Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland
Many populations of sea ducks have declined; poor foraging conditions in freshwater breeding habitats could be a contributory factor. The UK breeding population of Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) declined by 63% between 1995 and 2007, prompting research which showed that lake use by breeding scoter...
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fttsvojs:oai:journal.fi:article/133954 2023-09-05T13:21:02+02:00 Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland Hancock, Mark H. Robson, Hannah J. Smith, Trevor D. Douse, Andrew 2019-09-30 application/pdf https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954 eng eng BirdLife Finland https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954/82532 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954/82533 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954 Ornis Fennica; Vol 96 Nro 3 (2019); 124–141 Ornis Fennica; Vol. 96 No. 3 (2019); 124–141 0030-5685 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2019 fttsvojs 2023-08-23T23:03:19Z Many populations of sea ducks have declined; poor foraging conditions in freshwater breeding habitats could be a contributory factor. The UK breeding population of Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) declined by 63% between 1995 and 2007, prompting research which showed that lake use by breeding scoters was correlated with food abundance (large invertebrates) and accessibility (shallow water). Building on this earlier work, here we investigate scoter foraging activity at Scottish breeding lakes, in order to better understand declines and inform conservation measures. We hypothesised that foraging effort would (i) be concentrated in shallow water holding large invertebrates, (ii) differ between sexes, and (iii) vary through the season. We recorded scoter foraging activity during 208 c. one-hour watches, at 13 lakes over three years. Water depth and food abundance (invertebrates) were measured. Foraging was significantly associated with shallow water: areas within 10 m of lake shores, typically less than 0.9 m in depth, had 1.9 and 4.1 times more foraging use than expected by chance, for females and ducklings respectively. Article in Journal/Newspaper Melanitta nigra Federation of Finnish Learned Societies: Scientific Journals Online |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Federation of Finnish Learned Societies: Scientific Journals Online |
op_collection_id |
fttsvojs |
language |
English |
description |
Many populations of sea ducks have declined; poor foraging conditions in freshwater breeding habitats could be a contributory factor. The UK breeding population of Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) declined by 63% between 1995 and 2007, prompting research which showed that lake use by breeding scoters was correlated with food abundance (large invertebrates) and accessibility (shallow water). Building on this earlier work, here we investigate scoter foraging activity at Scottish breeding lakes, in order to better understand declines and inform conservation measures. We hypothesised that foraging effort would (i) be concentrated in shallow water holding large invertebrates, (ii) differ between sexes, and (iii) vary through the season. We recorded scoter foraging activity during 208 c. one-hour watches, at 13 lakes over three years. Water depth and food abundance (invertebrates) were measured. Foraging was significantly associated with shallow water: areas within 10 m of lake shores, typically less than 0.9 m in depth, had 1.9 and 4.1 times more foraging use than expected by chance, for females and ducklings respectively. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hancock, Mark H. Robson, Hannah J. Smith, Trevor D. Douse, Andrew |
spellingShingle |
Hancock, Mark H. Robson, Hannah J. Smith, Trevor D. Douse, Andrew Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
author_facet |
Hancock, Mark H. Robson, Hannah J. Smith, Trevor D. Douse, Andrew |
author_sort |
Hancock, Mark H. |
title |
Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
title_short |
Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
title_full |
Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
title_fullStr |
Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Scotland |
title_sort |
spatial and temporal patterns of foraging activity by breeding common scoters (melanitta nigra) in scotland |
publisher |
BirdLife Finland |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954 |
genre |
Melanitta nigra |
genre_facet |
Melanitta nigra |
op_source |
Ornis Fennica; Vol 96 Nro 3 (2019); 124–141 Ornis Fennica; Vol. 96 No. 3 (2019); 124–141 0030-5685 |
op_relation |
https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954/82532 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954/82533 https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133954 |
_version_ |
1776201662059249664 |