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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gradders52" data-source="post: 1672565" data-attributes="member: 75771">And...Golden ploverEvidence that predation may cause declines in breeding numbers has been found for other wading bird species, too. While the UK breeding population of golden plovershas shown mixed trends over the last few decades, with evidence of declines in some regions (Gibbons et al. 1993; Sim et al. 2005; Raven and Noble 2006), those breeding on a moor in north-east Scotland declined rapidly to extinction during the 1980s. This decline coincided with the cessation of predator control andthe planting of conifers close to the breeding area (Harding et al. 1994; Parr 1992).Before these changes in management, numbers of golden plovers varied between 14 and 23 pairs over a ten-year period. During the subsequent decline, nest predation increased and annual breeding success declined, from 0.37 down to 0.02 young per breeding adult. Numbers of common gulls and carrion crows increased rapidly and were the main predators of nests in the first few years after the management changed,with foxes becoming increasingly important (Parr 1993). While the decline could have been explained by increased losses of adult golden plovers over winter, the evidence suggested that the decline was most likely a consequence of high levels of nest predation (Harding et al. 1994).just an observation...</blockquote>