Abstract Details
Activity Number:
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254
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Type:
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Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Monday, August 4, 2014 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Statistics and the Environment
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Abstract #313475
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Title:
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A Study of Grassland Bird Nest Success Rates on Small Family Farm Hayfields
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Author(s):
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Ivan Ramler*+ and Susan Willson and Caitlin Ward
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Companies:
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St. Lawrence University and St. Lawrence University and St. Lawrence University
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Keywords:
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Applied Statistics ;
Ecology ;
Ornithology ;
Small Sample Size ;
Statistical Modeling
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Abstract:
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Industrial agricultural practices demand earlier and more frequent mowing of hay fields, which creates a poor habitat for grassland-nesting birds and is a major contributor to significant population declines in New York State. Nest success rates (NSR) for grassland birds on intensively managed farms have been reported at 0%, but no studies have assessed the effects of small farm mowing practices on grassland birds. To address this, we conducted a small study from 2010 - 2012 in the agricultural landscape on grassland plots typically hayed via small tractor or horse power in Northern New York. We provide a novel modeling approach that makes use of a sliding temporal scale to estimate NSR based on the date of haying. Based on the model, we provide suggestions for haying dates that would minimize avian nestling mortality; in particular, we recommend that farmers avoid haying in June, when most grassland birds will have active nests. As many farmers hay twice over a summer, we suggest an early hay in May, and a second hay after late July. While any haying generally increases nestling mortality, keeping to these guidelines helps keep their impact as small as possible.
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