Science matters
BASC monitors scientific journals, environmental, policy and political alerts for the results of studies of relevance to shooting and conservation. Below are links to a selection of papers published in July – September 2026.
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Birds
- High and stable Eurasian Curlew Numenius
- Per capita production of young and adult female survival drive population dynamics of a duck flyway population
- Game for nature. Why released gamebird management is a lifeline for declining farmland biodiversity. GWCT Report
- The importance of timing in goose grazing effects on winter wheat yield
- Neither legal huntability nor harvest-based hunting interest explain broad-scale variation in population decline probability at the European scale
- Mammalian Predators and Red-Legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) Releases: A Case Study
- Ecological Role of the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in Maintaining Tick Populations in Croatia
- Home range shifts and habitat selection across life-history stages in grey partridges
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of variation in nest predation of ground-nesting birds
- Effects of gamebird release on the non-gamebird dietary diversity and composition of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Southern England – Preprint paper
- Effects of seasonal selective predator control on wild red-legged partridges, target and non-target predators: a case study from southwestern Spain
- Role of corvids and foxes in predation on artificial nests of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in urban and agricultural environments
- The Anatidae Family. Biology, Ecology, and Conservation
- Climate change and the UK’s birds – impacts risks and conservation responses
- Isotopic assignment to origins of Eurasian Woodcock wintering in Britain and Ireland
- The vertical dimension of bird migration: spatial and temporal variation in flight altitude of migrating Eurasian woodocks (Scolopax rusticola)
- Chewing lice and feather mites associated with Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola (L., 1758) in Belgium (Psocodea: Phthiraptera & Acari: Sarcoptiformes)
- Latitudinal variation in seasonal migration of Eurasian curlews Numenius a. arquata breeding in Great Britain: breeding failure advances departure timing in southern populations
- Lessons from GPS-tagged Eurasian Curlews: synthesising movement ecology to inform conservation
- Review of Curlew-focused conservation interventions in the UK and Western Europe, and assessment of intervention scenarios using population modelling
- Can upland agri-environment schemes in England support Curlew recovery? A review of current scheme options with farmer perspectives
- Short-term survival of mallards following external transmitter attachment
- arquata numbers on low-intensity farmland and moorland managed for Red Grouse Lagopus scotica recreational shooting in northern England
- Survival, causes of mortality and nesting success of wild hen pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in Norfolk, eastern England
- Exploring sources of uncertainty in the estimate of waterfowl harvest in the United Kingdom
- The dispersal of released pheasants and the risk of their intrusion into English protected areas – Preprint article
- A spatial analysis of Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) abundance with reference to Protected Area coverage in England – Preprint article
- GPS tracking reveals new insights into the complexity of Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) migration along the East Atlantic Flyway
- Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years
- Isotopic evidence for the consumption of Galliformes by the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in rural southern England
- Ducks across the pond – challenges and opportunities for collaboration between North America and Europe
- Nest-site selection and seasonal habitat shifts of the enigmatic Eurasian woodcock across its Palaearctic breeding range revealed by open-source data
- Golden Eagle recovery feasibility in England
- Brood Parasite Population Increase Facilitates Interspecific Brood Parasitism of Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) by Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Mammals
- Landscape-scale eradication of American mink: a successful feasibility trial
- Using wild deer as sentinels reveals spatial variation in the abundance and diversity of Mycobacteria in northeast Scotland
- Assessment of deer survey methods – NatureScot research report
- National forest inventory data reveals differential impacts of deer species on plant growth forms
- Effects of season and antler growth on carcass traits and meat quality in wild male red deer harvested by selective stalking
- From pixels to plants: linking remotely sensed habitat data to roe deer diet from DNA metabarcoding in Scottish forest landscape – Preprint paper
- Evaluating automated acoustic monitoring for the invasive reeve’s muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi): detecting presence, absence and survey design
- Selectivity and efficiency of predator control methods: a case study from a Mediterranean hunting ground
Land management
- Review of approaches and development of a decision framework for SPA boundary extensions in the UK
- Habitat Loss Through Renewable Energy Infrastructure: Budgeting the Energetic Consequences for Wintering Geese
- Timing matters for farmland breeding waders: Aligning agri-environment exclusion periods with species- and latitude-specific nesting phenology
- The short-term effects of wildfire on heathland bird communities: a case study at Killarney National Park, Ireland – Preprint paper
- Vehicle tracks in the UK uplands vary in occurrence with land use and overlap with peatlands and protected areas
- Tracking and modelling native woodland expansion in the Scottish Highlands using LiDAR
Other topics
- Reduction in lead exposure of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in New Zealand: concentrations of lead in blood and liver, and frequency of shot ingestion by ventricular retention
- Trichinella detection in wild boar meat intended for private consumption: Insights from a European study
- Effectiveness of current and potential conservation actions for amphibians, birds and mammals
- Multiple strains of Trichomonas gallinae are widespread in reservoir hosts and environmental resources in UK farmland
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