Nest visits and capture events affect breeding success of Yellow-billed and Pacific loons

Uher‐Koch, Brian D.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Wright, Kenneth G.

doi:10.1650/condor-14-102.1

Cited by 28 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These results demonstrate potential biases and deleterious consequences associated with visit‐based studies of avian reproductive success in the Arctic, and are consistent with results from recent studies involving king eiders ( Somateria spectabilis ; Bentzen et al ), common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ; Stien and Ims ), and loons ( Gavia spp. ; Uher‐Koch et al ). But perhaps more importantly, these results demonstrate a differential response by nesting geese to varying types of disturbance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Potential effects of industrial activity could be indirect (e.g., destruction of habitat, increased predator abundance through construction of infrastructure) or direct (e.g., disturbance, displacement of birds caused by human activities; Hockin et al , National Research Council [NRC] , Liebezeit et al ), but little is known about the potential magnitude of such effects in currently undeveloped regions of the Arctic. In addition, wildlife studies designed to assess effects of industrial activity may influence avian behavior and reproductive success via investigator‐caused disturbance (Carney and Sydeman , Bentzen et al , Uher‐Koch et al ). As such, detailed knowledge of bird response to human activities associated with industrial operations, including factors related to research activity, is necessary to inform management practices that minimize effects on breeding birds in the Arctic.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of industrial and investigator disturbance on Arctic‐nesting geese

Meixell

Flint

2017

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Oil and gas development on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska, USA may have effects on Arctic‐nesting birds. To estimate effects of industrial activity and investigator disturbance on avian productivity, we monitored nests of greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons) with digital cameras and periodic nest visits during 2013–2014 at 2 sites on the ACP. A disturbed site was adjacent to human‐made infrastructure and industrial clean‐up activities initiated at the onset of the study and a control site was >2 km from sources of industrial disturbance. We assessed variation in estimates of incubation constancy, nest survival, and predator behavior relative to site, year, and distance from industrial activity using nest photographs obtained at 1‐minute intervals. We compared analysis of hourly nest survival informed by intensive monitoring with cameras to analysis of daily nest survival informed by traditional nest visit data obtained at intervals of 5–7 days to assess how method and time scale of sampling affect ecological inference. Geese in both sites exhibited high levels of nest attendance and initiated incubation breaks less than once per day. Observer‐caused incubation breaks associated with nest visits (truex¯ = 37.8 min) were longer than other types of incubation breaks (truex¯ = 8.7 min), demonstrating a differential response by nesting geese to direct human encroachment versus indirect vehicular and aircraft traffic. During both years, geese were absent from nests more frequently in the disturbed (truex¯ = 0.9 breaks/day) than control (truex¯ = 0.6 breaks/day) site, and this break frequency was slightly higher for nests closer to industrial activity. In the year with high rates of depredation, nest survival was positively related to distance from industrial activity and abandoned infrastructure, consistent with predictions of industry‐caused effects. This relationship, however, was not evident in the year with reduced predation pressure, likely because of annual variation in arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) behavior. Analysis of nest survival probability informed by camera data allowed for detection of detailed patterns of variation that were not supported when using only visit data for the same nests. Observer visits were responsible for reductions of 7–35% in nest survival probability, highlighting the importance of minimizing, and controlling for, observer effects in studies of avian productivity. Indirect vehicular and aircraft disturbance posed less risk to nest survival than direct encroachment by observers at nest sites. Therefore, effects of industrial activities on avian productivity in the Arctic can be minimized through practices that limit direct encounters with nests. Published 2017. This article is a U.S.Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of industrial and investigator disturbance on Arctic‐nesting geese

Meixell

Flint

2017

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…), and stress‐related responses such as hormonal, physiological, and behavioral changes (Duarte ) that could influence breeding success (Uher‐Koch et al. , Ledwoń et al. ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few investigators, however, have examined how trapping birds on their nests might affect nest success (Uher‐Koch et al. , Ledwoń et al. ) and behaviors other than nest desertion (Hill and Talent , Burger et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of capture and video-recording on the behavior and breeding success of Great Tits in urban and forest habitats

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Behavioral research often involves capturing and video‐recording birds, but these procedures may have undesired effects on the behavior of birds that have rarely been quantified. In addition, birds in urban and more natural areas may differ in their sensitivity to disturbance. We examined the possible effects of both capturing, weighing and measuring, and taking a blood sample, and the presence of video‐cameras on the behavior of male and female Great Tits (Parus major) breeding in urban and forest habitats. Using a 2 × 2 block design, we compared the behavior and breeding success of parents that either were or were not captured on their nests a few days before behavioral observations, and of parents that either were or were not habituated to the presence of a concealed video‐recorder mounted on nest boxes. We found no significant effects of habituation to the camera on bird behavior, but males captured in their nest boxes were more vigilant and hesitated longer before entering nest boxes, and also had slightly lower provisioning rates than males that had not been captured. Captured females also tended to be more vigilant than females that had not been captured, but their provisioning rates were not affected. Capturing males also influenced the behavior of their non‐captured mates, but capturing females had no effect on the behavior of their non‐captured mates. We found no difference in the effects of capture on Great Tits in urban and forest habitats, and our treatments also had no effect on the mass, size, and survival of nestlings until fledging. Our results suggest that, for Great Tits, being captured results in sex‐dependent behavioral effects that can last for at least several days. As such, we suggest that the possibility of similar effects in other species of birds should be considered in behavioral studies where birds must be captured, and recommend either that behavioral data be collected before capturing birds or that all birds in a study should be captured and handled in a standardized way.

show abstract

Territory occupancy by breeding yellow‐billed loons near oil development

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Less than 4,000 yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) breed in remote and disjunct locations in northern Alaska, USA. Over 75% of the United States population of yellow-billed loons nests in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), where impending oil and gas development will intersect their breeding range. We investigated the relationship of recent oilfield development to occupancy of yellow-billed loon territories by breeding pairs (indicated by active nests) and broods using 14 years of aerial surveys on the Colville River delta. We also evaluated the survey requirements prescribed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for NPRA. We began aerial surveys for yellow-billed loons in 1993, prior to construction of the Alpine oilfield in 1998, and followed territories through 2008, after construction of 2 additional satellite drill sites. We used records from 37 breeding territories on 36 lakes in model selection analyses to examine how habitat and disturbance factors (proximity to facilities and construction time period) influenced occupancy by breeding pairs and broods. Annually, 13 AE 2.5 (SE)% (n ¼ 14 yr) of broods (n ¼ 19) moved from nesting lakes to adjacent brood-rearing lakes, and the remainder stayed in nesting lakes (n ¼ 128). Lakes used for nesting and brood-rearing were almost 25 times larger ( x ¼ 95.9 AE 25 ha, n ¼ 23 lakes) than nesting lakes from which broods left ( x ¼ 4.0 AE 1.1 ha, n ¼ 7 lakes, P < 0.001). Thirty-eight percent of territories (n ¼ 14 territories) were on lakes shared by >1 breeding pair. Lake type (deep open lakes with islands or polygonized margins, deep open lakes without islands or polygonized margins, and tapped lakes with high-water connections) was the most influential covariate on occupancy by breeding pairs, and lake area was most influential on occupancy by broods. Time period and distance to facilities (as discrete zones at 1.6 km and 3.2 km and as linear distance) were factors in the highest-ranked models for 5 of the 6 model sets that included disturbance parameters. Interaction terms for time period and distance to oilfield facilities were factors in 3 of 6 model sets. The pattern of occupancy of breeding territories, however, was not consistent with disturbance-related effects. Occupancy of territories by breeding pairs was lower in the predevelopment period (lowest human activity) than in the latest development period (highest human activity) and higher in the zones near oilfield facilities than far from facilities. Occupancy of territories by broods was highest in the latest development period and similarly high in zones near and far from facilities. Application of BLM minimum survey requirements (3 yr with 2 surveys/yr) to the initial 3 years of surveys in this study resulted in detecting 81% of the known territories on the Colville River delta. The BLM restrictions on development were judged conservative in maintaining breeding territories around oilfield developments. Our results did not demonstrate displacement of nests or broods from long-standing territori...

show abstract

Nest visits and capture events affect breeding success of Yellow-billed and Pacific loons

Cited by 28 publications

References 33 publications

Effects of industrial and investigator disturbance on Arctic‐nesting geese

Effects of industrial and investigator disturbance on Arctic‐nesting geese

Effects of capture and video-recording on the behavior and breeding success of Great Tits in urban and forest habitats

Territory occupancy by breeding yellow‐billed loons near oil development

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About