Past Student Profile

Ailsa McKenzie

Tel: 0191 2225952
Email: a.j.mckenzie@ncl.ac.uk
 Address: School of Biology
Rm 4.54, Ridley Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

Research Interests

I am a graduate of Aberdeen and Glasgow Universities (BSc Hons Zoology/ MRes Ecology & Environmental Biology).  I have previously worked on habitat selection in bats and the significance of garden feeding in birds, but now work on organic farming and its effects on birds. Through this I have developed a primary interest in food choice – the selection of organic vs. conventional foodstuffs. Other interests include general agriculture/biodiversity issues, habitat selection and garden feeding in birds.

Project

The effect of organic farming on foraging by granivorous birds

The aim of this project is to investigate the influence of organic farming on foraging of granivorous birds.  Several studies have shown that farms under organic management tend to have greater abundance and diversity of birds than farms managed within conventional farming systems. Promoting organic farming could, therefore, enhance populations of European farmland birds (whose populations have fallen dramatically over recent decades) but the mechanisms whereby these systems benefit birds remain unclear. Although organic farming systems are mainly defined by a lack of use of artificial pesticides and fertilizers there are other changes to farmland which often accompany conversion of a farm from conventional to organic management. Previous studies found that hedgerows tend to be taller and wider and field boundaries tend to have more trees, all of which are favoured by many different farmland bird species. If organic management systems, or components of these systems, are to be advocated as a conservation measure for farmland birds it is vital to understand whether the benefits relate to management of cropped or non cropped habitats. This project focuses on the differences in food quality between different crop types for birds and also the use of different crops by birds.

Publications

  • McKenzie, A.J., Petty, S.J., Toms, M. P. & Furness, R.W. (2007) Importance of Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis seed and garden bird-feeders for Siskins Carduelis spinus and Coal Tits Periparus ater. Bird Study, 54: 236-247.