Which species of small mammals tolerate highly urbanized areas – the study in Warsaw agglomeration and surroundings

The degree of penetration of urban habitats by small terrestrial mammals was studied in Warsaw agglomeration and in adjacent areas up to 50 km from the city centre. Study material consisted of pellets of the tawny owl Strix aluco collected in 85 sites, which contained 15,152 remains of individuals of small mammals. The species that penetrated city agglomeration most intensively were: Apodemus agrarius, Mus musculus, Talpa europaea, Rattus norvegicus and Microtus subterraneus. Most central sites of these species were situated 1.3–2.3 km from the city centre. Microtus agrestis, Mustela nivalis, Arvicola amphibius, Neomys fodiens, Muscardinus avellanarius and Sicista betulina showed the lowest degree of penetration of an urban agglomeration (sites closest to the city centre: 8.2, 8.6, 8.6, 11.2, 17.8 and 20.2 km, respectively). Species, whose share among the owls’ prey decreased most with the distance from the city centre, were: A. agrarius and T. europaea. The reverse pattern was found for M. agrestis and M. avellanarius. Small terrestrial mammals are sensitive to the proceeding urbanization and the central part of Warsaw agglomeration is penetrated by only 1/3 of species of the local fauna

Density dynamics, diet composition and productivity of sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus L. population in central Poland

Long-term monitoring of raptor populations can serve as a proxy for the evaluation of whole ecosystem health. The aim of the study was to compare the current abundance of the sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus L. with data from past decades. Additionally, we examined the diet of this species in the breeding season and recorded the number of fledglings

Pigeon and Poultry Breeders, Friends or Enemies of the Northern Goshawk <i>Accipiter gentilis</i>? A Long-Term Study of a Population in Central Poland

In this study, we focused on a goshawk population in central Poland (study area 105 km2, forests 24 km2, seven small forest complexes) which was monitored long-term (with high densities recorded in the 1980s of 16.3 pairs/100 km2 despite persecution by farmers) to analyse how environmental factors (prey availability and changes in the forest structure) influenced population abundance, breeding parameters, and diet composition. The study was undertaken from 2011&#8211;2018, and the results were compared with published data from two previous study periods (1982&#8211;1992 and 2001&#8211;2003). The number of breeding pairs dropped from 17.1 to 8.0; the breeding success was around 75% in all study periods. The selection of nesting trees followed the changes in stand species and age structure. More nesting attempts per one nest were recorded in the current time period (1.7 vs. 1.1), which probably reflected lower anthropopressure (i.e., no cases of persecution were recorded in this study). Diet composition seemed to follow changes in the prey availability: The share of domestic pigeons and poultry (the main prey in the 1980s) as well as small game dropped, while the share of Eurasian jay and wood pigeon increased. Our studies suggested that anthropogenic food (poultry and domestic pigeons) played a key role for the goshawk population in the transformed habitats of the field and forest mosaic

Den-Dwelling Carnivores in Central Poland: Long-Term Trends in Abundance and Productivity

The monitoring of medium-sized carnivores is essential because of their role in disease transmission and as predators. We focused on red foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, and domestic dogs, and considered 9441 ha of field–forest mosaic in Central Poland. We compared current (2011–2018) abundance (i.e., number of natal dens recorded annually) and breeding parameters (assessed with the aid of camera traps) with published past data (1980s–1990s). The red fox population increased after rabies vaccinations were introduced and has increased further in the last few years. The population is now stable, which suggests that other factors, possibly mange, limit the population instead. Contrary to historical data, one-fourth of red fox females now breed outside of forests areas, indicating the high plasticity of the species. The number of natal dens of badgers and recruitment rates have also increased. The mean litter sizes of these two species are positively affected by small rodent availability. The raccoon dog, which is an alien and invasive species, used to be recorded sporadically but now breeds regularly (1.8 breeding cases yearly). Nowadays, free-ranging/feral domestic dogs are not controlled by culling, so they have started to breed in the wild (1.6 cases per year), which is a new occurrence

Występowanie gadów na terenie Leśnego Zakładu Doświadczalnego SGGW w Rogowie

&lt;p&gt;The aim of this study was to inventory the reptile fauna in the area of the Experimental Forest Station of Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Rogów. The study area encompassed 225 km2 of field and forest mosaic and all reptiles observed during fieldwork in the years 2011–2021 were recorded. Additionally, historical records were analysed and the diet of avian as well as mammalian predators inhabiting the study area were reviewed. During field studies, five different native species were recorded: slow worm Anguis fragilis, sand lizard Lacerta agilis, viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara, grass snake Natrix natrix, common European adder Vipera berus. We also observed two alien species; pond slider Trachemys scripta and tortoise Testudo sp. Slow worms and grass snakes were the most common, while the diets of predators mostly contained unidentifiable lizards.&lt;/p&gt

Why Did Brown Hare <i>Lepus europaeus</i> Disappear from Some Areas in Central Poland?

Brown hares originated in the open steppe grasslands of Eurasia and have adapted very successfully to a mixed, arable agriculture environment. In the last decades of the 20th century, a decline in brown hare populations has been observed in many European countries. In this study, we documented a long-term (1965–2018) decline in the hare population in a field and forest mosaic in central Poland (from over 30 ind./100 ha in the mid-1960s to 1–2 ind./100 ha in the past decade). We showed that the recent autumn densities were the same as compared to the preceding spring densities (suggesting a low recruitment rate) and that the recent densities recorded in the fields were no longer higher than in the forests (probably due to a decrease in the habitat quality of arable lands). We also showed that the share of hares in a red fox diet was now very low (0.1% vs. 13% in the past). We compared the recent (2004–2018) population estimates to another area that was located 70 km east (with a similar habitat structure, a community of predators and climate conditions, but with less intense agriculture), where the hare population was increasing. We suggested that the farming practices were the most important factor for the hare population decrease in our study area