Technology & Progression in IFM

The use of technology for environmental monitoring Alastair Leake GWCT Allerton Project

Technology for Wildlife Management “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”

– Radio tracking (Pheasants and fish) – Satellite/ GPS tracking (Woodcock and

foxes) – Nest sensors – Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

(Squirrels)

Breeding season songbird numbers are correlated with wild pheasant numbers the previous autumn.

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Autumn pheasant count

Radiotracking is very useful for studying nes4ng ecology

Radiotracking – Habitat use/preference

Study the survival of pheasants (tags have a mortality switch so we can accurately determine when a bird has died)

Cause of death - Fox predation

Cause of death - Disease

Radiotracking is very useful for studying nes4ng ecology

Pheasant nest loca4ons on an arable farm in Norfolk

Woodcock

W Satellite-tracked woodcock 2013

www.woodcockwatch.com

Avoidance of sea crossings

Flight stage distances

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Spring migration, between two consecutive Argos transmissions

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Timing of spring departure

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Spotted flycatcher breeding abundance

Tagscost£0.40each

Readers/loggerscost£45eachincomponents

RFIDreader/loggerscost£45each

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untagged tagged Hopper use

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hoppers first available

WoodB,4.69ha Feb-Jun201638squirrelskilled

=8.5/ha

Waders are in decline nationally

•  BTO Breeding Bird Survey, UK 1995-2011

•  Lapwing -41% •  Redshank -42% •  Snipe +8%

Lapwing populations

Annual adult survival = 75% First-year survival = 60% For a stable population, each pair needs to fledge on average 0.7 young Decline driven by reduced breeding success

Lapwing productivity, Avon Valley

Effects of lapwing and carrion crow density on nest survival

Clutch predation

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4/1/2015 0:00 4/6/2015 0:00 4/11/2015 0:00 4/16/2015 0:00 4/21/2015 0:00 4/26/2015 0:00

Nest predated at 22:39

46% daylight, 4% twilight, 50% night

Temperature loggers:

Avon Valley 85% of clutch loss is due to predation (10% flooding, 5% trampling)

Chick monitoring

0.4 g radio-tags with 30 day life

Chick ranges and survival 2015 and 2016

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Predator monitoring Camera trapping: 45 cameras set in 179 different locations 1.15 million images in 2015

Chick fates n = 208 dead chicks

Predated 83% Starved 14% Machinery/drowned 3%

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GWCT breakaway snare

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The AIHTS Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (1998)

Ø  TradeagreementbetweenEU,Canada,RussiaandUSA

Ø  TrapstomeetcertainwelfarestandardsØ  80%capturestoshownopoorwelfareindicators

Ø  Speciesincludesstoat(butnotredfoxormink)

Ø  Deadlineis22ndJuly2016

Ø  AbenchmarkfortesXngtraps

GWCT breakaway snare

1996

GPS tracking of foxes

•  How do foxes use wet grassland habitats? •  Can we disrupt their foraging patterns by habitat manipulation? •  Where should we create better chick-foraging habitats? •  Does electrified fencing to exclude foxes work?

IniXalcapture…

AZeraweek…

AZeramonth…

01020304050607080

Curlew GoldenPlover Lapwing

Pairswith

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Predatorcontrol Nopredatorcontrol

The Upland Predation Experiment Otterburn (2000 - 2008)

TheGWCTSalmon&TroutResearch

Centre

Assessing Atlan4c salmon popula4ons

The Main River Fish Counter

102cm Salmon

Electrodes

Side view camera - Salmon

Counter verifica4on

Passive Integrated Transponder Tagging

BAFF

Adult Fish Counter and RAPID

Fluvarium and Smolt Counters

FBA River Laboratory

East Stoke infrastructure

Bio Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF) Deflect smolts from main river

PITdetectorsmeasuredeflecXonefficiency

BAFF

FlowdirecXon

Bio Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF)

Electric Fishing - Methods • Classical (wading) fishing - Upstream

Electric Fishing - Methods • Boom-Boat

• Dacewithradiotag

Radiotracking

Manual Tracking

•  FixedStaXons

Using technology for soil/ cover crop recording

Using “Apps” to assess GAI

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hcp://www.agricentre.basf.co.uk/agroportal/uk/en/tools/website_tools/gai_cereals_cat_online/cat_online.html

Green Area Index– 01/12/15 Mix1 Mix2 Mix3 Mix4

ConvTill NIT

Rainfall simulation

Water infiltration measurements • Double ring

infiltrometer measures speed water moves into soil

• Using double ring prevents side flow

• Calibrated so drop in water levels equates to known amount of water

Resistance to Penetration - Example

• Penetrometer records each reading to a depth of 45cm

• Download the data back in the office

Resistance to Penetration - Example

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Farm1=Difficulttopenetratesoilfrom20cmonwards–impactonrootgrowthFarm2=obviousploughpanat20cmFarm3=limitedsoilstructure

Mapping trees- Agro-forestry project • Collector app for

ArcGIS • Download base map • Can then add data

points in field • Each dot here

represents a different tree – colour represents a different species

Recording habitat on a Landscape scale • Dedicated dairy supply chain in Cumbria and South West Scotland

•  100 farmers who all supply through First Milk.

What were the results? •  478,839metresofhedge(473km).

•  390haofwoodland–42haASNW.

•  222,207metresofstonewall.

•  197,068metresofwatercourse.

•  Thereare59pondson41farms.

•  71farmshavelowinputpermanentgrass.

•  Only11farmsareinanagri-environmentscheme.

Songbird populations in response to winter feeding

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Feeder filmed by night vision CCTV

The proportion of time spent by different wildlife groups foraging at game feeders during separate studies in 2004 and 2008.

2004 2008

Gamebirds

Corvids

Small Birds

Mammals

Pigeons/Dove

Figure1.Gamefeederlocationsandhabitatdetails.

FeedhoppersitehabitatdetailsA Inmatureashdominateddeciduouswoodland.20mfromlargewoodlandride.Largedrumgrainfeederwithin100m.

B Againstthin,1.2mtallhawthornhedgerowwithadjacentmaizebasedcovercrop.Wintercerealsinsurroundingfields.

C Bymoderatelydense,3mtallmixedspecieshedge.Maizebasedcovercropwithin50m.Wintercerealsinsurroundingfields.

D In15yearold,predominantlydeciduousplantation.Hoppersited10mfromwoodedge.Wintercerealsinsurroundingfields.

E Bymoderatelydense,1.4mhawthorndominatedhedge.Adjacentmaizebasedcovercrop(failed).Wintercerealsinsurroundingfields.

F Ingrassfieldmargin,5mfromhedgerow.Beneath2matureoaksgrowingonmargin.Winterrape,andpastureinadjacentfields.

G Against2mtall,thinsectionofreplantedhedgerow.Sparselyvegetatedmargin.Winterrapeandpermanentpastureinadjacentfields.

H Against1.5m,moderatelydensehedgerowborderinga25yearoldstripofmixedwoodland.2yroldKalebasedcovercroponfieldside.Wintercerealinsurroundingfields.

I Againstthin,1.4mtallhedgebygrasstrack.Adjacentmaizebasedcovercrop(failed).<10yearoldNorwaySpruceplantationonoppositesideofhedge.Wintercerealinadjacentfield.Matureashwoodland150maway.

J Below5mtall,predominantlyBlackthornhedge.Severalmaturehedgerowtreesnearby.Deepditchbelowhedge.Adjacentgrasstrackandmaizebasedcovercrop(failed).Wintercerealinsurroundingfields.Matureashwoodland150maway.

Game feeder locations & habitat details

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Feeder

The proportion of time spent by the major foraging species at different feeders.

Others Yellowhammer Chaffinch Rook Pheasant Squirrel Mouse Rat

Yellowhammers feeding

•  28th June 2017 10.30 – 15.30

•  www.gwct.org.uk/allerton25

Agricology www.agricology.co.uk