The interest in birds has had a rapid increase since the 1800 century. Nowadays the interest is especially big in the US and UK. The aim of this study was to see if the interest in birds followed the same pattern here in Sweden, as well as to see why people get interested in birds to begin with. To answer the purposes of the study, questionnaires were handed out to people in the age of ten and older. Along with to see how many people were interested in birds, the purpose of the questionnaire was to see whom is interested in birds and if birds had any special meaning to the participants. The study indicated that the interest followed the same path here in Sweden as in the US and UK. Women were more interested in birds than men and the interest increased with age. The average bird enthusiast was a woman between 45 and 54 years old. However one can’t wholly tell why people are interested in birds, since the interest in birds lies within the people themselves. One can though say that birds and birding have physical and psychological health benefits, which could be a reason for their allure.

No description available.

The tree species preferences by six arboreal bird species and their role in structuring the bird communities in woodland were investigated in two sites in County Durham. Each bird species showed a preference or avoidance for most of the tree species in both study sites. The patterns of tree preference were different for each bird species, and were the basis for efficient partitioning of the foraging niches in woodland. Bird species showed significantly less overlap in tree species choice than in any of the other four niche dimensions examined, making it the most important dimension of the foraging niche. The tree species preferences of the bird species were reflected in the distribution of the birds within the woods. For each pair of bird species the degree of similarity in tree species choice and birds' distribution in the wood were identical. Bird species richness was predictable from tree species richness. There were significant positive correlations between all pairs of the following factors: bird species diversity, tree species diversity, bird species richness, tree species richness, bird density, and the percentage of broadleaved trees. Bird density was negatively correlated with the size of the wood (or compartment), apparently due to an edge effect. Seasonal and year to year changes in the tree preference by birds were explicable in terms of changes in the relative abundance of arthropod prey and other foods available in the trees.

The behaviour of sanderlings, Calidris alba, was studied at Teesmouth, N. E. England. Flock sizes and within-flock spacing were related to factors such as substrate type, season, and prey distribution. Sightings of individually-identifiable colour-ringed birds showed that turnover was high. Individuals varied in their vagility and in the way in which they allocated their time between feeding sites. There was a high degree of consistency between winters in the distributions of individual birds. When individual sighting frequencies were taken into account, associations between individual sanderlings, in terms of both flock membership and of occurrences at the same sites on the same days, were non-significantly different from those expected by chance. Previously used methods for detecting non-random associations gave inadequate null models. Each individual appeared to make a decision about where to feed independently of the decisions made by any other particular individuals .A number of aspects of the dynamics of flocks were examined, including flock cohesion; how flocks built up and broke down; whether birds tended to move to the largest or smallest, the nearest or furthest flocks; the effects of disturbance on flock dynamics; and the relationship between group size and the distance flown between flocks. The responses of sanderlings to experimental disturbances tended to support the hypothesis that responses should be varied according to the costs and benefits of different courses of action rather than the hypothesis that birds should take flight as soon as a predator is sighted. Birds often break off from performing an activity in order to raise their heads (scan). Preening birds had shorter inter-scan intervals than feeding birds. Flock size and spacing explained only a small proportion of the variance in vigilance. Vigilance was greater in autumn than in winter. There was some evidence for both feeding and preening birds avoiding very short inter-scan intervals but not for the avoidance of long intervals. Sequences of inter-scan interval durations of preening birds were non-random.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Adelaide, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-149).

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geography, 1979. / Two photos in end pocket.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1993. / Typescript (photography). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-100). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 73 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvii, 146 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.