FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF UPLAND BIRDS IN THE SOUTH PENNINES, ENGLAND

Golden plover Pluvialis apricaria, dunlin Calidris alpina, redshank Tringa totanus and curlew Numenius arquata were associated mainly with low potential disturbance and high plateaux (>430 m). Passerines were associated more with the vegetation. Twite Acanthis flavirostris and ring ouzel Turdus torquatus shared strong affinities with Calluna vulgaris- and Pteridium aquilinum-dominated areas. Merlin Falco columbarius preferred steep areas with Calluna and Pteridium. Short-eared owl Asio flammeus avoided blanket bog, but preferred the grass- and sedge-dominated margins of reservoirs, moorland with short vegetation, and areas frequented by gamekeepers. Topography is a major factor associated with the breeding distribution of moorland birds. Management associated with rotational burning, light grazing by sheep and no persecution should sustain the moorland bird assemblage in N England. -from Authors