scholarly journals Inferring Movements and Staging Locations for Canvasbacks Using Light-Level Geolocators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan A. Cook ◽  
Christopher A. Nicolai ◽  
Kevin T. Shoemaker
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Aythya Valisineria ◽  
Northern United States

Abstract Understanding the geographic extent and timing of wildlife movements enables resource managers to inform habitat needs of target species efficiently and effectively. We use light-level geolocators—which enable researchers to estimate individual locations from light-level data—to build a more complete understanding of the geography and timing of migratory movements for canvasback Aythya valisineria in the Pacific Flyway. During the springs of 2015–2017, we placed 151 geolocators on canvasbacks using two alternative attachment methods (leg-band vs. nasal-saddle mounts) during spring migration (February–March) near Reno, Nevada. Eight of these geolocators (five males and three females) were successfully retrieved, representing 10 near-complete annual migration cycles (two geolocators contained data for two migration years). Eight of the 10 estimated spring canvasback migrations (five male and three female) ended at breeding sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of southern Canada and northern United States (often via stopover sites in Utah and Montana), whereas one male and one female migrated to breeding sites in Alaska. Notably, one female settled on nesting grounds in southern Saskatchewan and then in central Alaska in successive years. During spring migration, canvasbacks made an average of 3.3 ± 0.5 stopovers, with an average duration of 14.8 ± 2.2 d. Three canvasbacks made a distinct molt migration after breeding. For fall migration, canvasback made an average of 2.7 ± 0.3 stopovers, lasting an average of 12.3 ± 2.5 d, on their way to wintering sites in California's Central Valley and coastal regions near San Francisco Bay. Retrieval rate for nasal-saddle-mounted geolocators was significantly lower than leg band-mounted devices because of failure of nasal-saddle attachment. This study demonstrates the value of geolocators for assessing year-round habitat use for waterfowl species that have negative behavioral reactions to traditional backpack devices. This information complements standard band-recovery approaches and enables waterfowl managers to ensure that the spatial and temporal distributions of individuals are identified so that habitat conservation efforts can reflect the full annual habitat use cycle.

scholarly journals The annual cycle of a trans-equatorial Eurasian–African passerine migrant: different spatio-temporal strategies for autumn and spring migration

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1730) ◽  
pp. 1008-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders P. Tøttrup ◽  
Raymond H. G. Klaassen ◽  
Roine Strandberg ◽  
Kasper Thorup ◽  
Mikkel Willemoes Kristensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Lanius Collurio ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The small size of the billions of migrating songbirds commuting between temperate breeding sites and the tropics has long prevented the study of the largest part of their annual cycle outside the breeding grounds. Using light-level loggers (geolocators), we recorded the entire annual migratory cycle of the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio , a trans-equatorial Eurasian-African passerine migrant. We tested differences between autumn and spring migration for nine individuals. Duration of migration between breeding and winter sites was significantly longer in autumn (average 96 days) when compared with spring (63 days). This difference was explained by much longer staging periods during autumn (71 days) than spring (9 days). Between staging periods, the birds travelled faster during autumn (356 km d –1 ) than during spring (233 km d –1 ). All birds made a protracted stop (53 days) in Sahelian sub-Sahara on southbound migration. The birds performed a distinct loop migration (22 000 km) where spring distance, including a detour across the Arabian Peninsula, exceeded the autumn distance by 22 per cent. Geographical scatter between routes was particularly narrow in spring, with navigational convergence towards the crossing point from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. Temporal variation between individuals was relatively constant, while different individuals tended to be consistently early or late at different departure/arrival occasions during the annual cycle. These results demonstrate the existence of fundamentally different spatio-temporal migration strategies used by the birds during autumn and spring migration, and that songbirds may rely on distinct staging areas for completion of their annual cycle, suggesting more sophisticated endogenous control mechanisms than merely clock-and-compass guidance among terrestrial solitary migrants. After a century with metal-ringing, year-round tracking of long-distance migratory songbirds promises further insights into bird migration.

scholarly journals Spring Migration of Mallards from Arkansas as Determined by Satellite Telemetry

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Kwasi Asante ◽  
Luke W. Naylor
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Large River ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
The North

Abstract We used satellite telemetry to document spring migration phenology, routes, stopover regions, and nesting sites of mallards Anas platyrhynchos marked in Arkansas during the winters of 2004–2007. Of the 143 marked mallards that migrated from Arkansas, they did so, on average, by mid-March. Mallards flew over the Missouri Ozarks and 42% made an initial stopover in Missouri, where they used areas that had larger rivers (Mississippi River, Missouri River) embedded in an agricultural landscape. From this stopover region they either migrated directly to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) or they migrated north to Minnesota where they either moved next to the PPR or to the north and east of the PPR. For those mallards (83%) that stopped for >1 d before entering the PPR, the average length at each stop was 12 d (SE  =  0.90 d, range  =  2–54 d). Mallards made more stopovers, made shorter migration movements, and took longer to move to the PPR in wetter than drier years. Mallards arrived in the PPR earlier in 2006 (x¯  =  30 March, SE  =  2.18 d) than in 2005 (x¯  =  7 April, SE  =  2.30 d). Females nested across nine Bird Conservation Regions. Nesting occurred most frequently in South Dakota (n  =  9). The average date when females nested was 19 April (SE  =  2.44 d, range  =  12 March–26 May). Because many mallards headed for the large river corridors in Missouri for their first stopover, this region is an important spring migration stopover of continental importance to mallards and might be considered a focal area for conservation.

scholarly journals Winter Distribution and Survival of a High-Desert Breeding Population of Canvasbacks

The Condor ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-804
Author(s):  
Kammie L. Kruse ◽  
James R. Lovvorn ◽  
John Y. Takekawa ◽  
Jeffrey Mackay
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
El Niño ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Variable Site ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Pacific Flyway ◽  
Aythya Valisineria ◽  
High Desert

AbstractThe southernmost major breeding area of Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) is located at the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, in the high desert of the western Great Basin. We determined winter distributions, recovery rates, and survival for Canvasbacks banded in Nevada from March to November, 1968–2000. Winter recovery distributions did not differ by sex or age, but differed between direct recoveries (same year as banding) and indirect recoveries (after year of banding), indicating variable site use between years. Of direct band returns (October–March), 92% were from the Pacific Flyway and 56% were from California alone. In California, recovery distributions shifted from southern California and the San Francisco Bay estuary in the 1970s to the Central Valley in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1990s, there were no recoveries in San Francisco Bay, historically the major wintering area for Canvasbacks in the Pacific Flyway. Adult and juvenile survival decreased by 24% between the 1980s and 1990s. Ruby Lake Canvasbacks exhibited weaker fidelity to wintering sites than Canvasbacks wintering on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Moreover, no major concentrations occurred during fall migration, unlike patterns in eastern North America. Shifts in distribution and survival may correspond to effects of El Niño weather on habitat conditions in Nevada and San Francisco Bay, and to major improvements in water delivery and wetland restoration in the Central Valley. Canvasbacks that use widely distributed and variable habitats may be good indicators of the effects of changing climate and water-use practices on waterbirds throughout this arid region.Distribución Invernal y Supervivencia de una Población Reproductiva de Aythya valisineria en un Desierto de AlturaResumen. La principal área reproductiva más meridional de Aythya valisineria está localizada en el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre de Lake Ruby, Nevada, en el desierto de altura de la gran depresión occidental. En este estudio, determinamos la distribución invernal, las tasas de recobramiento y la supervivencia para individuos de A. valisineria anillados en Nevada de marzo a noviembre entre 1968 y 2000. Las distribuciones de los recobramientos invernales no difirieron entre sexos ni edades, pero difirieron entre recobramientos directos (del mismo año de anillamiento) e indirectos (después del año de anillamiento), indicando que el uso de sitio era variable entre años. De los recobramientos directos de anillos (octubre–marzo), el 92% fueron del corredor de vuelo del Pacífico y el 56% fueron sólo de California. En California, la distribución de los recobramientos cambió del sur de California y el estuario de la bahía de San Francisco en los 1970s al Valle Central en los 1980s y 1990s. En los 1990s, no hubo recobramientos en la bahía de San Francisco, históricamente el área de invernada principal de A. valisineria en el corredor de vuelo del Pacífico. La supervivencia de adultos y juveniles disminuyó en un 24% entre los 1980s y 1990s. Los individuos de A. valisineria de Ruby Lake exhibieron una fidelidad más débil a sus sitios de invernada que aquellos que invernan en las costas Atlántica y del Golfo. Más aún, no se presentaron grandes concentraciones durante la migración de otoño, a diferencia de los patrones del este de Norte América. Los cambios en la distribución y la supervivencia podrían corresponder a los efectos del clima de El Niño sobre las condiciones del hábitat en Nevada y la bahía de San Francisco, y a grandes mejoras en el reparto de agua y la restauración de humedales en el Valle Central. Los patos A. valisineria, que utilizan hábitats ampliamente distribuidos y variables, podrían ser buenos indicadores de los efectos de los cambios climáticos y las prácticas de uso de agua sobre las aves acuáticas a través de esta región árida.

scholarly journals Inter-population differences in salinity tolerance of adult wild Sacramento splittail: osmoregulatory and metabolic responses to salinity

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine E Verhille ◽  
Theresa F Dabruzzi ◽  
Dennis E Cocherell ◽  
Brian Mahardja ◽  
Fred Feyrer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Salinity Tolerance ◽  
Plasma Osmolality ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Metabolic Responses ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Osmoregulatory Capacity ◽  
Sacramento Splittail

Abstract The Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) is composed of two genetically distinct populations endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (SFE). The allopatric upstream spawning habitat of the Central Valley (CV) population connects with the sympatric rearing grounds via relatively low salinity waters, whereas the San Pablo (SP) population must pass through the relatively high-salinity Upper SFE to reach its allopatric downstream spawning habitat. We hypothesize that if migration through SFE salinities to SP spawning grounds is more challenging for adult CV than SP splittail, then salinity tolerance, osmoregulatory capacity, and metabolic responses to salinity will differ between populations. Osmoregulatory disturbances, assessed by measuring plasma osmolality and ions, muscle moisture and Na+-K+-ATPase activity after 168 to 336 h at 11‰ salinity, showed evidence for a more robust osmoregulatory capacity in adult SP relative to CV splittail. While both resting and maximum metabolic rates were elevated in SP splittail in response to increased salinity, CV splittail metabolic rates were unaffected by salinity. Further, the calculated difference between resting and maximum metabolic values, aerobic scope, did not differ significantly between populations. Therefore, improved osmoregulation came at a metabolic cost for SP splittail but was not associated with negative impacts on scope for aerobic metabolism. These results suggest that SP splittail may be physiologically adjusted to allow for migration through higher-salinity waters. The trends in interpopulation variation in osmoregulatory and metabolic responses to salinity exposures support our hypothesis of greater salinity-related challenges to adult CV than SP splittail migration and are consistent with our previous findings for juvenile splittail populations, further supporting our recommendation of population-specific management.

Evident cooling effects of surface wetlands to mitigate climate change - a study of the Prairie Pothole Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Michael Barlage ◽  
Lauren E Bortolotti ◽  
James Famiglietti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Cooling Effects ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change
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