Nest return times in response to static versus mobile human disturbance |
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| Authors: | Michael A. Weston Glenn C. Ehmke Grainne S. Maguire |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Science and Technology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood 3123, Australia;2. Birds Australia, Suite 2-05, The Green Building, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton 3052, Australia |
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| Abstract: | We delivered standardized stimuli to incubating hooded plovers (Thinornis rubricollis) to examine the influence of human movement on disruption of incubation. The probability of plovers returning to nests within 60 min was higher in our treatment that mimicked mobile (e.g., walking) humans (85.7%) than in our treatment that mimicked static (e.g., sunbathing) humans (9.5%; n = 20 pairs). Thus, temporary beach closures that reduce or eliminate static but not mobile disturbances are likely to be effective at reducing disruption to incubation caused by human disturbance. © 2011 The Wildlife Society |
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| Keywords: | Australia beach closure disturbance hooded plover incubation Thinornis rubricollis |
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