. 2013. Avian mortalities due to transmission line collisions: a review of current estimates and field methods with an emphasis on applications to the Canadian electric network. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00614-080207 ABSTRACT. Birds are vulnerable to collisions with human-made fixed structures. Despite ongoing development and increases in infrastructure, we have few estimates of the magnitude of collision mortality. We reviewed the existing literature on avian mortality associated with transmission lines and derived an initial estimate for Canada. Estimating mortality from collisions with power lines is challenging due to the lack of studies, especially from sites within Canada, and due to uncertainty about the magnitude of detection biases. Detection of bird collisions with transmission lines varies due to habitat type, species size, and scavenging rates. In addition, birds can be crippled by the impact and subsequently die, although crippling rates are poorly known and rarely incorporated into estimates. We used existing data to derive a range of estimates of avian mortality associated with collisions with transmission lines in Canada by incorporating detection, scavenging, and crippling biases. There are 231,966 km of transmission lines across Canada, mostly in the boreal forest. Mortality estimates ranged from 1 million to 229.5 million birds per year, depending on the bias corrections applied. We consider our most realistic estimate, taking into account variation in risk across Canada, to range from 2.5 million to 25.6 million birds killed per year. Data from multiple studies across Canada and the northern U.S. indicate that the most vulnerable bird groups are (1) waterfowl, (2) grebes, (3) shorebirds, and (4) cranes, which is consistent with other studies. Populations of several groups that are vulnerable to collisions are increasing across Canada (e.g., waterfowl, raptors), which suggests that collision mortality, at current levels, is not limiting population growth. However, there may be impacts on other declining species, such as shorebirds and some species at risk, including Alberta's Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) and western Canada's endangered Whooping Cranes (Grus americana). Collisions may be more common during migration, which underscores the need to understand impacts across the annual cycle. We emphasize that these estimates are preliminary, especially considering the absence of Canadian studies.RÉSUMÉ. Les oiseaux sont vulnérables aux collisions avec les structures fixes d'origine anthropique. Malgré le développement continuel et l'augmentation du nombre d'infrastructures, nous avons peu d'estimations sur l'ampleur de la mortalité par collision. Nous avons procédé à une revue de la littérature touchant la mortalité aviaire associée aux lignes de transport d'électricité et avons calculé une estimation préliminaire pour le Canada. L'estimation de la mortalité attribuable aux collisions avec les lignes électriques pose un défi en raison du manque d...

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An increasing number of studies have revealed that public information influences dispersal decisions in a wide variety of species. However, few empirical studies have explored the effect of environmental predictability on the use of public information. We applied a model-selection approach to data gathered from 1998 to 2006 in five eastern Canada provinces to determine the factors influencing breeding dispersal distances of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus melodus), a species that encounters substantial interannual changes in habitat quality. We examined the following hypotheses: (1) individuals that are unsuccessful breeders disperse greater distances than individuals that breed successfully and (2) dispersal distances of failed breeders are negatively correlated with the reproductive success of locally breeding conspecifics. We found that mean dispersal distance was greater for plovers that did not breed successfully the previous year (x = 17.8 ± 27.4 [SD] km, N = 15) than for those that were successful (x = 5.8 ± 26.4 km, N = 71). Failed breeders whose neighbors produced no fledged young dispersed over distances 34.8 times greater than those whose neighbors produced four fledglings. Our results show that public information is used in habitats whose environmental predictability is lower than predicted by theoretical studies. Thus, dispersal appears to be triggered by a combination of failure to hatch at least one egg, and the failure of neighboring pairs to produce fledglings. Individuals therefore appear to preferentially return to sites where breeding success is high. This may partly explain why Piping Plovers use only a fraction of the suitable breeding habitat within their geographic range. Consequently, although suitable habitat is present elsewhere within the breeding range, the loss of traditional nesting sites is likely to significantly impact productivity of this endangered species. RESUMEN. Charadrius melodus melodus hace decisiones sobre la dispersión en base a información personal y publica en un ecosistema costera variableUn creciente numero de estudios ha revelado que la información publica influye a las decisiones sobre la dispersión en una amplia variedad de especies. Sin embargo, pocos estudios empíricos han explorado el efecto de la predecibilidad ambiental sobre el uso de información publica. Aplicamos un método de selección de modelos a datos colectados desde 1998 hasta el 2006 en cinco provincias del este de Canadá para determinar cuales factores influyen a las distancias de dispersión reproductiva de Charadrius melodus melodus, una especie que encuentra cambios sustanciales entre años en la calidad de su hábitat. Examinamos las siguientes hipótesis: (1) los individuos que no son exitosos en reproducirse se dispersan a distancias mas grandes que individuos que se reproducen exitosamente, y (2) las distancias de dispersión de individuos que no se reproducen exitosamente son negativamente correlacionados con eléxito reproductivo de coespecificos locales. Encontramos que la distancia de disp...

The increased pace of species listing worldwide, coupled with the scarcity of conservation funding, promote the use of targeted monitoring. We applied the recommendations of Nichols and Williams (Trends in Ecology and Evolution 2006 24:668-673) to optimize the Québec Chimney Swift Monitoring Program, an ongoing volunteer-based monitoring initiative launched in 1998. Past objectives of the program were to fill knowledge gaps about occupancy patterns at roosts sites, determine spatial and temporal distribution of Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) across the province, locate active nest sites, and monitor temporal fluctuations of the population. By applying an adaptive management framework, we modified the current monitoring scheme into a more focused initiative testing newly developed hypotheses about the state of the system. This new approach yielded significant scientific gains as well as annual savings of 19.6%. It may prove pertinent to current and future swift monitoring initiatives and to other aerial insectivore species

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