Using fledged brood counts of hedgerow birds to assess the effect of summer agri-environment scheme options

The survey technique and associated analyses make certain assumptions when providing estimates of breeding success and these are discussed. Little is known about initial dispersal in passerine fledglings and a study in hedgerows may be useful here. However our pilot study suggests that the method could have application as a relatively easily derived productivity index for hedgerow birds, and hence an additional method available to study the impact of certain AES options on indicator species, or for research studies.