Nesting Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) show little behavioral response to fixed-wing drone surveys 1

• Published in: Drone Systems and Applications
• Main Authors: Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Tanner Stechmann, Samuel Hervey, Christopher J. Felege, Robert F. Rockwell, Andrew F. Barnas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022
• Subjects: Arctic; animal behavior; Common Eider; disturbance; drone; nest camera; Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics; TL1-4050; Recess; Somateria mollissima
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1139/juvs-2021-0012; https://doaj.org/article/8a22c056c36f4b1fb173983c33b83f34

Drones may be valuable in polar research because they can minimize researcher activity and overcome logistical, financial, and safety obstacles associated with wildlife research in polar regions. Because polar species may be particularly sensitive to disturbance and some research suggests behavioral responses to drones are species-specific, there is a need for focal species-specific disturbance assessments. We evaluated behavioral responses of nesting Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758), n = 19 incubating females) to first, second, or in a few cases third exposure of fixed-wing drone surveys using nest cameras. We found no effect of drone flights (F[1,23] = 0, P = 1.0) or previous exposures (F[1,23] = 0.75, P = 0.397) on the probability of a daily recess event (bird leaves nests). Drone flights did not impact recess length (F[1,25] = 1.34, P = 0.26); however, Common Eiders with prior drone exposure took longer recess events (F[1,25] = 5.27, P = 0.03). We did not observe any overhead vigilance behaviors common in other species while the drone was in the air, which may reflect Common Eiders’ anti-predator strategies of reducing activity at nests in response to aerial predators. Surveying nesting Common Eider colonies with a fixed-wing drone did not result in biologically meaningful behavioral changes, providing a potential tool for research and monitoring this polar nesting species.