Comparison of breeding population survey methods for the Auckland Island shag (Phalacrocorax colensoi)

Response of colonial Peruvian guano birds to flying UAVs: effects and feasibility for implementing new population monitoring methods

“…In these works, emphasis is placed on the semi-automated quantification methods of birds in digital photographs of the colonies taken by the drones (Dulava, Bean & Richmond, 2015; Hurford, 2017). Recently, greater attention has been paid to the costs and benefits of using drones compared to other traditional count methods such as satellite image analysis, direct observation counts, transects and extrapolation (Chilvers et al, 2015; Hodgson et al, 2016) with greater emphasis on the disturbance drones may cause on birds (Lambertucci, Shepard & Wilson, 2015; Vas et al, 2015; McEvoy, Hall & McDonald, 2016; Brisson-Curadeu et al, 2017; Weimerskirch, Prudor & Schull, 2018; Bevan et al, 2018). The interest arises because many of the species under study have some type of conservation status and are found in natural protected areas; moreover, for ethical reasons, the temporary or permanent disturbance of these birds is to be avoided.…”

“…These new findings help scientists and conservation managers to gain improved knowledge of the population size, distribution patterns and habitat use of seabirds (Muzaffar et al, 2017). Although most of the literature on UAV use for seabird research has focused on methods of improving the accuracy of bird counts (Chilvers et al, 2015; Goebel et al, 2015; Hodgson et al, 2018; Albores-Barajas et al, 2018) only a few studies have evaluated their impacts on bird behavior (Chabot, Craik & Bird, 2015; Rümmler et al, 2016; Borrelle & Fletcher, 2017; Barnas et al, 2018; Bevan et al, 2018). Overall, UAVs seem to have a negligible impact on seabirds or waterbirds; however, the behavioral response to UAV presence may vary according to the species surveyed (Weimerskirch, Prudor & Schull, 2018) annual-cycle condition (Brisson-Curadeu et al, 2017) UAV characteristics (McEvoy, Hall & McDonald, 2016) and UAV approaching conditions (speed, angle or altitude) (Vas et al, 2015).…”