Wintering strategies by mountain goats in interior mountains

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G. Poole ◽  
Kari Stuart-Smith ◽  
Irene E. Teske
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Habitat Model ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Mountain Goats ◽  
Selection For

As with many ungulates inhabiting areas with potentially deep snow, winter is an important season for mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus (de Blainville, 1816)) and is characterized by restricted movements and high juvenile mortality. We examined winter habitat selection and wintering strategies by mountain goats in two adjacent areas of southeastern British Columbia characterized by deep, moist snow and by shallow, dry snow. Fifteen GPS collars were placed on mountain goats in each area over two winters. Winter-range size did not differ between areas and comprised, on average, 2.2%–7.4% of male home range and 8.0%–14.1% of female home range. Topographic variables dominated habitat model selection. At the broad scale, mountain goats in both areas selected winter ranges closer to escape terrain on warmer aspects that contained lesser amounts of mature dense forest. At the fine scale, mountain goats in both areas selected rugged habitat at upper mid-elevations and on warmer aspects. Alpine areas were avoided in the deep snow area and selected in the shallow snow area. No selection for mature forests was observed in either area. Mountain goats, therefore, appeared to utilize open, high-elevation habitats in shallow snow zones, but they did not seek reduced snow levels in mature forest stands in deep snow areas.

scholarly journals Seasonal Habitat Use and Movements of Mountain Goats, Oreamnos americanus, in East-central British Columbia

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G. Poole ◽  
Douglas C. Heard
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
East Central ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Mountain Goats ◽  
Mineral Licks ◽  
Forest Use

To identify the potential for adverse effects of forest development on Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus), we documented the patterns of forest use by goats and the factors influencing goat habitat use. We used a combination of 15 very high frequency (VHF) and six global positioning system (GPS) radiocollars to document the distribution and movements of 21 (15 female, 6 male) goats from 1997 to 1999 in the mountains surrounding the Robson Valley in east-central British Columbia. Because canopy closure reduces the likelihood that a GPS receiver will obtain a location fix, we estimated that GPS collars underrepresented forest use by about 23%. Three goats used separate winter and summer ranges separated by 8–13 km, while most simply exhibited seasonal shifts in elevation. In winter, goats were more often at lower elevations, in commercial forest stands, on southerly aspects, and moved less each hour and over the course of the winter. Goat use declined in areas >500 m from escape terrain and goats were found lower in elevation from evening to dawn compared to daylight hours. Collared goats used high elevation licks, which were either within their home range, or in two cases, 6 and 14 km from their typical home range. We documented use of known mid-elevation mineral licks by three collared goats, but no use of known low elevation (valley bottom and lower slopes) mineral licks. Robson Valley goats appeared to be at relatively low risk from disturbances related to logging, because although forest use was documented during winter, it occurred primarily on high elevation, steep slopes where trees are currently of low commercial value, and goats made little use of low elevation mineral licks. We recommend that in this area a forested buffer of 500 m around cliffs be left to reduce the possibility of adverse effects on goats especially, on southerly aspects above 1300 m.

Seasonal migration and home range of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the Italian eastern Alps

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ramanzin ◽  
E. Sturaro ◽  
D. Zanon
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Seasonal Migration ◽  
Migration Strategy ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Short Period

Although it has been demonstrated that European roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus (L. 1758)) may migrate seasonally in areas with snow gradients, this behaviour remains scarcely understood. From 1999 to 2002, radio-tracking techniques in an Italian alpine area showed that 40% of the 32 monitored roe deer migrated (12.0 ± 6.2 km, mean ± SD) from the high-elevation summer ranges to the low-elevation winter ranges. Proportions of migratory deer were similar for fawns and adults and for males and females. We documented a mixed migration strategy, with most deer migrating once to the winter range in years of heavy snowfalls, but many deer migrating inconsistently or only for a short period to the winter range in one year with very scarce snowfalls. Seasonal home-range sizes were similar for migratory and stationary deer, except in a winter with very shallow snow when migrators used unusually large home ranges. In all seasons, migrators showed a lower within home range site fidelity than did stationary deer. Our results indicate that seasonal migrations may be a common strategy exhibited by roe deer living in mountain areas to avoid deep snow, and that variability in climatic conditions might be responsible for the development of variable spatial strategies.

scholarly journals Mineral Lick Visitation by Mountain Goats, Oreamnos americanus

2010 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford G. Rice
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Mountain Goats ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Mineral Licks ◽  
Mountain Goat ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
Mineral Lick

Many species, including Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus), are known to visit mineral licks, but the extent and duration of use are poorly understood because most studies consist of observations at licks. I studied the movements to, from, and near mineral licks of 11 mountain goats in Washington wearing Global Positioning System (GPS) collars for a total of 169 goat-months of tracking and evaluated chemical composition of six mineral licks compared with reference soil samples. I recorded 101 mineral lick visits to 13 mineral licks. Each GPS fix was classified as moving toward a mineral lick, in the vicinity of a lick, on an excursion from a lick, moving away from a lick, or not associated with lick use. Depending on annual movement patterns associated with lick use, each Mountain Goat was classified as a Migrant (single lick visit of long duration, n = 3 Mountain Goats), Sojourner (few visits of short duration, n = 2), Commuter (many visits of short duration, n = 5), or Resident (lick within normal range of movements, n = 1). Most mineral lick visits took place 01 June-15 August with peak visitation about 14 June-29 July. Migrants typically stayed in the vicinity of licks about a month (but as long as 51 days) whereas other mountain goats visited licks for 0.1-8 days (median = 1 day). Migrants also tended to take longer and move farther than other Mountain Goats when on movements to and from licks. Most Mountain Goats moved toward mineral licks faster (km/hr) than they moved away from licks. All licks had higher concentrations of sodium than reference samples (1.5-27 times as high), although concentrations of calcium, potassium, and sulphate tended to be higher as well, whereas magnesium was not. Mineral lick visitation has costs (energetics of travel, reduced forage, and predation risk). Depending on the importance of these costs, mountain goats evidently use various strategies for exploiting mineral licks as exemplified by the movement types (migrant, sojourner, commuter, or resident). Notably, most of the Mountain Goats in this study crossed national forest, county and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife region boundaries to another to visit mineral licks. Thus, coordination among administrative units is needed in management of Mountain Goats and mineral licks they use.

Winter habitat selection by female moose in western interior montane forests

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 1823-1832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G. Poole ◽  
Kari Stuart-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Causative Factor ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Crown Closure

Winter range has been identified as an important component of moose ( Alces alces (L., 1758)) conservation in managed forests, yet there have been few studies on habitat associations in montane ecosystems. We investigated habitat selection by moose at landscape and stand scales during late winter in southeastern British Columbia using global positioning system (GPS) collars on 24 adult moose cows in each of two winters. The strongest determinant of late-winter range at the landscape scale was decreasing elevation, while moose also selected for areas of gentler slopes and higher solar insolation. Elevation likely is a surrogate for snow depth, which is probably the primary causative factor influencing late-winter distribution of moose. Within late-winter range, topographic variables had little influence on moose habitat selection. Lower crown closure was the strongest determinant of stand-scale selection, although the resultant model was weak. We found no disproportionate selection for stands with high crown closure, and there was little evidence for greater use of cover stands with increasing snow as winter progressed. Within late-winter range, moose selected forage habitats (42% use vs. 30% availability) over cover habitats (22% use vs. 37% availability). The delineation of late-winter moose range can be based on snow depth, or elevation as its surrogate.

Scale-dependent habitat selection by reintroduced Eld’s deer (Cervus eldi) in a human-dominated landscape

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Bo Yan ◽  
Zhi-Gao Zeng ◽  
Duo Pan ◽  
Tie-Jun Wang ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Selection Of

Context Knowledge of the habitat selection of reintroduced species is crucial to successful re-establishment of viable populations and effective conservation decision-making. Aims The aim of our research was to examine habitat selection by reintroduced Eld’s deer (Cervus eldi) in a human-dominated landscape. Methods The study was conducted during the period from July 2005 to November 2007 in the Chihao region, a human-dominated area located in western Hainan Island, China. Radio-telemetry was used to monitor 15 collared deer to gain their location information. Resource selection functions were used to quantify habitat selection of the study population at the landscape and home-range scales in both wet and dry seasons. Key results At the landscape scale, Eld’s deer showed selection for habitats with scrubland, high elevation, gentle slope, close to water sources and roads. At the home-range scale, Eld’s deer showed selection for habitats with dense forest, scrubland, grassland, low elevation and far away from roads, but they randomly used habitats without special consideration to the distance to water sources. At both landscape and home-range scales, Eld’s deer showed strong avoidance of villages. In addition, Eld’s deer showed increased selection of sparse forests and decreased use of grasslands in the dry season, as compared with the wet season at both spatial scales. Sexual differences in habitat selection existed in reintroduced Eld’s deer. Males showed stronger avoidance to human disturbance, whereas females selected vegetation with higher forage availability but poor hiding cover, especially during the antler-growing period (i.e. wet season). Conclusions The habitat selection of reintroduced Eld’s deer was scale-dependent. As a non-fatal anthropogenic factor, human disturbance had a strong influence on habitat selection of Eld’s deer. They more strongly selected slope habitats at relatively high elevations. However, our results also indicated that the reintroduced Eld’s deer had certain adaptive ability and tolerance to the disturbed environment. Implications This work provides insight into the habitat selection of reintroduced Eld’s deer in a human-dominated landscape. If the essential food resources are available, the regions at a relatively high elevation with low human disturbance can be considered as potential sites of future Eld’s deer reintroduction.

scholarly journals Home Ranges and Movements of Elk (Cervus canadensis) Restored to Southern Ontario, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Rosatte
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cervus Canadensis ◽  
Summer Range ◽  
Seasonal Basis ◽  
Social Units ◽  
Winter Feeding

During 2000 and 2001, Elk (Cervus canadensis) were restored to the Bancroft, Ontario area. The objective of this study was to determine the home range and movements of six social units of Elk, 5–12 years after restoration, in an area of about 2500 km2 near Bancroft. Home range and movements were calculated from 40 221 Global Positioning System locations acquired from 56 collared Elk (16 bulls and 40 cows) between 2006 and 2013. Annual home ranges were found to be significantly greater (mean 110.3 km2, standard error [SE] 11.2) for Elk in areas where winter feeding by humans did not occur compared with those (mean 51.0 km2, SE 9.0) where winter feeding was prevalent. Elk in winter feeding areas had smaller ranges in winter than other seasons. On a seasonal basis, home range size was larger for Elk in areas where winter feeding did not occur; mean winter home range for Elk in non-feeding areas was 73.4 km2 (SE34.0) compared with 8.3 km2 (SE 2.6) for Elk in areas where winter feeding occurred. The 20 Elk that were monitored for multiple years exhibited home range fidelity among years. The entire range of all radio-collared Elk within the social groups studied covered 1716.4 km2 during 2006–2013. Average daily movements of Elk in the study arearanged from 1.0 to 2.1 km/day with greatest movements occurring during spring and summer. However, some Elk were capable of moving an average of 5–7km in a 12-h interval. Movements (about 5 km) to winter range occurred during October to December each year. Cows moved to calving areas in May with mean movements of Elk to spring/summer range about 6 km. Cow/calf groups moved to fall ranges by early September with mean movements of about 4 km. During the rut, mean bull movements of 16.0 km to cow groups over 1–5 days occurred in early September. Hunting of Elk during the fall of 2011 and 2012 did not appear to significantly affect the movements and dispersion of Elk in the study area.

scholarly journals Fall and Winter Movements of Newfoundland Graycheeked Thrushes (Catharus Minimus Minimus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darroch M. Whitaker ◽  
Ian G. Warkentin ◽  
Keith A. Hobson ◽  
Peter Thomas ◽  
Rinchen Boardman
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Central America ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Contemporary Research ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Migratory Stopover

Abstract The Newfoundland subspecies of Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus minimus) has declined since the 1980s and degradation of winter habitat has been suggested as a contributing stressor. However, the winter range of this subspecies is not well understood, so we fitted 29 males with archival GPS tags during summer 2016. Four tagged thrushes were recaptured in summer 2017 and, though all tags had missing locations and broken antennae, the data retrieved showed that one thrush wintered in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) in northern Colombia, one in the nearby Sierra de Perija in Venezuela, and a third may have settled in the same region. One tag provided locations until April 21 and that thrush was consistently detected within a ~1 ha area through the winter. Locations obtained during fall migration indicated that thrushes travelled to South America via Central America and possibly by directly crossing the Caribbean. Contemporary research indicates that the SNSM is an important migratory stopover for Northern Gray-cheeked Thrushes (C. m. aliciae) but a historical report coupled with our observations suggest winter use of the SNSM and adjacent areas in northern South America by C. m. minimus, though numbers may be lower than during the 1900s.

scholarly journals Managing Woodland Caribou in West-Central British Columbia

Rangifer ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah B. Cichowski
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Range Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Winter Range

Initial long term planning for logging on the Tweedsmuir-Entiako caribou winter range began in the early 1980s. Because little information was available on which to base winter range management, the British Columbia Fish and Wildlife Branch began studies on radio-collared caribou in 1983, and an intensive study on caribou winter habitat requirements was conducted from 1985 to 1988. Terrestrial lichens were identified as the primary winter food source for the caribou, and in 1987, caribou winter range ecosystem maps, which emphasized abundance of terrestrial lichens, were produced. The ecosystem maps and information from the caribou study, including potential direct and indirect effects of timber harvesting on the caribou population, were used to develop a management strategy for the winter range. The management strategy comprised two levels of management: a landscape level (Caribou Management Zones); and a site-specific level (caribou habitat/timber values). Timber information associated with BC Ministry of Forests forest cover maps was integrated using a Geographic Information System. Six winter range management options were proposed ranging from harvesting low value caribou habitats only throughout the winter range to total protection of the entire winter range. Impacts of those options on both the caribou population and on the timber supply were evaluated. The options were reviewed through a public planning process, the Entiako Local Resource Use Plan, and recommendations from that process were forwarded to the British Columbia Protected Areas Strategy.

scholarly journals Home range and habitat use of the Vulnerable Virginia northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus in the Central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Menzel ◽  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
John W. Edwards ◽  
Tamara M. Terry
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Kernel Method ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Glaucomys Sabrinus ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Flying Squirrel ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Northern Flying Squirrel

The Virginia northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus is a Vulnerable sciurid that has experienced a 90% reduction of suitable high elevation boreal montane forest habitat over the last century in the central Appalachians of West Virginia and Virginia, USA. Using radiotelemetry and GIS analyses we examined the species' home range size and habitat use in the Monongahela National Forest, Kumbrabow State Forest and the MeadWestvaco Ecosystem Research Forest in West Virginia during the summers of 2000–2003. The mean home range sizes of male and female squirrels were 54.2 and 15.3 ha, respectively, based on the adaptive kernel method. Euclidean distance analysis indicated the squirrels used spruce, mixed spruce-northern hardwood, and open habitats more than was available across the landscape. Selection of spruce and mixed spruce-northern hardwood habitats indicates that forest management activities designed to restore and increase these types in the central Appalachian landscape are required to conserve and increase this Vulnerable species.

Use of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) seeds by GPS-collared Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in Banff National Park, Alberta

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67
Author(s):  
David Hamer
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Grizzly Bears ◽  
Pinus Albicaulis ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Banff National Park

Seeds of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) are a major food for Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Yellowstone ecosystem. In Canada, Grizzly Bears are known to eat Whitebark Pine seeds, but little additional information, such as the extent of such use and habitat characteristics of feeding sites, is available. Because Grizzly Bears almost always obtain Whitebark Pine seeds by excavating cones from persistent caching sites (middens) made by Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), it is possible to infer Whitebark Pine feeding when bears are located near excavated middens in Whitebark Pine stands. During 2013–2018, I conducted a retrospective study in Banff National Park using data from 23 Grizzly Bears equipped by Parks Canada staff with global positioning system (GPS) collars. My objectives were to use GPS fixes to determine the percentage of these bears that had been located in close proximity to excavated middens containing Whitebark Pine seeds and to describe the habitat at these excavated middens. I linked 15 bears (65%) to excavated middens and, by inference, consumption of Whitebark Pine seeds. Excavated middens occurred on high-elevation (mean 2103 ± 101 [SD] m), steep (mean 26° ± 8°) slopes facing mostly (96%) north through west (0–270°). Use of Whitebark Pine seeds by at least 65% of the 23 studied Grizzly Bears suggests that conservation of Whitebark Pine in Banff National Park would concomitantly benefit the at-risk population of Grizzly Bears.

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