Using Weather Surveillance Radar To Identify Stopover Distributions Of Migrating Birds Within North Carolina
Date
2016-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
In order to improve conservation of migratory songbirds, we must better understand their relationship with stopover landscapes. Weather surveillance radar permits such studies to be done by locating where high densities of birds are taking off during the onset of their nighttime flights. I used observations from 5 radars within the state of North Carolina to quantify how bird stopover densities have changed between the years of 2000-2003 and 2013-2015. I examined how these changes related to conversion of land cover between 2001 and 2011. The net change of land cover was 7.5% of the total land area within the five radars, which was primarily due to urbanization, deforestation, and afforestation. At a regional scale, bird density changes were generally associated to land cover changes and geographic location. Proximity to the Atlantic coastline was positively correlated with bird density declines as well as urbanization and deforestation. Birds generally stopped over consistently within forests and along lakes and coastal bodies of water at high densities. The association between bird densities and land cover change varied seasonally and between each radar. To improve our understanding of this relationship, future studies should be focused on longer timescales or in locations with high land turnover.
Description
Keywords
weather surveillance radar, environmental science, migrating birds, north carolina