Nest cameras do not affect nest survival in a meadow-nesting shorebird

Abstract

Summary Identifying the fate of birds’ nests and the causes of breeding failure is often crucial for the development of conservation strategies for threatened species. However, collecting these data by repeatedly visiting nests might itself contribute to nest failure or bias. To solve this dilemma, automatic cameras have increasingly been used as a time-efficient means for nest monitoring. Here, we consider whether the use of cameras itself may influence hatching success of nests of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa at two long-term study sites in northern Germany. Annually between 2013 and 2019, cameras were used to monitor godwit nests. In 2014 and 2019, nests were randomly equipped with cameras or not, and nest survival checked independently of the cameras. Nest-survival models indicated that survival probabilities varied between years, sites and with time of the season, but were unaffected by the presence of cameras. Even though predation is the main cause of hatching failure in our study system, we conclude that predators did not learn to associate cameras with food either when the cameras were initially installed or after they had been used for several years. Cameras were thus an effective and non-deleterious tool to collect data for conservation in this case. As other bird species may react differently to cameras at their nests, and as other sets of predators may differ in their ability to associate cameras with food, the effect of cameras on breeding success should be carefully monitored when they are used in a new study system.

Do ditch‐side electric fences improve the breeding productivity of ground‐nesting waders?

“…Nests were either marked with a short stick or not marked at all. Although sticks are sometimes thought to provide cues to predators, our experience is that the sticks we place do not affect nest survival; this aligns with other studies demonstrating there is no effect on marked lapwing and godwit nests (Salewski & Schmidt, 2020; Zámečník et al., 2018). To determine the lay date of nests found in the laying phase, we assumed that godwits lay one egg per day (Cramp & Simmons, 1983).…”

“…The suite of nest predators includes many mammals and birds, posing a risk for nests night and day. Nest and chick predators in Europe are primarily mammals, including badger Meles meles , stoat Mustela erminea , polecat Mustela putorius , American mink Mustela vison , wild boar S us scrofa , racoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides and red fox Vulpes vulpes , and to a lesser extent birds, including carrion crow Corvus corone , marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus , blue heron Ardea cinerea and buzzard Buteo buteo (Madden et al., 2015; Mori et al., 2021; Nordström et al., 2003; Roos et al., 2018; Salewski & Schmidt, 2020; Salewski et al., 2019; Teunissen et al., 2008). High densities and expanding distributions of predators, predation‐compromised conservation efforts, high levels of philopatry of breeding waders (Kruk et al., 1998; Thompson & Hale, 1989; Thompson et al., 1994) and limited suitable habitat all constrain the ability of waders to relocate to alternative areas with a lower predation risk.…”

Mammalian predators and vegetated nesting habitat drive reduced protected area nesting success of Kentish plovers, Yellow Sea region, China

“…Other potential nest predators did not damage the nest but were captured by the cameras to reflect relative predator abundances. A number of studies have reported no negative effects of infrared camera monitoring on the nest survival of shorebirds (e.g., Ellis et al, 2018; Mcguire et al, 2022; Salewski & Schmidt, 2022). In fact, in our study, the nest predation rate for the monitored nests (33.3%) was significantly lower than the non‐monitored nests (59.8%, χ 2 = 11.211, df = 1, p < .001) in our limited sampling.…”

Spatio-temporal movement patterns and habitat choice of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and racoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) along the Wadden Sea coast

“…Bruns et al 2001), potentially explaining the importance of these areas for both study species, particularly during the daylight hours. According to studies using nest cameras (Salewski and Schmidt 2020), red foxes were responsible for 46% and racoon dogs for 28% of the predation events of black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa) nests in conservation polders along the Wadden Sea coast, whereas polecats (Mustela putorius) were recorded in 18% and other mammal or bird species only in < 10% of the cases (Salewski and Schmidt 2019;Salewski et al 2019).…”