Annual Report Of The Edward Grey Institute (May 1957, to April 1958)

This Scottish study offers comparisons with a previous national Nest Record Card analysis based on mainly English data. In the north, clutches average larger and are laid later, and larger clutches are more successful. Within a clutch hatching appears not to be synchronised; and nestling growth rates are not correlated with brood size. The overall breeding success found in Lowland Scotland was 76.3%.     

Annual Report Of The Edward Grey Institute (May 1959 to April 1960)

First-year Cuckoos commence emigration at a lower body-weight than adults. The author suggests that foisting their offspring on other species may allow the adult Cuckoos to specialise on certain foods (viz hairy lepidopterous larvae), enabling themselves to depart early on migration.     

Edward Grey Institute Of Field Ornithology Annual Report (May 1960 to April 1961)

The Wren and other small resident birds continue to increase, and the Goldcrest is now ten times commoner than it was a decade ago. Some summer visitors, however, have now reached their lowest ‘index’ since the Common Birds Census began.     

Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology annual report (May 1965 to April 1966)

Edward Grey Institute Of Field Ornithology     

Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology report (May 1970 - May 1972)

The results of ringing over the last 60 years show that while the majority of British raptors migrate within the British Isles, some go to Europe and a few to Africa This analysis looks at British recoveries, both of locally bred and foreign birds, in the context of European movements as a whole. Besides providing information on migration routes and winter quarters, the ringing results emphasise that raptor conservation needs to be on an international scale.     

Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology

Suspended moult of the remiges is a feature of many long-distance migrant species; the authors, after examination of a large sample of birds trapped in Iberia, consider that it has adaptive significance and may help us better to understand how different moult patterns have evolved. They describe the various moult suspension strategies which permit birds to migrate with an unimpaired flight facility, and give particular attention to two remarkable departures from the normal, namely Savi's Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.     

Report of the Alpine Section, 1958

Background: Over 10,000 island endemic angiosperms are highly threatened by extinction. Yet, few of these species have the temporal change in their range documented and quantified, particularly within a potentially informative context of a long period of botanical study.

Aim: Here, we used Roussea simplex a mono-specific genus endemic to Mauritius, itself an island with long botanical history and advanced habitat destruction extent, to investigate how the distribution and population of this model oceanic island plant changed through time.

Methods: All known localities and population size estimates were compiled from published literature, herbarium specimens, surveys and personal communications to estimate changes in population size, extent of occurrence and area of occupancy and investigate main distribution patterns.

Results: Roussea simplex survives in nine high elevation sites. Since the 1930s, its range halved relative to its maximum known distribution and its population size decreased much faster than direct habitat loss would predict. It now qualifies as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List categories.

Conclusions: Even in an extremely deforested island, endemic plant population decline may be driven more by diminishing habitat quality than diminishing habitat extent. This renders habitat protection alone insufficient, therefore addressing ecological interactions is vital to stem population decline.