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Full-Text Articles in Ornithology
Use Of Nest Web Cameras And Citizen Science To Quantify Osprey Prey Delivery Rate And Nest Success, Michael H. Academia, Harmony J. Dalgleish
Use Of Nest Web Cameras And Citizen Science To Quantify Osprey Prey Delivery Rate And Nest Success, Michael H. Academia, Harmony J. Dalgleish
Arts & Sciences Articles
Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are obligate piscivores and their nesting success depends on sufficient amounts of fish delivered to the nests during the breeding season. Nests are considered successful when pairs raise a minimum of one young to fledging or near-fledging age. Through web cameras and online broadcasts of Osprey nests, citizen scientists quantified daily number of fish deliveries, nest survival, and nest success. We received and analyzed curated data (one to seven seasons, 2014–2020) from citizen scientist groups representing 19 Osprey web cameras from four countries in North America and Europe. We compared the average and the coefficient …
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Within The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Within The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
CCB Technical Reports
No abstract provided.
Linking Monitoring And Data Analysis To Predictions And Decisions For The Range-Wide Eastern Black Rail Status Assessment, Conor P. Mcgowan, Nicole F. Angeli, Whitney A. Beisler, Et Al., F. M. Smith, B. D. Watts
Linking Monitoring And Data Analysis To Predictions And Decisions For The Range-Wide Eastern Black Rail Status Assessment, Conor P. Mcgowan, Nicole F. Angeli, Whitney A. Beisler, Et Al., F. M. Smith, B. D. Watts
Arts & Sciences Articles
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has initiated a re-envisioned approach for providing decision makers with the best available science and synthesis of that information, called the Species Status Assessment (SSA), for endangered species decision making. The SSA report is a descriptive document that provides decision makers with an assessment of the current and pre - dicted future status of a species. These analyses support all manner of decisions under the US Endangered Species Act, such as listing, reclassification, and recovery planning. Novel scientific analysis and predictive modeling in SSAs could be an important part of rooting conservation decisions …
Virginia Peregrine Falcon Monitoring And Management Program: Year 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, M. U. Watts
Virginia Peregrine Falcon Monitoring And Management Program: Year 2020 Report, B. D. Watts, M. U. Watts
CCB Technical Reports
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) was believed to be extirpated as a breeding species in Virginia by the early 1960s. An aggressive restoration program was initiated in 1978 that included the release of 115 captive-reared birds on the Coastal Plain (1978-1985) and 127 birds in the mountains (1985-1993). This program resulted in the first breeding of the modern era in 1982. Since this time, the population has proceeded through a rapid establishment phase followed by a consolidation phase. However, more than 95% of all breeding activity over the past 30 years has occurred on the Coastal Plain with very limited …
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In Virginia: Year 2019 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In Virginia: Year 2019 Report, B. D. Watts, C. Hines, L. Duval, B. J. Paxton
CCB Technical Reports
The Virginia population of red-cockaded woodpeckers is the northernmost throughout the species range and has been in eminent danger of extinction for more than 30 years. The Piney Grove Preserve represents a nucleus for recovery in the state and the focus of a multi-organizational partnership designed to increase the population to a sustainable level. The partnership has executed a program of aggressive habitat management, cavity-tree management and woodpecker population monitoring and management that has resulted in a quadrupling of the breeding population since the early 2000s. During the 2019 breeding season, Piney Grove Preserve supported 15 potential breeding groups (including …
Long-Term Monitoring Of A Successful Recovery Program Of Peregrine Falcons In Virginia, B. D. Watts, Mitchell A. Byrd, E. K. Mojica, S. Padgett, S. R. Harding, C. A. Koppie
Long-Term Monitoring Of A Successful Recovery Program Of Peregrine Falcons In Virginia, B. D. Watts, Mitchell A. Byrd, E. K. Mojica, S. Padgett, S. R. Harding, C. A. Koppie
Arts & Sciences Articles
The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) was believed to be extirpated as a breeding species in Virginia by the early 1960s. An aggressive restoration program was initiated in 1978 that involved the release of captive-reared birds totaling 115 on the Coastal Plain (1978–1985) and 127 in the Mountain physiographic region (1985–1993). The first occupied territory was established and the first breeding attempt was documented in 1979 and 1982, respectively. We have monitored the size, distribution, reproductive rate, and substrate use of the resulting breeding population (1979–2016). The population proceeded through an establishment phase (1979–1993) driven by releases with an average …
Assessment Of Black Rail Status In Georgia, Interim Report: Summer 2018, B. D. Watts, B. J. Paxton, F. M. Smith
Assessment Of Black Rail Status In Georgia, Interim Report: Summer 2018, B. D. Watts, B. J. Paxton, F. M. Smith
CCB Technical Reports
No abstract provided.
Exposure Of Bald Eagle Nestlings To Contaminants On National Park Service Lands Within The Chesapeake Bay, Interim Report: Fall 2017, B. D. Watts, B. J. Paxton, M. L. Pitts
Exposure Of Bald Eagle Nestlings To Contaminants On National Park Service Lands Within The Chesapeake Bay, Interim Report: Fall 2017, B. D. Watts, B. J. Paxton, M. L. Pitts
CCB Technical Reports
No abstract provided.
Mapping Bald Eagle Activity Shadows Around Communal Roosts, B. D. Watts, Courtney Turrin
Mapping Bald Eagle Activity Shadows Around Communal Roosts, B. D. Watts, Courtney Turrin
Arts & Sciences Articles
We assessed diurnal activity patterns associated with communal roosts (n = 26) by tracking nonbreeding bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus; n = 58) within the upper Chesapeake Bay, USA, 2008-2013. We used daytime locations (n = 54,165) to map activity shadows (using home range analytics, 90% kernel) around communal roosts, to evaluate the spatial structure and to delineate diurnal activity centers. We overlaid a range (100-3,200 m) of buffers around the perimeter of each roost to estimate the benefits of management scenarios in extending protection to daytime activities. Activity shadows around roosts varied from 1.5 km(2) to 116 km(2) ((x) over …
Utilization Probability Map For Migrating Bald Eagles In Northeastern North America: A Tool For Siting Wind Energy Facilities And Other Flight Hazards, Elizabeth K. Mojica, B. D. Watts, Courtney L. Turrin
Utilization Probability Map For Migrating Bald Eagles In Northeastern North America: A Tool For Siting Wind Energy Facilities And Other Flight Hazards, Elizabeth K. Mojica, B. D. Watts, Courtney L. Turrin
Arts & Sciences Articles
Collisions with anthropogenic structures are a significant and well documented source of mortality for avian species worldwide. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is known to be vulnerable to collision with wind turbines and federal wind energy guidelines include an eagle risk assessment for new projects. To address the need for risk assessment, in this study, we 1) identified areas of northeastern North America utilized by migrating bald eagles, and 2) compared these with high wind-potential areas to identify potential risk of bald eagle collision with wind turbines. We captured and marked 17 resident and migrant bald eagles in the northern …
Landfill Use By Bald Eagles In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts, Elizabeth K. Mojica
Landfill Use By Bald Eagles In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts, Elizabeth K. Mojica
Arts & Sciences Articles
We examined patterns in the use of landfills (rubbish dumps) in the Chesapeake Bay by Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Sites of solid waste landfills (n = 72) were located using state databases. Satellite tracking data from 64 eagles were used to track eagle movements hourly during daylight and once at midnight to determine roosting locations (2007–2012). Landfill use varied significantly with age class, with hatch-year birds using landfills six times more often than adults and twice as often as third- and fourth-year birds. Hatch-year birds spent significantly more time at landfills than expected based on landfill area …
Seasonal Variation In Space Use By Nonbreeding Bald Eagles Within The Upper Chesapeake Bay, B. D. Watts, Elizabeth K. Mojica, B. J. Paxton
Seasonal Variation In Space Use By Nonbreeding Bald Eagles Within The Upper Chesapeake Bay, B. D. Watts, Elizabeth K. Mojica, B. J. Paxton
Arts & Sciences Articles
Access to food resources is essential to self-maintenance and reproduction and, for species of conservation concern, foraging areas are considered critical habitat. Human disturbance is an important factor restricting access to prey resources for Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and guidelines in the Chesapeake Bay have been developed to mitigate its impact. However, our ability to implement such guidelines has been limited by a lack of information on important foraging areas. We used Brownian bridge movement modeling to develop a population-wide utilization probability surface for Bald Eagles along shorelines within the upper Chesapeake Bay. We used locations (n …
Nest Guarding In Chesapeake Bay Bald Eagles, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts
Nest Guarding In Chesapeake Bay Bald Eagles, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts
Arts & Sciences Articles
As Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) populations approach carrying capacity in the Chesapeake Bay, competition for breeding territories appears to be intensifying. Frequent territorial interactions may force breeders to adjust nest-guarding behavior. We examined nest-guarding behaviors at active Bald Eagle nests in the lower Chesapeake Bay during the nesting season (2012 and 2013). Guarding coverage was 13.7 ± 4.2% of total observation time during the pre-laying period, 6.8 ± 2.2% of observation time in the incubation period, and 26.3 ± 3.2% of observation time in the nestling period. Females were present in the nest area for 80.0 ± 2.7% …
Intraspecific Intrusion At Bald Eagle Nests, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts
Intraspecific Intrusion At Bald Eagle Nests, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts
Arts & Sciences Articles
Competition for nesting territory has been shown to act as a density-dependent feedback mechanism influencing population growth rate. However, little is known about the nature of territorial interactions between established breeders and floaters. We examined territorial intrusion rates and associated behaviours at active Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus nests in the lower Chesapeake Bay in 2012 and 2013. The average intrusion rate experienced at study nests during the reproductive period was 0.28 ± 0.32 intrusions/h. Variance in intrusion rate was high and there was no apparent predictive pattern to these events. Juvenile intrusions occurred closer to the nest than adult intrusions, …
Recovery Of Breeding Bald Eagles On Aberdeen Proving Ground, B. D. Watts
Recovery Of Breeding Bald Eagles On Aberdeen Proving Ground, B. D. Watts
Arts & Sciences Articles
We conducted annual aerial surveys (1991-2011) for breeding Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) within Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), a 350-km2 military installation located along the northwestern shoreline of the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The population increased exponentially from 1 pair in 1977 to 58 pairs in 2011 with an average doubling time of 5.8 years. This rate was higher than that documented for the broader Chesapeake Bay and is comparable to the highest reported throughout the species range. Annual population increase was highly variable and exhibited no indication of any systematic decline. A total of 646 chicks were produced from …
Whimbrel Tracked With Satellite Transmitter On Migratory Flight Across North America, B. D. Watts, B. R. Truitt, F. M. Smith, E. K. Mojica, Et Al.
Whimbrel Tracked With Satellite Transmitter On Migratory Flight Across North America, B. D. Watts, B. R. Truitt, F. M. Smith, E. K. Mojica, Et Al.
Arts & Sciences Articles
"Two disjunct breeding populations of Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus have been described in the western hemisphere (American Ornithologists’ Union 1983). The western population breeds in portions of Alaska and across the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada while the eastern population breeds west and south of Hudson Bay (Skeel & Mallory 1996). Most of what we believe we know about the migratory pathways of these populations has been pieced together from circumstantial evidence gleaned from decades of field observations (Skeel & Mallory 1996, Taverner 1942). The populations have been thought to have separate migratory routes with little mixing where the western …