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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Journal of Applied Ecology @jappliedecology.bsky.social · Aug 22

Bridging the implementation gap: From predator control to non-lethal impact-based intervention🌏

Through a co-designed experiment with practitioner & community engagement, this study evaluated the effects of diversionary feeding as a non-lethal strategy to reduce predation🧪

doi.org/10.1111/1365...

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

annakellner.bsky.social @annakellner.bsky.social · Aug 18

Check out my BlueSky talk at #BOUatEOU on rewilding
Excited to share my research at #BOUatEOU on breeding failure of tawny owls (Strix aluco) in commercial plantations 🦉🌲
How do owls deal with changing food availability and the return of a new nest predator?
#ornithology #predation #prey-switching

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

Implimentation has been supported by co-production, engagement, and dissemination through honest advocacy by the research team. However, there has been pushback from supporters of lethal control, likely rooted in land use preferences over evidential support.

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Bridging the implementation gap: From predator control to non‐lethal impact‐based intervention

We argue that pushback against diversionary feeding did not reflect disagreement on the validity of the scientific evidence but rather was rooted in deep divides over land management and the relative....

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

These positive results provide clear evidence that diversionary feeding is an effective tool to reduce the impact of predation on cappercaillie productivity.

Many land managers across the current cappercaillie range in Scotland are now deploying diversionary feeding for predator management.

A pine marten (a large brown weasel) appears from the middle of a red deer carcass.

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

Using detections from the camera traps, we were able to show that hens in sites with diversionary feeding had a significantly higher chance of having a brood. In turn, increasing chicks per hen (productivity) in September by 130%.

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Empirical evidence that diversionary feeding increases productivity in ground-nesting birds | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

The recovery of predator populations may negatively impact other species of conservation concern, leading to conservation conflicts. Evidence-based solutions are needed to resolve such conflicts. Robu...

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

To assess if the results of this artificial nest study translated to real cappercaillie broods, we trialled novel non-invasive monitoring via camera traps. We were able to identify if a hen had a brood and count how many chicks she had in her brood.

A large cappercaillie hen (mottled brown in colour) sits above her brood of four chicks, two females (also brown) and two males (black) are dat in a dust bath in the edge of a forest.

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

In our first experimental trial of diversionary feeding, we deployed artificial nests in a control and test design. We found that the presence of diversionary feeding reduced artificial nest predation by 83%. Mainly due to reduced pine marten predation.

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Evaluating diversionary feeding as a method to resolve conservation conflicts in a recovering ecosystem

Diversionary feeding is an easily employable method shown in this study to reduce predator impact (functional) without lethal (numerical) intervention.

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 18

Check out my bluesky talk for #BOUatEOU.

We found that diversionary feeding is a suitable impact based tool to reduce conflicts between recovering predators (pine marten) and endangered ground nesting birds (cappercaillie) in Scottish Forests.

🧪🌍🦤🍁

A large black bird (male cappercaillie) sits to the left of the image. He has a large red crest above his eye and large fanned tail feathers.

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Aug 17

Check out these amazing wildlife images! One of the runners up was a picture from my cappercaillie monitoring! 📸

Springer Nature @springernature.com · Aug 15

A striking photograph of two male saiga antelope sparring on the banks of a steppe lake is the winner of the 2025 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition.
Learn more about all winning images: spklr.io/63321BGOvf

@bmc.springernature.com #PhotoCompetition

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Amber Cowans (she/her) @ambercowans.bsky.social · Aug 8

📝 Are you using multispecies occupancy models to investigate interactions in species occupancy (i.e. co-occurrence)? 🦁🦓

Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️

Sample size considerations for species co‐occurrence models

Multispecies occupancy models are widely applied to infer interactions in the occurrence of different species, but convergence and estimation issues under realistic sample sizes are common. We conduc...

doi.org

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Pablo Garcia-Diaz @pablo-ecology.bsky.social · Jul 31

Interestingly, I have noticed a reticence to consider options other than population control when managing invasive species. We wrote about it here academic.oup.com/bioscience/a.... 🌐 #bioinvasions

Screenshot of the first paragraph of the conclusions of the paper by Garcia-Diaz et al. The highlighted text read 'Relying on species-based control is not a guaranteed approach for the long-term management of IAS impacts, as many policies and strategies assume. IAS control should be seen as one of a wider range of potential interventions available for impact-based long-term management policies and strategies. We stress that IAS control remains vital, but this is not the only intervention available, nor should it be taken as a synonym for long-term management of IAS.'

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Jul 31

@lambin-ecology.bsky.social @chrissuthy.bsky.social @kennyafc.bsky.social

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Jul 31

New perspective out today in @jappliedecology.bsky.social.
We reflect on co-producing evidence in an effort to bridge the implementation gap, for evidence based, impact focused predator control.
What worked, what didn't and where barriers to implimentation still remain.

You can't win them all... 🧪

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Chris Sutherland @chrissuthy.bsky.social · Jul 4

My first @uk.theconversation.com article with @jackantbam.bsky.social and @lambin-ecology.bsky.social and @kennyafc.bsky.social

"Surprisingly effective way to save the capercaillie: keep its predators well-fed"

theconversation.com/a-surprising...

A surprisingly effective way to save the capercaillie: keep its predators well-fed – new research

Evidence suggests this alternative to culling the bird’s predators is effective.

theconversation.com

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Jul 4

Check our @theconversation.com article, alongside @chrissuthy.bsky.social and @lambin-ecology.bsky.social (special mention to @kennyafc.bsky.social). Where we breakdown the entire diversionary feeding project!

A surprisingly effective way to save the capercaillie: keep its predators well-fed – new research

Evidence suggests this alternative to culling the bird’s predators is effective.

theconversation.com

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Jun 25

@lambin-ecology.bsky.social
@chrissuthy.bsky.social
@kennyafc.bsky.social
@cairngormsconnect.bsky.social

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · Jun 25

🚨 New publication 📝

Out today in the royal society proceedings B. We find that diversionary feeding boosts productivity of cappercaille from 0.82 to 1.90. Indicating that this impact based method can effectively reduce the influence of predation.

Read all about it here: shorturl.at/QRb76

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · Dec 18

Check out Jack's new paper!

Diversionary feeding of predators (in this case a Pine Martin) increases the breeding success of Capercaillie, as fewer eggs get stolen

#SciArt