Nesting Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) show little behavioral response to fixed-wing drone surveys

Susan N Ellis-Felege,Andrew F Barnas,Tanner Stechmann,Christopher J Felege,Robert F Rockwell,Samuel Hervey

doi:10.1139/juvs-2021-0012

Abstract

Drones may be valuable in polar research because they can minimize researcher activity and overcome logistical, financial, and safety obstacles associated with wildlife research in polar regions. Because polar species may be particularly sensitive to disturbance and some research suggests behavioral responses to drones are species-specific, there is a need for focal species-specific disturbance assessments. We evaluated behavioral responses of nesting Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758), n = 19 incubating females) to first, second, or in a few cases third exposure of fixed-wing drone surveys using nest cameras. We found no effect of drone flights (F[1,23] = 0, P = 1.0) or previous exposures (F[1,23] = 0.75, P = 0.397) on the probability of a daily recess event (bird leaves nests). Drone flights did not impact recess length (F[1,25] = 1.34, P = 0.26); however, Common Eiders with prior drone exposure took longer recess events (F[1,25] = 5.27, P = 0.03). We did not observe any overhead vigilance behaviors common in other species while the drone was in the air, which may reflect Common Eiders’ anti-predator strategies of reducing activity at nests in response to aerial predators. Surveying nesting Common Eider colonies with a fixed-wing drone did not result in biologically meaningful behavioral changes, providing a potential tool for research and monitoring this polar nesting species.

Highlights

Polar Regions are the most rapidly changing areas across the globe due to climate change (Stroeve et al 2007; Higdon and Ferguson 2009; Kovacs et al 2011)
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of nesting Common eider behavioral responses to a fixed wing drone survey
This offered us with an opportunity to evaluate drones for an ecologically and culturally important Polar species with very high nest attendance where minor disturbances could have potentially negative fitness consequences

Summary

Introduction

Polar Regions are the most rapidly changing areas across the globe due to climate change (Stroeve et al 2007; Higdon and Ferguson 2009; Kovacs et al 2011). There is a need for high quality data to address changes to the habitat and wildlife populations inhabiting those areas. Such data can be logistically and financially difficult to obtain due to limited infrastructure across this remote landscape (Mallory et al 2018). Drones have become a popular tool in wildlife ecology (Christie et al 2016; Chabot 2018; Johnston 2019) and provide a potential technology that could advance data collection in Polar Regions. Drone research has focused on detection of colonial nesting birds

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