Invertebrates are a major component of chickfood for many farmland bird species: chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus), corn bunting (Miliaria calandra), goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), greenfinch (Carduelis chloris), grey partridge (Perdix perdix), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), quail, red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), rook (Corvus frugilegus), skylark (Alauda arvensis), stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), tree sparrow (Passer montanus), yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava).
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Breeding Meadow Pipits select foraging sites with high arthropod biomass on intensively grazed moorland
Foraging sites with low vegetation height and density, but with high arthropod biomass, are selected by Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis breeding on intensively grazed moorland. Meadow Pipits select particular prey types to provision nestlings, in particular, Lepidoptera larvae, adult Tipulidae and Arachnida.
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Het boek “Farmland Birds across the World” is verschenen
Een rijk geïllustreerd boek, geschreven door zeven deskundigen op het gebied van landbouw en vogels en samengesteld door het Centrum voor Landbouw en Milieu (CLM), dat het vogelleven op landbouwgrond wereldomvattend in beeld brengt, is per 1 april 2010 verschenen. Het boek besteedt aandacht aan de vele bedreigingen waaraan vogels blootstaan. In de bijlage de lijst van vogels die in het boek staan.
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Book ” Farmland Birds across the World” has been released
A richly illustrated book written by seven experts in biology and agriculture and compiled by the Dutch Centre for Agriculture and the Environment (CLM) reviewing birdlife on farmland on a global scale has been released on 1 April 2010. The book identifies the threats facing farmland birds and explores the available opportunities for their protection. A bird list is enclosed.
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Diet of breeding Lapwing and Redshank on coastal grazing marsh
Adult Lapwing Vanellus vanellus and chicks and adult Redshank Tringa totanus fed on a wide range of soil, surface-active and aquatic invertebrates on coastal grazing marsh throughout the breeding season. Adult Redshank also fed on estuarine invertebrates. The proportion of aquatic invertebrates in the diet of both species increased as the breeding season progressed, while that of soil invertebrates decreased.
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Decline of breeding waders on lowland wet grassland in England and Wales 1982-2002
On lowland wet grassland sites in England and Wales there were significant declines of 38% for Lapwing Vanellus vanellus, 61% for Snipe Gallinago gallinago, 40% for Curlew Numenius arquata and 29% for Redshank Tringa totanus between 1982 and 2002. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus increased significantly by 47% in the same period.
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Oystercatchers declining in European and American coastal ecosystems in last 20 years
The number of Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) in the Dutch Wadden Sea has declined by 40% during the last two decades. The number of breeding pairs declined 4.6% annually. Reproductive output was virtually zero in the last 7 years, which was associated with a dramatic decline in summer of two prey species for raising the young, i.e. ragworm and Baltic tellin. Oystercatcher numbers have also declined on the Wash, England since the late 1980s, due to changes in winter survival, which was related to cockle and mussel abundance. Poor recruitment of juvenile shellfish to the Wash populations was implicated in the decline in both mussels and cockles. American Oystercatchers are also at risk in coastal ecosystems. The number of Oystercatchers breeding on barrier islands in Virginia has decreased by more than 50% in the last 20 years.
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Imidacloprid highly toxic to non-target terrestrial arthropod Porcellio scaber
A recent study indicates high toxicity of imidacloprid to the non-target terrestrial arthropod P. scaber when compared to birds and mammals. Imidacloprid affects isopods at similar exposure concentrations as insects.
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Fipronil may disrupt copepod production in estuarine systems
The new GABA-disrupting insecticide fipronil may pose a high risk to copepod production in estuarine systems. Copepods are the most abundant arthropods on earth and often the most important secondary producers in estuarine/marine food webs.
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The use of imidacloprid as a systemic insecticide to trees is associated with adverse effects on non-target insects and earthworms
Imidacloprid can be applied as a systemic insecticide to trees by direct stem injections or by soil injections and drenches, and be indirectly introduced to aquatic systems via leaf fall or leaching, which may pose a risk to natural decomposer organisms. When applied directly to aquatic microcosms to simulate leaching from soils, imidacloprid was shown to be highly toxic to aquatic insects. Imidacloprid at realistic field concentrations in maple leaves had adverse effects on aquatic insects and earthworms. Imidacloprid at realistic concentrations in leaves can inhibit leaf litter breakdown through adverse effects on decomposer invertebrates. When imidacloprid is applied as a systemic insecticide to the soil around trees it may cause adverse effects on earthworms.