Andrzej Dombrowski
Ornis Polonica 2024, 65: 184–196
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2024.3.2
Abstract: In 1984 and 2001, the structure of breeding assemblages of birds inhabiting 12 mid-field pole stands of pine on the floodplain of the Vistula River valley in the Central Masovian Lowland was determined. The forest islands ranged in size from 0.1 ha to 13.0 ha (31.8 ha in total) and were 26 years old in 1984 and 43 years old in 2001. In the year 1984, a total of 26 breeding species were found in the total number of 145 pairs and a density per total forest area of 45.6 p/10 ha. In the year 2001, the corresponding values were: 42 species, 345 pairs and 108.5 p/10 ha. Forest edge species dominated in both years. In the year 2001, the most abundant were the Fieldfare Turdus pilaris (17.2%), the Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs (12.5%), the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (7.2%) and the Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella (7%). A total of 44 species were recorded in both periods. After 17 years, species richness increased by 1.6 times and the abundance of the whole assemblage by 2.4 times. 18 species have arrived and two have ceased nesting: the Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur and the Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus. New breeding species (9) were predominantly woodland, six species from the forest edge group, two open area species and one synanthropic species. In both 1984 and 2001, there were twice as many species foraging outside the forest woodlots. The lower number of species and the lower abundance of birds in pine pole stands near Otwock compared to other regions of Poland were due to the habitats’ lower age and fertility. Mid-field pine pole stands play a significant role in enriching the breeding avifauna of the agricultural landscape. Species foraging outside the woodlots provide a kind of ecological link between fields and meadows and the woodlots. Initiatives to introduce mid-field afforestation should therefore be supported, as even small woods surrounded by fields are an important element in enhancing the biodiversity of the agricultural landscape.
Keywords: breeding birds, changes in abundance, mid-field forests
