Iowa Project
Using new transmitter technology to evaluate the effects of environmental change and disturbance on shorebird breeding phenology, behavior, and nest success
January 2022 - September 2024
Personnel
Participating Agencies
- U.S. Geologicaly Survey Science Suppo
Arctic-breeding shorebirds are declining, and predation is a leading cause of nest predation. Some scientists argue that predation is increasing due to climate change, but others assert that increased human disturbance as a result of intensive nest monitoring is alterting predators to nest sites. To better understand this issue, we attached GPS tags to dunlin during the pre-breeding season, and used location data (downloaded remotely) to estimate nest success. Paired with estimated nest success from nearby long-term monitoring plots, we aim to understand nest survival in the absence of human disturbance. We are also investigating how environmental conditions influence adult behaviors and reproductive success.
| Presentations | Presentation Date |
|---|---|
| Yappert, A.A., S.A. Hoepfner, A.M. Tucker, R.B. Lanctot, S.T. Saalfeld, and S.J. Dinsmore. 2024. High-frequency GPS Devices Offer Unprecedented Access to Shorebird Ecology and Movement Information. Oral presentation at the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting, New Brunswick, CA. | August 2024 |