Habitat selection by Short-eared Owls<i>Asio flammeus</i>in young coniferous forests

Shaw, Gisela

doi:10.1080/00063659509477161

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…and so activity rates are likely to have been greater than in earlier years; hunting activity by a predator such as Short-eared Owl will be determined by demand (for itself, dependent mate and young) as well as by the availability (and activity) of prey (Reynolds & Gorman 1999). Despite these differences in activity rates, home-range sizes did not differ greatly between years within the present studies (or between methods of their assessment) and were within the ranges reported elsewhere in Europe (40-900 ha [Goddard 1935, Lockie 1955, Village 1987, Shaw 1995, Roberts & Bowman 1986, Korpimäki & Norrdahl 1991). Within our restricted sample size of tagged birds, the home-range sizes of the tagged males were greater than that of the female, and that of the tagged juvenile was intermediate.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Diurnal and nocturnal ranging behaviour by moorland-breeding Short-eared OwlsAsio flammeusin Scotland

Calladine

Morrison

2013

Bird Study

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Diurnal and nocturnal ranging behaviour by moorland-breeding Short-eared OwlsAsio flammeusin Scotland

Calladine

Morrison

2013

Bird Study

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“…However, there are other species that have been associated with young growth stage CFR plantations in upland Britain that were not, or very rarely, recorded in our study; for example Black Grouse, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl and Whinchat (Shaw, 1995;Madders, 2000;Pearce-Higgins et al, 2007;Wilson et al, 2009;Calladine et al, 2013). These birds are generally species of open and shrub habitats that can find suitable conditions within young pre-thicket plantations.…”

Section: Representativeness Of Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 45%

Comparison of breeding bird assemblages in conifer plantations managed by continuous cover forestry and clearfelling

Calladine

Bray

Broome

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…3a; Lambin, Petty & MacKinnon 2000). Short‐eared owls build nests on the ground, and they will as readily nest on clear‐cuts as on areas of new planting (Shaw 1995; S.J. Petty unpublished data).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial synchrony in field vole Microtus agrestis abundance in a coniferous forest in northern England: the role of vole‐eating raptors

Petty

Lambin

Sherratt

et al. 2000

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. The regional synchrony hypothesis (RSH) states that synchrony in microtine abundance over large geographical areas is caused by nomadic avian predators that specialize on small mammals for food. This has proved a difficult hypothesis to test because experiments at an appropriate scale are almost impossible. 2. We used the decline of the most abundant, nomadic vole‐eating raptors in an extensive conifer forest in northern England (Kielder Forest) as a natural experiment to evaluate their influence on synchronizing voles at different spatial scales. Field vole populations fluctuated on a 3–4‐year cycle of abundance, similar to the periodicity in central Fennoscandia. 3. Over a 23‐year period, the combined numbers and density of kestrels and short‐eared owls significantly declined. If these raptors were responsible for synchronizing vole abundance, the decline should have been associated with a decrease in synchrony. We could find no change in synchrony during the period of the greatest decline in kestrel and short‐eared owl numbers (1980–97). 4. In Kielder, vole abundance has been shown to change in a wave‐like manner, with synchrony in the direction of the wave being 5–10‐fold smaller than that reported in Fennoscandia. Tawny owls are sedentary and the most abundant vole‐eating raptor in our study area, and might have an equalizing influence on vole abundance over smaller areas if they foraged in a density‐dependent manner and responded functionally to increasing vole density. If this was the case, spatial variability in vole density should have been less in occupied than unoccupied owl territories, especially in years of low vole density when owls could take a larger proportion of the standing crop of voles. Even though tawny owls caught a significant proportion of the vole population, we could find no difference in variation in vole density between owl territories that were unoccupied, occupied with no breeding attempt, or occupied with a successful breeding attempt. 5. We conclude that the small‐scale synchrony in field vole abundance is unlikely to be caused by avian predators. Instead, it is more likely to be related to the pattern of clear‐cutting that has developed in Kielder, which restricts vole dispersal. If this assumption is correct, we would predict more widespread synchrony in vole abundance in first‐generation forests when extensive areas are planted over short periods of time, and this is supported by anecdotal evidence. These conclusions indicate that foresters may be able to manipulate the spatial dynamics of voles and vole predators by varying patch sizes within forests.

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Habitat selection by Short-eared OwlsAsio flammeusin young coniferous forests

Cited by 12 publications

References 4 publications

Diurnal and nocturnal ranging behaviour by moorland-breeding Short-eared OwlsAsio flammeusin Scotland

Diurnal and nocturnal ranging behaviour by moorland-breeding Short-eared OwlsAsio flammeusin Scotland

Comparison of breeding bird assemblages in conifer plantations managed by continuous cover forestry and clearfelling

Spatial synchrony in field vole Microtus agrestis abundance in a coniferous forest in northern England: the role of vole‐eating raptors

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