Importance of Lunar and Temporal Conditions for Spotlight Surveys of Adult Black-Footed Ferrets

Eads, David A.; Jachowski, David S.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Biggins, Dean E.

doi:10.3398/064.072.0207

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…During 13 June–10 October 2007 and 11 June–27 September 2008, we used spotlight surveys to monitor coyotes, black‐footed ferrets and rabbits (Eads, ; Eads et al ., , ; Eads & Biggins, ). The survey route was established as a loop that helped maximize coverage of the colony, while minimizing overlap (Eads et al ., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We collected locations of coyotes and ferrets via handheld GPS units as UTM coordinates (Garmin GPS 12XL Personal Navigator units, error ≤15 m; Garmin International, Inc., Olathe, KS, USA) and noted the time of each observation using a satellite clock (Eads et al ., , ; Eads & Biggins, ). Coordinates were collected at the location where an animal was first observed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial and temporal use of a prairie dog colony by coyotes and rabbits: potential indirect effects on endangered black‐footed ferrets

Eads

Biggins

Livieri³

2015

Journal of Zoology

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In western North America, endangered black‐footed ferrets Mustela nigripes are conserved via reintroduction to colonies of prairie dogs Cynomys spp., their primary prey. Predation is an important source of mortality; coyotes Canis latrans appear to be the most problematic predator, accounting for 67% of known predation events on radio‐tagged ferrets. Little is known about what factors affect spatial use of prairie dog colonies by coyotes, or how other animals might affect interactions between coyotes and ferrets. During June–October 2007–2008, we used spotlight surveys to monitor coyotes and ferrets (both years) and rabbits Sylvilagus spp. (first year) on a 452‐ha colony of black‐tailed prairie dogs Cynomys ludovicianus in the Conata Basin, South Dakota. Coyotes appeared to select areas of the colony used by rabbits, suggesting coyotes hunted rabbits, a common item in their diet. Between midnight and sunrise, ferrets were most commonly observed during early morning (01:00–03:00 h), whereas coyotes were observed mostly during dawn (04:00 h – sunrise) when ferrets were rarely seen. These temporal differences in the timing of observations suggest ferrets tend to remain underground in burrows when coyotes are most active. Coyotes appeared to be attracted to rabbits in both space and time, suggesting the risk of predation for ferrets might relate to the abundance and locations of rabbits in prairie dog colonies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal use of a prairie dog colony by coyotes and rabbits: potential indirect effects on endangered black‐footed ferrets

Eads

Biggins

Livieri³

2015

Journal of Zoology

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“…Note that, while inside the forest, the canopy cover can obscure the moon, and at a micro-scale there are clear differences in illumination on moonlit nights, but overall even inside the forest the effect of the moon is clearly observable. Some studies, for instance Eads et al (2012) have explored the effects (in their case on black-footed ferrets Mustela nigripes) of whether or not the moon is above the horizon on the survey night and found this to have a clear measurable effect. We grouped survey nights into those with or without the moon above the horizon during the survey and compared encounter rates.…”

Section: Data Acquisition and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Likewise, activity patterns may differ seasonally, or over time, with, for instance, animals becoming less active during certain parts of the reproductive cycle (e.g. Eads et al 2012). The amount of moonlight has an effect on detectability of nocturnal mammals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Densities, distribution and detectability of a small nocturnal primate (Javan slow loris Nycticebus javanicus) in a montane rainforest

Nekaris¹,

Pambudi²,

Susanto³

et al. 2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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Nocturnal mammals can be challenging to survey and, especially for many species that live in dense forest habitats, limited information is available on densities and distributions. We surveyed the endemic Javan slow loris Nycticebus javanicus in the montane forests of Mount Gede Pangrango, West Java, Indonesia. Surveys were conducted on 23 transects (260 h covering some 93 km) walking at variable speeds between 200 and 800 m h , with an overall density of 15.6 ind. km −2 (95% CI 9.7 to 25.2 ind. km −2 ). Encounter rates per kilometre were strongly influenced by the speed at which transects were walked, with fewer lorises detected at higher speeds. This effect was absent when considering encounter rates per hour. Detectability and behavior of Javan slow lorises were not affected by the amount of lunar light and, in contrast to studies of some of their congeners, we found no evidence of lunar phobia or lunar philia. Our study shows that slow lorises are not homogeneously distributed in their montane habitat and occur at intermediate densities. However, encounter rates did not differ between disturbed and primary forest. Analysis of data from multiple surveys of lorisforms, including this one, reveals no statistically significant relationship between survey effort or the speed at which transects are walked and estimated densities, but speed is positively correlated with encounter rates.

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“…This assessment involved spatial analyses of relationships between ferret presence and numbers of surface plugs at varying scales. We used this assessment to more thoroughly investigate the hypothesis of Hillman and Linder (1973) To collect locations of ferrets, we conducted spotlight surveys, primarily from midnight to sunrise (Eads et al 2012a), accumulating coordinates of ferrets using handheld global positioning units (Biggins et al 2006). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Surface Burrow Plugging in a Colony of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs Occupied by Black-Footed Ferrets

Eads

Biggins

2012

Western North American Naturalist

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Importance of Lunar and Temporal Conditions for Spotlight Surveys of Adult Black-Footed Ferrets

Cited by 8 publications

References 32 publications

Spatial and temporal use of a prairie dog colony by coyotes and rabbits: potential indirect effects on endangered black‐footed ferrets

Spatial and temporal use of a prairie dog colony by coyotes and rabbits: potential indirect effects on endangered black‐footed ferrets

Densities, distribution and detectability of a small nocturnal primate (Javan slow loris Nycticebus javanicus) in a montane rainforest

Patterns of Surface Burrow Plugging in a Colony of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs Occupied by Black-Footed Ferrets

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