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How much do Badgers affect ground nesting birds (1 Viewer)

T

trw

Well-known member
I am trying to separate rural myths from reality.
Having spoken to a few local farmers they lament the loss of Curlews,Skylarks and Curlew, blaming Badgers as the primary culprit.
They do not discount Foxes,Crows and Magpies but reckon Badgers are the worst offenders,eating eggs in nests.
Have there been any definitive studies to back up their claims?
 
pratincol said:
I am trying to separate rural myths from reality.
Having spoken to a few local farmers they lament the loss of Curlews,Skylarks and Curlew, blaming Badgers as the primary culprit.
They do not discount Foxes,Crows and Magpies but reckon Badgers are the worst offenders,eating eggs in nests.
Have there been any definitive studies to back up their claims?
Click to expand...

Poor habitat leads to increased predation by predators like badgers, foxes and crows. If the habitat is good then predation is less of a problem. However If you want to increase breeding success of ground nesting birds, then reducing predation by these generalist predators (includes badger) is a benefit.
 
I don't know of any scientific studies that have shown Badgers to be the / a major cause in the decline of ground nesting birds, but I've a suspicion that predation by other mustelids, such as Stoats and Weasels, may be equal to that of Badgers. It may be cynicism on my part but, would they be claiming Badgers as the main culprit if it was domestic Cats / Dogs that were part of the Bovine TB cycle? As Mayo Corncrake says, reduction of access by all predators, and an improvement of habitat, is the way to benefit species such as Sky Lark and Curlew.
 
I've been told in the past week or two that about 300 eggs and chicks from the arctic tern colony at Long Nanny in Northumberland (it's subject to a 24 hour warden-watch) were lost this summer to a badger that made short work of the plastic mesh fence put up against people and their dogs who may inadvertently wander into the colony.

This blog I found suggests a similar problem last year also.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3650806
 
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An individual Badger could certainly cause havoc in a tern colony, but with dispersed birds like breeding waders, the main culprit is overgrazing by sheep - no long grass makes the nests impossible to hide, and easy targets for any predator.

Accidental trampling by sheep is also a major factor - for every badger, there's probably 200 or more sheep trampling around. Nowhere escapes their footfall.
 
One did a pretty good job at Minsmere on Springwatch, I would imagine a few people were cringing when that came on screen.
 
Individual Badgers, as with any other predator, can cause massive damage to individual colonies ( lots of prey in a small area ) but the idea that a whole species, on its own, can be blamed for the demise of Sky Lark or Curlew that don't nest in colonies is, IMO, a bit farfetched. Badgers occur across the temperate zone of Eurasia and I'd expect to be hearing of them 'wreaking havoc' across the range, not just, as it seems, the UK.
 
We lack the top predators that would deal not just with the meso-predators but also the ungulates that damage the understorey in woodland and the grass length in open country. And even if I was prepared to accept a human cull as a substitute (which I'm not), human selection criteria are not the same as those of natural top predators and would not have the proper effect on the ecosystem.

John
 
The most sensible sentences I've seen on Birdforum in a long while.
Could not agree more.

Farnboro John said:
We lack the top predators that would deal not just with the meso-predators but also the ungulates that damage the understorey in woodland and the grass length in open country. And even if I was prepared to accept a human cull as a substitute (which I'm not), human selection criteria are not the same as those of natural top predators and would not have the proper effect on the ecosystem.

John
Click to expand...
 
Before we all start getting too excited, this is what Mayo Corncrake actually said :-

Mayo Corncrake said:
Poor habitat leads to increased predation by predators like badgers, foxes and crows. If the habitat is good then predation is less of a problem. However If you want to increase breeding success of ground nesting birds, then reducing predation by these generalist predators (includes badger) is a benefit.
Click to expand...

Reducing predation , not reducing predators. Improving habitat ( and enlarging the areas of the same ) will reduce the incidents of predation by increasing the areas of cover for ground nesters and increasing the variety, and numbers, of alternative prey species.
 
Nutcracker said:
An individual Badger could certainly cause havoc in a tern colony, but with dispersed birds like breeding waders, the main culprit is overgrazing by sheep - no long grass makes the nests impossible to hide, and easy targets for any predator.

Accidental trampling by sheep is also a major factor - for every badger, there's probably 200 or more sheep trampling around. Nowhere escapes their footfall.
Click to expand...

In one of the areas I visit there is relatively little sheep interference.
In another there are large areas fenced off from sheep.
In both the farmers have noticed the Lapwings,Curlew and Skylarks have disappeared.
One of them said it was unfair to always blame the farmers.
Where ARE Curlews,Lapwing and Skylarks breeding in good numbers.I see thousands of Curlew and Lapwing locally in Winter in coastal sites.
 
pratincol said:
In one of the areas I visit there is relatively little sheep interference.
In another there are large areas fenced off from sheep.
In both the farmers have noticed the Lapwings,Curlew and Skylarks have disappeared.
One of them said it was unfair to always blame the farmers.
Where ARE Curlews,Lapwing and Skylarks breeding in good numbers.I see thousands of Curlew and Lapwing locally in Winter in coastal sites.
Click to expand...
In Mayo Birdwatch Ireland have a small reserve for breeding waders. Productivity of breeding waders was very poor until a predator-proof fence was put in. Numbers have improved considerably since I believe. The area is full of foxes (Badgers also present), so the fence has had a great impact.
 
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pratincol said:
In one of the areas I visit there is relatively little sheep interference.
In another there are large areas fenced off from sheep.
In both the farmers have noticed the Lapwings,Curlew and Skylarks have disappeared.
One of them said it was unfair to always blame the farmers.
Where ARE Curlews,Lapwing and Skylarks breeding in good numbers.I see thousands of Curlew and Lapwing locally in Winter in coastal sites.
Click to expand...

Fenced off grasslands are likely to involve cutting for hay or silage: most grassland is no longer meadow but "improved" grassland lacking biodiversity: areas fenced off may be opened up to sheep/cattle later.

Often drainage has been improved, there may be chemical run-off from nearby fields, or there may be supplementary feeding of sheep, usually done by running a quadbike round - the effect on nests can be easily imagined.

I'm sure Mayo Corncrake farms responsibly but in general farmers and wildlife don't mix well.

John
 
Farnboro John said:
Fenced off grasslands are likely to involve cutting for hay or silage: most grassland is no longer meadow but "improved" grassland lacking biodiversity: areas fenced off may be opened up to sheep/cattle later.

Often drainage has been improved, there may be chemical run-off from nearby fields, or there may be supplementary feeding of sheep, usually done by running a quadbike round - the effect on nests can be easily imagined.

I'm sure Mayo Corncrake farms responsibly but in general farmers and wildlife don't mix well.

John
Click to expand...

Most farmers that I know would be fairly intensive and as such their farms would not be wildlife friendly. There are however those that have the interest/knowledge and do their bit, which would be the minority of farmers.
(I'm only a part-time/hobby farmer).
 
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