Search

Copyright of Avian Conservation & Ecology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of digital VHF telemetry is expanding as a lightweight alternative to satellite-based technologies for tracking bird movements, though few studies have compared how they perform. During 2013, satellite telemetry and digital VHF telemetry were compared for estimating the length of stay and home ranges of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) on their breeding grounds in Massachusetts, USA. American Oystercatchers (n = 5) were captured at their nest sites and tagged with a 9.5-g solar-powered satellite transmitter and a 1.0-g digitally coded VFIF transmitter, and tracked using the Argos satellite system, an array of eight automated radio telemetry stations, and periodic land-based and aerial telemetry surveys. Estimates of mean minimum length of stay in the study area were slightly longer for satellite telemetry at 118 ± 12 days vs. digital VHF telemetry at 108 ± 11 days. Size estimates of mean (± SE) fixed kernel 95% utilization distributions were similar for satellite telemetry (22.53 ± 16.87 km2) and VHF telemetry (27.27 ± 21.58 km2). Despite a small sample size, digital VHF telemetry, when combined with automated radio telemetry stations and telemetry surveys, performed similarly to satellite telemetry for estimating timing and home range size of shorebirds on their breeding grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examines the use of a paired logistic regression method for determining important marine habitat areas of the Kittlitz's murrelet seabird in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Findings show that the introduced model was robust and efficient in identifying daytime marine habitat areas for the seabird.

The article discusses research which investigated burning and weed barrier treatment techniques for the restoration of nesting habitats of Common Terns in the Gulf of Maine. Topics explored include the preferred breeding habitats of these birds, the Common Tern population in the study area, the monitoring of vegetation to compare effectiveness of techniques studied, and the plant community variables evaluated including mean density and relative density of species introduced.