Using remote video technology to study environmental factors influencing productivity of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla

Monitoring seabirds and their responses to ecosystem change provides essential information for understanding the reasons behind any changes in productivity or populations. However, many species nest in remote locations, which poses logistical challenges for long-term studies. Remote cameras offer an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ornithology 2021-10, Vol.49 (2), p.293
Main Authors: Tanedo, Sarah A, Hollmén, Tuula E, Maniscalco, John M, Ulman, Sadie Eg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air temperature
Animal reproduction
Aquatic birds
Breeding success
Cameras
Colonies
Environmental factors
High tide
Nesting
Ova
Productivity
Rain
Rainfall
Reproduction
Rissa tridactyla
Seabirds
Success
Technology
Weather
Weather patterns
Wind speed
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Summary:Monitoring seabirds and their responses to ecosystem change provides essential information for understanding the reasons behind any changes in productivity or populations. However, many species nest in remote locations, which poses logistical challenges for long-term studies. Remote cameras offer an opportunity to confront this issue. The Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla (kittiwake) has been used as an indicator of changes in its environment and is a prime candidate for monitoring via remote cameras. To investigate the potential for camera application, we used a remote camera system to collect six years (2010-2015) of reproductive data from a sub-colony of kittiwakes in Resurrection Bay near Seward, Alaska, USA. Our objective was to identify factors influencing the reproductive success of kittiwakes at our study location by 1) establishing the reproductive phenology and estimates of productivity, 2) determining the effect of physical nest-site characteristics and locations on individual nest success, and 3) identifying the effect of seasonal weather patterns on nest, egg, and chick loss events. We found a significant positive correlation between nest success and both nest height from mean high tide level and nest location on island vs. mainland habitat. Nest loss was positively correlated with wind speed; egg loss was negatively correlated with wind speed; and chick loss was uncorrelated with measured weather conditions, including rainfall and air temperature. Remote camera technology proved to be a useful tool in monitoring and identifying factors influencing nesting parameters in this cliff-nesting seabird.
ISSN:1018-3337
2074-1235