Monitoring landscape‐level distribution and migration Phenology of Raptors using a volunteer camera‐trap network

Abstract

Conservation of animal migratory movements is among the most important issues in wildlife management. To address this need for landscape‐scale monitoring of raptor populations, we developed a novel, baited photographic observation network termed the “Appalachian Eagle Monitoring Program” (AEMP). During winter months of 2008–2012, we partnered with professional and citizen scientists in 11 states in the United States to collect approximately 2.5 million images. To our knowledge, this represents the largest such camera‐trap effort to date. Analyses of data collected in 2011 and 2012 revealed complex, often species‐specific, spatial and temporal patterns in winter raptor movement behavior as well as spatial and temporal resource partitioning between raptor species. Although programmatic advances in data analysis and involvement are needed, the continued growth of the program has the potential to provide a long‐term, cost‐effective, range‐wide monitoring tool for avian and terrestrial scavengers during the winter season. Perhaps most importantly, by relying heavily on citizen scientists, AEMP has the potential to improve long‐term interest and support for raptor conservation and serve as a model for raptor conservation programs in other portions of the world. © This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Spatial and temporal patterns in age structure of Golden Eagles wintering in eastern North America

“…However, in recent years several camera‐trapping studies have focused on birds (Luo et al , Roncol et al ). Together with several other recent studies (e.g., Jachowski et al , Vukovich et al, , Méndez et al , Watson et al ), our study shows how using trail cameras to study birds that can be brought to a fixed location (i.e., a bait site) can result in important ecological insight.…”

“…During winter, a portion of the diet of Golden Eagles is from scavenging and, in eastern North America, ungulate carcasses are an accessible food source. As such, wintering Golden Eagles of all ages in the eastern United States are readily photographed at stations baited with carrion and, therefore, can be monitored with motion‐sensitive trail cameras (Jachowski et al , Katzner et al ).…”

Winter habitat associations of eastern spotted skunks in Virginia

“…Our camera trap stations consisted of 1 remote‐sensing, motion‐activated camera with light‐emitting diode (LED) flash. We mounted Reconyx HyperFire HC500 infrared (Reconyx, Holeman, WI, USA), Bushnell Trophy Cam Model 119436, and Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Model 119739 (Bushnell, Overland Park, KS, USA) cameras to trees approximately 1 m above ground level following methods of Jachowski et al (). We secured road‐killed white‐tailed deer carcasses to the ground with rebar approximately 3–4 m in front of the camera (Jachowski et al ).…”

“…We mounted Reconyx HyperFire HC500 infrared (Reconyx, Holeman, WI, USA), Bushnell Trophy Cam Model 119436, and Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Model 119739 (Bushnell, Overland Park, KS, USA) cameras to trees approximately 1 m above ground level following methods of Jachowski et al (). We secured road‐killed white‐tailed deer carcasses to the ground with rebar approximately 3–4 m in front of the camera (Jachowski et al ). We spaced camera stations within study sites >1.5 km apart to exceed the diameter of the average male spotted skunk winter home range (Lesmeister et al ) to limit the possibility of detecting a single skunk at multiple camera stations, to promote independence of camera stations, and to maximize forest type coverage.…”

Monitoring vultures in the 21st century: The need for standardized protocols

“…The precipitous declines of most vultures globally stress the relevance of range‐wide and long‐term monitoring programmes for vulture conservation (Jachowski et al., ). Yet, we found that vulture studies remain restricted to specific regions and species, and mostly brief in temporal scale.…”