One of the key pieces of research the GWCT team are currently working on is trying to prove exactly what is driving the decline in ground-nesting bird populations.
If you look at the red list of Birds of Conservation Concern you’ll notice lapwing, curlew, ringed plover and skylark are all red-listed, as are grey partridge and woodcock.
To capture what’s causing these declines, whether it’s badgers, foxes, livestock, crows, human disturbance or otherwise, we need cameras. Lots of cameras. Trail cameras show us exactly what is predating nests and provide vital evidence we can share with policymakers, landowners, conservation bodies, and the government.
It’s straightforward for our scientists, advisors, and the land managers we work with to assess if they have the right habitat and food provision to support ground-nesting birds. The real struggle comes with understanding what is causing nest losses. We could never afford to monitor these nests in person, waiting for a predator to strike.
That’s why trail cameras are such an effective tool and are vital for this research. They are like additional, computerised fieldworkers, showing us what happens when we’re not around.
Sadly these cameras are expensive (each one costs £150). We know times are tough but if ten people could spare £15 here then our scientists will be able to monitor another nest every breeding season.
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