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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources

USGS2021

Alaska landbird montoring survey: Alaska regional protocol framework for monitoring landbirds using point counts

Alaska provides habitat for 143 species of landbirds that occur regularly in the state, about half of which breed predominantly north of the border between the contiguous United States and Canada. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern populations are inadequately monitored by this program because of a paucity of roads. To remedy this deficiency, Boreal Partners in Flight developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in off-road areas of Alaska in tandem with data collected from the roadside BBS. The primary objective of ALMS is to monitor long-term population trends of landbirds and other species that can be monitored by diurnal point counts during the breeding season, including many shorebirds and aquatic birds. A secondary objective is to estimate landbird densities by habitat, which can be used to model avian distribution and abundance across Alaska. ALMS is a collaborative program whereby agencies and other entities conduct standardized surveys of breeding birds and their habitats on the lands they manage and then contribute the data to the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center for storage and analysis. The short-term implementation goal of ALMS is to monitor birds systematically within each of 100 randomly selected survey blocks, thereby matching the number of BBS surveys conducted in each of Alaska's five Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). Each block has a mini-grid of 15−25 points that are surveyed biennially, with half of the blocks surveyed in alternating years. Survey blocks are stratified by accessibility and cost-effectiveness. Refuges may opt to limit sites to those accessible by foot, vehicle, boat, or fixed-wing aircraft, as these can be surveyed more inexpensively and reliably over time. Observers survey each point within a survey block for birds using a 10-min point count once per summer on a biennial basis. They collect corresponding habitat data during the first visit and at subsequent 10-year intervals or whenever a disturbance (e.g., fire, wind) has caused a significant change. USGS analyzes ALMS data jointly with BBS data to test for differences between off-road and roadside areas and to increase power to detect statewide trends. Additional blocks can be surveyed in areas that are more difficult and expensive to access as resources become available in the future. Long-term monitoring enables detection of change in bird populations in relation to fire, disease and insect damage, resource development, climate-related change, and other landscape-level disturbances across Alaska. Results from ALMS can also help prioritize conservation and research towards species before they become endangered and require expensive recovery programs.

Alaska↗

USGS2021

Modeling at-sea density of marine birds to support renewable energy planning on the Pacific outer continental shelf of the contiguous United States

This report describes the at-sea spatial distributions of marine birds in Pacific OCS waters off the contiguous U.S. (Figure 1.1) to inform marine spatial planning in the region. The goal was to estimate long-term average spatial distributions for marine bird species using all available science-quality transect survey data and numerous bathymetric, oceanographic, and atmospheric predictor variables. We developed seasonal habitat-based spatial models of the at-sea distribution for 33 individual species and 13 taxonomic groups of marine birds throughout the study region. A statistical modeling framework was used to estimate numerical relationships between bird sighting data (i.e., standardized counts) and a range of temporal (e.g., Pacific Decadal Oscillation [PDO] index), spatially static (e.g., depth), and spatially dynamic (e.g., sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration) environmental variables. The estimated relationships were then used to predict spatially explicit long-term average density (individuals per km 2 ) throughout the study area for each species/group in each of four seasons. Bird sighting data came from multiple scientific survey programs and consisted of at-sea counts of birds collected between 1980 and 2017 using boat-based and fixed-wing aerial transect survey methods. Spatial environmental variables were derived from remote sensing satellite data and an ocean dynamics model.

California, Oregon, Washington↗

USGS2023

Evaluate propagation efforts and determine dispersal patterns for Quadrula fragosa from tagged, artificially infested host fish (Ictalurus punctatus) in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN)

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) has been the site of propagation and restoration efforts for two federally endangered unionid mussels: Higgins’ Eye, Lampsilis higginsii and Winged Mapleleaf (WML), Quadrula fragosa. Since about 2000, government agencies have collaboratively developed techniques to successfully propagate Higgins’ Eye and reintroduce the captive-reared subadult mussels into rehabilitated habitats in the upper Mississippi River Basin and several tributaries, including the SACN. However, propagation efforts for the WML have had limited success from 2003 to present. The population of WML in the SACN has high value because it is physically isolated and genetically distinct from four southern populations, and it is the only known self-sustaining population within the upper Mississippi River. Unionids have a complex reproductive cycle that includes a parasitic larval stage (glochidia) that requires species-specific fish hosts. WML are one of the few species that are fall, short-term (~6 weeks) brooders—brooding begins at end of August. In the SACN, Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) are the only known host for WML and glochidia are assumed to overwinter on their host fish and detach the following spring. Research has shown that holding hatchery reared channel catfish that are infested with WML glochidia in cages, either in situ or in a hatchery, over winter has been a challenge due to high fish mortality; rearing juveniles after transformation has also resulted in high mortality rates and juvenile loss (Wege et al. 2007). The importance of the overwintering parasitic period and the overall health of the host fish for successful transformation of juvenile WML is unknown, but these key criteria could play an important role in successful propagation efforts. This research has three objectives: (1) compile historic data from >14 years of Q. fragosa propagation efforts into a searchable database to identify potential knowledge gaps that could be limiting its success, (2) explore in situ and ex situ propagation techniques to optimize production of Q. fragosa juveniles, and (3) characterize the movement pattern of Channel Catfish that are artificially inoculated with the SACN strain of Q. fragosa to identify potential juvenile release survey locations in future years.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗

USGS2023

Demographics and gross pathology of scoters and scaups killed by the Cosco Busan oil spill in California

Unusual wildlife mortality events provide a unique opportunity to collect information on demographics, disease, and body condition in affected wildlife, which may be useful for informing oil spill damage assessments and future spill responses. In November 2007, the Cosco Busan Oil Spill occurred in San Francisco Bay, California, a globally important wintering area for waterfowl. The spill resulted in the mortality of scoters Melanitta spp. and scaups Aythya spp., species that have declined significantly over recent decades. We examined the demography (sex and age ratios) and prevalence of grossly apparent disease (acanthocephalan parasite infection and mycotic disease) in 288 Surf Scoters M. perspicillata , White-winged Scoters M. deglandi , Greater Scaup A. marila , and Lesser Scaup A. affinis killed in the oil spill. The proportions of females and juveniles in examined Surf Scoters was unexpectedly high (0.98:1, females:males, 0.73:1 juveniles:adults) for this species with normally strong male- and adult-biased populations. This disproportionate mortality of female Surf Scoters could result in a greater population impact on this female-limited species, suggesting a mechanism for steep declines in San Francisco Bay scoter numbers in the years after the Cosco Busan oil spill. Significantly greater rates of acanthocephalan infection in juvenile vs. adult Surf Scoters indicated a possible interaction between acanthocephalan parasitism and juvenile-biased mortality in our sample. Birds that died during rehabilitation had significantly greater rates of mycotic disease (10% infected) than birds found dead in the field (3%), indicating that infections began or worsened during rehabilitation. Greater Scaup had proportionally greater rates of infection with mycotic disease (26% of individuals) than other species, indicating that they may be particularly susceptible to the disease. We encourage the documentation of demographics and disease as a regular part of future responses to oil spills, or other mortality events, to gain insight into population impacts and improve rehabilitation efforts of affected populations.

California↗

USGS2023

Lake Ontario April prey fish survey results and Alewife assessment, 2023

The April bottom trawl survey and Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus population assessment provides science to inform Lake Ontario fisheries management. The 2023 survey included 215 trawls in the main lake and embayments, and sampled depths from 6.5 to 252 m (21-833 ft). The survey captured 1,012,178 fish from 32 species with a total weight of 12,136 kg (26,700 lbs.). Alewife were 92% of the catch by number while Rainbow Smelt, Osmerus mordax , Deepwater Sculpin, Myoxocephalus thompsonii , and Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus , comprised 3%, 3%, and 1% of the catch, respectively. To improve the accuracy of prey fish biomass and density estimates we reanalyzed trawl sensor data from each of three participating survey vessels and created vessel-specific relationships predicting how bottom trawl bottom contact time, wing width, and area-swept varies with depth. Total Alewife biomass increased in 2023 due to growth and survival of the abundant 2020 year class (now age-3) and an abundant 2022 year class (age-1). The 2023 mean Alewife biomass (81.1 kg·ha -1 ) was the largest since whole lake sampling began in 2016 and was the ninth largest value observed in the modern time series (1997-2023, maximum value in 2000 = 91.8 kg·ha -1 ). The 2023 Alewife density (6795 n·ha -1 ) was the greatest density observed in the modern time series. These high biomass and density values are due to above average Alewife reproductive success in 2020 and 2022. Simulation modeling suggests the 2024 and 2025 Alewife biomass index may be substantially higher than the 2023 observations. In 2023, the Rainbow Smelt biomass index increased relative to the 2022 index, as did the biomass index for Cisco, Coregonus artedi . In contrast, Emerald Shiner Notropis atherinoides and Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus , biomass values continue to be low (< 0.01 kg·ha -1 ). Three Bloater Coregonus hoyi , were captured during the 2023 survey. Hydroacoustic sampling conducted during the bottom trawl survey estimated prey fish densities in pelagic habitats not sampled by the bottom trawl (3 m below the surface to 3 m above the lake bottom) and these densities were hundreds to thousands of times lower than bottom trawl-based densities. These results support the idea that, in April, when the warmest water is on the lake bottom, Alewife and most other pelagic prey fish are near the lake bottom and can be effectively sampled with bottom trawling.

Lake Ontario↗

USGS2023

Novel use of antifungal nail lacquer to treat candida bill infections in ducks

Captive wild ducks in the research colony at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, Maryland USA frequently contract Candida infections on the upper and lower bills. Various standard treatments were attempted with mixed success. Several of the Surf Scoters, especially, suffered extreme erosions of the bill leading to euthanasia prior to using this new treatment. For the past 3 years we have been using a human medical product, ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer to treat the Candida successfully. The treatment requires careful trimming and debriding of the dead tissue before applying the ciclopirox, then keeping the ducks caged away from water for 15 minutes to allow the product to dry. Standard treatment is twice weekly. For persistent cases we add oral fluconazole to the treatment regime. We have successfully treated common eider, surf scoter, white-winged scoter, black scoter, long-tailed ducks, and harlequin ducks with ciclopirox and have seen no adverse reactions.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2024

Predator disturbance contributed to Common Murre Uria aalge breeding failures in Cook Inlet, Alaska following the 2014–2016 Pacific marine heatwave

The 2014-2016 Pacific marine heatwave caused unprecedented die-offs and multi-year reproductive failures for Common Murres Uria aalge along the west coast of North America. Lingering impacts, such as declines in colony attendance and productivity, have persisted at some colonies following the heatwave and are attributed largely to changes in prey availability and quality. Here, we present evidence of an additional, top-down mechanism contributing to Common Murre breeding failures on Gull Island (Alaska): disturbance of nesting birds by aerial predators and associated egg depredation. We collected time-lapse images over five murre breeding seasons (2016-2020) on Gull Island to document the frequency, duration, and intensity of disturbances caused by aerial predators, as well as to quantify disturbance-associated egg depredation. To identify seasonal and inter-annual variability of disturbances, we calculated a daily disturbance index and compared years using generalized additive models. In all years, Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus were the primary cause of disturbance, which led to periods of prolonged colony abandonment by murres and facilitated high levels of murre egg depredation by Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens and Herring Gulls L. argentatus . We found that the seasonality of disturbance was an important factor in determining egg depredation rates. In years when disturbance levels were high and persisted later in the season, the colony experienced complete breeding failures due to disturbance-associated egg depredation. Our study revealed that the response of nesting murres to a strong environmental perturbation, such as the Pacific marine heatwave, can be complex and involve multiple stressors from both bottom-up and top-down factors.

Alaska↗

USGS2024

MTAB 107, February 2024

This Memo to All Banders (MTAB 107) was released in February 2024. Subjects in this this memo are 1. The Chief’s Chirp; 2. Alerts – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and reminder that banders cannot submit data through Bandit, only manage data; 3. Staff updates – meeting reports; 4. News – Golden-winged Warbler Banding; 5. A note from the permitting shelves – double-check your permit authorizations and a social media reminder; 6. A note from the supply room – how to return bands to the lab, if needed; 7. Data management – wing/tail/weight measurement updates, recommended data submission timeline, how to retrieve Report to Banders from the Portal; 8. Frequently asked questions – how should I report mortalities?; 9. Auxiliary marker corner – check out our guide to submitting auxiliary marking data!; 10. Banding and encounter highlights; 11. Moments in history – Women in history: notable women at the Bird Banding Lab; 12. Recent Publications; 13. Upcoming events; and 14. Request for information.

Memo to All Banders (MTAB)↗

USGS2023

MTAB 106, November 2023

This Memo to All Banders (MTAB 106) was released in December 2023. Subjects in this memo are 1. The Chief’s Chirp 2. Alerts – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, including guidance from other countries, reminder that banders cannot submit data through Bandit, only manage data; 3. Staff updates – Meeting Reports; 4. News – Golden-winged Warbler news article, Flamingo Foreign Encounters and New Bandings, Contribute to Piranga, BBL’s Fall Migration Station Wrap-up, BBL hosts Patterson Audubon; 5. A note from the permitting shelves – check your permits auxiliary authorizations; 6. A note from the supply room – double check your permit address; 7. Data management – General reminders; 8. Frequently asked questions – I recaptured a bird with a federal band, and cannot read the band numbers, what should I do?; 9. Auxiliary marker corner – Not our markers; 10. Banding and encounter highlights; 11. Message from the Ornithological Council; 12. Message to the Flyways & Associations; 13. Moments in history – BBL’s new banding setup; 14. Upcoming events; 15. Recent literature; and 16. Request for information.

Memo to All Banders (MTAB)↗

USGS2022

Evaluate propagation efforts and determine dispersal patterns for Quadrula fragosa from tagged, artificially infested host fish (Ictalurus punctatus) in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN)

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗

USGS1998

Waterfowl in the prairie pothole region

The prairie pothole region of the northern Great Plains is one of the most important areas for duck reproduction in North America. The region produces, on average, 50% of the primary species of game ducks on the continent (Smith 1995), yet accounts for only 10% of the waterfowl breeding habitat in North America (Smith et al. 1964). Twelve of the 34 species of North American ducks are common breeders in the region. For seven species—mallard, gadwall, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail, redhead, and canvasback—the prairie pothole region accounts for more than 60% of the breeding population (Smith 1995). The region is also a major migration corridor during fall and spring for other ducks, geese, and other water birds.

Book chapter↗

USGS1996

Flight restraint

Many techniques are available for pre ve n ting escape of captive cranes. These include tenotomy, tenectomy, wing clipping, confinement under nets, amputation, brailing, and vane trimming (Ellis and Dein 1991). The advantages and limitations of each technique are presented.

Report↗

USGS2001

Partners in flight bird conservation plan for the Upper Great Lakes Plain (Physiographic Area 16)

1 November 2001. Conservation of bird habitats is a major focus of effort by Partners in Flight, an international coalition of agencies, citizens, and other groups dedicated to 'keeping common birds common'. USGS worked on a planning team to publish a bird conservation plan for the Upper Great Lakes Plain ecoregion (PIF 16), which includes large portions of southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan and parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The conservation plan outlines specific habitat restoration and bird population objectives for the ecoregion over the next decade. The plan provides a context for on-the-ground conservation implementation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the US Forest Service, states, and conservation groups. Citation: Knutson, M. G., G. Butcher, J. Fitzgerald, and J. Shieldcastle. 2001. Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plan for The Upper Great Lakes Plain (Physiographic Area 16). USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in cooperation with Partners in Flight, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Download from website: http://www.blm.gov/wildlife/pifplans.htm. The Upper Great Lakes Plain covers the southern half of Michigan, northwest Ohio, northern Indiana, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and small portions of southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa. Glacial moraines and dissected plateaus are characteristic of the topography. Broadleaf forests, oak savannahs, and a variety of prairie communities are the natural vegetation types. A oDriftless Areao was not glaciated during the late Pleistocene and emerged as a unique area of great biological diversity. Priority bird species for the area include the Henslow's Sparrow, Sedge Wren, Bobolink, Golden-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, and Red-headed Woodpecker. There are many large urban centers in this area whose growth and sprawl will continue to consume land. The vast majority of the presettlement forest and oak savannah grasslands already have been converted to agriculture. The conversion to cropland may have benefitted some grassland birds, and forest birds still persist. Rates of cowbird parasitism and nest predation in this heavily fragmented region, however, are extremely high and it is possible that only those bird communities in the few remaining expanses of contiguous habitat are self-sustaining. Forest habitat needs to be retained or restored so that a significant number of patches of sufficient size and quality each support a healthy population of Cerulean Warblers. It is assumed that each of these patches will then support the full range of forest birds. The total area of savannah habitat also should be increased, although the need for large blocks is not as apparent. Those few areas of grassland that still exist should be retained.

Report↗

USGS1995

Evaluations of duck habitat and estimation of duck population sizes with a remote-sensing-based system

During 1987-90, we used high-altitude photography, aerial videography, counts, and models to estimate sizes of breeding populations of dabbling ducks (Anatinae) and duck production and to identify duck habitat on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land and easements and on private land in the prairie pothole region of the United States. The study area contained about 3.1 million wetland basins (28,490 km2). Wetland area (ha per km2) was highest on service-owned land; wetland-basin density was greatest on service easements. Temporary and seasonal wetlands were underrepresented and lakes were overrepresented on service-owned land. Seventy-eight percent of all basins were less than 0.41 ha. Cropland dominated private land. Pond density decreased from 4.4/km2 in 1987 to 3.4/km2 in 1990 and pond area, from 7.2 ha/km2 to 2.7 ha/km2. The density of the blue-winged teal was greatest (3.4 pairs/km2) and was followed in magnitude by those of the mallard (2.1 pairs/km2), the gadwall (1.8 pairs/km2), the northern pintail (0.8 pairs/km2), and the redhead (0.8 pairs/km2). Duck density was consistently highest on service-owned land. The decline of breeding-population sizes in 1987-90 closely corresponded to losses of pond numbers and pond area. The density of breeding pairs per pond was inversely related to pond density, suggesting that breeding ducks tended to concentrate on the remaining ponds as drought intensified. The production of recruits followed the same pattern as breeding-population sizes. We estimated that 2.5% of the ducklings hatched on service-owned land, which was 1.3% of the study area; 19.6% hatched on service easements, which were 14.2% of the study area; and 77.9% hatched on private land, which was 84.6% of the study area. Various sources of bias and sampling error and improvements to the system are discussed.

Biological Science Report↗

USGS1984

Habitat Suitability Index Models: Great egret

The great egret, also called common egret or American egret, is a large white heron tn the order Ciconiiformes, family Ardeidae. Great egrets stand 94.0-104.1 cm (37-41 inches) tall and have a wing spread to 139.7 cm (55 inches) (Terres 1980). The species is associated with streams, ponds, lakes, mud flats, swamps, ahd freshwater and salt marshes. The birds feed in shallow water on fishes, amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans and insects (Terres 1980).

FWS/OBS↗

USGS1975

The screech owl: Its life history and population ecology in northern Ohio

The screech owl ( Otus asio ) is native to North America and breeds throughout the United States and in portions of Canada and Mexico. It is a small owl, 20 cm (8 in) in length from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail, with a wing span of 56 cm (22 in); it has yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts (see Frontispiece). Although the species is common throughout much of North America, it has not been studied intensively, particularly over a long period. The published literature is concerned mostly with food habits, color phase, taxonomy, and miscellaneous observations. Breeding biology and population dynamics have received little attention. This report presents the basic life history and population information about screech owls in northern Ohio over a 30-yr period. The owls studied were nesting in boxes (Fig. 1) established for wood ducks ( Aix sponsa ) along rivers, creeks, and marshes in a four-county area (Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, and Lucas Counties) near Lake Erie (Fig. 2). No special trapping techniques were required as the screech owls readily used these nesting boxes and could be easily captured while in them. More than 3,000 owls were captured and banded; 500 were recaptured after the initial banding, some 10 or 15 times. This process provided a large quanity of basic information for this report.

Ohio↗

USGS1982

Mitigation and enhancement techniques for the Upper Mississippi River system and other large river systems

Extensive information is provided on techniques that can reduce or eliminate the negative impact of man's activities (particularly those related to navigation) on large river systems, with special reference to the Upper Mississippi River. These techniques should help resource managers who are concerned with such river systems to establish sound environmental programs. Discussion of each technique or group of techniques include (1) situation to be mitigated or enhanced; (2) description of technique; (3) impacts on the environment; (4) costs; and (5) evaluation for use on the Upper Mississippi River Systems. The techniques are divided into four primary categories: Bank Stabilization Techniques, Dredging and Disposal of Dredged Material, Fishery Management Techniques, and Wildlife Management Techniques. Because techniques have been grouped by function, rather than by structure, some structures are discussed in several contexts. For example, gabions are discussed for use in revetments, river training structures, and breakwaters. The measures covered under Bank Stabilization Techniques include the use of riprap revetments, other revetments, bulkheads, river training structures, breakwater structures, chemical soil stabilizers, erosion-control mattings, and filter fabrics; the planting of vegetation; the creation of islands; the creation of berms or enrichment of beaches; and the control of water level and boat traffic. The discussions of Dredging and the Disposal of Dredged Material consider dredges, dredging methods, and disposal of dredged material. The following subjects are considered under Fishery Management Techniques: fish attractors; spawning structures; nursery ponds, coves, and marshes; fish screens and barriers; fish passage; water control structures; management of water levels and flows; wing dam modification; side channel modification; aeration techniques; control of nuisance aquatic plants; and manipulated of fish populations. Wildlife Management Techniques include treatments of artificial nest structures, island creation or development, marsh creation or development, greentree reservoirs and mast management, vegetation control, water level control, and revegetation.

Upper Mississippi River↗

USGS1983

Avian use of forest habitats in the Pembina Hills of northeastern North Dakota

North Dakota has the least extensive total area of forested habitats of any of the 50 United States. Although occurring in limited area, forest communities add considerably to the total ecological diversity of the State. The forests of the Pembina Hills region in northeastern North Dakota are one of only three areas large enough to be considered of commercial value. During 1981 we studied the avifauna of the upper valley of the Pembina River in the Pembina Hills. Field work extended from 20 April to 23 July; breeding bird censuses were conducted 7 June to 2 July. Of the 120 bird species recorded during the study period, 79 species were recorded during the breeding season. The total breeding population was estimated at nearly 76,000 breeding pairs. The wood warblers (Parulidae) were the most numerous family, accounting for about 28,000 breeding pairs. The yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) was the most abundant breeding species, making up 19.4% of the population. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) was second in abundance, accounting for 10.5% of the breeding population. Largest breeding densities occurred in the willow (Salix sp.) shrub community. Although supporting the lowest mean breeding density, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests supported the highest species diversity. First State breeding records were recorded for alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) and golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera). Records were obtained for 12 species considered rare or unusual in North Dakota during the breeding season. The status of all species known to have occurred in the study area is described in an annotated species list.

Resource Publication↗