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DISPERSAL AND MORTALITY OF RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS BANDED IN OHIO
Citation:
Dykstra, C. R., J. L. Hays, M. M. Simon, J. B. Holt, G. R. Austing, AND F B. Daniel. DISPERSAL AND MORTALITY OF RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS BANDED IN OHIO. JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH 38:304-311, (2004).
Impact/Purpose:
This project has three overall goals: 1) To develop efficacious methods for quantitative assessment of riparian resources at a both local and watershed scales; 2) to examine land use elements, at various scales as regulators of both water quality and biological integrity in freshwater streams, and 3) to elucidate the potential of riparian corridors to ameliorate various stressor impacts from the surrounding catchment.
Approach
-FY00 Activities The field sampling conducted in the first year will be repeated for all of the sub-watershed sites in the second year. Using the sub-watershed boundaries determined via the hydrologic models the landscape metrics for each sub-watershed will be developed. Likewise the high resolution land cover data for the riparian corridors will be developed from the digitized aerial photography.
-FY01 Activities The field sampling conducted in the years one and two will be repeated for all of the sub-watershed sites in year three. The field data from all three years will be combined to develop the indices of water quality and biotic integrity for the sub-watersheds. The stream quality and land cover data from the watershed catchment area and the riparian corridor will be correlated using a series of step-wise, multistage, linear regression models. Individual features of stream quality will be related to various riparian land cover parameters and other land use elements in the watershed as a whole. Statistical analysis will be completed.
-FY02 Activities Final reports and manuscripts for submission to the peer reviewed scientific literature will be prepared.
Description:
We banded nestling red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus) in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky (SW OHIO, hereafter) to examine movements and determine causes of mortality in this suburban population. For comparison, we examined band recovery records for nestling red-shouldered hawks banded in rural northern Ohio. Of 899 nestlings banded in SW OHIO between 1995 and 2002, 43 (4.8%) were encountered (dead or alive) sometime after fledging. Mean distance from natal nest at time of encounter was 38.5 +/- 13.6 km and was not correlated with hawk age (P>0.58). Distance from natal nest did not differ for hawks of three age classes or between those encountered in the breeding or non-breeding seasons (P>0.13). Cumulative exponential distribution (CED) analysis of distance from natal nest at time of encounter indicated that 50% of SW OHIO red-shouldered hawks were found <15 km from their natal nest, 75% <29 km away and 95% <62 km away. Mean age of hawks recovered dead was 1.9 +/- 0.4 years (N=31). CED analysis of age at recovery indicated that 50% of red-shouldered hawks were dead by age 1.2 years, 75% by 2.4 years, and 95% by 5.2 years. SW OHIO hawks did not differ from hawks banded in northern Ohio in either distance from natal nest or age at recovery.