Event Title

Nocturnal Habitat Selection of Wintering Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) in the Salish Sea

Presentation Abstract

Marine bird surveys are primarily conducted during diurnal periods, thus our understanding of their ecology and distribution is biased; our understanding of Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) distribution is no different. Diurnal data currently guides conservation and management decisions regarding this declining species. Our research objectives were to 1) determine nocturnal use area habitat characteristics in the Salish Sea, 2) determine influencing factors of selection of nocturnal use, and 3) develop predictive models to estimate likely nocturnal use areas across the Salish Sea and assess vulnerabilities to potential oils spills or increased shipping traffic. We used existing Surf Scoter Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT) data, provided by The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and various spatial layers in a GIS to identify habitat characteristics of nocturnal locations and to measure distances traveled between diurnal foraging and nocturnal resting areas. Results indicated that Scoters will travel an average of 3,967 m from diurnal foraging areas to nocturnal habitats. We implemented a use versus pseudo-non-use resource selection design, using logistic regression, and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) to create a predictive model for nocturnal Scoter presence in the Salish Sea. Our resulting model identified distance to shore, water depth, tidal current and vessel traffic as strong predictors of nocturnal presence. Determining marine nocturnal use habitat characteristics fills an important data gap in understanding the winter ecology of Surf Scoters. Our results provide guidance for better management of over-wintering seabirds in the Salish Sea and inform oil spill response preparedness efforts.

Session Title

General Habitat Topics

Conference Track

Habitat

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Poster

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Surf scoter--Habitat--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

This document is currently not available here.

COinS
 
Jan 1st, 12:00 AM Jan 1st, 12:00 AM

Nocturnal Habitat Selection of Wintering Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) in the Salish Sea

2016SSEC

Marine bird surveys are primarily conducted during diurnal periods, thus our understanding of their ecology and distribution is biased; our understanding of Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) distribution is no different. Diurnal data currently guides conservation and management decisions regarding this declining species. Our research objectives were to 1) determine nocturnal use area habitat characteristics in the Salish Sea, 2) determine influencing factors of selection of nocturnal use, and 3) develop predictive models to estimate likely nocturnal use areas across the Salish Sea and assess vulnerabilities to potential oils spills or increased shipping traffic. We used existing Surf Scoter Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT) data, provided by The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and various spatial layers in a GIS to identify habitat characteristics of nocturnal locations and to measure distances traveled between diurnal foraging and nocturnal resting areas. Results indicated that Scoters will travel an average of 3,967 m from diurnal foraging areas to nocturnal habitats. We implemented a use versus pseudo-non-use resource selection design, using logistic regression, and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) to create a predictive model for nocturnal Scoter presence in the Salish Sea. Our resulting model identified distance to shore, water depth, tidal current and vessel traffic as strong predictors of nocturnal presence. Determining marine nocturnal use habitat characteristics fills an important data gap in understanding the winter ecology of Surf Scoters. Our results provide guidance for better management of over-wintering seabirds in the Salish Sea and inform oil spill response preparedness efforts.