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HabitatModelingforLandbirdSpeciesatRiskinSouthwesternNovaScotia

FinalReportfortheNovaScotiaHabitatConservationFund(year2,April2013‐Oct2014)andFinalReportfortheNovaScotiaSpeciesatRiskConservationFund(June2013‐Oct2014)

CindyStaicer,ClaraFerrari,andAlanaWestwoodDepartmentofBiology,DalhousieUniversity

2015

BACKGROUND,GOALSANDOBJECTIVESEffectiveconservationstrategiesforspeciesatriskrequireknowledgeabouttheirhabitatsandhowtheyaredistributedacrossthelandscape.OurprojectfocusedonsixlandbirdspeciesatriskthatinhabitforestedlandscapesinthefivecountiesofSouthwesternNovaScotia.Lossofhabitatisamainbreedinggroundconservationthreatforthesespecies.IdentificationofsuitablebreedinghabitatisafirststeptowardsconservingtheselandbirdSpeciesatRisk(SAR)inthisregion.Ourmaingoalwastoidentifybreedinghabitatatthesiteandlandscapescalesforsixrecently‐listed(Schedule1SARA)landbirdspeciesatriskinSouthwesternNovaScotia:CommonNighthawk(Chordeilesminor),ChimneySwift(Chaeturapelagica),EasternWoodPewee(Contopusvirens),Olive‐sidedFlycatcher(Contopuscooperi),CanadaWarbler(Cardellina[Wilsonia]canadensis),andRustyBlackbird(Euphaguscarolinus).Informationaboutthecharacteristicsoftheirhabitatanditsoccurrenceonthelandscapecanbeusedtoguideconservationeffortsfortheselandbirdsatrisk.Ourobjectivesofthesecondyearofthismulti‐yearprojectwereto:(1)conductadditionallandbirdatrisksurveysandrecruitvolunteerstocontributenewoccurrencesforthesespeciesforuseinhabitatmodeling;(2)conductadditional,detailedhabitatsurveysforthreetargetspeciesthatbreedinwetforests(Olive‐sidedFlycatcher,CanadaWarbler,andRustyBlackbird),toincreasesamplesizeforhabitatanalyses;(3)modelthedistributionsofbreedingpopulationsofallsixspeciesusingGIS;and(4)useourknowledgetoconducteducationandoutreach,andcreatehabitatstewardshiptools.

WORKCOMPLETED(1)BirdsurveysFieldsurveystargetedthethreetargetSARthatbreedinforestedwetlandsanddefendterritorieswithloudvocalizations:CanadaWarbler,Olive‐sidedFlycatcher,andRustyBlackbird.Surveyswereconductedinrandomlyselectedpolygonsofsuitablehabitat(asdeterminedbyHabitatSuitabilityModels;Westwood2012),stratifiedbyecodistrictandlandscapeharvesttype(whetherforestharvestingwasevidentwithin1km).Eachpolygoncontainedthreesurveysites,atleast250mapartandatleast100mfromaroad.Opportunisticplaybacksurveyswerealsocompletedwhenpotentiallysuitablehabitatwasencounteredenroutetodesignatedsurveysites.Surveyswereconductedbetweensunriseand1130hinfairweatherconditions(norainandwind<30km/h).Eachsurveyconsistedofa5‐minuteunlimited‐radiuspointcountfollowedbya30‐secondplaybackforeachspecies,toincreasethelikelihoodofdetectingtheSARifpresent.Distanceand

HabitatModelingforLandbirdSAR–Staiceretal.2015–p.2

directiontoeachdetectedlandbirdSARwerenoted,sothatUTMscouldbeadjustedtoreflecttheactuallocationofthebird.Pointcountswerenotcarriedoutatopportunisticplaybackssites.Thesedatawerecombinedwithdetectionsfromothersourcessince2006,includingtheMaritimesBreedingBirdAtlas(MBBA),theStaicerresearchlabatDalhousie,andothervolunteers.FromthissetofpointsinGIS,asubsetofsiteswereselectedforvegetationsurveysinanefforttoevenlydistributevegetationsurveysitesamongecodistricts,landbirdSARspecies,andlandscapetypes.OpportunisticplaybacksurveyswerealsoconductedlateAprilthroughearlyJuly2014.Additionalrecordsweresolicitedfromvolunteers(seealsooutreachsection).AlloftheserecordswerecompliedandcombinedwithdatafromtheMBBAandusedforourfinalhabitatmodels. (2)HabitatsurveysInJulyandAugust2012and2013,vegetationsurveyswerecarriedoutatsiteswhereoneormoreofthethreetargetedSARlandbirdshadbeenfound.Ofthe99sitessampled,38wereoccupiedbyCanadaWarbler,45byOlive‐sidedFlycatcher,and37byRustyBlackbird(Table1).Somesiteswereoccupiedbytwoandafewwereoccupiedbyallthreespecies.Landscapetypeswereeitherharvestedforestorinun‐harvestedforest(Table1).AsitewasconsideredtobeinaharvestedlandscapeifthemostrecentGISforestinventorylayershowedevidenceofforestharvestwithin1kmofthesite.Siteswereselectedtoincludethedifferentecodistrictstotheextentpossible.SomeecodistrictswerelargerorhadmoreSARdetections.Ateachsite,aForestEcosystemClassification(FEC)plotwasestablishedattheGPScoordinatesoftheSARsighting.Avariable‐radiustreeplotwasestablishedusingabasalareafactor2prism.Treeswithintheplotwereclassifiedaccordingtocanopyposition(dominant,co‐dominant,intermediate,orsuppressed).Species,status(aliveordead),diameteratbreastheight,heightofstem,heightatthebottomofthecanopy,andanindexoftreehealthwerealsorecorded.FromtheFECplot,two50‐mtransectswereestablishedtocapturevariationacrosssite(Figure1).Thetransectswereatleast90°apart,indirectionsofpotentiallyusablehabitatforthetargetspecies.Vegetationstructureandcompositionplotswereestablishedat10‐mintervalsalongeachtransect,includingthecentrepoint,foratotalof11plotspersite.Ateach,fourdensiometerreadingsweretakenineachcardinaldirectionsandaveragedtoprovideameasureofcanopycover.Inaddition,structuralcomplexityinthelowerstratawasquantifiedateachofthe11vegetationstructureandcompositionplotsateachsite.Weestimatedthepercentcoveroflivefoliagethatoccupiedseverallayers:theshrublayer(shrubsandregeneratingtrees,0.25m–5m),theherbaceouslayer(plants<0.25m),andthegroundlayer(bryophytes,lichens,litter,andsubstrate).Coverestimatesforeachlayerweremadeasfollows:Fortheshrublayer,species,heightandpercentcoverofallplantsoccupyingatleast5%ofa4m2quadrat(2mx2msquare)wererecorded.Fortheherbaceouslayer,speciesandpercentcoverofallplantsoccupyingatleast5%ofa1m2quadratwererecorded.Plantswereidentifiedtospeciesexceptforsphagnummosses,someasters,andsomegraminoids(e.g.,grasses,sedges,orrushes).Allotheritemsoccupyingatleast5%ofthegroundlayerofthe1m2plot(litter,coarsewoodydebris,mud).Measurementstakenfromthe11vegetationstructureandcompositionplotswereaveragedtoobtainasummaryvalueforeachsite.ThisreportpresentsvaluesthathavebeenaveragedacrosssitesoccupiedbyeachlandbirdSAR.


Table1.NumberofsitesatwhichhabitatsurveyswereconductedforeachlandbirdSARandthedistributionofhabitatsurveysacrossecodistrictsandlandscapetypes.

Species LandscapetypeNo.ofsitesSampled

Ecodistrict

720 730 740 750 760

RustyBlackbird Harvested 21 12 2 6 1 0

Unharvested 16 3 1 7 4 1

Olive‐sidedFlycatcher Harvested 26 15 2 5 0 4


CanadaWarbler Harvested 18 3 2 11 1 1


Allsitescombined Harvested 54 28 7 9 3 7


Figure1:Layoutofthehabitatplot.AnFECplotwasestablishedattheSARlocation.Vegetationstructureandcompositionwerequantifiedevery10malongtwo50‐mtransectsstartingatandextendingfromtheFECplot.

Vegetation Structure and Composition Plot

SAR Location/FEC Plot


Thevegetationdatasetresultedin143initialmeasuredorcalculatedvariables.Indicatorspeciesanalysis(ISA)wasusedtodeterminethevariablesthatweresignificantlyassociatedwithaparticularspeciesorgroup.Thosethatwerenotstatisticallyorbiologicallysignificant,basedonexpertknowledgeandliterature,wereremovedorcombinedintoclasses.Remainingvariableswereassessedforcorrelationandcontributiontovarianceexplainedusingfactoranalysis,resultinginthefurtherremovalorreclassificationofvariableswithhighcorrelationsorlowexplanatorypower.Someexceptionsweremadeforvariablesexpectedtohavehighbiologicalimportance.Theaveragesandvariancesof26variableswereretainedforfurtheranalysis(Table2). Table2.VariablesusedtocomparehabitatatsitesoccupiedbythethreetargetlandbirdSAR.

Variable DescriptionCanopyclosure Canopyclosure asapercent,determinedbyadensiometerMudcover Percentcoverofmud,wetsoil,orbaregroundthatwould getmuddySphagnumcover Percentcoverof all SphagnummossspeciesWatercover PercentcoverofopenwaterorpuddleCinnamonferncover Percentcoverofcinnamonfern(Osmundacinnamomea)Ferncover PercentcoverofallotherfernsConiferousshrubcover PercentcoverofconiferoustreesintheshrublayerSprucecover PercentcoverofallspeciesofspruceintheshrublayerDeciduousshrubcover Percentcoverofbroad‐leavedplantsintheshrublayerAldercover Percentcoverof speckledalder(Alnusincanarugosa)inshrublayerLambkillcover Percentcoveroflambkill(Kalmiaangustifolia)intheshrublayerAllshrubcover PercentcoverofallplantsintheshrublayerConiferousshrubheight Averageheight ofconiferoustreesintheshrublayerSpruceheight Averageheight ofallspeciesofspruceintheshrublayerDeciduousshrubheight Averageheight ofbroad‐leavedplantsintheshrublayerAlderheight Averageheight ofspeckledalder(Alnusincanarugosa)inshrublayerLambkillheight Averagecoveroflambkill(Kalmiaangustifolia)intheshrublayerAllshrubheight AveragecoverofallshrublayerplantsTreeheight AverageheightofalltreesinforestinventoryplotsStandbasalarea BasalareaforthesiteascalculatedfromprismplotsConiferoustrees<5m Numberofsoftwoodtreeslessthan5mtallinprismplotsConiferoustrees>5m Numberofsoftwoodtreesgreaterthan5mtallinprismplotsDeciduoustrees<5m Numberofhardwoodtrees lessthan5mtallinprismplotsDeciduoustrees>5m Numberofhardwoodtreesgreaterthan5mtallinprismplotsSnags<5m Numberofstandingdeadtrees lessthan5mtallinprismplotsSnags>5m Numberofstandingdeadtreesgreaterthan5mtallinprismplots

IndicatorSpeciesAnalysiswasusedtoidentifyvegetationvariableswhoseabundanceandfrequencywereassociatedwithaparticularlandbirdSARspeciesorsitecondition.Theseanalyseswereconductedusing4999randomizedMonteCarloruns.Thefollowinggroupsofsitesweretested:occupiedvs.unoccupied(foreachspecies),harvestedvs.unharvestedlandscape(forsitesoccupiedbyeachspecies).


(3)HabitatmodelsThehabitatsofsixlandbirdsatriskCommonNighthawk(Chordeilesminor),ChimneySwift(Chaeturapelagica),Olive‐sidedFlycatcher(Contopuscooperi),EasternWood‐pewee(Contopusvirens),CanadaWarbler(Cardellinacanadensis),andRustyBlackbird(Euphaguscarolinus)weremodeledforthefivecountiesintheSouthwestNovaBiosphereReserve.ThefinalmodelspresentedherewerebuiltbyClaraFerrari(Ferrari2014).HerworkbuiltonearliermodelscreatedbyDalhousiestudentsJenniferRandall(2013;CommonNighthawk),MeaganKindree(2014;ChimneySwift);SiobhanDarlington‐Moore(2014;EasternWoodPewee),AlanaWestwood(2014;Olive‐sidedFlycatcher,CanadaWarbler,andRustyBlackbird).Ferarri(2014)revisedandimprovedthesemodelsbyresolvingcertainmodelingissues,suchasspatialautocorrelation,spatialbias,andimportantenvironmentalfeaturesselection.Theanalysisalsoincorporatednewspecieslocationdatabasedonfieldsurveysandpublicobservationsobtainedthroughthe2014breedingseason.AllofthemodelswerebuiltusingtheMaximumEntropy(MaxEnt)algorithm,whichusespresence‐onlydata,whichisappropriateforrarespecies.Wetness,structuralandanthropogenicfeatureswereessentialforbuildingthemodels.TheMaxEntprogramproducedaspatialdistributionmodelforthehabitatforeachspeciesinGIS.

TwodatasetswereinputintoeachMaxEntmodel:

1. Geo‐referencedlocationsofthespecies‐fromvariousresearchandvolunteersurveys,duringthe2006‐2014breedingseasons.

2. Environmentalvariables‐habitatfeaturesimportantinpreviousstudiesandthatcouldberepresentedbyavailableGISdata.

Modelsextractedinformationaboutthehabitataroundknownspecieslocationsandusedittoextrapolatethedistributionofhabitatforeachspeciesacrossthelandscape.DetailsofthemodelingmethodscanbefoundinFerrari(2014).(4)Education,outreach,andstewardshipThisprojectcontributedtotheeducation,outreach,andstewardshipactivitiesoftheLandbirdsatRiskprogram,developedin2012asacollaborationbetweenDr.CindyStaiceratDalhousieUniversityandtheMerseyTobeaticResearchInstitute(MTRI).TheseactivitiesaimtoinformandraiseawarenessaboutlandbirdsatriskamongpeopleinsouthwesternNovaScotia,andtoengagetheminspeciesconservationandhabitatstewardship.Fivespecies(excludingtheEasternWoodPewee,whichwasnotCOSEWIC‐listedatthetime)werethefocusoftheseactivities.Stewardshipcoordinators,DominicCormier,MarianKempandLauraAchenbach,werehiredthroughHSPfundstoassistDr.Staicerindevelopingtheprogram.Knowledgeaboutthepopulationsandhabitatfortheselandbirdsatriskwasbasedondataandexperiencefromourfieldsurveysandaugmentedwithinformationfromtheliterature,includingthestatusreports(COSEWIC2006,2007a,2007b,2008a,2008b,2012).Stewardshiptoolsdevelopedincluded:aLandbirdsatRiskHabitatconservationbrochure,aLandbirdsatRiskposter,apublicwebsiteassociatedwithMTRI,andaLandbirdsatRiskdatamanagementmoduleontheNSSpeciesatRiskwebsite.


RESULTS(1)BirdsurveysIntotal,337birdsurveyswerecompletedin2012and2013combined.Noneofthethreetargetedwet‐forestlandbirdSARwerefoundattwo‐thirds(63%)ofthesitesvisited.TheOlive‐sidedFlycatcherwasfoundat20%ofthesites(68sites,42ofwhichwerenewsites,fromwhichthespecieswasnotpreviouslyreported).TheCanadaWarblerwasfoundat10%ofthesites(32sites,15ofwhichwerenewsites).TheRustyBlackbirdwasfoundat7%ofsites(25sites,19ofwhichwerenewsites).Additionalrecordsofthesespecieswereobtainedthroughcasualobservationsmadewhileconductingfieldworkandthroughreportssubmittedbythepublic.In2014,reportsofCommonNighthawksweresubmittedfrom38observersorgroupsinadditiontoourfieldteam.Atotalof55reportswereobtainedfrom20May‐21August2014.Mostbirdswerebothseenandheard.Booming,acourtshipandterritorialdisplayofmales,wasmostoftenheardinMayandJune.WefoundnoevidencethatCommonNighthawksweremoreactiveundermoonlightinearlyevening.Birdsweremostoftenseennearopenwaterorforest,orboth,andtoalesserextent,developedareasandclearcuts.Largenumberswerereportedduringmigration:aflockof150on12August,andaflockof1000on21August.(2)HabitatsurveysResultsofthedetailedhabitatsurveysweresummarizedtocomparehabitatcharacteristicsamongthethreetargetlandbirdSAR.ThesummariesincludedataobtainedfromthecentralFECplot,includingtypeofecosites(asvisualizedinedatopicgrids),treespeciescomposition,andvegetationtype(VT).Thestructureandcompositionplotdata(11persite)weresummarizedtocomparethepercentcoverofvegetationinthedifferentverticallayersandothergroundfeatures.IndicatorSpeciesAnalysisdeterminedwhatvariableswereindicativeofsitesoccupiedbyeachspecies.EcositesTheedatopicgridisatwo‐dimensionaldiagramusedintheForestEcosystemClassificationforNovaScotiatoplotsiteswithrespecttorelativemoistureandnutrientregimes.Soilmoistureregime,whichrangesfromverydrytowet,representstheaveragemoistureavailabletoplants.Soilnutrientregime,whichrangesfromveryrichtoverypoor,representstherelativeavailabilityofnutrientstosupportplantgrowth(www.gov.ns.ca/natr/library/forestry/reports/Ecosites.pdf).

OurecositedataforthethreelandbirdSARinSouthwesternNovaScotiaaresummarizedinFigure2.Eachnumberedovalontheedatopicgridrepresentsoneofthe17Acadiangroupecositesassociatedwithaparticularmoistureandnutrientregime,andthustendstosupportdifferentvegetationtypes.Noneofoursamplesfellintothedriest,verypoorecosites(AC1,AC2,andAC3)orthericherecosites(AC13,AC14,AC15,AC16,orAC17).Overall,thethreelandbirdSARsinhabitedasimilarsetofecosites.ThemajorityofplotsforallthreespecieswerecategorizedasAC4(Wet/VeryPoor)orAC8(Wet/Poor).Threeecosites(AC4,AC8andAC12)accountedforatotalof86%ofCanadaWarblersitesandfourecosites(AC4,AC7,AC8andAC12)accountedfor83%ofOlive‐sidedFlycatchersites,andsixecosites(AC4,AC5,AC6,AC8,AC10,andAC12)accountedfor87%ofRustyBlackbirdsites.Lessthan10%ofotherecositeswereinhabitedbythesespecies.


Figure2.Distributionofhabitatsamplesites(asdeterminedatFECplots)ontheedatopicgridforthethreetargetlandbirdSAR.Numbersrefertothe17Acadiangroupecosites.Placementoftheovalsonthegridindicatestherelativelevelsofmoistureandnutrientsofasite.Theecositesbecomewetterfromtoptobottomandricherfromlefttoright.Thedarkerthecolour,themorelandbirdSARsitesoccurredinthatecosite.

Trees

TreedatafromtheFECplotsrevealedmanysimilaritiesamongthethreespeciesoflandbirdSAR(Figures3‐4).Spruceandbalsamfirtogethermadeup57%ofthetreesinOlive‐sidedFlycatcherplots,50%inCanadaWarblerplots,and40%inRustyBlackbirdplots(Figure3).Pine,hemlock,andhardwoodscomprised53%ofthetreesinRustyBlackbirdplots.Redmaplewascommon,accountingforabout25%ofthetreesintheplotsofallthreeSAR.OtherhardwoodswerelesscommonintheFECplots.EasternwhitecedarsoccurredinoneCanadaWarblerplot,locatedintheHectanoogacedarswamp,animportantareathatsupportedseveralpairsofthislandbirdSAR.

Overall,abouthalfofthetreesinFECplotswereliveconifers,one‐quarterwerelivedeciduoustrees,andone‐quarterweresnags(Figure4).TheseproportionsweresimilarforallthreelandbirdSAR.Olive‐sidedFlycatcherhabitathadaslightlyhigherproportionofsnagswhileRustyBlackbirdhabitathadaslightlyhigherproportionofdeciduoustrees.


Figure3.SpeciescompositionoflivetreesintheFECplotinlandbirdSARhabitatsurveys.Canada Warbler (n = 38 plots) Olive-sided Flycatcher (n = 46 plots) Rusty Blackbird (n = 38 plots)

Balsam fir

Spruce

Pine

Tamarack

Eastern hemlock

Eastern white cedar

Red maple

Birch

Other hardwoods

Balsam fir

Spruce

Pine

Tamarack

Eastern hemlock

Eastern white cedar

Red maple

Birch

Other hardwoods

Balsam fir

Spruce

Pine

Tamarack

Eastern hemlock

Eastern white cedar

Red maple

Birch

Other hardwoods


Figure4.ProportionoftreesintheFECplotsthatweresnags(deadstandingtrees),livedeciduous(broad‐leaved)treesandliveconiferoustrees.

VegetationstructureUnderstoreyvegetationstructureforthe100‐mtransectscenteredoneachFECplotissummarizedinFigure5.PercentcoverofsaplingsandhighshrubswerehighestforCanadaWarbler.Forallthreespecies,coniferoussaplingscontributedmorecoverthandeciduoussaplings.ShrubscontributedmosttoCanadaWarblerhabitatandleasttoRustyBlackbirdhabitat.Highshrubs(suchasalder),cinnamonfern,andsphagnummosswereimportantcomponentsofCanadaWarblerhabitat.Lowshrubs(suchaslambkill)andotherferns(primarilybracken)werecommoninOlive‐sidedFlycatcherhabitat.Comparedtotheothertwospecies,RustyBlackbirdhabitathadlessunderstoreycoverabove25cm.

Figure5.ComparisonofvegetationstructureinhabitatplotsforthethreelandbirdSAR.Averagepercentcover,measuredevery10malongatwo50‐mtransectscenteredontheFECplot.

Deciduous

Coniferous

Snag

Canada Warbler habitat (n=38 plots)

Deciduous

Coniferous

Snag

Olive-sided Flycatcher habitat (n=46 plots)

Deciduous

Coniferous

Snag

Rusty Blackbird habitat (n=38 plots)

0102030405060708090

100110120130140

CAWA (n=38) OSFL (n=46) RUBL (n=38)

Pe

rce

nt

cove

r (c

um

mu

lati

ve)

Coniferous saplings

Deciduous saplings

High shrub

Low shrub

Cinnamon fern

Other ferns

Sphagnum

Other mosses

Other ground vegetation


VegetationtypesTheproportionsofFECplotsperlandbirdSARhabitatthatwereclassifiedintodifferentvegetationtypes(VTs)areshowninFigure6.ThethreelandbirdSARsdifferedintheproportionsofplotsthatwereinwetforestVTs.MostoftheCanadaWarblersplots(91%)wereinwetVTs,eitherwetconiferous(46%)orwetdeciduous(45%).ThemostcommontypeswereWC1andWD2,typifiedbyblackspruceorredmaple,cinnamonfernandsphagnummoss.Incomparison,only56%ofOlive‐sidedFlycatcherplots(34%wetconiferousand22%wetdeciduous)andonly42%ofRustyBlackbirdplots(21%eachwetdeciduousandwetconiferous)werewetforestVTs.However,WC1andWD2werethemostcommonwetforestvegetationtypesforthesespeciesaswell.Olive‐sidedFlycatcherandRustyBlackbirdplotsspannedawiderrangeofvegetationtypes(Figure6).Olive‐sidedFlycatcherplotsalsoincludedseveralspruceVTs,andSP5,withblackspruce,lambkillandbracken,wasthemostcommon.RustyBlackbirdplotsincludedspruceandspruce‐hemlockvegetationtypes,aswellasintoleranthardwoodandmixed‐woodvegetationtypes.SomeFECplotsforOlive‐sidedFlycatchersandRustyBlackbirdshadtoofewtreestodetermineavegetationtype.IndicatorSpeciesAnalysisIndicatorSpeciesAnalysisshowedthatpresenceofRustyBlackbirdswasindicatedbymoreopenwater,andmoreconiferoustreesandsnagstallerthan5m.Inharvestedlandscapes,RustyBlackbirdsiteswereindicatedbymorelambkillthansitesinunharvestedlandscapes.Absencewasindicatedhighershrubs,moreshrubcover,moresprucecover,moredeciduousshrubcover,tallerdeciduousshrubs,higherspruce,morecinnamonferncover,andhigherspeckledalders.IndicatorSpeciesAnalysisshowedthatpresenceofOlive‐sidedFlycatcherswasindicatedbymoresnagslessthan5mtall,andgreaterheightandpercentcoveroflambkill.Inharvestedlandscapes,Olive‐sidedFlycatchersiteshadmorelambkillcoverandheight,aswellashighershrubsoverallthansiteswiththisspeciesinunharvestedlandscapes.Absencewasindicatedbygreatercanopyclosure,greatercoverofspeckledalder,andhigherstandbasalarea.IndicatorSpeciesAnalysisshowedthatpresenceofCanadaWarblerswasindicatedbygreatercoverandheightofalder,morecoverofdeciduoustreesgreaterthan5mtall,highercanopyclosure,morecinnamonferncover,andgreaterheightofbroadleavedshrubsthandidsitesinunharvestedlandscapes.Inharvestedlandscapes,siteswithCanadaWarblerhadmorelambkill,cinnamonferns,andsnagsunder5m.Absencewasindicatedbygreatercoveroffernsotherthancinnamonfern.

Comparingspecies,RustyBlackbirdsiteswereindicatedbymoreopenwater,CanadaWarblersiteswereindicatedbymorecinnamonfern,moreandtalleralder,andgreatercoverofthetreecanopyandbroadleavedshrubs,andOlive‐sidedFlycatchersiteswerenotindicatedbyanyvariable.

AmoredetailedtreatmentofthisandadditionalmultivariatestatisticalanalysesofthehabitatdatawillbepresentedinthedissertationofAlanaWestwood,Ph.D.candidate,DalhousieUniversityDepartmentofBiology.


CE1

MW2

SH3

SH4a

SP4a

WC1

WC2

WC6

WC7

WD2

WD4

WD4A

WD8

NONE

Canada Warbler habitat (n=38 plots)Figure6.ProportionofplotscategorizedasdifferentFECvegetationtypes(VT).FormoreinformationonVTs,see:novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/veg‐types/.

IH7

MW2SH6

SP4

SP5

SP6

SP7

WC1

WC2

WC5

WC6WC7

WC7A

WD2

WD3

WD4

WD4A

WD8

NONE

Olive-sided Flycatcher habitat (n=46 plots)

IH1IH2IH7MW2SH1SH4aSH5SH6SP4SP4aSP5SP9WC1WC7WC7AWD2WD3WD4WD4AWD6WD8NONE

Rusty Blackbird habitat (n = 38 plots)


(3)Habitatmodels

ThevariablesthatwerecalculatedinGISandusedtocreatethefinalversionsofthespeciesdistributionhabitatmodelsinMaxEntforeachofthesixlandbirdSAR(Ferarri2014)areshowninTable3.

ThetermAUCreferstotheAreaUndertheCurveandisameasureofhowwellthemodeldistinguishesthesiteswhereaspeciesoccurredfromrandomlocations.ThehighertheAUCvalue,thebetterthemodelperformed.AmodelwithanAUCvaluegreaterthan0.7isconsideredtohavegooddiscriminatorypower(Phillips2005).

Theimportanceofeachvariablewasmeasuredbytwoestimates:percentcontributionandthepermutationimportance:

Thepercentcontributionisbasedontheincreaseordecreaseinregularizedgainduetoaparticularvariable,holdingothervariablesconstant,foreachiterationofthetrainingalgorithm.

Foreachenvironmentalvariableinturn,thepermutationimportanceisdeterminedbymeasuringthedecreaseintrainingAUCwhenthevaluesofthisvariablearerandomlypermutingforthetrainingset.ThissecondestimatedoesnotdependonthepaththatMaxEntusestogettheoptimalsolution,whereasthefirstestimatedoes.Therefore,thesecondestimatewaspreferentiallyusedtochoosethevariables(Phillips2005).

VariablesimportantineachmodelsuggestthatOlive‐sidedFlycatchers,CanadaWarblersandRustyBlackbirdsneedwetforeststhatarevariouslycomplex,butindifferentways,atthesite(orstand)andlandscapescales.TheimportantvariablesalsosuggestthatChimneySwiftsandCommonNighthawksneedopenareasnearwaterwithinforestedlandscapesbutalsousedevelopedareasiftheyprovidesuitablenestsites.Thespatially‐explicitspeciesdistributionmodelsforthesixspeciesareshownintheformofmapsinFigures7‐12.Eachmapshowsthepredictedvariationinhabitatsuitabilityforaspeciesacrosstheregion.Thelikelihoodthataspeciescanutilizeagivenareaasbreedinghabitatisindicatedbycolour,fromleastlikely(yellow;pooresthabitat)tomostlikely(darkblue;besthabitat).Actualoccurrencedatausedtobuildthemodelsareshownbyopencircles.HigherresolutionimagesandGISlayersareavailableuponrequest([email protected]).Theboundariesofprotectedareas,asof2013,arealsoshownonthemaps.AllbuttheEasternWood‐Peweeappeartobewidelydistributedacrossprivate,crown,andprotectedlands.EasternWood‐Peweesneedtall,matureuplandforest,especiallymaturestandsofwhitepine,whichisnowlargelyrestrictedtoprotectedlands,especiallyinandnearKejimkujikNP.MostoftheCanadaWarblerandRustyBlackbirdhabitatappearstoexistoutsideofprotectedareas.TheTobeaticWildernessAreaplusthecrownlandstotheSSWcomprisealargeareaofgenerallyunsuitablehabitatforallbuttheOlive‐sidedFlycatcher.MostoftheareaiscontainedwithintheWesternRegion.Thepredictedhabitatofthesixspeciesdoesnotappeartobeassociatedwithparticularecodistricts(comparehabitatmapswithmapathttp://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/ecological/pdf/ELC_Map.pdf).ThepredictedhabitatoftheCommonNighthawk,aswellasoccurrencerecordsforthisspecies,isassociatedwithriversystems(notethatthedarkblueareasfollowriversonthemap).


Table3.VariablesusedtocreatethelandbirdSARhabitatmodelswithMaxEnt.

SpeciesandAUCoffinalmodelGISvariablesusedinfinalMaxEntmodels

Percentcontribution

Permutationimportance

CommonNighthawk(AUC=0.684) distancetowaterways 24.2 22.9 distanceto_urbanareas 19.4 20.0

distanceto_shrubby_wetlands 16.8 22.4

distanceto_low_shrubs 13.0 9.5

1ststorycanopyheight 12.1 8.2

distancetoclearcuts 10.8 13.5

2ndstorycanopyheight 3.8 3.4

ChimneySwift(AUC=0.799) distanceto_urbanareas 38.2 30.2 1ststorycanopyheight 15.2 7.7


distancetowaterways 11.0 14.7

distanceto_deadstands 8.5 6.5

distancetoopenwetlands 8.0 5.5

distanceto_low_shrubs 3.9 2.5

EasternWood‐Pewee(AUC=0.863) distancetoprotectedareas 32.0 27.7 distanceto_low_shrubs 22.7 15.6

1ststorycanopyheight 18.6 12.9

distanceto_urbanareas 16.2 27.1

depthtowatertable 6.8 11.7


Olive‐sidedFlycatcher(AUC=0.748) distancetowetlands 26.1 16.7 distanceto_agriculturallands 21.3 16.2



forest_type 10.3 11.5

depthtowatertable 8.4 5.5

canopyclosure 2.2 6.1

CanadaWarbler(AUC=0.716) depthtowatertable 36.8 31.3 distancetowaterways 22.6 21.8

distanceto_uneven_agestands 17.6 10.8


2ndstorycanopyheight 3.8 8.2

canopyclosure 2.6 5.0

RustyBlackbird(AUC=0.766) depthtowatertable 42.0 36.8 distanceto_low_shrubs 22.4 13.1

distanceto_agriculturallands 19.4 21.2




Figure7.PredictedhabitatdistributionmodelfortheCommonNighthawk(Chordeilesminor)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


Figure8.PredictedhabitatdistributionmodelfortheChimneySwift(Chaeturapelagica)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


Figure9.PredictedhabitatdistributionmodelfortheEasternWood‐Pewee(Contopusvirens)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


Figure10.PredictedhabitatdistributionmodelfortheOlive‐sidedFlycatcher(Contopuscooperi)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


Figure11.PredictedhabitatdistributionmodelfortheCanadaWarbler(Cardellinacanadensis)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


Figure12.Predictedhabitatdistributionmodelforthe RustyBlackbird(Euphaguscarolinus)inSouthwesternNovaScotia.


(4)Education,outreach,andstewardshipTheLandbirdsatRiskinForestedLandscapesworkshopincludedelementsincluded:

• Trends,surveys,andstatusofthefivespecies• Identificationofthefivespeciesbysightandsound• Lifehistoryandrange(breeding,migration,wintering)ofthefivespecies• Breedingseasonecologyandbehaviourofthefivespecies• Breedinghabitatofthefivespecies• Habitatcomparisonforthethreewetforestspecies• Threatstopopulationsforeachofthefivespecies• Stewardship,includingadiscussionabouthowcanwestewardthehabitatforthesefive

speciesinsouthwesternNSThisfree2‐hourlongworkshopwasgiventopublicaudiencesatseveralvenues:

MTRI,morningandeveningsessions,27March2013 AnnapolisRoyal,9February2014 Liverpool,22February2014 TusketFalls,8March2014 BearRiver,25March2014(presentationtoBearRiverFirstNations) Halifax,27March2014(presentationattheBirdSocietymeeting) Clare,9September2014(“Atelier:Oiseauxenpérildanslespaysagesforestiers”)

InJune2014,acitizensciencepilotprojecttomonitorCommonNighthawkswasestablished.VolunteerrecruitmentwasorganizedbyScienceHorizonsinternLauraAchenbach.TheofficialsurveywastimedtocoincidewithmoonlitearlyeveningsinJune.Additionalrecordswereacceptedfromanytimeduringthesummer.

Otheroutreachactivitiesincluded:

"Envirothon"3July2014,aKejimkujikNationalParkoutreachevent "DawnChorusWalk"12July2014,anMTRIandKejimkujikNationalParkevent "Nightcreaturestalk:TheCommonNighthawk",14July2014,aKejimkujikNationalPark

Outreachevent CBCLandandSeafilmingatKejimkujikNationalParkaboutLandbirdsatRiskinNovaScotia,

25July2014 ShortvideosoftheRustyBlackbirdandOlive‐sidedFlycatcherwerefilmedandpostedonthe

MTRIYouTubechannelandMTRIFacebookpage Encouragingthepublictosubmitnewlandbirdsatrisksightings;ane‐mailaddresswas

availableforthispurpose([email protected])Finally,weconvenedapartnersinconservationworkshopinlateMarch2014tosharecurrentknowledgeandexistingprograms,andconcernsaboutlandbirdsatriskconservationinNovaScotia.RepresentedatthemeetingweretheNovaScotiaDepartmentofNaturalResources,theNovaScotiaDepartmentofEnvironment,EnvironmentCanada,NovaScotiaNatureTrust,NatureConservancyofCanada,AtlanticCanadaConservationDataCentre,NovaScotiaBirdSociety,BirdStudiesCanada,EcologyActionCentre,ParksCanada,theMerseyTobeaticResearchInstitute,andDalhousieUniversity.


ACHIEVEMENTSANDLESSONSLEARNEDThisprojectachievedtangibleresultsthatcanbeappliedatthesite(stand)andlandscapescalesinSouthwesternNovaScotia.Atthesitescale,resultsfromourhabitatsurveyscanbeusedtoidentifybreedinghabitatforOlive‐sidedFlycatchers,CanadaWarblers,andRustyBlackbirdsinthefield.Inadditiontospecificfeaturesthatcanbeobservedwhenvisitingasite(e.g.,certaintreespecies,awell‐developedhighshrublayer,abundantcinnamonfern,sphagnummosscoveringtheground,orthepresenceofopenwaterormud),thisstudyidentifiedparticularFECecositesandvegetationtypesassociatedwiththepresenceoftheselandbirdSARspecies.OursurveysverifiedthatthethreeLandbirdSARthatwetargetedforoursurveysmainlyinhabitedwetforests.Thehabitatofthesespeciescontainedsimilarproportionsofsnags(deadstanding),livedeciduous(broadleaf),andliveconiferoustrees.Allthreeinhabitedconifer‐dominatedmixedwoods,withredmaplemakingupaboutone‐quarterofthetotaltrees.Blackspruce(abouttwo‐thirds)orredspruce(aboutonethird)wasthedominantconifer,andwasmostabundantinOlive‐sidedFlycatchersites.RustyBlackbirdsitescontainedamoreevendistributionofconiferspecies,eventhoughtheyareknowntonestmainlyinthicketofsmallspruce(Powell2008).FortheCanadaWarblerandOlive‐sidedFlycatcher,themostcommonecositeswereAC8(Wet/Poor)andAC4(Wet‐VeryPoor),wheretreegrowthislimitedbyexcessivemoistureandlowfertility.TypicalvegetationonAC8isconiferousormixed‐woodtreedswamps,withspruce,fir,andredmaple,andtypicalvegetationonAC4isblackspruceandtamarack(Neilyetal.2011).AlthoughOlive‐sidedFlycatcherswerealsofoundinawiderrangeofconiferous‐dominatedvegetationtypes,theyweremostabundantinwetconiferousforest.BothRustyBlackbirdsandOlive‐sidedFlycatchershavelargeterritoriesorhomerangesof10ormorehectareswhereastheCanadaWarblerterritoryisabout1hectare(100x100m)orless,closetothesizeofthehabitatplotsinourstudy.Habitatplotsfortheotherspeciesrepresentedamuchsmallerfractionoftheareausedbythebirds.ThusitislikelythatoursurveysmorecompletelycharacterizedCanadaWarblerhabitatthanthatoftheotherspecies.OurresultsareconsistentwithpublishedstudiesindicatingthatCanadaWarblerpreferentiallynestinforestedareaswithahighdensityofsmallstemsandunevenground(Hallworthetal.2008,GoodnowandReitsma2011).RustyBlackbirdswereobservedinawiderrangeofecositesandvegetationtypesthantheotherspecies,suggestingthatparticulartreespeciesorvegetationtypesarelessimportantforthisbird.However,sitessampledlikelyincludedforagingsites,nestingsites,andvariouskindsofforesthabitatthroughwhichindividualsmoveonadailybasis.RustyBlackbirdsforageforinvertebratesinshallowwaterandmud,andnestinsmallconifers,mainlyblackspruce(Powell2008).AlthoughwefoundRustyBlackbirdsusingbothunharvestedandharvestedlandscapes,thelattercanbeecologicaltraps,asbirdsnestingtherehavelowerbreedingsuccess(Powelletal.2010).AdditionalandmoredetailedstatisticalanalysesofourhabitatdatawillbepresentedinthePh.D.dissertationofAlanaWestwood,andinmanuscriptssubmittedforpublication,in2015‐2016.Atthelandscapescale,ourhabitatmodelscanbeusedtoidentifythelocationandconfigurationofpredictedbreedinghabitatforCommonNighthawk,ChimneySwift,EasternWood‐Pewee,Olive‐sidedFlycatchers,CanadaWarblers,andRustyBlackbirdsacrossSouthwesternNovaScotia.Itisinterestingtonotethatalthoughhabitatsurveysshowedmuchoverlapinthecharacteristicsofsitesoccupiedbythethreewet‐forestspecies,thedistributionoftheirpredictedhabitatwasquitedifferent.ThismayreflecttheinabilityofcurrentGISlayerstocaptureimportantsite‐levelhabitatfeatures.


Priortofieldwork,initialhabitatsuitabilityindexmodelswerebuiltwithinformationfromtheliteratureandexpertopinion(Westwood2012).Ourfieldsurveyswereconductedatsitesrandomlyselectedfrompolygonsidentifiedinthesemodelsassuitablehabitatforoneormoreofthesespecies.ThethreetargetlandbirdSARwereuncommoninthesesurveys,occurringatonlyonethirdofthesites.Oursurveyswereafieldtestoftheseinitialmodels,confirmingthatbettermodelswereneeded.TheOlive‐sidedFlycatcherwasfoundattwiceasmaysitesaswereCanadaWarblers,whichwerefoundatabouttwiceasmanysitesasRustyBlackbirds,therarestofthethreespeciesandtheonewhichhasexperiencedthegreatestdeclines(Greenberg,andMatsuoka2010).Ratherthanbeingmoreabundant,Olive‐sidedFlycatchersmaysimplybeeasiertodetectbecauseoftheirmuchloudersong.OurfieldsurveysandeffortsofvolunteersincreasedthenumberofoccurrencesoflandbirdSARforSouthwestNovaScotia.TheenhanceddatabaseenabledustodevelopnewhabitatmodelsbasedonGISdataatoccurrencelocations.Ournewhabitatmodelsshouldbemoreaccuratethanourinitialhabitatsuitabilitymodelsastheyusedtheinformationabouttheenvironmentatoccupiedsites.OurstewardshipandoutreachactivitiesforlandbirdSARreachedalargeaudienceandengagedmanypeople.Moreofthepublicarenowfamiliarwithidentificationofthesespeciesandawareoftheirconservationstatusandissues.Thepositiveresponsebythepublicalsoshowedthatthepublicisinterestedinbeingmoreinvolvedintheconservationoflandbirds.

RECOMMENDATIONSFORFOLLOW‐UPSTEPSTheresultsfromourhabitatsurveyscanbeusedinthefieldtoidentifybreedinghabitatforOlive‐sidedFlycatchers,CanadaWarblers,andRustyBlackbirds.TheinformationcouldbeusedbyitselforinconjunctionwithexistingFECfieldprotocols,andincorporatedintobestmanagementpractices.ThehabitatmodelsforthesixlandbirdSARcanbeusedforlocal‐scaletoregional‐scaleland‐useplanning.InGIS,themodelscanbeusedbygovernment,industryandconservationorganizationsforland‐usedecision‐making,suchastargetingareasofhighqualityhabitatthatcouldbeprotectedoridentifyingareaswherespecificforestmanagementtechniquesarelikelytobenefitorharmthespecies.Habitatmaps(higherresolutionimagesofthemapsinthisreport)canbeusedmorewidely,bylandownersandthegeneralpublic,toidentifylocalareasofgoodhabitatforthesespecies.Theaccuracyofourhabitatmodelscanbeassessedthroughfieldtests.Themostefficientuseoftimewouldbetovisitareasofhighpredictedhabitatsuitability.Forterritorialspecies,theuseofplaybackwillenhancethechancesofdetectingthespeciesifitisindeedpresentasite.Alessdirectwayoftestingthemodelswouldbetokeeptrackofwhetherthesesspeciesaredetectedatsitesvisitedduringthebreedingseasonforotherkindsoffieldwork.Date,timeandUTMswouldneedtoberecordedaswellasthelandbirdspeciesthatwaspresent.Landbirdsatriskcanbeincorporatedintocurrentorfutureresearchormonitoringprograms.DevelopmentofaccuratemapsofforestedwetlandswouldaidgreatlyinidentifyinghabitatfortheselandbirdSAR.Lidarhasgreatpotentialforidentifyingfeaturesthatareimportanttothesespecies,suchasheightoftheshrublayerandotherfeaturesnotavailablecurrentlyasGISlayers.Thereismuchpotentialforinvolvingthepublicinconservationoflandbirdsatrisk.Peoplewhoarenotfamiliarwithbirdscanbetrainedtolookandlistenforthesesspeciesandtoidentifybreedinghabitat.Themoreinformationwehaveaboutthedistributionandabundanceofthesespecies,themoreinformed,targeted,andeffectiveourconservationeffortscanbe.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FundingandlogisticalsupportforthisprojectwasprovidedbytheNovaScotiaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesthroughtheNovaScotiaHabitatConservationFund(contributionsfromhuntersandtrappers)andtheNovaScotiaSpeciesatRiskConservationFund,theNovaScotiaStrategicCooperativeIncentiveprogram,EnvironmentCanadathroughtheScienceHorizonsInternshipProgramandtheHabitatStewardshipProgram,ParksCanada,NSERC,theMerseyTobeaticResearchInstitute,AgroParisTech‐ENGREF,andtheBiologyDepartmentatDalhousieUniversity.Accesstoprovincial,federal,andprivatelandstoconductsurveyswereprovidedbytheDepartmentofNaturalResources,ResoluteForestProducts,ParksCanada,theNovaScotiaNatureTrust,TheNatureConservancyofCanada,andBruceandBerniceMoores.TheMerseyTobeaticResearchInstituteandParksCanadaprovidedlogisticalsupport.WethankthemanyvolunteerparticipantswhocollectedspeciesdatathroughtheMaritimesBreedingBirdAtlas(MBBA),theNorthAmericanBreedingBirdSurvey(BBS),E‐birdCanada,andtheLandbirdsatRiskprogram,includingthosewhoparticipatedinthefirstCommonNighthawkpilotsurvey.OfficialsponsorsoftheMBBAincludeBirdStudiesCanada,CanadianWildlifeService,NSDepartmentofNaturalResources,PEIDepartmentofNaturalResources,NatureNewBrunswick,theNovaScotiaBirdSociety,andtheNaturalHistorySocietyofPEI.

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