Distribution and foraging patterns of common loons on Lake Michigan with implications for exposure to type E avian botulism

Kenow, Kevin P.; Houdek, Steven C.; Fara, Luke J.; Gray, Brian R.; Lubinski, Brian R.; Heard, Darryl J.; Meyer, Michael W.; Fox, Timothy J.; Kratt, Robert J.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2018.02.004

Cited by 9 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Our results indicate that the majority (80% of marked adults and 91% of marked juveniles) of loons that bred in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan wintered in the GOM (but the southern Atlantic Coast and reservoirs in the southeastern United States are also used). These findings are consistent with migratory routes and breeding‐wintering area affiliations inferred from previous banding and telemetry studies (Eberhardt 1984, McIntyre 1988, Evers et al 2000, Kenow et al 2002, 2018, Paruk et al 2021 migration map).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Kenow

Fara

Houdek

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Identification of geographic linkages among breeding, migratory and wintering common loon Gavia immer populations is needed to inform regional and national conservation planning efforts and compensation of loons lost during marine oil spill events. Satellite telemetry and archival geolocator tags were used to determine the migration patterns and wintering locations of breeding adult and young of the year juvenile common loons captured and marked on lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Adult loons typically traveled from breeding lakes, often via larger staging lakes, to the Great Lakes (primarily Lake Michigan) and then on to wintering areas. Most radiomarked juvenile common loons utilized natal lakes or local lakes through mid‐November. Subsequently, the first fall migration of juvenile loons was generally initiated later, and more direct and quicker to wintering areas relative to adults. Among adult (n = 103) and juvenile (n = 23) loons that completed fall migration, most wintered in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), with smaller proportions wintering off the southern Atlantic Coast or impoundments in the southeastern United States. Spring migration of adults to breeding lakes was less prolonged than fall migration, with adult male loons tending to depart wintering areas earlier than adult females. Juvenile common loons migrated during their first spring from wintering sites in the GOM to summer in the Gulf of St Lawrence/Nova Scotia Coastal region. Juvenile mortality was largely linked to parasitic infection and emaciation; spring appeared to be a survival bottleneck among juvenile loons monitored in our study. Our results identify several areas where common loon conservation efforts could be directed to protect key habitats and minimize stressors during the non‐breeding period.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…A combination of adhesive and plastic cable ties were used to affix the geolocator tag to a modified lock‐on metal leg band (Kenow et al 2018). Geolocator tags were attached to 204 adult male and female common loons (Table 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Kenow

Fara

Houdek

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…In contrast, solitary individuals found more frequently within zones 1 and 3, which include the more open Jocassee basin and the Lower Toxaway arms of Jocassee, use a foraging strategy where they spend more time foraging (~64%) and make longer foraging dives. We believe solitary individuals are likely foraging for larger, more difficult to catch fish found in the deeper waters of Lake Jocassee, as longer dives among Common Loon are associated with this type of prey (Alvo and Berrill 1992;Barr 1996;Kenow et al 2018). This is supported by our occasional observations of solitary loons surfacing at times with bass and trout, as well as Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) that are found at greater depths in Lake Jocassee.…”

Section: Time-activity Budgets Of Loons Wintering On Lake Jocasseementioning

confidence: 54%

“…Similar to the habitats they select for breeding (Hammond et al 2012) and migrating (Kenow et al 2018), loons likely select overwintering sites that meet the substantial foraging requirements of a visual underwater pursuit predator. These tend to be shallow areas (e.g., <35 m; Winiarski et al 2013) of lower turbidity (e.g., Haney 1990;Thompson and Price 2006) and moderate productivity (e.g., chlorophyll a concentration >2 mg/m 3 ; Winiarski et al 2013).…”

Section: Suitability Of Freshwater Habitats For Overwintering Loonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is supported by our occasional observations of solitary loons surfacing at times with bass and trout, as well as Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) that are found at greater depths in Lake Jocassee. Such a solitary foraging strategy is physiologically costlier (see reviews by Butler and Jones 1997;Kooyman and Ponganis 1998;Butler 2000;Kenow et al 2018) and likely results in lower intake rates (Butler 2000), but it also provides greater energetic benefits per intake. How these social and solitary foraging strategies help loons meet the changing metabolic demands of overwintering and preparing for spring migration merit further consideration of composition and intake rates of various prey types by individuals.…”

Section: Time-activity Budgets Of Loons Wintering On Lake Jocasseementioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging patterns vary with the degree of sociality among Common Loon (<i>Gavia immer</i>) overwintering on a freshwater lake

Mager

Wade

Abts³

et al. 2022

Can Field Nat

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Little is known about the behaviour of Common Loon (Gavia immer) during the critical overwintering period, let alone the behaviour of the small, but increasing number of loons that overwinter on freshwater lakes in North America. We examined the diurnal time-activity budgets of Common Loon overwintering on a large reservoir in northwest South Carolina between 2018 and 2020. Similar to previous studies of breeding individuals and individuals that overwinter in marine waters, loons (n = 132) overwintering on this reservoir spent most of their time (52%) foraging. However, we found distinct differences in the activity budgets of individuals associated with their degree of sociality. Solitary birds (individuals spending 0–20% of time within 20 m of conspecifics) spent significantly more time foraging than did those that were either loosely-social (>20–<70% of time within 20 m of conspecifics) or strongly-social (70–100% of time). Although solitary loons made as many foraging dives as social birds, their dives were much longer, likely reflecting dives for larger predatory fish. In contrast, social individuals made much shorter, shallower dives, often foraging on shallower baitfish that they appear to pursue to the water surface and consume collectively. Such findings add to our understanding of loon winter behaviour and raise interesting questions regarding social behaviour and the short- and long-term trade-offs associated with social foraging in this species.

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Implanted satellite transmitters affect sea duck movement patterns at short and long timescales

et al. 2020

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Studies of the effects of transmitters on wildlife often focus on survival. However, sublethal behavioral changes resulting from radio-marking have the potential to affect inferences from telemetry data and may vary based on individual and environmental characteristics. We used a long-term, multi-species tracking study of sea ducks to assess behavioral patterns at multiple temporal scales following implantation of intracoelomic satellite transmitters. We applied state-space models to assess short-term behavioral patterns in 476 individuals with implanted satellite transmitters, as well as comparing breeding site attendance and migratory phenology across multiple years after capture. In the short term, our results suggest an increase in dispersive behavior immediately following capture and transmitter implantation; however, behavior returned to seasonally average patterns within ~5 days after release. Over multiple years, we found that breeding site attendance by both males and females was depressed during the first breeding season after radio-marking relative to subsequent years, with larger relative decreases in breeding site attendance among males than females. We also found that spring and breeding migrations occurred later in the first year after radio-marking than in subsequent years. Across all behavioral effects, the severity of behavioral change often varied by species, sex, age, and capture season. We conclude that, although individuals appear to adjust relatively quickly (i.e. within 1 week) to implanted satellite transmitters, changes in breeding phenology may occur over the longer term and should be considered when analyzing and reporting telemetry data.

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Distribution and foraging patterns of common loons on Lake Michigan with implications for exposure to type E avian botulism

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Foraging patterns vary with the degree of sociality among Common Loon (<i>Gavia immer</i>) overwintering on a freshwater lake

Implanted satellite transmitters affect sea duck movement patterns at short and long timescales

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