Marine Biology Commons^™

Bear Presence Attracts Avian Predators But Does Not Impact Lesser Snow Goose Daily Nest Attendance, Andrew F. Barnas, Brian J. Darby, David T. Iles, David N. Koons, Robert F. Rockwell, Christina A.D. Semeniuk, Susan N. Ellis-Felege

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

The presence of foraging bears in Arctic breeding bird colonies has been increasingly reported in the literature, and these may constitute disturbance events which cause incubating birds to leave their nest. Avian predators may associate with bears during such events, likely to capitalize on unattended nests in the presence of bears. Here, we estimated changes in daily nest attendance of lesser snow geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens in the presence of foraging bears, and estimated the association between foraging bears and avian predators. We predicted decreased nest attendance by geese on days with bears, and close associations between avian predators and …