Canadian Wildlife Service Research Articles

Building the foundation for polar bear science: Fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay

In 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term research on WH polar bears with a focus on ECCC-led work. The WH research program, which has now extended across five decades with data on over 4600 individual bears, has evolved from a study of the basic ecology of polar bears into foundational work on the life history, demography, genetics, movement, behaviour, and ecology of an apex predator in a rapidly changing Arctic. Research on polar bears in Canada supports commitments under the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and Canada’s Species at Risk Act (2002). Among Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations, only WH has sufficient long-term monitoring of individuals to assess demographic, behavioural, and life history consequences of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Future research should continue to ask key questions on how long-term environmental changes impact the ecology of polar bears. Integrating community priorities into the research program is necessary for it to continue to be successful in the future.

The observation of birds from a citizen science leisure project to systematic research

This article analyses historical data from observations made of birds in breeding season, throughout two routes with urban characteristics. The data were collected during a consecutive period of 10 years (2009-2018), following a precise methodology designed by the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The analyzed routes are officially registered in the Mexican Commission for Biodiversity’s Knowledge and Use, the United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the Canadian Wildlife Service Research Centre. The observations were made by citizens without formal professional education; hence the results may be considered within the framework of citizen science. Their contributions provided important data for decision-making regarding environmental issues, since the presence of birds is considered one of the main indicators of the health conditions of an ecosystem. Data analysis identified two basic conditions: (i) a reduction of the 23% in the number of species found, many of which disappeared during counting; and (ii) the significant increase in population of other species, including three species of pigeons. Apart from the study of variations in the numbers of bird species present in the routes with urban characteristics, the article acknowledges the lack of connection and use of this citizen science for decision-making and education regarding environmental issues. Therefore, we consider it crucial to create scientific observations that are available to both experts in the field and to the general population, which is the essence of citizen science.

Hierarchical Bayesian integrated model for estimating migratory bird harvest in Canada

AbstractThe Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) requires reliable estimates of the harvest of migratory game birds, including waterfowl, to effectively manage populations of these hunted species. The National Harvest Survey is an annual survey of hunters who purchase Canada's mandatory migratory game bird hunting permit, integrating information from a survey of hunting activity with information from a separate survey of species composition in the harvest. We used these survey data to estimate the number of birds harvested for each species and hunting activity metrics (e.g., number of active hunters, days spent hunting). The analytical methods used to generate these estimates have not changed since the survey was first designed in the early 1970s. We describe a new hierarchical Bayesian integrated model, which replaces the series of ratio estimators that comprised the old model. We are using this new model to generate estimates for migratory bird harvests as of the 2019–2020 hunting season, and to generate updated estimates for all earlier years. The hierarchical Bayesian model uses over‐dispersed Poisson distributions to model mean hunter activity and harvest (zero‐inflated Poisson and zero‐truncated Poisson, respectively). It also includes multinomial distributions to model some key components (e.g., variation in harvest across periods of the hunting season, the species composition of the harvest within each of those periods, the age and sex composition in the harvests of a given species). We estimated the parameters of the Poisson and the multinomial distributions for each year as random effects using first‐difference time‐series. This time‐series component allows the model to share information across years and reduces the sensitivity of the estimates to annual sampling noise. The new model estimates are generally very similar to those from the old model, particularly for the species that occur most commonly in the harvest, so the results do not suggest any major changes to harvest management decisions and regulations. Estimates for all species from the new model are more precise and less susceptible to annual sampling error, particularly for species that occur less commonly in the harvest (e.g., sea ducks, other species of conservation concern). This new model, with its hierarchical Bayesian framework, will also facilitate future improvements and elaborations, allowing the incorporation of prior information from the rich literature and knowledge in game bird management and biology.

BbsBayes: An R Package for Hierarchical Bayesian Analysis of North American Breeding Bird Survey Data

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the primary ecological monitoring program used to assess the population, status, and trends of North American birds. As such, accessible analysis of BBS data is crucial to wildlife conservation/management and ecological science in North America. The R package <em>bbsBayes</em> was developed as a wrapper for the analysis of BBS data using hierarchical Bayesian models, including the models currently used by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Geological Survey. The goal of <em>bbsBayes</em> is to provide an accessible package for anyone in the conservation community to estimate population trajectories (time-series) and trends (rates of change) for any of the 400+ bird species monitored by the BBS, and to allow more advance users to easily access the data and model-templates necessary to customize an analysis for their research.

Estimating population abundance using counts from an auxiliary population

We develop a new method for estimating population abundance for notoriously difficult to count populations. This is made possible using an easy to count auxiliary population with a known link to the target population under the framework of a layered hidden Markov model. We apply the new methods to estimate the breeding population of an Ancient Murrelet seabird colony, using Ancient Murrelet chicks as an auxiliary population. We compare our results to those of the established survey methodology from the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), which similarly shows a decrease in population over 1995 to 2006. Our methods improve upon the CWS survey methods by allowing density differences across sampling sites, and by allowing estimates to be made between CWS survey years.

Occupancy Patterns of Breeding American Black Ducks

ABSTRACTOccupancy patterns can assist with the determination of habitat limitation during breeding or wintering periods and can help guide population and habitat management efforts. American black ducks (Anas rubripes; black ducks) are thought to be limited by habitat and food availability during the winter, but breeding sites may also limit the size or growth potential of the population. The Canadian Wildlife Service conducts an annual breeding waterfowl survey that we used to explore the hypothesis that black duck carrying capacity is limited by wetlands available for breeding in Québec, Canada. We applied single‐visit, multi‐species occupancy models to the 1990–2015 population survey data to determine if there was evidence the black duck population was limited by breeding habitat. Using a dynamic (multi‐season) occupancy modeling approach, we estimated latent occupancy (occupancy accounting for imperfect detection) of black ducks and then used latent occupancy estimates to derive occupancy, colonization, and extirpation rates. We jointly modeled the occupancy dynamics of black ducks and other duck species in wetlands where both species were present. Throughout the duration of the survey, 44% of wetlands were never observed to be occupied by black ducks. Occupancy models showed wetland size was positively associated with occupancy at the first time step (initial occupancy) and colonization. All 2‐species models indicated initial black duck occupancy, persistence (continued occupancy), and colonization were positively associated with the presence of a second species. Colonization rate over the 26‐year period ranged from 7% to 27% across all models. Extirpation rates were similar and were constant through time within each model. Low occupancy rates, combined with approximately equal colonization and extirpation rates, suggest there are available wetlands for breeding black ducks in their core breeding area. If breeding habitats are not saturated, this suggests migration or wintering areas may be more limiting to black duck population abundance. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Direct and indirect effects of regional and local climatic factors on trophic interactions in the Arctic tundra

Climate change can impact ecosystems by reshaping the dynamics of resource exploitation for predators and their prey. Alterations of these pathways could be especially intense in ecosystems characterized by a simple trophic structure and rapid warming trends, such as in the Arctic. However, quantifying the multiple direct and indirect pathways through which climate change is likely to alter trophic interactions and their relative strength remains a challenge. Here, we aim to identify direct and indirect causal mechanisms driven by climate affecting predator-prey interactions of species sharing a tundra food web. We based our study on relationships between one Arctic predator (Arctic fox) and its two main prey - lemmings (preferred prey) and snow geese (alternate prey) - which are exposed to variable local and regional climatic factors across years. We used a combination of models mapping multiple causal links among key variables derived from a long-term dataset (21years). We obtained several possible scenarios linking regional climate factors (Arctic oscillations) and local temperature and precipitation to the breeding of species. Our results suggest that both regional and local climate factors have direct and indirect impacts on the breeding of foxes and geese. Local climate showed a positive causal link with goose nesting success, while both regional and local climate displayed contrasted effects on the proportion of fox breeding. We found no impact of climate on lemming abundance. We observed positive relationships between lemming, fox and goose reproduction highlighting numerical and functional responses of fox to the variability of lemming abundance. Our study measures causal links and strength of interactions in a food web, quantifying both numerical response of a predator and apparent interactions between its two main prey. These results improve our understanding of the complex effects of climate on predator-prey interactions and our capacity to anticipate food web response to ongoing climate change.

Protected Area Risk Communication: Baseline Practices for Outdoor Recreation

This project provided baseline risk communication practices to the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) for its consideration in developing new policies and management direction for outdoor recreation. This essay provides a summary of the project with a discussion of the practice recommendations. The CWS manages 54 National Wildlife Areas and 92 Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in Canada. To make protected areas more relevant to Canadians, the Government of Canada launched a federal initiative in 2013 to connect Canadians to nature. This initiative is opening 10 near-urban National Wildlife Areas to Canadians through the provision of infrastructure for the creation of new outdoor recreation opportunities. We provide evidenceinformed recommendations for risk communication gathered from protected area document analysis and a focused review of the literature on risk management, risk communication, and outdoor recreation. Further, we discuss implications for protected area managers. Subscribe to JOREL

Industrial wind turbine post-construction bird and bat monitoring: A policy framework for Canada

Electricity generation from wind energy has proliferated throughout North America and will continue to grow. Given Canada's expected increase in wind energy capacity, consideration of the potential adverse impacts to bird and bat populations is prudent given their sensitivity to these projects. The province of Ontario, Canada is currently the leading jurisdiction for wind energy development, and for provincial guidance on pre- and post-construction monitoring. With uniform monitoring guidance in Ontario, wind energy proponents, and third-party consultants, have developed post-construction monitoring protocols that meet provincial guidance, while also providing standardized reporting. In Atlantic Canada, post-construction guidelines vary between provinces, depending mostly on guidance from the Environment Canada Canadian Wildlife Service and relevant provincial agencies. To ensure quality post-construction monitoring results in Atlantic Canada and other provinces, it is imperative that all Canadian provinces adopt similar approaches to those employed in Ontario. This paper reviews major causes of bird and bat mortalities; reviews Canadian federal and Ontario provincial bird and bat monitoring guidelines to elucidate gaps between environmental assessment (EA) theory and application; summarizes post-construction monitoring protocols from eight bird and bat post-construction monitoring programs used in Ontario; and, proposes recommendations to support future wind development opportunities across Canada and specifically in Atlantic Canada.

Hugh Boyd, CM (1925–2016)

Hugh Boyd, <scp>CM</scp> (1925–2016)

Outcome of the pesticides peer review meeting on general recurring issues in ecotoxicology

Outcome of the pesticides peer review meeting on general recurring issues in ecotoxicology

Estimating breeding bird survey trends and annual indices for Canada: how do the new hierarchical Bayesian estimates differ from previous estimates?

Canadian data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provide information on the population status and trends for over 300 species that regularly breed in Canada. Since the first assessments were made in the mid-1970s, both the dataset and the suite of statistical tools and techniques available to researchers have grown. As a result, Canadian BBS trend estimates have been derived from numerous statistical models. Because the BBS data are relatively complex, different statistical models can generate different trend and status estimates from the same data. In 2013, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service began producing BBS status and trend estimates using a hierarchical Bayesian model. To give users of BBS trends and annual indices of abundance a better understanding of these estimates, we demonstrate and explain some of the similarities and differences between the new hierarchical Bayesian estimates and those from the previous model; discuss the philosophical and inferential consequences of estimating trends with the new model; and describe how the hierarchical Bayesian model differs from the model currently used in the United States. Overall, trends and annual indices from the new model are generally similar to estimates from the previous model; however, they are more precise, less variable among years, better represent the spatial variation across Canada in population status, and allow for more intuitive and useful assessments of uncertainty.

C. Davison (Dave) Ankney, 1946–2013

1 Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61820, USA 2 Environment Canada, Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada 3 Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA 4 Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4W2, Canada * Corresponding author: pweather@illinois.edu

Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board / Bureau Canadien d'agrément en foresterie: Canadian Wildlife Service Studies of Bird Mortality in Canada: Biomass Harvest Workshop at Petawawa Research Forest: Government Supports Quebec's Forest Industry: SFI and Scouts Canada Form Unique Partnership: Students on Northern Ontario Wood Instructional Tour: Living the Green Dream with FPAC!: Carbon and the Value of Southern Forests: Payment for

Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board / Bureau Canadien d'agrément en foresterie: Canadian Wildlife Service Studies of Bird Mortality in Canada: Biomass Harvest Workshop at Petawawa Research Forest: Government Supports Quebec's Forest Industry: SFI and Scouts Canada Form Unique Partnership: Students on Northern Ontario Wood Instructional Tour: Living the Green Dream with FPAC!: Carbon and the Value of Southern Forests: Payment for

How Wildlife Research Can Be Used to Promote Wider Community Participation in the North

Worldwide, researchers are being asked to There are practical, ethical, and regulatory reasons better communicate their science to the public for involving local communities in research (Pearce et (Lubchenco, 1998). In Nunavut, Canada, where al., 2009). On a practical level, research often depends on dozens of research projects take place each year, commucommunity resources, including local knowledge, guides, nity consultation and engagement have been legally manand equipment, in order to complete work either within dated by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (INAC, the community or on the land (Gilchrist et al., 2005). 1993). Relevant portions of the Act include Sections Researchers also have an ethical obligation to engage com 5.1.2(h), 5.2.37, and 5.2.38, and Article 33 as it extends to munities in the work, as research findings may be relevant field research. Thus, each research project that takes place to local management decisions (Pearce et al., 2009). In in Nunavut must undergo community review as part of the Canada's North, where land-claim agreements have been permitting process before any work is authorized. signed, researchers also have a legal obligation to engage The permitting and consultation process in Nunavut is and involve communities in local studies, complex for those unfamiliar with the existing protocols, Community involvement in science programs has also and it varies with the scientific approach and duration of been identified as a priority to improve local community a project. Briefly, each research project must acquire perdecision making, and it is recognized as a key to success mits from various regulatory agencies, which may include ful co-management of resources (Fazey et al., 2006; Lebel the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Department of Fisheret al., 2006). Involvement of communities increases local ies and Oceans, and the Nunavut Research Institute. Most investment and support in completing the project. Timely, of those permits require evidence of prior consultation with relevant, and accessible information delivered as part of the community that is geographically closest to the study a two-way dialogue can also increase community under 1 area. Experience has shown that this process is greatly standing of findings from a variety of disciplines, which facilitated when the research team has first contacted and can increase community capacity, stewardship, and public consulted with the community on the proposed work and, participation in local governance related to the environment if relevant, discussed results of previous studies. Given the (EMAN, 2002). importance of consultation, some government departments Despite the obligations and benefits of involving local have initiated broader consultation processes that give local community members, many researchers by their own organizations the opportunity to comment on any research admission simply do not have the contacts, skills, or plan in their jurisdiction, as well as updating them on terresources to actively engage community members beyond ritory-wide efforts (Gearheard and Shirley, 2007). As part the required permitting process (Gearheard and Shirley, of this procedural review, the community groups that are 2007). At the same time, many educators in the North | involved in the review boards have the opportunity to comwould like to incorporate more integrated learning expe ment on projects and to request more information (ITK riences into their teaching curricula, but while researchers and NRI, 2007). The primary purposes of this extensive are often keen to contribute to educational programs, they application, review, and consultation process are to provide lack the resources to do so (Salmon et al., 2011). As a result, northern residents the opportunity to comment on research although legislation and consultation practices have been conducted near their communities and to identify potential implemented, and community members do assist, inform, risks to the local flora and fauna. Unfortunately, although and learn from research activities (usually hunters, Hunt great efforts have been made to rectify the in, fly out ers and Trappers' Organizations (HTOs) members and approach that has sometimes been practiced by researchguides), many northern community members—particularly ers in the past (Korsmo and Graham, 2002; Gearheard and students and educators from elementary to post-secondary

Seabird diet indicates changing Arctic marine communities in eastern Canada

Seabird diet indicates changing Arctic marine communities in eastern Canada J. F. Provencher*, A. J. Gaston, P. D. O’Hara, H. G. Gilchrist Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N5, Canada Science and Technology Branch, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada Canadian Wildlife Service, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2, Canada

Present taxonomic work on Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in Canada: progress against all odds

Present taxonomic work on Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in Canada: progress against all odds

‘State of Lake Superior’: A review

‘State of Lake Superior’: A review

Population Trends of Ring-billed Gulls Breeding on the North American Great Lakes, 1976 to 2009

After near extirpation in the early 20th century, Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) are currently (2009) the most abundant colonial waterbird nesting on the Great Lakes. Nest count data are reported from four decadal censuses (1976–2009) conducted by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Numbers increased from 305,790 nests (1976–80) to a peak of 718,887 nests (1989–90), then decreased to 652,664 (1997–2000) and to 585,984 nests (2007–09). Changes varied spatially after the second census with greatest losses (-38.6%) at North Channel, Georgian Bay and northern Lake Huron colonies, and greatest gains ( 324.2%) at Lake Michigan colonies. A total of 472 sites had nests in at least one census (Canada N = 319; U.S. N = 153). Eighteen (3.8%) colonies had >2,000 nests in all four censuses, and had 37.5–41.9% of all nests in each census. Site occupancy was fluid. A high proportion (56.8%, N = 268) of sites contained nests in only one of the four censuses, and few (N = 40, 8.5%) had nests in all censuses. Thirty-nine sites had >2,000 nests gains/losses between census periods; 14 (35.9%) were on urban/industrial lands with artificial substrates. Human management and predator activities at some colonies contributed to declines in nest numbers at these locations. Movement of breeding birds among colonies and changes in local food supply may have influenced changes in nest numbers elsewhere. Reasons for the overall nest losses across the Great Lakes after the second census are unknown.

Estimates of Duck Breeding Populations in the Nebraska Sandhills using Double Observer Methodology

Abstract. The Nebraska Sandhills are an important area for breeding ducks in the Great Plains, but reliable estimates of breeding populations are unavailable. Double-observer methodology was used to estimate abundance of breeding duck populations in the Nebraska Sandhills. Aerial transect surveys were conducted using methodology similar to the cooperative Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service. Observations by two front-seat observers and one rear-seat observer were used to account for incomplete detectability. Transect-specific population size and detection probabilities were estimated using program SURVIV; estimates were species-specific by type of social grouping. Regional population sizes were obtained by extrapolating transects' estimates to the Sandhills. Detection probabilities were high (>0.75) for all species, but highest for Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) and Gadwall (A. strepera). Detection probabilities ...