Not certain about positive effects, but for contrast, you might want to include these papers and those cited within them:

Machtans, C. S., C. H. R. Wedeles, and E. M. Bayne. 2013. A first estimate for Canada of the number of birds killed by colliding with building windows. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 6.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00568-080206

Bayne, E. M., C. A. Scobie, and M. Rawson-Clark. 2012. Factors influencing the annual risk of bird-window collisions at residential structures in Alberta, Canada. Wildlife Research 39(7):583-592. [online] URL: http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WR11179.htm

Interesting. Thank you very much!

some examples of positive effects:

The effects of the Taklimakan Desert Highway on endemic birds Podoces biddulphi

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920913000072

Natural Windbreaks Sustain Bird Diversity in a Tea-Dominated Landscape

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0070379#pone-0070379-g003

Dear Federico

The tree sparrow (Passer montanus) has been the most strongly increasing bird species in Finland during the last ten-fifteen years. It has benefited a lot from electricity poles which offer suitable nesting sites, although this aspect is not likely to be the only reason for the rapid increase in tree sparrows. One paper documenting nest site selection favoring electricity poles can be found here:

http://www.avibirds.com/pdf/R/Ringmus5.pdf

Really thanks for a lot of new information!

Hi Federico,

You might know this article, if not, check it out: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12022/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

Kind regards,

Attila

Here in Athens I can say with certainty a few things about some species increasing during the last three decades but none of this is published. I would say the following micro-habitat and meso-habitat parameters are important: a) irrigated lawns and gardens (benefiting breeding 'forest birds which never bred here before' i.e. Erithacus rubecula etc), b) wetland of any kind or size; c) diciduous trees or woods of any kind; d) garbage dumps or such food sources. Also here we have some interesting boom of speceis: blackbird, magpie, recent in-coming of Jay as breeding species. Artificial habitats such as quarry-cliffs are important (Little Owl, etc). These are some thoughts off-hand. Good luck.

Stamatis Zogaris

Thanks Attila! Thanks Zogaris. I love Athens. As individual, I feel that I am a bit greek when I am under Parthenon, maybe at Plaka or Monastiriki.... Our history was born there...

Erithacus rubecula became a rapresentative species on gardens and urban green spaces, also here in Italy.

What about the Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus and Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros? Here seems species particulary related to the colonization of urbanized habitat...

Thanks again,

Federico

Thanks Frederico Morelli about the kind words for athens. See my blog post http://zogaris.blogspot.gr/search?q=athens.

Athens is very very dry during the long summer - starting early in May - everything may be totally yellow!!! So speceis such as the redstarts do not breed. In fact Black Redstart is a species we have only on the mountains at this latitude in the Hellenic Peninsula. Common Redstart is rare - moslty in shady humid oak woodland relics to the north of us. BUT remarkable changes have taken place and many species do adapt very well; Olivaceous warbler, Sardinian warbler and Kestrels. We even have a couple of pairs of Peregrines. The problem is that no one knows about the need for Birdscaping. Do you know what birdscaping is?

Ciao Fredirico - I love Italy myself!! Italia Bella!!! Land of the renaissance, of open thought, wonderful food, colour, architecture, aesthetics, I have met many beautiful people from Italy.

Dear Stam, congratulations for your blog... really interesting and plenty of wide-documented by photographic material.

I am currently focused on urban and road ecology, working on bird dataset and combining SDMs and nichje models with landscape planning. I have not enough experience on birdscaping, but the concept is really good...

On the other hand, we are (I and my wife) in love with Greece, from always! Athens, Delph, but also Cicladi islands as Santorini, are the main favorite destination for our holidays.

If in the future you need help by ornithologist or ecologist team, I will be pleased to discuss. I am personally available to collaborate, absolutely without money needed! Only for Greece!

Ok, we keep in touch!

Federico

Dear Frederico. This may be of interest.

We studied the masked lapwing, Vanellus miles, a common ground-nesting species that occurs in both agricultural and suburban landscapes in south-eastern Australia. Contrary to our predictions, parents in suburban environments invested more in defence of eggs (aggression and distraction) yet suburban female lapwings were in better condition (7% heavier) and laid 2% longer eggs than agricultural female lapwings, suggesting greater access to food resources in suburban than agricultural environments. Lapwings had higher hatching success in suburban compared with agricultural environments, leading to greater reproductive success; a similar rate of chick mortality was evident between environments.

In Cardilini, A. P., Weston, M. A., Nimmo, D. G., Dann, P. and Sherman, C. D. H. (2013). Surviving in sprawling suburbs: suburban environments represent high quality breeding habitat for a widespread shorebird. Landscape and Urban Planning 115, 72–80.

see full paper in RG under "Peter M Dann"

Dear Peter, thank you very much for your contribute.... This is the type of articles that I was looking for...

Federico

Notes from norhern Finland

1stly, you must define more detailed, what you mean by the human-related structures; nest-boxes, feeding tables etc.

I have collect data about the use of human-related structures on birds from the town of Rovaniemi.l

I am open to co-operate,

Sincerely

[email protected]

Dear Federico and others,

I am thirteen days here in Vancouver Canada and I am birding in the city a lot and thinking about the question you posed.

What I see here is that a lot of non-natives (starling, pigeon, collard doves, house sparrows) thrive in really dense urban spaces. With more naturalness in parks forest birds and waterbirds come in - otherwise its really simple community wise. The rooftops are important for some nesting opportunists near the harbour (Glaucous-winged Gull, introduced Eastern Canada Geese; also the crow numbers are really extremely dense in the city). Anyway, I am keeping notes (please follow my postings...http://zogaris.blogspot.ca/2014/01/urban-nature-new-brighton-park.html).

Stam

Dear Stam,

Thank you very much for your comments... your postings are really interesting, and also the pictures! Congratulations....

PS: please, if you can, pay attention also to the railways, and the side of the rails....used often by few bird species

Dear Federico

This summary for my articles in Russian

 BLACK REDSTART (PHOENICURUS OCHRUROS) IN CENTRAL UKRAINE

Т. V. Shupova

Institute for evolutionary ecology of the NAS of Ukraine

e-mail: [email protected]

 Adaptation of Black Redstart to the conditions of Central Ukraine is more than half a century. Adaptation moment of Black Redstart is not finished. Birds inhabit usable for nesting territory by fragmented. Black Redstart prefer biotopes with number of building about 10%. But the birds inhabit and in the biotopes with higher density of buildings. 200 m is optimal distance between the nesting site in a settlement zone in Central Ukraine. The part of Black Redstart in avifauna of Central Ukraine: 0,2–1,8%, index synanthropii by +87,5 – +24. Density of nesting of Black Redstart in settlement zone: 0,8–1,7, in natural biotopes: 0,3–0,5  and on regions: 0,8 pairs/km2.

 in the book:

Distribution, migration and other movements of wildlife: proceedings of the International conference (Vladivostok, 25–27 November 2014) / editors: Dr. A.P. Saveljev, Dr. I.V. Seryodkin – Vladivostok: Reya, 2014. – 394 p. – (Tabl. 54, ill. 132, bibl. 1,151).

This book includes materials prepared and presented by authors from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Japan, Germany and USA at the International conference “Distribution, migration and other movements of wildlife” (Vladivostok, 25–27 November 2014). The articles present original research in the following areas: distribution and range of wild animals: methods and problems in studying the dynamics movements; migration of fi sh, birds and mammals; current problems and prospects for future study; consider conservation questions centered on space use: home range, movement, habitat selection. Conservation of rare and endangered species is impossible without knowledge of distribution, seasonal habitat preferences, area requirements for individuals and populations.

Editors: Dr. A.P. Saveljev, Dr. I.V. Seryodkin

ISBN 978-5-91849-073-0

Best regards, 

Tatiana Shupova

Dear Tatiana,

                           thank you very much for the summary and all the interesting information. Currently, we finished our review paper, and was already published (I send you a PDF copy). However, all these information are very useful for our further researchs. 

Thanks again and we keep in touch,

Federico

Dear Federico

Man creates additional nesting stations for a small number of species of birds. In this way he compensates to a small extent the harm caused by him of the transformation of the environment. And harm for most species.

Some species adapt to live in an urbanized environment, but most reduce hith number and often reduce their area. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about the positive role of urbanization for birds as a whole. Only for some synanthropic species.

Thank you very much for the copy of the artikle.

With the best regards, Тatiana.

Dear Tatiana,

                      thank you very much for your comments. Of course, mainly the synanthropic species, by definition, can take advantage from human related structures (HRS). However, some species which are opportunistic or particularly "explorers" can use HSR obtaining some benefits.

All the best,

Federico