Bestandsentwicklung in einem Braunkehlchen-Hotspot der Schweiz zwischen 2003 und 2018

Population trends in a Whinchat hotspot in Switzerland between 2003 and 2018

The Lower Engadine is an inner-Alpine valley and a stronghold for the Whinchat in Switzerland. Nevertheless, a clear population decline has been visible for years. Here we document the population trends of Whinchats in 75 patches in the Lower Engadine between 2003 and 2018, and examine the reasons for these changes. The number of occupied territories by the Whinchat dropped from 498 in 2003 to 383 in 2018, a decrease of 23 % in 15 years. The number of occupied territories decreased between 2003 and 2018 in 35 areas, mainly small areas in the valley bottom. No change was found in 32 patches, although they were mostly occupied irregularly or already unoccupied in 2003. The number of occupied territories increased in eight patches. In six of these eight patches, the long-term conservation measures recommended by the Swiss Ornithological Station are being implemented for the Whinchat.

Key words: agricultural intensification, conservation, connectivity, farmland birds, grassland, habitat fragmentation, habitat loss, management, mowing regime, Saxicola rubetra, Whinchat