Monitoring Animal Migration in the Greater Acadia Region: An Implemented Protocol for Predicting and Detecting Climate Change Effects on the Gulf of Maine Migratory Flyaways

Olsen, Brian; McCabe, Jennifer; Grunzel, David; Leppold, Adrienne

From the executive summary: "Migration represents a critical time within the life cycle of many species. As much as 80-90% of annual mortality may occur during the migratory period. Thus, high quality “stop-over” habitats that provide species with food, rest, and a low risk of predation can lower the risk of migration and contribute to the long-term viability of migratory populations. The relative quality of migratory routes and migratory stop-over sites, however, have changed in the past under shifting climates and land use activities and are expected to do so again in the future. To adequately manage migratory species across their range, we must understand the current use and value of migratory habitat. This will allow us to A) maximize the value of federal lands for migratory species, B) identify the habitat characteristics and species that are most likely to be impacted by climate change due to alterations in route quality, and C) identify changes in route use and route quality due to climate change when it occurs. We designed and implemented a migration monitoring protocol during the falls (August – October) of 2010-2013 focused primarily on migrant land-birds, although we also gathered data on raptors, bats, and migratory insects. Overall, island sites (either marine islands, or “habitat islands” in a developed matrix) received the most use, and this pattern was strongest among short-distance migrants (Section II). Land-bird patch use within these sites was predicted more reliably by ephemeral patch resources than by variation in patches that was stable over the fall period (Section III). Together this suggests that high quality patches are likely defined at a larger scale by their rarity on the landscape and on a small scale by their ability to produce adequate resources for migrants throughout the entire window of migration. The data we present here also serve as a solid baseline for future comparison and will provide future researchers with the ability to assess large-scale changes in migratory timing or routes." /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /ACADIA NATIONAL PARK/Seawall/McFarland Hill/ /ISLANDS/Great Duck Island/ /SCHOODIC PENINSULA/Schoodic Head/Schoodic Point/