Eckhard Gottschalk
@rebhahn.bsky.social
Scientist at Uni Göttingen, Department of Conservation Biology consbiogoe.bsky.social ; Research on farmland bird conservation
Less sedentary as we thought? Grey partridges shift their home ranges several times a year to meet changing seasonal needs. A telemetry study of 200 tagged birds reveals surprising mobility—with important implications for conservation. doi.org/10.1002/wlb3... #ornithology 🪶 #conservationscience 🌍
‘Save the Partridge’ has established a monitoring of Grey Partridges across Germany. 5,000 transects surveyed! Partners are @dda-avifauna.bsky.social , @uni-goettingen.de with @consbiogoe.bsky.social , and German Association for Landcare (DVL) #ornithology 🪶 #conservationscience 🌏
Das Interview beim Deutschlandfunk Kultur zum Vogel des Jahres 2026: share.deutschlandradio.de/dlf-audiothe...
Das Rebhuhn ist Vogel des Jahres 2026
share.deutschlandradio.de
Glückwunsch ans Rebhuhn! 🙌 War der Sieg verdient oder hättet ihr wen anderes erwartet?
Bird of the year 2026 in Germany!!! By a wide margin, the grey partridge won the @nabu.de vote! I hope the bird will benefit from the increased attention — its population is still in steep decline. #ornithology 🪶
#gfoe2025 has started, whohoo! Just enjoyed 2 great talks by @kampjohannes.bsky.social & @felixneff.bsky.social, highlighting the importance of considering longer time periods than just the last 2 decades to understand #biodiversity trends
The right spatial scale for bird conservation? #RebhuhnRetten tests a large-scale approach: across 10 study areas, each ~200 km², we implement conservation measures. The goal: together with farmers, transform 7% of farmland into valuable habitats. www.rebhuhn-retten.de #ornithology 🌍🪶
Infrared imagery highlights the value of extensive farmland habitats: they provide key resources for wildlife. Here, a flock of goldfinches harvests seeds in a flower block managed under #RebhuhnRetten #SaveThePartridge @consbiogoe.bsky.social #ornithology🪶🌍
This pair of Grey Partridges nested in a predator-free protective fence for great bustards and now started with excursions. 29 chicks, I have never seen such a large family! Filmed by Colin Grünler in early July. #ornithology 🪶
Freunde, #bluesky - Power, habt ihr dem #Kahlschlag an Beteiligungs- und Umweltrechten in #Brandenburg schon widersprochen? Wenn nicht, hier gleich noch machen, danke! #Verbandsklage #Demokratie cc @spiskol.bsky.social @s4f-bebb.bsky.social @campact.de weact.campact.de/petitions/de...
Demokratieabbau stoppen – Zivilgesellschaftliche Rechte in Brandenburg verteidigen!
Noch vor der Sommerpause des Landtages soll ein Artikelgesetz verabschiedet werden, das Beteiligungs- und Klagerechte der anerkannten Naturschutzverbänden deutlich einschränkt. Das Artikelgesetz strei...
weact.campact.de
We are testing the use of drones with infrared cameras at night to measure the survival rate of grey partridge nests. It's not easy! Partridges nest in well-hidden spots and are better insulated than migratory birds like lapwings. A real challenge. This pair hasn't started nesting yet. #birds
The starlings are enthusiastically advertising the second brood!
Just finished last week: 20th year of partridge mapping on a scale of 100 km². See also: doi.org/10.1002/wlb3...
New project! Ever wondered about shifting #baselines in #conservation? Thought about quantifying historical biodiversity losses? We launched a nationwide #resurvey of historical bird surveys in Germany. Together with www.dda-web.de, we have...
On February 20th, the nationwide partridge survey in Germany kicks off! 2/3 of the survey routes are already assigned, but maybe there's still one available near you? Scan the QR code and join in! Every partridge call counts!
Am 20. Februar geht es los mit der bundesweiten Rebhuhnkartierung! 2/3 der Kartierstrecken sind vergeben, aber vielleicht ist noch eine frei ganz in Deiner Nähe? QR-Code scannen und mitmachen! Jeder Rebhuhnruf zählt!
Regenwürmer lieben Blühstreifen Mehrjährige Blühstreifen an Äckern fördern nicht nur die oberirdische #Artenvielfalt. Auch Lebewesen unter der Erde profitieren davon: Dort leben dreimal so viele Regenwürmer wie in angrenzenden Ackerflächen.
Wie Regenwürmer von Blühstreifen profitieren
Mehrjährige Blühstreifen an Äckern fördern nicht nur die oberirdische Artenvielfalt. Auch Lebewesen unter der Erde profitieren davon: Dort leben dreimal so viele Regenwürmer wie in angrenzenden Ackerf...
tagesschau.de
On nearly 3,000 survey routes, we aim to gather a nationwide, representative overview of the number and distribution of partridges this year. Half of the transects are already assigned, but we’re still looking for volunteers to help with the rest. Who wants to join? www.dda-web.de/monitoring/r...
Hi new #birders / #ornithologists ! If you are new here and search some good "birdy" contacts, I made a starter pack some months ago with scientists/researchers of the domain. Don't hesitate to follow and share that list ! 🪶 And dm me if you want to join it ^^ #birds go.bsky.app/Azx5tt2
50 Jahre Datensammlung und Monitoring zu Vögeln in Niedersachsen! Der Jubiläumsband der NOV ist gerade erschienen!
50 years of data collection and monitoring of birds in Lower Saxony! The anniversary volume of the NOV has just been released!
Long, exciting feature in @science.org today on land #abandonment, #rewilding and biodiversity by @dancharles.bsky.social, covering our abandonment research across Europe and Kazakhstan. Based on interviews with Gergana and Johannes + site visit in Bulgaria. Free to read: bsky.app/profile/scie...
Large-scale forest disturbance & associated management shape bird communities in Central European spruce forests 🐦⬛ 🌏 Models revealed that responses are highly species-specific, with shrub-associated birds benefiting from disturbance in general 📊 🧪 🔗
buff.ly
Nestboxes for tree sparrows controlled: not the right target species in here!
Mixing on- and off-field measures for biodiversity conservation. www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
Mixing on- and off-field measures for biodiversity conservation
The continuing biodiversity losses through agricultural expansion and intensification are dramatic. We argue that a mix of on- and off-field measures is needed, overcoming the false dichotomy of the land sharing-sparing debate. Protected land is essential for global biodiversity, while spillover between farmed and natural land is key to reducing species extinctions. This is particularly effective in landscapes with small and diversified fields. Focusing only on protected land fails to conserve a wealth of species, which often provide major ecosystem services such as pest control, pollination, and cultural benefits. On-field measures must minimise yield losses to prevent increased demand for food imports from biodiversity-rich regions, requiring enforcement of high social–ecological land-use standards to ensure a good life for all.
cell.com
Predation is a problem for many ground-nesting birds. Where should measures for farmland birds be placed in the landscape to reduce the risk of predation? In our publication, we provide recommendations based on camera trap data. doi.org/10.1007/s105...
An experiment with 60 nestboxes: the birds avoided only the nest box with the low entrance hole (right). Only the deep nest box (left) was safe from the invasive predator, but the medium type was also chosen. Up to 150 raccoon visits in May and June at a single tree! Photo by V. Wirz.
As part of a bachelor thesis, we observed very high predation rates in nest boxes caused by invasive raccoons. Over 50% of broods in standard nest boxes were predated. This highlights the urgent need for adjustments to mitigate raccoon predation.
