Forestry Edge Effects on Skylarks and Pipits

Previous research has demonstrated negative effects of proximity to forestry on breeding waders, potentially arising through increased predator activity and avoidance of forest edges, creating a ‘landscape of fear’ in otherwise suitable open habitat. Recent work suggests that some effects may persist following forest removal, raising important questions about the recovery of bird communities after felling.
 
Much less is known about responses of widespread open-ground passerines such as Skylark , Alauda arvensis, and Meadow Pipit, Anthus pratensis. Both are species of conservation concern in the UK: Skylark is Red-listed and Meadow Pipit Amber-listed. Understanding whether these species avoid forestry edges, and whether responses persist or diminish following felling, could provide important evidence for woodland planning and habitat restoration, helping to balance woodland expansion and peatland restoration with the conservation of open-ground bird communities.

The student will use existing long-term passerine survey data alongside reserve management shapefiles documenting forestry extent and felling history. These will be combined with other relevant spatial and environmental datasets to quantify distance to forest edges and account for potentially important habitat and management variables. Statistical and spatial modelling will test for edge effects, estimate their extent, and determine whether responses change following felling, including whether effects diminish with time since forest removal.