1. Functional response models that predict the relationship between feeding rate and food density often include only two behavioural parameters, handling time and searching rate. However, vigilance can occupy a large proportion of foraging time and, consequently, may affect the functional response. Previous functional response models of granivorous birds showed no effect of vigilance on predicted feeding rates; these models assumed that all of handling time is compatible with vigilance and, therefore, overestimated the potential...

The fifth review of Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC5) in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man assessed and assigned 245 species to updated Red, Amber and Green lists of conservation concern and showed a continuing decline in the status of our bird populations. In total, 70 species (29% of those assessed) are now on the Red list, up from 36 species in the first review in 1996. Since the last review, in 2015,...

The population size of Capercaille Tetrao urogallus in Scotland was estimated from annual counts of males at 151 known (79-100) spring lek sites and 45 counts of males, females, and their broods in August during the period 2010-2020, combined with published survival estimates. Population size declined from an estimated 580 birds (95% CL: 462-698) in 2011 to 304 (239-369) in 2020 and the extinction probability was 23% after 25 years, 95% after 50 years and...

It is widely recognized that landscape factors affect the biological control of weed seeds and insect pests in arable crops, but landscape effects have been found to be inconsistent between studies. Here, we compare six different types of sentinels (surrogate prey that was either live insects or seeds) to measure the effects of semi-natural habitats at field to landscape scales on levels of biological control in winter wheat in the UK. Sentinels were located in...

This dataset contains records on the abundance and species richness of wild bees along transects in ten 1x1 km survey squares of the Leighfield forest region of Leicestershire and Rutland, UK collected in the Spring and Summer of 2020. The dataset also contains a 10 m resolution raster land cover map of the survey sites and spatially referenced GIS files of the survey transect paths. The work was carried out by the data authors to...

Density and biomass of fish taxa from three chalkstreams in the Wessex chalk area: Nine Mile River, River Till and River Wylye. Data were collected on five occasions, between October 2012 and October 2013. The density of fish taxa at each of the three streams was estimated using benthic fish sampling and multi-pass electrofishing. The mean biomass of individuals of each taxon at each site on each occasion was then applied to the density estimates...

An animal’s home-range can be expected to encompass the resources it requires for surviving or reproducing. Thus, animals inhabiting a heterogeneous landscape, where resource patches vary in size, shape and distribution, will naturally have home-ranges of varied sizes, so that each home-range encompasses a minimum required amount of a resource. Home-range size can be estimated from telemetry data, and often key resources, or proxies for them such as the areas of important habitat types, can...

1. Agricultural intensification and associated loss of high-quality habitats are key drivers of insect pollinator declines. With the aim of decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture, the 2014 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) defined a set of habitat and landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas: EFAs) farmers could select from as a requirement to receive basic farm payments. To inform the post-2020 CAP, we performed a European-scale evaluation to determine how different EFA options vary in...

1.Severe winter weather can reduce avian energetic reserves. At such times, reducing disturbance, and therefore energy expenditure, through science-based policy is crucial to mitigating negative impacts on survival. 2.We examined through allometric equations the energy reserves of Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola, a popular quarry species across most of Europe, in relation to time of winter, location and temperature. We used data from 221 dissected birds, shot in Britain in two winters (2013/14, 2014/15), and 1689...

Data comprise flower abundance and diversity data and bee abundance, diversity and activity data collected during extensive surveys carried out on farms in Hampshire and West Sussex, southern England between 2013 and 2015. The pollen diets of wild solitary bees were quantified using direct observations and pollen load analysis. The purpose of the study was to provide valuable information to scientists, governments and land managers in designing more effective measures to conserve the broader wild...

The dataset contains measurements of the annual average abundance, biomass and elemental composition (C, N, P) of consumers (fish and invertebrates) in six rivers within sub-catchments of the Hampshire Avon of contrasting geology (clay, sand, chalk).

Aquatic habitats are severely threatened by human activities. For anadromous species, managing freshwater habitats to maximise production of more, larger juveniles could improve resilience to threats in marine habitats and enhance population viability. In some juvenile salmonid habitats, complexity created by large substrates provides resources and reduces competitive interactions, thereby promoting juvenile production. In lowland rivers, which lack large substrates, aquatic plants might provide similar complexity and enhance fish productivity. To test the influence of...

The dataset contains information about floral abundance on eight farms across Hampshire and West Sussex in 2014 and 2018. Transects of 3km were marked out on each farm and surveyed 3 times in both years. Flower species seen along transects were identified and their estimated abundances recorded. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (Grants NE/P009972/1 and NE/J016802/1).

The dataset contains information about insect visitations to flowers growing in seed mix trial plots on two farms, one in West Sussex, and one in Oxfordshire. The data was collected during the spring and summer seasons of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Seed mix trial plots were walked centrally and insects visiting flowers in the plots were recorded, and where possible, identified to genus or species level. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research...