The use of drones to study the breeding productivity of Whooper Swan<i>Cygnus cygnus</i>

Sikora, Andrzej; Marchowski, Dominik

doi:10.1080/24750263.2023.2181414

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The number of recorded cygnets was significantly higher when using UAS than by human observer. The same was true for the number of successful broods vs breeding failures (Sikora and Marchowski 2023). The case of the swan is more evident as this species inhabits less accessible environments than storks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

The usefulness of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in white stork censusing

et al. 2023

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are effective and often noninvasive tools successfully used in bird monitoring. However, when handling long-term data in the context of population changes, the consistency of methods over time is essential as the method-related bias may lead to wrong conclusions. In two distinct populations of white stork Ciconia ciconia, in Poland and Spain, we compared two censusing methods: traditional observation by a human from the ground and using UAV. We recorded the number of recorded fledglings, the time needed to obtain this information, and the number of detected breeding pairs in colonies. We investigated 57 and 117 nests in Poland and Spain, respectively. In Poland and Spain, the number of fledglings was significantly lower when recorded by human observer than by UAV, i.e., 2.21 vs. 2.60 and 1.35 vs. 1.55. The probability of mistakenly recording the number of fledglings by the observer was significantly lower in colonial white storks in Spain than in solitary nesting in Poland. The mean time needed to record the number of fledglings was significantly longer when using a UAV than by a human observer in both populations. The mean number of detected nests in colonies in Spain differed significantly between the human observer and UAV, 13.1 vs. 7.4, respectively. The difference between human and UAV in recorded pairs was higher when colonies were on trees than on human-made structures. We conclude that introducing UAVs in long-term studies may affect the results and should be performed cautiously.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

The usefulness of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in white stork censusing

et al. 2023

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“…have included the calculation of reproductive success but without ground truthing [9] or with focus on non-colonial nesting species [18], on small accessible colonies [20,21], on coastal nesting species [22] or on non waterbird species such as raptors [23]. We hypothesize that the two data collection methods will produce differing reproductive success values, as detection rates will differ between the methods.…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drones can be flown from the outside of the rookery extent, making access potentially easier and quicker and causing less disturbance to the nesting birds [15,16]. They are useful in locating nests [17,18] and capture imagery that can later be analysed to derive the rookery extent and provide a count of nests and/or birds [11,19]. To further the utility of drones in monitoring waterbird rookeries, we aimed to compare ground-collected reproductive success data with drone-derived data to assess whether drone-captured nest data could replace ground-based nest visits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To further the utility of drones in monitoring waterbird rookeries, we aimed to compare ground-collected reproductive success data with drone-derived data to assess whether drone-captured nest data could replace ground-based nest visits. Similar studies have included the calculation of reproductive success but without ground truthing [9] or with focus on non-colonial nesting species [18], on small accessible colonies [20,21], on coastal nesting species [22] or on non waterbird species such as raptors [23]. We hypothesize that the two data collection methods will produce differing reproductive success values, as detection rates will differ between the methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Ground and Drone Surveys of Large Waterbird Breeding Rookeries: A Comparative Study

Francis,

Brandis

2024

Drones

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Assessing nesting metrics in large waterbird breeding rookeries is challenging due to their size and accessibility. Drones offer a promising solution, but their comparability with ground surveys remains debated. In our study, we directly compared ground and drone data collected simultaneously over the same breeding areas. Drones excel in accessing remote terrain, enhancing coverage, mapping colony extent and reducing sampling bias. However, flying at the low altitudes required to capture young chicks in nests within densely populated rookeries poses challenges, often requiring observer presence and diminishing the distance advantage. Drones enable rapid data collection and facilitate accurate ibis chick counts, particularly at the “runner” stage when chicks are very mobile, and our surveys found significant differences in the counts between drone and ground surveys at this nesting stage. Ground surveys, on the other hand, provide valuable contextual observations, including water variables and sensory cues concerning the health of the colony. Both methods offer unique insights, with drones providing high-resolution aerial data and ground surveys complementing with human observations. Integrating both methods is ideal for comprehensive waterbird monitoring and conservation.

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“…Numerous studies have reported using drones to obtain precise counts and accurate identification of breeding populations of multiple bird species (Afán et al., 2018 ; Hodgson et al., 2018 ; Lyons et al., 2018 ; Marchowski et al., 2018 ; Wen et al., 2021 ). Using drones to monitor breeding outcomes can also reduce the time spent around nest sites (Sikora & Marchowski, 2023 ). Despite their usefulness, drones can cause disturbance to animals (Duporge et al., 2021 ; Mulero‐Pázmány et al., 2017 ; Schad & Fischer, 2022 ; Schroeder et al., 2020 ), with birds being, on average, more sensitive to drone monitoring than other vertebrate types (Mulero‐Pázmány et al., 2017 ; Rebolo‐Ifrán et al., 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drones as a tool to study and monitor endangered Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum): Behavioural responses and recommended guidelines

Demmer,

McIntyre

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Crane populations are declining worldwide, with anthropogenically exacerbated habitat loss emerging as the primary causal threat. The endangered Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is the least studied of the three crane species that reside in southern Africa. This data paucity hinders essential conservation planning and is primarily due to ineffective monitoring methods and this species' use of inaccessible habitats. In this study, we compared the behavioural responses of different Grey Crowned Crane social groupings to traditional on‐foot monitoring methods and the pioneering use of drones. Grey Crowned Cranes demonstrated a lower tolerance for on‐foot monitoring approaches, allowing closer monitoring proximity with drones (22.72 (95% confidence intervals ‐ 13.75, 37.52) m) than on‐foot methods (97.59 (86.13, 110.59) m) before displaying evasive behaviours. The behavioural response of flocks was minimal at flight heights above 50 m, whilst larger flocks were more likely to display evasive behaviours in response to monitoring by either method. Families displayed the least evasive behaviours to lower flights, whereas nesting birds were sensitive to the angles of drone approaches. Altogether, our findings confirm the usefulness of drones for monitoring wetland‐nesting species and provide valuable species‐specific guidelines for monitoring Grey Crowned Cranes. However, we caution future studies on wetland breeding birds to develop species‐specific protocols before implementing drone methodologies.

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The use of drones to study the breeding productivity of Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

The usefulness of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in white stork censusing

The usefulness of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in white stork censusing

Assessment of Ground and Drone Surveys of Large Waterbird Breeding Rookeries: A Comparative Study

Drones as a tool to study and monitor endangered Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum): Behavioural responses and recommended guidelines

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