Date of Award
2013
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Biological Sciences
Keywords
Pure sciences, Biological sciences
Supervisor
Mennill, Daniel J.
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Many species of birds produce short vocalizations during nocturnal migration. My thesis uses bioacoustic monitoring of these night flight calls to study bird migration through a southern Great Lakes ecosystem. I deployed recording devices around western Lake Erie during spring and fall migrations. Analysis of thousands of hours of recordings revealed that night flight calls accurately predicted both the magnitude of migration, as well as the timing of migrant passage, as assessed by banding. The first arrival dates for 48 species of migratory birds were significantly earlier on Pelee Island than on mainland Ontario in the spring. More flight calls were detected over Pelee Island than over mainland comparison sites. These results suggest that many birds cross Lake Erie in spring and fall, and that islands are important for migratory birds. This research provides insight into the use of acoustics for monitoring birds in active migration.
Recommended Citation
Sanders, Claire Elizabaeth, "Bioacoustic Monitoring of Nocturnal Songbird Migration in a Southern Great Lakes Ecosystem" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5003.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5003