Field-testing a new miniaturized GPS-Argos satellite transmitter (3.5 g) on migratory shorebirds

Scarpignato, Amy L.; Harrison, Autumn-Lynn; Newstead, David J.; Niles, Lawrence J.; Porter, Ronald R.; Tillaart, Michael van den; Marra, Peter P.

doi:10.18194/ws.00046

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…S1). 1 The Pin-Point GPS-Argos satellite tags collect and archive up to 30 GPS locations and transmit stored locations via the Argos satellite system at a pre-specified time (Scarpignato et al 2016). We programmed tags to collect locations every 10 days, from 10 August 2015 to 1 July 2016 at 15:00 UTC (during the day when Common Nighthawks are generally roosting; Supplementary Table S1 1 ).…”

Section: Tag Deploymentmentioning

confidence: 99%

First full annual cycle tracking of a declining aerial insectivorous bird, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), identifies migration routes, nonbreeding habitat, and breeding site fidelity

Knight

Scarpignato

et al. 2018

Can. J. Zool.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over one third of North American bird species are in decline, and for many species, we still lack fundamental biogeographic information such as migration routes and nonbreeding areas. Identifying causes of declines is limited because tracking many species throughout their annual cycle with high precision and accuracy is challenging. Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor (J.R. Forster, 1771)) have declined throughout much of their range and have yet to have their migratory and nonbreeding areas identified and characterized. We tracked Common Nighthawks by deploying a new 3.5 g Pinpoint GPS-Argos tag on adult males. Seven of 10 (70%) tags uploaded locations, providing the first data on migration, nonbreeding habitat, and annual site fidelity to breeding areas. Birds used similar loop migration routes and overwintered in Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon regions. Nonbreeding season roosting home ranges were 148.22 ± 121 ha (mean ± SE) and included forest, grassland, and cropland. Breeding home-range fidelity was high; all tracked birds returned to within 1.27 ± 0.27 km of original capture locations. Our study is the first tracking of Common Nighthawks throughout their full annual cycle. Continued miniaturization of tracking technology, like the GPS-Argos transmitters used, is critical for identifying the causes of population declines of previously enigmatic migratory species.

show abstract

Section: Tag Deploymentmentioning

confidence: 99%

First full annual cycle tracking of a declining aerial insectivorous bird, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), identifies migration routes, nonbreeding habitat, and breeding site fidelity

Knight

Scarpignato

et al. 2018

Can. J. Zool.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Offsetting an observer location to obtain locations of shorebirds on barrier islands is a good alternative to transmitters for obtaining accurate, spatially explicit locations of conspicuous organisms given the current technology available for small vertebrates. Reliable transmitters on the market available for small shorebirds require either recapture of the individuals to remove the transmitter and retrieve the stored data (Scarpignato et al 2016) or the signal must be triangulated, which typically has greater error than we have found within this study (Nams andBoutin 1991, Zimmerman andPowell 1995). The ability to recapture an individual will depend on site fidelity and being able to continue a study for several years, while the method described here, provides relatively accurate, same-day data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Assessing Error in Locations of Conspicuous Wildlife Using Handheld GPS Units and Location Offset Methods

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Collecting spatially explicit locations of individual animals often is an important part of the study of habitat use. Obtaining accurate locations without disturbing an individual can be difficult for small species and may be limited for species of conservation concern, such as piping plover (Charadrius melodus), where a close approach is undesirable because of the potential for disturbance. To reduce disturbance while estimating an animal's location, an observer can collect their location using Global Positioning System (GPS) and offset that position using a distance and azimuth. Typically, error is not considered when these locations are determined, despite the potential effects of inaccuracy on habitat association results. Therefore, our objectives were to quantify potential error using the offset method and then evaluate how that error may manifest. During the plover breeding season in 2017 (Apr through Sep), we tested the error of Trimble GPS units compared with benchmark locations to assess the accuracy of locations derived from these units. We then assessed the error associated with offset locations of a small target using Trimble GPS units, laser rangefinders, and 2 compass types. Finally, we determined the potential consequence of unaccounted error in our system by comparing the difference between point locations and land‐cover data using our estimated error as a point buffer. Average error of the GPS units at benchmark locations was 0.95 m. The mean error of the offset locations increased with increasing observer distance from the decoy location (from truex¯ = 2.9 m to 7.6 m at distances of 20 m and 100 m, respectively). Error also increased with increasing error in the distance and azimuth measurements, and was greater using a digital GPS compass as compared with a handheld magnetic compass corrected for magnetic declination. In addition, potential misclassification of land‐cover type increased with increasing potential location error. When modeling animal locations, the error of point locations using this method, especially for land‐cover at the point location, should be accounted for using appropriately sized position buffers. Using this location collection method, we can increase our knowledge and study of conspicuous species to ensure that we consider habitats used throughout the species' life stages. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

“…Perhaps Eastern Meadowlarks are poor candidates for wearing tracking devices; in our study, two meadowlarks were observed aggressively picking at the antenna immediately following deployment. After we had purchased our GPS tags, Scarpignato et al () published their difficulties with 3.4 g PinPoint GPS tags that they deployed on three shorebird species; only four of 38 tags (10.5%) communicated data. Improved solar‐powered real‐time GPS tag technology or stable isotopes collected from feathers on the nonbreeding grounds may provide a more complete assessment of migratory connectivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migratory patterns and connectivity of two North American grassland bird species

Hill¹,

Renfrew²

2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effective management and conservation of migratory bird populations require knowledge and incorporation of their movement patterns and space use throughout the annual cycle. To investigate the little‐known migratory patterns of two grassland bird species, we deployed 180 light‐level geolocators on Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) and 29 Argos‐GPS tags on Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna) at Konza Prairie, Kansas, USA, and six US Department of Defense (DoD) installations distributed across the species' breeding ranges. We analyzed location data from 34 light‐level geolocators and five Argos‐GPS tags attached for 1 year to Grasshopper Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks, respectively. Grasshopper Sparrows were present on the breeding grounds from mid‐April through early October, substantially longer than previously estimated, and migrated on average ~2,500 km over ~30 days. Grasshopper Sparrows exhibited strong migratory connectivity only at a continental scale. The North American Great Lakes region likely serves as a migratory divide for Midwest and East Coast Grasshopper Sparrows; Midwest populations (Kansas, Wisconsin, and North Dakota; n = 13) largely wintered in Texas or Mexico, whereas East Coast populations (Maryland and Massachusetts, n = 20) wintered in the northern Caribbean or Florida. Our data from Eastern Meadowlarks provided evidence for a diversity of stationary and short‐ and long‐distance migration strategies. By providing the most extensive examination of the nonbreeding movement ecology for these two North American grassland bird species to date, we refine information gaps and provide key insight for their management and conservation.

show abstract

Field-testing a new miniaturized GPS-Argos satellite transmitter (3.5 g) on migratory shorebirds

Cited by 20 publications

References 6 publications

First full annual cycle tracking of a declining aerial insectivorous bird, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), identifies migration routes, nonbreeding habitat, and breeding site fidelity

First full annual cycle tracking of a declining aerial insectivorous bird, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), identifies migration routes, nonbreeding habitat, and breeding site fidelity

Assessing Error in Locations of Conspicuous Wildlife Using Handheld GPS Units and Location Offset Methods

Migratory patterns and connectivity of two North American grassland bird species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About