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Bridging the implementation gap: From predator control to non‐lethal impact‐based intervention

Implimentation has been supported by co-production, engagement, and dissemination through honest advocacy by the research team. However, there has been pushback from supporters of lethal control, likely rooted in land use preferences over evidential support. share.google/moIa6lsYWt7D...

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We argue that pushback against diversionary feeding did not reflect disagreement on the validity of the scientific evidence but rather was rooted in deep divides over land management and the relative....

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These positive results provide clear evidence that diversionary feeding is an effective tool to reduce the impact of predation on cappercaillie productivity. Many land managers across the current cappercaillie range in Scotland are now deploying diversionary feeding for predator management.

A pine marten (a large brown weasel) appears from the middle of a red deer carcass.

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To assess if the results of this artificial nest study translated to real cappercaillie broods, we trialled novel non-invasive monitoring via camera traps. We were able to identify if a hen had a brood and count how many chicks she had in her brood.

A large cappercaillie hen (mottled brown in colour) sits above her brood of four chicks, two females (also brown) and two males (black) are dat in a dust bath in the edge of a forest.

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Evaluating diversionary feeding as a method to resolve conservation conflicts in a recovering ecosystem

In our first experimental trial of diversionary feeding, we deployed artificial nests in a control and test design. We found that the presence of diversionary feeding reduced artificial nest predation by 83%. Mainly due to reduced pine marten predation. share.google/vDyXV8IFNUPE...

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Diversionary feeding is an easily employable method shown in this study to reduce predator impact (functional) without lethal (numerical) intervention.

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Check out my bluesky talk for #BOUatEOU. We found that diversionary feeding is a suitable impact based tool to reduce conflicts between recovering predators (pine marten) and endangered ground nesting birds (cappercaillie) in Scottish Forests. 🧪🌍🦤🍁

A large black bird (male cappercaillie) sits to the left of the image. He has a large red crest above his eye and large fanned tail feathers.

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Check out these amazing wildlife images! One of the runners up was a picture from my cappercaillie monitoring! 📸

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Amber Cowans (she/her) @ambercowans.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

📝 Are you using multispecies occupancy models to investigate interactions in species occupancy (i.e. co-occurrence)? 🦁🦓 Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️

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Sample size considerations for species co‐occurrence models

Multispecies occupancy models are widely applied to infer interactions in the occurrence of different species, but convergence and estimation issues under realistic sample sizes are common. We conduc...

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Pablo Garcia-Diaz @pablo-ecology.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Interestingly, I have noticed a reticence to consider options other than population control when managing invasive species. We wrote about it here academic.oup.com/bioscience/a.... 🌐 #bioinvasions

Screenshot of the first paragraph of the conclusions of the paper by Garcia-Diaz et al. The highlighted text read 'Relying on species-based control is not a guaranteed approach for the long-term management of IAS impacts, as many policies and strategies assume. IAS control should be seen as one of a wider range of potential interventions available for impact-based long-term management policies and strategies. We stress that IAS control remains vital, but this is not the only intervention available, nor should it be taken as a synonym for long-term management of IAS.'

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

New perspective out today in @jappliedecology.bsky.social. We reflect on co-producing evidence in an effort to bridge the implementation gap, for evidence based, impact focused predator control. What worked, what didn't and where barriers to implimentation still remain. You can't win them all... 🧪

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Jack Bamber @jackantbam.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

🚨 New publication 📝 Out today in the royal society proceedings B. We find that diversionary feeding boosts productivity of cappercaille from 0.82 to 1.90. Indicating that this impact based method can effectively reduce the influence of predation. Read all about it here: shorturl.at/QRb76

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Reposted by Jack Bamber

Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Check out Jack's new paper! Diversionary feeding of predators (in this case a Pine Martin) increases the breeding success of Capercaillie, as fewer eggs get stolen #SciArt

Cartoon pine Martin eats a chicken leg provided as diversionary feeding. This equals a cartoon capercaillie having more eggs in it's nest

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TAKE HOME: We argue, using several strands of evidence, that diversionary feeding is a credible alternative to lethal control of predators and shows promising signs of reversing the decline of the capercaillie in Scotland. Read the full paper here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 7/7

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RESULT: Diversionary feeding increased the number of hens detected with chicks, consistent with our previous work showing a decrease in nest failure. This resulted in productivity (the expected chicks per hen) increasing from 0.82 in unfed sites to 1.9 in fed sites (more than double!). 6/7

HYPOTHESIS: Using a 3-year landscape-scale control-treatment experiment, we predicted that the chicks per hen differed between sites that deployed diversionary feeding and sites that did. 5/7

METHOD: We used #cameratraps on dust baths, natural features used by capercaillie, to detect capercaillie hens and determine whether they had chicks or didn’t have chicks. We used #AI from conservation ai to detect and count hens and broods. 4/7

BACKGROUND: Previously, we found that DF reduced artificial nest depredation, resulting in an 83% increase in nest survival. The big question though was whether this would translate to real birds. 3/7

All research wouldn't be possible without my fantastic co-authors: @lambin-ecology.bsky.social, @chrissuthy.bsky.social and @kennyafc.bsky.social l!! 🙏 2/7

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