Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys
Abstract Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are relatively new technologies gaining popularity among wildlife biologists. As with any new tool in wildlife science, operating protocols must be developed through rigorous protocol testing. Few studies have been conducted that quantify the impacts UAS may...
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Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Original Research Anser caerulescens behavior disturbance nest camera noninvasive unmanned aircraft system envir manag |
spellingShingle |
Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Original Research Anser caerulescens behavior disturbance nest camera noninvasive unmanned aircraft system envir manag Christopher J. Felege Andrew Barnas Tanner J. Stechmann Samuel D. Hervey Susan N. Ellis-Felege Robert A. Newman Michael Corcoran Robert F. Rockwell Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
topic_facet |
Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Original Research Anser caerulescens behavior disturbance nest camera noninvasive unmanned aircraft system envir manag |
description |
Abstract Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are relatively new technologies gaining popularity among wildlife biologists. As with any new tool in wildlife science, operating protocols must be developed through rigorous protocol testing. Few studies have been conducted that quantify the impacts UAS may have on unhabituated individuals in the wild using standard aerial survey protocols. We evaluated impacts of unmanned surveys by measuring UAS‐induced behavioral responses during the nesting phase of lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. We conducted surveys with a fixed‐wing Trimble UX5 and monitored behavioral changes via discreet surveillance cameras at 25 nests. Days with UAS surveys resulted in decreased resting and increased nest maintenance, low scanning, high scanning, head‐cocking and off‐nest behaviors when compared to days without UAS surveys. In the group of birds flown over, head‐cocking for overhead vigilance was rarely seen prior to launch or after landing (mean estimates 0.03% and 0.02%, respectively) but increased to 0.56% of the time when the aircraft was flying overhead suggesting that birds were able to detect the aircraft during flight. Neither UAS survey altitude nor launch distance alone in this study was strong predictors of nesting behaviors, although our flight altitudes (≥75 m above ground level) were much higher than previously published behavioral studies. Synthesis and applications: The diversity of UAS models makes generalizations on behavioral impacts difficult, and we caution that researchers should design UAS studies with knowledge that some minimal disturbance is likely to occur. We recommend flight designs take potential behavioral impacts into account by increasing survey altitude where data quality requirements permit. Such flight designs should consider a priori knowledge of focal species’ behavioral characteristics. Research is needed to determine whether any such disturbance is a result of visual or auditory stimuli. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Christopher J. Felege Andrew Barnas Tanner J. Stechmann Samuel D. Hervey Susan N. Ellis-Felege Robert A. Newman Michael Corcoran Robert F. Rockwell |
author_facet |
Christopher J. Felege Andrew Barnas Tanner J. Stechmann Samuel D. Hervey Susan N. Ellis-Felege Robert A. Newman Michael Corcoran Robert F. Rockwell |
author_sort |
Christopher J. Felege |
title |
Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
title_short |
Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
title_full |
Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
title_fullStr |
Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
title_sort |
evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/chorus/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_pubs/664/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29375801 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=cc_pubs https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2778429379 http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5773326 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Wapusk national park |
genre_facet |
Wapusk national park |
op_source |
10.1002/ece3.3731 2778429379 oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:5773326 29375801 10|openaire____::081b82f96300b6a6e3d282bad31cb6e2 10|doajarticles::13ae4a9d2a75f5bb322f19d8ef599c7c 10|openaire____::8ac8380272269217cb09a928c8caa993 10|openaire____::5f532a3fc4f1ea403f37070f59a7a53a 10|opendoar____::eda80a3d5b344bc40f3bc04f65b7a357 10|opendoar____::8b6dd7db9af49e67306feb59a8bdc52c 10|openaire____::55045bd2a65019fd8e6741a755395c8c 10|openaire____::806360c771262b4d6770e7cdf04b5c5a |
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https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/chorus/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3731 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_pubs/664/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29375801 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=cc_pubs https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2778429379 http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5773326 https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 |
op_rights |
lic_creative-commons |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
1328 |
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1338 |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:50|dedup_wf_001::5f801f4dca3f2ebe3dfee95abc5db404 2023-05-15T18:43:04+02:00 Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys Christopher J. Felege Andrew Barnas Tanner J. Stechmann Samuel D. Hervey Susan N. Ellis-Felege Robert A. Newman Michael Corcoran Robert F. Rockwell 2017-12-01 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/chorus/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_pubs/664/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29375801 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=cc_pubs https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2778429379 http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5773326 undefined unknown Wiley https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/chorus/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3731 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_pubs/664/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29375801 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=cc_pubs https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3731 https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2778429379 http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5773326 https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 lic_creative-commons 10.1002/ece3.3731 2778429379 oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:5773326 29375801 10|openaire____::081b82f96300b6a6e3d282bad31cb6e2 10|doajarticles::13ae4a9d2a75f5bb322f19d8ef599c7c 10|openaire____::8ac8380272269217cb09a928c8caa993 10|openaire____::5f532a3fc4f1ea403f37070f59a7a53a 10|opendoar____::eda80a3d5b344bc40f3bc04f65b7a357 10|opendoar____::8b6dd7db9af49e67306feb59a8bdc52c 10|openaire____::55045bd2a65019fd8e6741a755395c8c 10|openaire____::806360c771262b4d6770e7cdf04b5c5a Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Original Research Anser caerulescens behavior disturbance nest camera noninvasive unmanned aircraft system envir manag Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2017 fttriple https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3731 2023-01-22T17:15:17Z Abstract Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are relatively new technologies gaining popularity among wildlife biologists. As with any new tool in wildlife science, operating protocols must be developed through rigorous protocol testing. Few studies have been conducted that quantify the impacts UAS may have on unhabituated individuals in the wild using standard aerial survey protocols. We evaluated impacts of unmanned surveys by measuring UAS‐induced behavioral responses during the nesting phase of lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. We conducted surveys with a fixed‐wing Trimble UX5 and monitored behavioral changes via discreet surveillance cameras at 25 nests. Days with UAS surveys resulted in decreased resting and increased nest maintenance, low scanning, high scanning, head‐cocking and off‐nest behaviors when compared to days without UAS surveys. In the group of birds flown over, head‐cocking for overhead vigilance was rarely seen prior to launch or after landing (mean estimates 0.03% and 0.02%, respectively) but increased to 0.56% of the time when the aircraft was flying overhead suggesting that birds were able to detect the aircraft during flight. Neither UAS survey altitude nor launch distance alone in this study was strong predictors of nesting behaviors, although our flight altitudes (≥75 m above ground level) were much higher than previously published behavioral studies. Synthesis and applications: The diversity of UAS models makes generalizations on behavioral impacts difficult, and we caution that researchers should design UAS studies with knowledge that some minimal disturbance is likely to occur. We recommend flight designs take potential behavioral impacts into account by increasing survey altitude where data quality requirements permit. Such flight designs should consider a priori knowledge of focal species’ behavioral characteristics. Research is needed to determine whether any such disturbance is a result of visual or auditory stimuli. Article in Journal/Newspaper Wapusk national park Unknown Canada Ecology and Evolution 8 2 1328 1338 |