Alkali lakes core habitat suitability model and data synthesis
Summary
Preliminary data summaries of least tern movement data from SubTask 7.1 suggest nocturnal detections of radiomarked terns away from nesting colonies are substantially greater than expected. Additionally, movements of terns from colonies (nocturnal and diurnal) exhibit greater variability and include a greater spatial extent than reported previously. The timing, resolution, and scale at which movements occur in relation to nesting locations were unanticipated and are inconsistent with scientific publications on least tern behavior and foraging ecology. As behavioral observations under SubTask 1 have been limited to daylight hours, inference and motivations for nocturnal activity and colony departures are unknown. Understanding how terns [...]
Summary
Preliminary data summaries of least tern movement data from SubTask 7.1 suggest nocturnal detections of radiomarked terns away from nesting colonies are substantially greater than expected. Additionally, movements of terns from colonies (nocturnal and diurnal) exhibit greater variability and include a greater spatial extent than reported previously. The timing, resolution, and scale at which movements occur in relation to nesting locations were unanticipated and are inconsistent with scientific publications on least tern behavior and foraging ecology. As behavioral observations under SubTask 1 have been limited to daylight hours, inference and motivations for nocturnal activity and colony departures are unknown. Understanding how terns use the river and their foraging habitats throughout the day and night requires quantifying allocation of time to various behaviors during nocturnal h [see Narratives for more information.]