Raptor Biology, Ecology, and Land-Use Effects
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By Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
November 13, 2017
We study aspects of basic biology and ecology of predators to contribute to understanding ecosystems and to provide results that can be applied to the conservation of natural resources. Subject matter includes behavior and relationships of birds to features of their environment such as habitat, prey, and contaminants.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Assessment of potential risks from renewable energy development and other anthropogenic factors to wintering Golden Eagles in the western United States
Wind and other energy development are expanding rapidly and on an unprecedented scale within the range of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) while other anthropogenic-related changes, wildfires, invasive plants, drought, and climate change are altering or destroying native habitats occupied by Golden Eagles. However, the potential effects of these factors on North American Golden Eagle populatio
Authors
Erica H. Craig, Mark R. Fuller, Tim H. Craig, Falk Huettmann
Evaluating anthropogenic landscape alterations as wildlife hazards, with wind farms as an example
Anthropogenic alterations to landscape are indicators of potential compromise of that landscape’s ecology. We describe how alterations can be assessed as ‘hazards’ to wildlife through a sequence of three steps: diagnosing the means by which the hazard acts on individual organisms at risk; estimating the fitness cost of the hazard to those individuals and the rate at which that cost occurs; and tra
Authors
Peter R. Law, Mark R. Fuller
Quantifying the demographic cost of human-related mortality to a raptor population
Raptors are exposed to a wide variety of human-related mortality agents, and yet population-level effects are rarely quantified. Doing so requires modeling vital rates in the context of species life-history, behavior, and population dynamics theory. In this paper, we explore the details of such an analysis by focusing on the demography of a resident, tree-nesting population of golden eagles (Aquil
Authors
W. Grainger Hunt, David Wiens, Peter R. Law, Mark R. Fuller, Teresa L. Hunt, Daniel E. Driscoll, Ronald E. Jackman
Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development
Sagebrush Artemisia spp. habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species — including the greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, ther
Authors
Christopher P. Kirol, Andrew L. Sutphin, Laura S. Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Thomas L. Maechtle
Northern goshawk diet during the nesting season in southeast Alaska
[No abstract available]
Authors
S.B. Lewis, K. Titus, M.R. Fuller
A comparison of three methods for assessing raptor diet during the breeding season
Video recording of prey deliveries to nests is a new technique for collecting data on raptor diet, but no thorough comparison of results from traditional methods based on collections of prey remains and pellets has been undertaken. We compared data from these 3 methods to determine relative merits of different methods for assessing raptor diet as part of a study of the breeding-season diet of nort
Authors
S.B. Lewis, Mark R. Fuller, K. Titus
Gyrfalcon diet in central west Greenland during the nestling period
We studied food habits of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) nesting in central west Greenland in 2000 and 2001 using three sources of data: time-lapse video (3 nests), prey remains (22 nests), and regurgitated pellets (19 nests). These sources provided different information describing the diet during the nesting period. Gyrfalcons relied heavily on Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) and arctic hares (Lepu
Authors
Travis Booms, Mark R. Fuller
Survival and population size estimation in raptor studies: A comparison of two methods
ABSTRACT.--The Jolly-Seber model is a capture-recapture model that can provide less-biased survival and population size estimates than those produced from simple counting procedures. Parameter estimation by simple counts and Jolly-Seber methods are based on certain assumptions that directly determine the validity of estimates. Evuluation of assumptions for parameter estimation is a focus of this p
Authors
William R. Gould, Mark R. Fuller
Falcon versus grouse: flight adaptations of a predator and its prey
Several falcons were trained to fly along a 500 m course to a lure. The air speeds of the more consistent performers averaged about 1.5 times their calculated minimum power speeds, and occasionally reached 2.1 times the minimum power speed. Wing beat frequencies of all the falcons were above those estimated from earlier field observations, and the same was true of wild Sage Grouse Centrocercus uro
Authors
C.J. Pennycuick, M.R. Fuller, J.J. Oar, S.J. Kirkpatrick
We study aspects of basic biology and ecology of predators to contribute to understanding ecosystems and to provide results that can be applied to the conservation of natural resources. Subject matter includes behavior and relationships of birds to features of their environment such as habitat, prey, and contaminants.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Assessment of potential risks from renewable energy development and other anthropogenic factors to wintering Golden Eagles in the western United States
Wind and other energy development are expanding rapidly and on an unprecedented scale within the range of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) while other anthropogenic-related changes, wildfires, invasive plants, drought, and climate change are altering or destroying native habitats occupied by Golden Eagles. However, the potential effects of these factors on North American Golden Eagle populatio
Authors
Erica H. Craig, Mark R. Fuller, Tim H. Craig, Falk Huettmann
Evaluating anthropogenic landscape alterations as wildlife hazards, with wind farms as an example
Anthropogenic alterations to landscape are indicators of potential compromise of that landscape’s ecology. We describe how alterations can be assessed as ‘hazards’ to wildlife through a sequence of three steps: diagnosing the means by which the hazard acts on individual organisms at risk; estimating the fitness cost of the hazard to those individuals and the rate at which that cost occurs; and tra
Authors
Peter R. Law, Mark R. Fuller
Quantifying the demographic cost of human-related mortality to a raptor population
Raptors are exposed to a wide variety of human-related mortality agents, and yet population-level effects are rarely quantified. Doing so requires modeling vital rates in the context of species life-history, behavior, and population dynamics theory. In this paper, we explore the details of such an analysis by focusing on the demography of a resident, tree-nesting population of golden eagles (Aquil
Authors
W. Grainger Hunt, David Wiens, Peter R. Law, Mark R. Fuller, Teresa L. Hunt, Daniel E. Driscoll, Ronald E. Jackman
Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development
Sagebrush Artemisia spp. habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species — including the greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, ther
Authors
Christopher P. Kirol, Andrew L. Sutphin, Laura S. Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Thomas L. Maechtle
Northern goshawk diet during the nesting season in southeast Alaska
[No abstract available]
Authors
S.B. Lewis, K. Titus, M.R. Fuller
A comparison of three methods for assessing raptor diet during the breeding season
Video recording of prey deliveries to nests is a new technique for collecting data on raptor diet, but no thorough comparison of results from traditional methods based on collections of prey remains and pellets has been undertaken. We compared data from these 3 methods to determine relative merits of different methods for assessing raptor diet as part of a study of the breeding-season diet of nort
Authors
S.B. Lewis, Mark R. Fuller, K. Titus
Gyrfalcon diet in central west Greenland during the nestling period
We studied food habits of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) nesting in central west Greenland in 2000 and 2001 using three sources of data: time-lapse video (3 nests), prey remains (22 nests), and regurgitated pellets (19 nests). These sources provided different information describing the diet during the nesting period. Gyrfalcons relied heavily on Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) and arctic hares (Lepu
Authors
Travis Booms, Mark R. Fuller
Survival and population size estimation in raptor studies: A comparison of two methods
ABSTRACT.--The Jolly-Seber model is a capture-recapture model that can provide less-biased survival and population size estimates than those produced from simple counting procedures. Parameter estimation by simple counts and Jolly-Seber methods are based on certain assumptions that directly determine the validity of estimates. Evuluation of assumptions for parameter estimation is a focus of this p
Authors
William R. Gould, Mark R. Fuller
Falcon versus grouse: flight adaptations of a predator and its prey
Several falcons were trained to fly along a 500 m course to a lure. The air speeds of the more consistent performers averaged about 1.5 times their calculated minimum power speeds, and occasionally reached 2.1 times the minimum power speed. Wing beat frequencies of all the falcons were above those estimated from earlier field observations, and the same was true of wild Sage Grouse Centrocercus uro
Authors
C.J. Pennycuick, M.R. Fuller, J.J. Oar, S.J. Kirkpatrick