A recent communication from the BTO requests nests to
be sent to Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a PhD student at Sussex University, who is
currently working on the impact of pesticides on songbirds. Although bird
protection law permits the cleaning out of nests between 1st
September and 31st January, some hole-nesting species, including
sparrows, may have second or third broods in the same nest. Therefore, their
nests should be left until later in the autumn when it is certain that they are
no longer in use. However, once you are certain that the nest is no longer
in use, then please consider sending it to Cannelle, to further her important
research, part of which, as she explains, is “to understand the exposure of
chicks to pesticide within the nest. Birds' nests are composed of a wide range
of materials, often including animal-derived materials such as feathers, hair
and fur. Parasite treatments are applied on pets and livestock on a regular
basis, which could potentially end up in a bird's nest. We intend to find out
if chicks are exposed to these treatments.”
All you have to do is fill in a short form with details of the nest, and send it
and the nest to Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, PhD student, Evolution,
Behaviour and Environment School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex,
Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG.
Cannelle can be contacted at ct430@sussex.ac.uk
One of our members, Laura Bimson, has already sent in three nests from
her garden in Liverpool 12, photos below. It would be great if more of our
members could do the same, and help to further this important research.
Successful blue tit nest in Laura's garden10 eggs, 8 chicks
Successful starling nest in Laura's garden
4 eggs, 4 chicks
Unsuccessful starling nest in Laura's garden5 eggs, 5 deceased chicks
FURTHER INFORMATION
COLLECTING NESTS
From the Nesting Neighbours participants
We hope this will help us understand
the exposure of chicks to pesticides within the nest and the impact on
songbirds.
Birds’ nests are composed of a wide range of materials, often including
animal-derived materials such as feathers, hair and fur. Parasite
treatments are applied on pets and livestock on a regular basis with a variety
of veterinary treatments and they could potentially end up in a bird’s nest. We
intend to find out if this happens
Method
So that we can keep track of which
nest came from where, please fill in the
form below and include in with your nest(s).
Nest(s) should be place in a closed
bag (Ziploc bag, envelopes) with one
nest per bag. If you are sending multiple nests, please make sure you label them in some way (number on the
bag/envelop).
If there are unhatched eggs or dead
chicks please leave them in the nest.
You are advised to wear gloves and ensure
the Ziploc bag is closed outside. Wash your hands after handling the nest.
Nest Collection Form
Your name:
Questions:
Is there farmland within 200m of your
house? _____________________________
Circle if there are:
cattle/sheep/goats/horses/poultry/pigs/dogs/cats
Do you have pets or other animals?
______________________ if yes,
What type e.g. dog/cat/rabbit?
________________________________________
How many of each? __________________________________________
Do they have access to the
outside/your garden? ___________________________________
Do you treat them for fleas?
_____________ if yes,
With what? _____________________________________________________
How frequent? _______________________________________________________
Do you place their hair outside (for
birds to build their nests)? ________________________
Message from the blog poster: the below should be in table format, but it is not working in Blogger! If you contact Cannelle, she should be able to send you the form.
Bag number:
Date of nest collection:
Location (postcode):
Habitat (type):
Species:
Total number of eggs:
Number of unhatched eggs:
Total number of chicks:
Number of dead chicks:
Written by Debra Williams
