Combining archive territory mapping data and aerial photography to investigate bird–habitat relationships: a case study from the Lincolnshire coast

Abstract

Capsule Habitat associations of breeding birds in a complex coastal environment are clear, interpretable and mostly consistent between years. Aims To match archive territory mapping data with historical aerial photographs and develop data handling and analytical techniques for the study of bird–habitat relationships. Methods Bird registrations were digitized from archive British Trust for Ornithology Common Birds Census maps and habitat characteristics from contemporaneous aerial photographs. The resulting maps were overlaid and ranks of habitat preference for 15 species calculated using compositional analysis. Similarity analysis identified species with consistent habitat profiles across years. Cluster analysis identified groups of species with similar patterns of habitat use. Results A total of 5400 registrations of 15 species in 14 habitats were analysed. Of these, 13 species showed stable patterns of habitat association across survey years. Clear differences and similarities in habitat preferences among the species were identified. The results may be used to inform conservation and management programmes in this and similar environments. Conclusions Extensive archives of bird survey data can be used to study bird–habitat relationships and to measure the effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental change if contemporaneous aerial photographs can be sourced.