Abstract

Urban greenspaces are often intended for the use of people and wildlife; however, balancing the dual priorities and needs of people and wildlife from these spaces can be challenging. In the two chapters of this thesis, I investigated the impact of human activity on avian nesting success, diversity, and community structure. In my first chapter, I assessed whether human presence in urban greenspaces influences the nest survival of common species of open- cup shrub nesting birds on the island of Montreal. We conducted a field study in the summer of 2023 to collect data on bird diversity and nest survival on the island of Montreal. Through this work, we found that human activity did not significantly influence bird nest survival. In my second chapter I assessed how the presence of trails and human activity are related to bird species richness, diversity, and composition in both formally and informally managed urban greenspaces. We found that bird communities further from trails, as well as in informal urban greenspaces, were the most diverse; however, we did not find a relationship between the number of people using trails and bird diversity. This work provides land and urban greenspace managers with integrated science advice to help them support access to nature for people while maintaining existing avian biodiversity.