Het Paapje Saxicola rubetra als broedvogel van extensief gebruikt cultuurland in het Dwingelderveld

In the nature reserve Dwingelderveld, the breeding biology of Whinchats was studied on 60 ha of formerly intensively used grassland. The management of this plot has recently changed, with a grazing regime of 45 cows intended to create a more varied vegetation type typical of poor soil. Mean arrival date of Whinchats in 1982-97 varied between 15 April and 8 May (on average 26 April). In 1998, eight pairs and a solitary male settled non-randomly, preferring the most natural and diverse parts of the terrain and nesting within 3 m of potential sitting posts. Smallest nearest neighbour-nest distance was 100 m. Eight pairs produced ten breeding attempts, but only three pairs were successful. Clutch size varied between 4 and 7 eggs; a minimum of 51 eggs resulted in 35 hatchlings, producing only 11 fledglings. Causes of failure were trampling by cattle (lx), disturbance by cattle (lx), mowing (lx), disturbance by slugs (lx) and unknown (probably disturbance/predation; 3x).