Survival, Abundance, and Geographic Distribution of Temperate-nesting Canada Geese (branta Canadensis) in Arkansas

Survival, Abundance, and Geographic Distribution of Temperate-nesting Canada Geese (branta Canadensis) in Arkansas PDF Author: Margaret Eliese Ronke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303847592
Category : Canada goose
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
Temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have grown in abundance and range since reintroduction in the 1980s. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission uses harvest and other methods to maintain the population at desired levels. However, continued management of temperate-nesting geese requires knowledge of the population's demographics and current range to help establish quantifiable management goals. To assess the need and effect of changing hunting regulations, survival and recovery rates and abundance were estimated for this population. Annual survival rates of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas from 2005 to 2011 were estimated using the Burnham joint live-dead recovery model in program MARK. Candidate models were created to allow survival to vary by age (adult, young), time (year), and potential hunting pressure (pre- vs. post-liberalization). The abundance of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas from 2002-2011 was estimated using the Lincoln Index and either an unadjusted Lincoln Index, using a Mississippi Flyway Canada goose harvest rate, or an adjusted Lincoln Index, using a regional harvest rate estimate. Target harvest rates based on the Potential Biological Removal framework were estimated for a range of recovery factors associated with different potential management strategies using model-averaged survival rates and unadjusted Lincoln Index estimates. Despite recent relaxed hunting regulations, neither annual survival rates nor abundance of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have declined. Range from 2004-2012 was estimated using volume contour maps from citizen science observations using eBird and hunter recovery locations from the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory. Dispersal of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas was examined. Emigration, molt migration, and immigration between Arkansas and other states and provinces was examined using geese banded in Arkansas and recovered elsewhere and geese banded elsewhere and recovered in Arkansas. Emigration and immigration interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Missouri. Molt migrant interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Manitoba and Minnesota. Factors explaining molt migration/emigration were examined, and both age and sex were the best predictors. Overall, geographic analysis indicated the range of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas is expanding, but individual geese do not frequently move long distances from banding sites.

Survival, Abundance, and Geographic Distribution of Temperate-nesting Canada Geese (branta Canadensis) in Arkansas

Survival, Abundance, and Geographic Distribution of Temperate-nesting Canada Geese (branta Canadensis) in Arkansas PDF Author: Margaret Eliese Ronke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303847592
Category : Canada goose
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
Temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have grown in abundance and range since reintroduction in the 1980s. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission uses harvest and other methods to maintain the population at desired levels. However, continued management of temperate-nesting geese requires knowledge of the population's demographics and current range to help establish quantifiable management goals. To assess the need and effect of changing hunting regulations, survival and recovery rates and abundance were estimated for this population. Annual survival rates of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas from 2005 to 2011 were estimated using the Burnham joint live-dead recovery model in program MARK. Candidate models were created to allow survival to vary by age (adult, young), time (year), and potential hunting pressure (pre- vs. post-liberalization). The abundance of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas from 2002-2011 was estimated using the Lincoln Index and either an unadjusted Lincoln Index, using a Mississippi Flyway Canada goose harvest rate, or an adjusted Lincoln Index, using a regional harvest rate estimate. Target harvest rates based on the Potential Biological Removal framework were estimated for a range of recovery factors associated with different potential management strategies using model-averaged survival rates and unadjusted Lincoln Index estimates. Despite recent relaxed hunting regulations, neither annual survival rates nor abundance of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have declined. Range from 2004-2012 was estimated using volume contour maps from citizen science observations using eBird and hunter recovery locations from the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory. Dispersal of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas was examined. Emigration, molt migration, and immigration between Arkansas and other states and provinces was examined using geese banded in Arkansas and recovered elsewhere and geese banded elsewhere and recovered in Arkansas. Emigration and immigration interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Missouri. Molt migrant interactions were greatest between Arkansas and Manitoba and Minnesota. Factors explaining molt migration/emigration were examined, and both age and sex were the best predictors. Overall, geographic analysis indicated the range of temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas is expanding, but individual geese do not frequently move long distances from banding sites.

The Rocky Mountain Population of the Western Canada Goose

The Rocky Mountain Population of the Western Canada Goose PDF Author: William B. Krohn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
The western Canada goose (Branta canadensis moffitti) was divided into a Rocky Mountain population (RMP) and a Pacific population (PP) on the basis of band recovery programs examined in this study and recovery data from other investigators. Habitat information provided a base line for evaluating future changes in nesting, molting, and wintering areas. Topics covered in the discussion of breeding biology are nesting chronology, spring population composition, breeding age, clutch size, nesting success, artificial nesting structures, and gosling survival. Some management recommendations include the refinement and standardization of spring and winter aerial surveys, and more accurate age and sex determinations when geese are banded and color-marked.

The Implications of Agriculture in Interior Alaska for Population Dynamics of Canada Geese (branta Canadensis)

The Implications of Agriculture in Interior Alaska for Population Dynamics of Canada Geese (branta Canadensis) PDF Author: Michael William Eichholz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agricultural ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
"Understanding how environmental change affects demography is essential for understanding and managing populations. An anthropogenic change in the environment that has affected wildlife populations is widespread agricultural development. Agriculture has both negatively and positively impacted abundance of species by affecting a variety of vital rates that influence population abundance. In this study, I describe the migration ecology of Canada geese (Branta Canadensis) that nest and stage in Interior Alaska. I also describe how the introduction of agriculture has potentially positively impacted population dynamics of Canada geese by increasing nutrient acquisition, thereby improving their fecundity and survival. Two subspecies of Canada geese used Interior Alaska for staging and at least partially segregated themselves during spring and fall staging. I documented a difference in survival between two age classes of Canada geese, primarily lesser Canada geese (B. c. parvipes), and attributed it to the higher susceptibility to harvest of hatch-year (HY) geese. Estimates of annual survival of Canada geese in this study are among the lowest, and estimates of recovery rates are among the highest, for a migratory population of geese, likely due to behavioral traits and habitat selection that make lesser Canada geese more susceptible to harvest. Survival of after-hatch-year (AHY) female Canada geese was positively associated with the amount of endogenous nutrient reserves females had at the time of banding in fall. An experimental manipulation of nutrient reserves, however, suggested that the association between nutrient reserves and survival results from variation in individual quality (not measured), not a direct relationship between nutrient reserves and survival. Female geese in our study gained fat and minerals, but not protein, during spring staging. Fall staging geese had fat levels greater than or equal to spring staging geese, suggesting fat reserves are important during early fall staging in this population of geese. Although I concluded that the introduction of agriculture has likely increased fecundity and decreased natural mortality in Canada geese that stage and breed in Interior Alaska, I also concluded that mortality due to harvest is sufficient to offset those changes, preventing an increase in the population"--Leaves iii-iv

Towards Conservation of the Diversity of Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis)

Towards Conservation of the Diversity of Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) PDF Author: Canadian Wildlife Service
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
This is a compilation of papers on the ecology of the Canada goose populations, beginning with a paper on the diversity of this species and the status of its different populations in North America. The remaining papers concern populations breeding in the Arctic, subarctic & boreal regions, and temperate regions. Topics covered include population status, distribution, survival, behaviour, surveys, breeding & nesting ecology, monitoring, and management.

Reproductive Ecology, Bioenergetics, and Experimental Removal of Local Giant Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis Maxima) in Central Missouri

Reproductive Ecology, Bioenergetics, and Experimental Removal of Local Giant Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis Maxima) in Central Missouri PDF Author: John Matthew Coluccy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bioenergetics
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Populations of Giant Canada Geese (Branta canadensis maxima) have increased dramatically throughout most of the Mississippi Flyway. This population expansion has been accompanied by an increase in goose-related problems, including depredation of agricultural crops, airport hazards, fecal contamination of water used for drinking or swimming, and damage to lawns, parks, beaches, and golf courses, caused by overgrazing, trampling, feathers, and defecation. Failure to control giant Canada goose populations through traditional harvest methods such as hunting, has prompted interest in alternative harvest methods (nest manipulations, welfare harvest, and nesting female harvest) as a means of reducing goose numbers. The intent of this research was to generate long-term reproductive, survival and bioenergetics data and to utilize these data to develop a population model specific to Missouri Giant Canada Geese. The model was then used to identify population parameters that most influence population growth and to evaluate proposed management actions. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the effect of adult survival on population growth was much greater than any other population parameter. Alternative harvest simulations indicated that nesting female harvest was the most effective means of reducing populations to statewide management objectives. From a management perspective, our results indicate that efforts to control numbers of giant Canada geese should focus on reducing adult survival, in particular adult female survival. It is unlikely that the required reduction in adult survival necessary to reach management objectives will be achieved through traditional harvest methods. Therefore, a combination of non-hunting lethal alternatives will be required.

Aspects of Canada Goose Nesting Ecology in Northern Manitoba

Aspects of Canada Goose Nesting Ecology in Northern Manitoba PDF Author: Scott Edward Walter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Nesting and Brood-rearing Ecology of Resident Canada Geese in New Jersey

Nesting and Brood-rearing Ecology of Resident Canada Geese in New Jersey PDF Author: Katherine Guerena
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Canada goose
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The Atlantic Flyway Resident Population (AFRP) of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in New Jersey has grown so considerably during the last thirty years that it is now considered a nuisance in urban areas (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 2003). New Jersey is also the most densely human populated state in the nation, with intensive urbanization of agricultural and natural lands. Development of corporate parks and urban areas with manicured lawns and artificial ponds offer ideal nesting habitat for AFRP geese, with limited pressure from hunting or natural predators. As a result, spatial heterogeneity in reproduction and survival must be taken into account in managing the population. My objectives for this study were to 1) identify the spatial scale/s at which land use features influence nest site selection and nest success, 2) estimate nesting parameters across three decades and identify variables that influence productivity, and 3) estimate pre-fledged gosling survival from hatch until summer molt banding efforts, in order to assist in developing a spatially-explicit population model for AFRP geese in New Jersey. I conducted a two-year (2009-2010) nesting ecology study of AFRP Canada geese, and compared it to data collected in New Jersey from 1985-1989 and 1995-1997. Nest searches were conducted on 250 1-km2 plots throughout the state, and 309 nests were monitored through hatch to determine the fate. I ran a spatial correlation analysis of land use composition to nest success during 2009-2010 to identify spatial scales at which geese respond to their environment for nest site selection and nest success. All significant spatial scales were at or below 2250m for the five classified land use types. Geese responded to human dominated land uses at a smaller scale than land uses with low human density. Mean clutch size at hatch in 2009-2010 was 4.66 eggs (SE ± 0.12 eggs) and 4.76 eggs (SE ± 0.16 eggs), respectively. Mean hatchability in 2009-2010 was 0.86 (SE ± 0.02) and 0.81 (SE ± 0.02), respectively. I estimated nest success at 0.44 (SE ± 0.05) in 2009 and 0.41 (SE ± 0.05) in 2010. Variables important to nest success from 1985-1989 were the age of the nest, year, extreme high temperature, nest density, rural residential land use at the landscape scale, commercial at the site level, and daily precipitation. Variables important to nest success for 1995-1997 were the age of the nest, date of nest initiation, year, physiographic stratum, extreme high temperature, rural residential land use at the landscape level, and agricultural land use at the site level. Variables important to nest success for 2009-2010 were the age of the nest and date of nest initiation. Nest success decreased during the duration of the study, likely due to an increase in reproductive control efforts. Additionally, I conducted a two-year (2009-2010) gosling survival study from hatch until annual banding efforts in late-June at 12 known nesting and brood rearing sites. To estimate gosling survival, I used 1) mark-recapture of web tagged goslings to estimate partial brood loss, 2) radio-collared breeding adults to estimate total brood loss, and 3) observations of broods associated with marked adults and color-marked broods to quantify mortality during the first two weeks after hatch. The proportion of breeding adults that experienced total brood loss was 0.316. The remaining proportion of breeding adults was subject to partial brood loss (0.684), which was estimated at 0.465 (SE ± 0.026) for 56 days. The overall survival estimate for 56 days after hatch was 0.318 (SE ± 0.018). Select environmental and density-dependent variables were used to build candidate models to identify sources of variation in partial brood loss. The number of broods at the site was negatively related to brood survival. The percent agriculture within 215 m was positively related to brood survival. Managers are encouraged to consider scale-dependent relationships in identifying habitat-wildlife relationships, and if population control of AFRP Canada geese is of primary interest, then focus on habitat management at the local scale will most likely have the largest influence. Developing productivity trends should assist in understanding the dynamics of recruitment as a function of population size, spatial distribution, and human influence. I recommend that managers consider land use and human development as important features in identifying the driving forces of productivity in AFRP Canada geese.

The World of the Canada Goose

The World of the Canada Goose PDF Author:
Publisher: Philadelphia : Lippincott
ISBN:
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Arctic Ecosystems in Peril

Arctic Ecosystems in Peril PDF Author: Bruce D. J. Batt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases

Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases PDF Author:
Publisher: Geological Survey (USGS)
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description