Effect of Vegetation Management on Avian Habitats in Flatts Lane Country Park, and Eston Moor, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England United Kingdom

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of two distinct vegetation management strategies: active woodland regeneration (Flatts Lane) and managed heathland/moorland (Eston Moor) on avian habitat suitability and community composition, all in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England United Kingdom (UK). Point count surveys were conducted at 30 systematically located points (15 per site) during the 2025 breeding season (April-June), with each point surveyed six times for 10-minute durations, yielding 90 total survey hours. Vegetation structure was quantified within a 50m radius of each point, measuring canopy cover (%) using a spherical densiometer, understory density (stems/m²), and average vegetation height (m).
Avian communities differed significantly between the two sites. Eston Moor, characterized by low canopy cover (mean: 15.2% ± 4.1%) and a complex layer of heather and gorse, supported a higher overall species richness (22 species vs. 17 at Flatts Lane). It was dominated by open-country and scrub specialists, with high relative abundances of Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) (mean: 3.8 individuals/ha) and European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (mean: 1.2 individuals/ha). In contrast, Flatts Lane's denser woodland, with a mean canopy cover of 78.5% (± 6.8%), supported a lower-density but distinct community of generalist woodland species. The Great Tit (Parus major) was the most abundant species (mean: 2.1 individuals/ha), followed by the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). Statistical analysis (PERMANOVA) confirmed that bird community composition was significantly different between the sites (p < 0.001). A Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that canopy cover (λ = 0.48, p = 0.002) and understory density (λ = 0.35, p = 0.015) were the primary vegetation drivers of this distribution. The findings demonstrate that targeted vegetation management directly shapes avian habitat, creating distinct niches for different ecological guilds. 
It was concluded that a mosaic of both managed open moorland and young woodland habitats within the landscape is crucial for conserving regional avian biodiversity, supporting a wider range of species than a homogenous management approach.