Want to learn about wild birds or maybe you have a view? (From Smallholder)

Want to learn about wild birds or maybe you have a view?

12:53pm Saturday 21st November 2009

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Wild bird care in the garden UFAW International Symposium, London, 2010 A scientific look at large scale, do-it-yourself wildlife management, ‘Wild bird care in the garden’ is the subject of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) International Symposium to be held in London at the beginning of May 2010.

In recent years, there has been a huge growth of interest in feeding garden birds in many countries. In the UK, the amounts provided make a significant contribution to the annual food requirements of many bird populations. At a time when human changes to the environment are a major threat to many other species, garden bird feeding is grass roots, do-it-yourself wildlife management on a large scale.

Whether we like it or not, in meeting the needs of the vast and rapidly growing human population and in tackling the associated environmental consequences, the whole world is becoming a managed environment. Can lessons learned from caring for free-living backyard wildlife be applied more widely to help conserve biodiversity and to avoid adversely affecting wildlife welfare?

The aim of this Symposium is to consider these questions and to share the results of recent research and advances in understanding on various aspects of the feeding and management of garden birds – matters that UFAW and others have been working on together in recent years through the Garden Bird Health Initiative (see http://www.ufaw.org.uk/gbhi.php).

Talks will include, amongst others: ‘Impacts of over-winter feeding on health and productivity’ (Jonathan Blount and Stuart Bearhop, University of Exeter); ‘Provision of supplementary food at garden feeding stations and its value to wild birds in Britain and Ireland’ (Mike Toms and David Glue, British Trust for Ornithology); ‘Factors influencing disease transmission at garden feeding stations: a national analysis’ (Liz Humphreys, Rob Robinson, Becki Lawson and Mike Toms, BTO and Institute of Zoology); and ‘Trichomonosis – an emerging threat to garden birds’ (Becki Lawson, Institute of Zoology).

If you are interested in presenting a paper or poster at the symposium please contact UFAW (details below) as soon as possible.

For further information about the symposium or to register your interest in attending contact Stephen Wickens, Development Officer, UFAW, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts AL4 8AN. Telephone +44 (0)1582 831818, fax +44 (0)1582 831414, email wickens@ufaw.org.uk, website www.ufaw.org.uk.

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