A burning question: how does timing of breeding of upland birds affect risk posed by moorland burning?

A burning question: how does timing of breeding of upland birds affect risk posed by moorland burning? - British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)

There is considerable public interest in how our uplands are managed, one area of concern being about the potential for rotational burning of vegetation to impact on nesting birds. Rotational burning is a common form of land management in the UK uplands and is restricted to the colder half of the year, with the time period during which burning may be carried out varying between countries. In England and Scotland, burning can take place from the 1st October to 15th April, but in the latter, permission can be granted to extend the burning season to 30th April. In Wales, this period runs from 1st October to 31st March. What implications do these timings have for the birds that breed in these areas?

This question was addressed in a study funded by Natural England and DEFRA, and carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). Their report confirms the findings of many other studies that laying dates of most species have advanced (got earlier) in recent decades. Despite this, there is relatively little overlap between the current burning seasons (the period during which burning is permitted) and the nesting attempts of most upland birds.

That said, the overlap of the burning season with the nesting attempts of some early-breeding species, including Peregrine, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Stonechat, is higher. Many birds of these species start breeding before the end of the main burning season in England and Scotland. The proportion of breeding attempts overlapping with the burning season varies from 41% for Stonechat to 82% for Peregrine. In some parts of Scotland where burning is permitted until the end of April, this overlap is likely to be higher.

However, overall risk for populations of these species turns out to be very low. Most upland Peregrines nest on crags that are unlikely to be subject to moorland burning. Lapwings and Golden Plover are also unlikely to be directly impacted by burning. Burning management typically targets older stands of heather, knocking back tall, woody stems and promoting fresh growth for Red Grouse to eat. Because Lapwings and Golden Plovers prefer to nest in short vegetation, the areas they nest in are unlikely to be selected for burning.