Potential use of weather radar to study movements of wintering waterfowl
Journal of Wildlife Management
Links
- More Information:
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
To protect and restore wintering waterfowl habitat, managers require knowledge of routine wintering waterfowl movements and habitat use. During preliminary screening of Doppler weather radar data we observed biological movements consistent with routine foraging flights of wintering waterfowl known to occur near Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Louisiana. During the winters of 2004–2005 and 2005–2006, we conducted field surveys to identify the source of the radar echoes emanating from Lacassine NWR. We compared field data to weather radar reflectivity data. Spatial and temporal patterns consistent with foraging flight movements appeared in weather radar data on all dates of field surveys. Dabbling ducks were the dominant taxa flying within the radar beam during the foraging flight period. Using linear regression, we found a positive log-linear relationship between average radar reflectivity (Z) and number of birds detected over the study area (P < 0.001, r2 = 0.62, n = 40). Ground observations and the statistically significant relationship between radar data and field data confirm that Doppler weather radar recorded the foraging flights of dabbling ducks. Weather radars may be effective tools for wintering waterfowl management because they provide broad-scale views of both diurnal and nocturnal movements. In addition, an extensive data archive enables the study of wintering waterfowl response to habitat loss, agricultural practices, wetland restoration, and other research questions that require multiple years of data.
Suggested Citation
Randall, L.A., Diehl, R.H., Wilson, B.C., Barrow, W., Jeske, C.W., 2011, Potential use of weather radar to study movements of wintering waterfowl: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 75, no. 6, p. 1324-1329, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.173.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Potential use of weather radar to study movements of wintering waterfowl |
| Series title | Journal of Wildlife Management |
| DOI | 10.1002/jwmg.173 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Publication Date | July 13, 2011 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Wildlife Society |
| Publisher location | Bethesda, MD |
| Contributing office(s) | National Wetlands Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center |
| Description | 6 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Journal of Wildlife Management |
| First page | 1324 |
| Last page | 1329 |
| Time Range Start | 2004-12-21 |
| Time Range End | 2006-03-21 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Other Geospatial | Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge |