Pilot Study
A pilot study was performed for 2 weeks in March 2019 using 8 artificial nests to examine basic questions about predator behaviour and whether the experiment was suitable for a larger study. Specifically, the pilot study aimed to answer i) whether predators in the forest would be able to locate artificial nests and ii) whether the presence of artificial plasticine eggs would significantly affect predation rates. The pilot examined predation rates on artificial nests containing 1 quail and 1 plasticine egg, using nests containing only 1 quail egg as a control. This revealed nests containing plasticine eggs had significantly higher predation rates (χ2 = 17.681, p < 0.0001), suggesting additional methods would be required to reduce olfactory cues given off by the artificial eggs. Full methods and results for the pilot study can be read in the supplementary information (S1).