Patrick S. Thompson

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

In the UK uplands, prescribed burning of unenclosed heath, grass and blanket bog (‘moorland’) is used to support game shooting and grazing. Burning on moorland is contentious due to its impact on peat soils, hydrology and habitat condition. There is little information on spatial and temporal patterns of burning, the overlap with soil carbon and sen...

Davies et al. [1] argue that prescribed burning is an important ecological management tool with deep, historical roots and that debate about the role of fire in management of the UK uplands should be informed and unbiased. We agree on both counts. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' (RSPB's) prescribed burning experiments for managing na...

Based on its adverse global conservation status, and the global importance but rapid decline of the UK's breeding population, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata should now be considered the UK's highest conservation priority bird species. A co-ordinated UK recovery programme is urgently required to help ensure that this species does not suffer th...

A survey of breeding Greenshank Tringa nebularia was undertaken in 1995, based on a stratified sample of 5-km squares selected at random from the UK breeding range. Approximately 8% of the breeding range was surveyed. Surveyors visited 101 survey squares twice in the breeding season, covering suitable dry areas to within 500 m, and all wet areas. A...

1. Birds of prey and driven-grouse shooting are at the centre of a long-standing human–wildlife conflict. Hen harrier predation can reduce grouse shooting bags, limit grouse populations and cause economic losses. Despite legal protection, hen harrier numbers are severely depleted on driven-grouse moors. 2. In limited trials, provision of supplement...

A survey of the occurence of birds in gardens in 14 countries in western Europe was conducted between 23 October 1988 and 20 May 1989. Most of the 440 participating gardens were on the edge of towns and 40% had trees, grass and shrubs. Their average size as 1608 m 2. One hundred and seventy-six species of birds were recorded in all, with a mean of...

The breeding performance of individually colour-ringed Lapwings Vanellus vanellus was studied on marginal grassland in Upper Teesdale, County Durham (UK), from 1992 to 1995. Contrary to many studies of birds, female age had only a minor effect on breeding performance: yearling females produced eggs on average 5% smaller than those of adults. In con...

The Lapwing Vanellus vanellus has traditionally been regarded as a monogamous, single brooded species, defending a single territory. Recent studies involving individually recognizable Lapwings have begun to challenge the ubiquity of these statements, with high frequencies of polygyny and the production of second broods being reported. Breeding Lapw...

This paper presents the results of a study carried out on breeding Redshank in the Ribble Marshes, Lancashire, England. Redshank tend to return to the same breeding area year after year. There was no detectable sex bias in return rates. Experienced birds were more site faithful than inexperienced birds, with previously successful birds exhibiting t...

Breeding Lapwings Vanellus vanellus were studied in the Eden Valley (Cumbria) and in Teesdale (County Durham) between 1990 and 1992. A total of 300 adult Lapwings and 801 near-fledged young were uniquely colour-ringed. Breeding adults were highly site-faithful, almost always nesting in the same or an adjacent field in successive years. Second-year...

The results of a long-term capture-mark-recapture ringing programme carried out on a coastal population of breeding Redshanks Tringa totanus between 1974 and 1988 are presented. Both sexes were equally likely to be recaptured in subsequent years, as were birds captured for the first time compared with those that had been captured previously. Older...

The Lapwing Vanellus vanellus has traditionally been regarded as a monogamous, single-brooded species, defending a single territory. Recent studies involving individually recognizable Lapwings have begun to challenge the ubiquity of these statements, with high frequencies of polygyny and the production of second broods being reported. Breeding Lapw...

1. In many parts of Britain and in other parts of western Europe, the lapwing Vanellus vanellus is declining. In order to determine if the decline in numbers was associated with a reduction in adult or first-year survival rates, an analysis of British ringing recoveries was conducted. 2. There was no evidence that survival after the first year of l...

Despite great variation in breeding, social and migration systems, there have been few long-term (more than 5 years) studies of waders. This paper describes a 27-year study of breeding Greenshanks Tringa nebularia, and briefly reviews the scope for long-term work on breeding waders in the Western Palaearctic. Between 1964 and 1990 a Greenshank popu...

Timing of breeding and breeding performance in the Redshank were studied in N. W. England during 1983-85. Older, more experienced Redshank tended to pair with birds of similar breeding experience and generally nested early in the season. Experienced females laid significantly larger eggs than inexperienced females. There was no significant differen...

This paper reviews growth and development of Redshank chicks in relation to growth in other waders. Chick weight was significantly correlated with egg volume (r = 0.76, P <0.001). At birth, the tarsii were well developed but the bill was short (30%) and the chick light (12%) relative to adult size. The effect of chick age on weight, bill and tarsus...

(1) The paper examines data from a 19-year study of a greenshank population in north-west Scotland. (2) Greenshanks completed clutches earlier, and laid heavier eggs, in years when early spring was warm. Laying date was independent of weather conditions around the time when chicks hatched. Fresh egg weight was heaviest in years when the laying seas...