t 14 = 6.8, P <.1). Reed Bunting made more use of Barley and Linseed and Kale and Quinoa than other habitats. Within Barley and Linseed strips, 55% used Barley (t 14 =.59, ns), and within Kale strips, 97% used Quinoa (t 14 = 8.44, P <.1). With the exception of Redpoll, each of the study species was present at Piercebridge in both 1999/2 and 2/1. Bird abundance was significantly higher in the second year when wild bird cover was grown (paired t 9 = 4.67, P <.1) (Fig. 3). In addition, the seasonal trends differed significantly between the two years (t 7 = 2.92, P <.5), with abundance declining slightly during the first winter (average change 11 ± 8 birds per month), but increasing in the second winter (average change +74 ± 28 birds per month) (Fig. 4). On a month-by-month basis, the densities observed at Piercebridge in 2/1 all exceeded the values predicted from the Home Farm data (Fig. 4). They remained below the upper 95% confidence limit (prediction plus two standard errors approximately) in October, November and December, but fell beyond it in January and February, when densities at Piercebridge were at least twice as high as expected from Home Farm. DISCUSSION These results confirm the potential of wild bird cover crops as a winter foraging habitat for farmland passerines. The changes in numbers recorded at Piercebridge suggest that these crops form an increasingly important 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

6 2 C. Stoate, J. Szczur and N.J. Aebischer 14 Density (birds/km 2 ) Blackbird Song Thrush Dunnock Chaffinch Linnet Greenfinch Goldfinch Reed Bunting Yellowhammer Tree Sparrow Figure 3. Bird densities (mean number/km 2 ± se) at Piercebridge in the winter of ( ) 1999/2 (without wild bird cover crops) and ( ) 2/1 (with wild bird cover crops). source of alternative food for a wide range of passerine species during winter. The overall bird density at Piercebridge of 42/km 2 following establishment of WBC crops compares with densities of 3 4/km 2 recorded on commercial crops over the same period across 161 English farms (J. Vickery & I. Henderson pers. comm.). Some crops are used by more bird species than others. Kale, both in the first year, and in the second year when it is seeding, is used by all of the bird species in this study except Goldfinch. The results from firstyear Kale in 1999 indicate that, for Redpoll and Tree Monthly density (birds/km 2 ) Piercebridge 1999/ Piercebridge 2/1 Prediction 2/1 from Raby Month Figure 4. Total monthly densities of the ten study species (number/km 2 ) at Piercebridge in the winter of 1999/2 (without wild bird cover crops), and in the winter of 2/1 (with wild bird cover crops). Predicted monthly densities (±1 se) standardized to 2/1 are given for comparison and are based on the Raby Home Farm data. Sparrow and other seed-eating species, the component being used by birds is the seeding Quinoa, rather than food within the Kale crop itself. The use of Quinoa is to be expected as seed of the indigenous species, Fat Hen Chenopodium album, occurs commonly in the diet of farmland birds (Wilson et al. 1999). However, for some species such as the thrushes, invertebrates associated with the microclimate in Kale crops may also provide an important source of food. Five of the study species are Biodiversity Action Plan species and currently the subject of conservation action in Britain. Of these, Redpoll, Tree Sparrow and Reed Bunting used Quinoa as a food source in winter, while Song Thrush and Linnet used Kale. For these species, our results suggest that a combination of Kale and Quinoa would provide a major food source during winter, possibly increasing winter survival and subsequent breeding abundance. For some other species (e.g. Yellowhammer and Goldfinch), different crop mixtures are required, such as Barley and Linseed. Seeding Kale was used mainly by Greenfinch, Linnet and Chaffinch. This was also the case in a study by Boatman et al. (2). In their study, seeding Kale also ranked highly for Reed Bunting, but this was not the case at Raby. It is likely that high seeding weed densities, especially relative to low-yielding crop species following poor establishment, may have confounded our results. Low-yielding crops at Home Farm may also explain the mid-winter peak, and subsequent decline, in bird numbers. Such agronomic problems are likely to be due to the low nutrient levels in ground used repeatedly for the same crop and very low permissible nitrogen application rates (3 kg N/ha) on set-aside. In one year at Home Farm, crop establishment was so 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

7 Wild bird cover crops 21 poor that no monitoring could be conducted. At Piercebridge, where WBC crops had not previously been grown, and where levels of residual N are likely to have been high, seed yield was high and bird numbers exceeded those predicted from the Home Farm data. If WBC crops are to become widespread as a conservation management tool, greater attention needs to be given to their establishment for seed production and a fertilizer rate considerably higher than the permitted 3 kg N/ha per year may be necessary. Our results suggest that changes to set-aside and agri-environment regulations to accommodate the agronomic requirements of WBC crops would bring considerable conservation benefits to farmland birds in winter. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful for the financial support of the Raby Estate, RSPB, The National Gamekeepers Organisation, Kings and HART, and for practical help and advice from Lord Barnard, David Clark and Jeremy Wilson. David Harper and Peter Vickery helped to improve the manuscript. ENDNOTE a. The data were analysed using compositional analysis (Aitchison 1986, Aebischer et al. 1993), whereby habitat proportions were transformed to log-ratios, and the differences between the log-ratios for use and availability were compared to zero (null hypothesis of random use) by multivariate analysis of variance. The test statistic for this overall comparison is a generalized likelihood ratio (Wilk s lambda, Λ) that takes values between and 1; the greater the departure from random use, the smaller the value of Λ. In each analysis, the sample size was equal to the number of visits with ten or more birds; zero proportions for use were replaced by.1% following Aebischer et al. (1993). If habitat use was found to be significantly non-random, relative to availability, the habitat groups were ranked according to their relative use as foraging habitats, based on a matrix formed by taking each possible pair of habitats, forming log-ratios for use and availability, then calculating a paired t-value (Aebischer et al. 1993). The ranks were obtained as the number of positive t-values in each row of the matrix. In the rankings presented here denotes the order of ranking and a triple sign () represents significant differences between adjacent ranks at P <.5. Therefore, a b c signifies that the relative use of habitats a and b was significantly higher than that of c (at P =.5), but that the rankings of habitats a and b did not differ significantly. REFERENCES Aitchison, J The Statistical Analysis of Compositional Data. Chapman and Hall, London. Aebischer, N.J., Robertson, P.A. & Kenwood, R.E Compositional analysis of habitat use from animal radio-tracking data. Ecology 74: Boatman, N.D., Stoate, C. & Watts, N. 2. Practical management solutions for birds on lowland arable farmland. In Aebischer, N.J., Evans, A.D., Grice, P.V. & Vickery, J.A. (eds) Ecology and Conservation of Lowland Farmland Birds: British Ornithologists Union, Tring. Campbell, L.H., Avery, M.I., Donald, P.F., Evans, A.D., Green, R.E. & Wilson, J.D A Review of the Indirect Effects of Pesticides on Birds. JNCC Report No Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough. DEFRA 22. The Countryside Stewardship Scheme: Information and How to Apply. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London. Donald, P. & Evans, A.D Habitat selection by corn buntings Miliaria calandra in Britain. Bird Study 41: Evans, A.D The importance of mixed farming for seed-eating birds in the UK. In Pain, D.J. & Pienkowski, M.W. (eds) Farming and Birds in Europe: The Common Agricultural Policy and Its implications for Bird Conservation: Academic Press, London. Fuller, R.J., Gregory, R.D., Gibbons, D.W., Marchant, J.H., Wilson, J.D., Baillie, S.R. & Carter, N Population declines and range contractions among lowland farmland birds in Britain. Conserv. Biol. 9: Genstat Committee 2. The Guide to Genstat. VSN International Ltd, Oxford. O Connor, R.J. & Shrubb, M Farming and Birds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Peach, W.J., Siriwardena, G.M. & Gregory, R Long-term changes in over-winter survival rates explain the decline of reed buntings Emberiza schoeniclus in Britain. J. Appl. Ecol. 36: Peach, W.J., Lovett, L.J., Wotton, S.R. & Jeffs, C. 21. Countryside Stewardship delivers cirl buntings (Emberiza cirlus) in Devon, UK. Biol. Conserv. 11: Siriwardena, G.M., Baillie, S.R. & Wilson, J.D Temporal variation in the annual survival rates of six granivorous birds with contrasting population trends. Ibis 141 (4): Siriwardena, G.M., Baillie, S.R., Crick, H.Q.P. & Wilson, J.D. 2. The importance of variation in the breeding performance of seed-eating birds in determining their popluation trends on farmland. J. Appl. Ecol. 37: Thomson, D.L., Baillie, S.R. & Peach, W The demography and age-specific annual survival of song thrushes during periods of population stability and decline. J. Anim. Ecol. 66: Wilson, J.D, Morris, A.J., Arroyo, B.E., Clark, S.C. & Bradbury, R.B A review of the abundance and diversity of invertebrate and plant foods of granivorous birds in northern Europe in relation to agricultural change. Agric. Ecosyst. and Environ. 75: (MS received 3 September 21; revised MS accepted 17 May 22) 23 British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Study, 5, 15 21

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