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AUTHORS: Daniel J. Day, Department of Environmental Sciences, Dickinson College; Jeffrey J. Buler, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware
ABSTRACT: Land cover change within migratory flyways plays an important role in shaping bird distributions. The national network of weather surveillance radars (WSR-88D) is an important remote sensing tool that can comprehensively observe bird responses to land cover change across broad geographic extents. Recently, Hurricanes Irene and Sandy caused alterations in wetlands along Delaware's coast, a prominent migratory stopover and wintering region for waterfowl within the Atlantic flyway. We used KDOX (Dover) radar data from the last eight winter seasons (11/1-3/31, 2008-2016) to map monthly mean wintering waterfowl density for each year throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. We modeled linear trends in bird densities across years at six discrete "hotspots" (areas consistently abundant with birds). Broadly within the Delmarva region, wintering waterfowl densities have remained stable since 2008, but at a finer spatial scale, waterfowl use has significantly changed among three hotspots. Waterfowl densities have significantly decreased at Prime Hook NWR due to recent storm events that resulted in permanent saltwater intrusion into some freshwater marshes. Waterfowl appear to have been displaced, possibly to nearby Blackwater NWR and Cape Henlopen State Park where waterfowl densities have increased. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of employing radar data to comprehensively map trends in waterfowl distributions over time, a methodology that can be used in other regions. Additionally, our results may better inform policy and land management strategies that invest in the development and conservation of freshwater marshes and forested wetlands for the maintenance of wintering waterfowl populations along major migratory flyways.
