Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds
Aerial surveys have been used as a method for surveying boreal-nesting shorebirds, which breed in difficult-to-access terrain; however, the fraction of breeding birds observed from the air is unknown. We investigated rates of detection by conducting simultaneous air and ground surveys for shorebirds...
Published in: | The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
2010
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 |
id |
ftjcfn:oai:canadianfieldnaturalist.ca:article/1053 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftjcfn:oai:canadianfieldnaturalist.ca:article/1053 2023-05-15T17:46:33+02:00 Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds Elliott, Kyle H. Smith, Paul A. Johnston, Victoria H. 2010-04-01 application/pdf https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 eng eng The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053/1057 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053 doi:10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 124 No. 2 (2010); 145-150 0008-3550 Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Aerial survey shorebirds Northwest Territories info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2010 ftjcfn https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 2021-09-02T18:54:16Z Aerial surveys have been used as a method for surveying boreal-nesting shorebirds, which breed in difficult-to-access terrain; however, the fraction of breeding birds observed from the air is unknown. We investigated rates of detection by conducting simultaneous air and ground surveys for shorebirds at three sites in the boreal forest of the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 2007. Helicopter surveys included both pond-based surveys where the helicopter flew around the perimeter of each wetland and transect-based surveys where observers recorded birds seen on line transects. Ground surveys involved intensive observation, territory mapping and nest searching in 5 km2 of plots over a period of 5-6 weeks. Shorebird densities observed from the helicopter were highest near large bodies of water. No shorebirds were observed over closed forest despite breeding densities on ground surveys being highest in closed forest. Detection rates were very low, varied among species and aerial survey types, and were inconsistent over time. Ground-based observations showed that the shorebirds often did not flush in response to the helicopter passing overhead. Owing to poor rates of detection, we conclude that helicopter surveys are not an appropriate method for surveying breeding shorebirds in boreal habitats, but may have some utility for monitoring birds' use of stop-over locations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northwest Territories The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) Canada Northwest Territories The Canadian Field-Naturalist 124 2 145 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) |
op_collection_id |
ftjcfn |
language |
English |
topic |
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Aerial survey shorebirds Northwest Territories |
spellingShingle |
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Aerial survey shorebirds Northwest Territories Elliott, Kyle H. Smith, Paul A. Johnston, Victoria H. Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
topic_facet |
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Aerial survey shorebirds Northwest Territories |
description |
Aerial surveys have been used as a method for surveying boreal-nesting shorebirds, which breed in difficult-to-access terrain; however, the fraction of breeding birds observed from the air is unknown. We investigated rates of detection by conducting simultaneous air and ground surveys for shorebirds at three sites in the boreal forest of the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 2007. Helicopter surveys included both pond-based surveys where the helicopter flew around the perimeter of each wetland and transect-based surveys where observers recorded birds seen on line transects. Ground surveys involved intensive observation, territory mapping and nest searching in 5 km2 of plots over a period of 5-6 weeks. Shorebird densities observed from the helicopter were highest near large bodies of water. No shorebirds were observed over closed forest despite breeding densities on ground surveys being highest in closed forest. Detection rates were very low, varied among species and aerial survey types, and were inconsistent over time. Ground-based observations showed that the shorebirds often did not flush in response to the helicopter passing overhead. Owing to poor rates of detection, we conclude that helicopter surveys are not an appropriate method for surveying breeding shorebirds in boreal habitats, but may have some utility for monitoring birds' use of stop-over locations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Elliott, Kyle H. Smith, Paul A. Johnston, Victoria H. |
author_facet |
Elliott, Kyle H. Smith, Paul A. Johnston, Victoria H. |
author_sort |
Elliott, Kyle H. |
title |
Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
title_short |
Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
title_full |
Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
title_fullStr |
Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds |
title_sort |
aerial surveys do not reliably survey boreal-nesting shorebirds |
publisher |
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 |
geographic |
Canada Northwest Territories |
geographic_facet |
Canada Northwest Territories |
genre |
Northwest Territories |
genre_facet |
Northwest Territories |
op_source |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 124 No. 2 (2010); 145-150 0008-3550 |
op_relation |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053/1057 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1053 doi:10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v124i2.1053 |
container_title |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
container_volume |
124 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
145 |
_version_ |
1766150283467948032 |