Wildfowl Special Issue No. 4 “Ecology and Conservation of Waterfowl in the Northern Hemisphere” Proceedings of the 6th North American Duck Symposium and Workshop Memphis, Tennessee, 27–31 January 2013 Editors Eileen Rees, Rick Kaminski & Lisa Webb Editorial Board Brian Davis, Mike Eichholz, Gary Hepp, Rick Kaminski, Dave Koons, Tom Nudds, Jim Sedinger & Lisa Webb Published by Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, UK Registered Charity No. 1030884 Wildfowl Editor Dr Eileen C. Rees Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, UK. Associate Editor Prof Anthony D. Fox Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University Kalø, Grenåvej 14, DK-8410 Rønde, Denmark. Editorial Board Prof Jeff Black Prof Andy J. Green Department of Wildlife Wetland Ecology Department Humboldt State University Doñana Biological Station-CSIC Arcata, California 95521, USA. C/ Américo Vespucio s/n 41092 Sevilla, Spain. Assoc Prof Bruce D. Dugger Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Dr Matthieu Guillemain Oregon State University Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. Sauvage La Tour du Valat Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, France. Cover photographs: King Eider, by Danny Ellinger/Minden Pictures/FLPA; Bewick’s Swan and White-fronted Goose, by Paul Marshall/WWT. The cover images were selected to represent a duck, goose and swan species of the northern hemisphere, consistent with the title of this special issue of Wildfowl. Cover design by Paul Marshall Published by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, UK Wildfowl is available by subscription from the above address. For further information call +44 (0)1453 891900 (extension 257), or e-mail [email protected] ISBN 0 900806 65 6 Print ISSN 0954-6324 On-line ISSN 2052-6458 Printed on FSC compliant paper by Berforts Information Press Ltd. Recommended citation: Rees, E.C., Kaminski, R.M. & Webb, E.B. (eds.), 2014. Ecology and Conservation of Waterfowl in the Northern Hemisphere. Wildfowl (Special Issue No. 4). Contents Dedication 1 Dr. Guy A. Baldassarre Rick Kaminski Foreword 2 Bruce Batt Preface 5 R.M. Kaminski & J.B. Davis PLENARY PAPERS Habitat use and selection An introduction to habitat use and selection by waterfowl in the northern hemisphere 9 R.M. Kaminski & J. Elmberg Habitat and resource use by waterfowl in the northern hemisphere in autumn and 17 winter J.B. Davis, M. Guillemain, R.M. Kaminski, C. Arzel, J.M. Eadie & E.C. Rees Spring migration of waterfowl in the northern hemisphere: a conservation 70 perspective J.D. Stafford, A.K. Janke, M.J. Anteau, A.T. Pearse, A.D. Fox, J. Elmberg, J.N. Straub, M.W. Eichholz & C. Arzel Nest site selection by Holarctic waterfowl: a multi-level review 86 M. Eichholz & J. Elmberg Waterfowl habitat use and selection during the remigial moult period in the northern 131 hemisphere A.D. Fox, P.L. Flint, W.L. Hohman & J-P.L. Savard Demography, cross-seasonality and integrated population management Drivers of waterfowl population dynamics: from teal to swans 169 D.N. Koons, G. Gunnarsson, J.A. Schmutz & J.J. Rotella Conspecific brood parasitism in waterfowl and cues parasites use 192 H. Pöysä, J.M. Eadie & B.E. Lyon The effects of harvest on waterfowl populations 220 E.G. Cooch, M. Guillemain, G.S. Boomer, J-D. Lebreton & J.D. Nichols Cross-seasonal effects and the dynamics of waterfowl populations 277 J.S. Sedinger & R.T. Alisauskas Managing harvest and habitat as integrated components 305 E.E. Osnas, M.C. Runge, B.J. Mattsson, J. Austin, G.S. Boomer, R.G. Clark, P. Devers, J.M. Eadie, E.V. Lonsdorf & B.G. Tavernia SPECIAL SESSION PAPERS AND EVALUATION OF THE SYMPOSIUM Ecology and Conservation of North American Waterfowl Implementing the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan: people 329 conserving waterfowl and wetlands D.D. Humburg & M.G. Anderson Wetland issues affecting waterfowl conservation in North America 343 H.M. Hagy, S.C. Yaich, J.W. Simpson, E. Carrera, D.A. Haukos, W.C. Johnson, C.R. Loesch, F.A. Reid, S.E. Stephens, R.W. Tiner, B.A. Werner & G.S. Yarris Opportunities and challenges to waterfowl habitat conservation on private land 368 W.L. Hohman, E. Lindstrom, B.S. Rashford & J.H. Devries Estimating habitat carrying capacity for migrating and wintering waterfowl: 407 considerations, pitfalls and improvements C.K. Williams, B.D. Dugger, M.G. Brasher, J.M. Coluccy, D.M. Cramer, J.M. Eadie, M.J. Gray, H.M. Hagy, M. Livolsi, S.R. McWilliams, M. Petrie, G.J. Soulliere, J.M. Tirpak & E.B. Webb Annual variation in food densities and factors affecting wetland use by waterfowl in 436 the Mississippi Alluvial Valley H.M. Hagy, J.N. Straub, M.L. Schummer & R.M. Kaminski Atmospheric teleconnections and Eurasian snow cover as predictors of a weather 451 severity index in relation to Mallard Anas platyrhynchos autumn–winter migration M.L. Schummer, J. Cohen, R.M. Kaminski, M.E. Brown & C.L. Wax Waterfowl populations of conservation concern: learning from diverse challenges, 470 models and conservation strategies J. Austin, S. Slattery & R.G. Clark Waterfowl in Cuba: current status and distribution 498 P.B. Rodríquez, F.J. Vilella & B.S. Oria Assessment of the 6th North American Duck Symposium (2013): “Ecology and 512 Conservation of North American Waterfowl” L.P. LaBorde, Jr., R.M. Kaminski & J.B. Davis Sponsors of NADS 6/ECNAW and this Publication Designed by Justyn Foth 1 Dedication Unfortunately and sadly, there comes a time in life when it ends despite individual desires to continue onward and to contribute professionally and personally. Dr. Guy A. Baldassarre surrendered life on 20 August 2012 at the age of 59 years after a courageous battle against leukaemia (Moorman 2013, The Auk 130: 194–195). The 6th North American Duck Symposium and Workshop (NADS 6) and this special issue of Wildfowl are dedicated to Guy for his decades of contributions to waterfowl science and conservation. Guy inspired countless people internationally through his teaching, research, writing, mentoring, service, humour and friendships. He had an extraordinary ability to amass and synthesise technical information on waterfowl and wetlands into comprehensive texts of international acclaim; most notably the two editions of Waterfowl Ecology and Management (1994, 2006; with Eric G. Bolen) and Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America (2014). These treatises will serve as an information resource on waterfowl, and thus our profession, indefinitely. Indeed, Guy so wanted to attend NADS 6 to learn, visit with colleagues and students, and autograph copies of his books, but that trip and symposium were not part of his destiny. We thank Guy for his dedication to family, whom he considered first and foremost in his life, the wildlife profession, humanity, waterfowl, and all the birds he loved so dearly. Guy’s contributions are timeless; his legacy lives on among all who knew this gentleman! Rick Kaminski Photograph: Guy A. Baldassarre 1953–2012, by Eileen Baldassarre. ©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Wildfowl (2014) Special Issue 4: 1–2 2 Foreword “What a great idea.” That was my immediate reaction when Rick Kaminski told me about collaboration between the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in the United Kingdom and the team that conducted the 6th North American Duck Symposium and Workshop (NADS 6), Ecology and Conservation of North American Waterfowl (ECNAW). The event occurred in Memphis, Tennessee in January 2013. A key part of that great idea was to broaden the content and title of this publication to include waterfowl from across the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, since 1997, the NADS have stimulated intercontinental relationships and efforts among colleagues to understand, conserve and sustain waterfowl and their habitats throughout the northern part of the globe. The NADS 6/ECNAW symposium was built on a rich history of progress in waterfowl and wetlands research and conservation, as is nicely explained in the Preface to follow. Briefly, NADS 6/ECNAW combined efforts of three groups of specialists that had previously established separate conferences in North America: the NADS, the North American Arctic Goose Conference, and the International Sea Duck Conference. Each separate gathering had assembled many of the world’s specialists to review advancements in waterfowl and wetlands science; this progress has helped steer ongoing management, conservation and future scientific efforts for their focal waterfowl taxa. These conferences each had an excellent reputation as a “must attend” event for academic, government, and non-government scientists and students. Thus, NADS 6/ECNAW was assured to be an unprecedented assemblage of the world’s waterfowl specialists and, from the level of knowledge exchanged, this proved to be the case for all those attending the meeting. This special issue of Wildfowl is the first published proceedings from any NADS. The specialists in the field will appreciate the effort required to conduct a symposium of this magnitude and then follow with a peer-reviewed proceedings. This outcome was accomplished through an extraordinary level of engagement by all who were involved and they are acknowledged in the following Preface. All those folks also recognise that Rick Kaminski’s leadership was the driving force of the symposium and publication of this volume – a vision he has pursued for over half a decade. Dedication of the symposium to the memory and contributions of Guy Baldassarre was an inescapable decision in view of all participants’ recognition of Guy’s huge lifetime commitments to waterfowl science, conservation and education. His untimely death in 2012 was an overwhelmingly sad event. Guy had made personal contact and was friends with a very large portion of those in attendance at NADS 6/ECNAW, as a result of his superb career. He wrote, with Eric Bolen, the 1994 original and the 2006 second edition of Waterfowl Ecology and Management – the waterfowl profession’s first comprehensive text book.