In short
We are raising £6000 to fund our fieldwork for 2016, which will allow us to continue monitoring bird nests on Dartmoor. This will help us to continue studying the breeding requirements of declining bird species, and identify suitable measures for supporting their conservation.
Who are we?
We are the Dartmoor Upland Bird Nest Group, a small group of bird enthusiasts, ornithologists and scientists from the University of Exeter. We have been studying the breeding of ground-nesting birds for the past eight years. Each spring we find and monitor up to 300 bird nests on the upland moors of Dartmoor National Park. The main species we are interested in are the Meadow Pipit, Cuckoo, Stonechat and Whinchat. The data that we collect from monitoring nests and ringing nestling birds is shared with stakeholders, used by two PhD students in our group for research, and provided to the British Trust for Ornithology to contribute to the national data on breeding birds.
What are our aims?
Some of our study species are showing strong national declines, and understanding their breeding is essential to inform conservation. Through our fieldwork, we aim to provide detailed data for scientific study and conservation management. We study the timing of breeding, breeding success and breeding requirements of the birds. This will help us understand which breeding habitats need to be protected, and at which time of the year disturbance needs to be reduced to allow birds to breed successfully. In addition to the scientific studies, we also aim to bring together various stakeholders to communicate our findings and ensure action and long-term improvements in bird conservation.
Why are we fundraising?
Our fieldwork has been volunteer run over the past eight years, but we need to expand our project and collect more data to effectively address some of the key scientific questions for informing conservation.This increased fieldwork effort will not be possible based solely on a volunteer basis, and we have increased equipment and running expenses that need to be covered.
Where will the money go?
The money you pledge will fund our fieldwork for the 2016 season. The £6000 we hope to raise will be used to finance equipment (such as bird rings), running costs and expenses associated with delivering the programme, as well compensation for unpaid leave that our volunteers take each year to be able to complete the work. By contributing to this project, you will ensure the continuation of a valuable long-term ornithological research project that aims to study and protect declining upland moorland bird species.
Find Out more
You can find out more about who we are and what we do at: www.dartmoornests.org
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Help us increase our chances of success by sharing this project with anyone you think would support us – share the link to this page via email or social media.
Rewards
Make sure you check out the rewards that we offer to thank you for your help! The rewards have been created by the fantastic artists and photographers from our group.
Every £1 makes a positive impact to our work, and we can assure you that 100% of your donation goes to funding our work.
