Beck, K.B.; Firth, J.A.; McMahon, K.; Croft, S.; Cole, E.F.; Sheldon, B.

Recordings of the discovery of novel food patches in common woodland birds in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK 2021

Name: Recordings of the discovery of novel food patches in common woodland birds in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK 2021
Published: 2022-03-07
License: https://eidc.ceh.ac.uk/licences/OGL/plain

https://doi.org/10.5285/e250ae89-2e1f-4664-9092-5a8593d50fdf Cite this dataset

This dataset is embargoed and will be made available by 1 April 2023 at the latest

This dataset contains information about the recordings of great tits, blue tits, marsh tits and nuthatches discovering novel food patches in relation to manipulated local population densities (see 1a4dcbb3-c4fb-4bd4-acb3-d03932de9323). Prior to and during the density manipulation experiment, novel feeders were placed at random locations and the discovery of these was recorded using a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag attached to each bird and the information recorded using a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antenna within the feeder. The experiment took place in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK between January and March 2021, as part of a study on the effects of ecological factors on social structure and information transmission. Data collection was performed by Keith McMahon, Sam Croft and Kristina Beck. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (Grant NE/S010335/1), The ecology of behavioural contagion in natural systems.

Publication date: 2022-03-07

Where/When

Study area
Temporal extent: 2020-04-01 to 2021-06-30

Provenance & quality

Automated bird feeders were used to collect the described data. Each of the feeders had one access hole with a clear flap and an inbuilt Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antenna within the perch. All birds equipped with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag that landed on the perch were recorded, and the time and date of visits stored on a secure digital (SD) card. Feeders were visited every two to three days, to refill food, check feeder performance and collect data. For the final dataset, erroneous recordings (e.g. entries with a wrong date or tag number) were removed. Data are provided as comma separated value file for deposit into the EIDC.