Setash, C.M. 2018. Cinnamon Teal Breeding Ecology in the San Luis
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THESIS CINNAMON TEAL BREEDING ECOLOGY IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY OF COLORADO Submitted by Casey M. Setash Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Summer 2018 Master’s Committee: Advisor: William L. Kendall Paul F. Doherty, Jr. Cameron L. Aldridge David Olson Copyright by Casey M. Setash 2018 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT CINNAMON TEAL BREEDING ECOLOGY IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY OF COLORADO The foundation of effective waterfowl management is an abundant and resilient waterfowl population, which begins with an understanding of what drives population size and growth. Population growth rate is the product of a number of vital rates, all of which remain relatively unknown for the cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera). I investigated the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influencing the basic demographic rates of cinnamon teal during the breeding season in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Specifically, I assessed the relationship between the habitat around a selected nest site and cinnamon teal nesting success. Additionally, I evaluated whether a relatively novel approach to surveying social groupings of waterfowl can act as an effective index of breeding effort and success for cinnamon teal, the intraspecific variation in nest attendance patterns during incubation and how it affects nest survival, and the rates at which breeding females and ducklings survive the breeding season. This research has the potential to enhance the understanding of the basic population ecology of this overlooked species and provide information about vital rates that can be used in future analyses and management of the population on a larger scale. I found that cinnamon teal select nest sites with habitat characteristics that are also associated with a higher probability of nest survival (Chapter 2, this thesis). Specifically, I observed cinnamon teal selecting nest sites characterized by a lower proportion of forbs relative to what was available, which were also associated with higher nest survival among the nests I observed. I established that weekly transect surveys assessing the social groupings of cinnamon ii teal throughout the breeding season have the potential to act as an index of reproductive success if done on a larger scale (both temporally and geographically; Chapter 3, this thesis). I also found differences in the nest attendance patterns during early incubation compared to late incubation, which were also impacted by time of day and temperature (Chapter 4, this thesis). Finally, I estimated breeding season duckling and hen survival rates that were comparable to other waterfowl species and provided suggestions for future cinnamon teal researchers (Chapter 5, this thesis). iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Dr. Bill Kendall, for providing me with the opportunity to conduct this research. It was an honor to work with him, and his compassion and unique perspective have pushed me to become a better ecologist, scientist, and person. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Paul Doherty, Dr. Cameron Aldridge, and Dave Olson. All three have been extremely generous with their time and commitment to this project, and their guidance was invaluable as I wove my way through this portion of my career. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Dave Olson, without whose initiative and passion for conservation this project would not exist and the field of waterfowl ecology would be worse off. I appreciate all of the time and thought that have gone into this project on the part of US Fish and Wildlife Service employees, both within the Division of Migratory Birds and the National Wildlife Refuge system. Special thanks go to Casey Stemler, Jim Dubovsky, Kammie Kruse, and Dave Sharp for getting this project off the ground and supporting me throughout this process. The staff of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex could not have been a more wonderful group of people to spend the summers with. Suzanne Beauchaine, Sharon Vaughn, Scott Miller, Dean Lee, Pete Striffler, Dewane Mosher, and David Dean were all invaluable in helping with the logistics of field work, providing me with housing and vehicles during my field seasons, and allowing this research to take place under their watch. I would also like to thank all of the folks living in the San Luis Valley who made me feel at home and who have a special tie to the wildlife and the land in that region. It’s a special place and I feel very lucky to have lived there for three summers. Thanks especially to Jenny Nehring and Cary Aloia iv for being my SLV role models and constantly highlighting the work being done by women in waterfowl/wetlands research. Stephanie Ferrero and Brent Frankland with Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) also shared their knowledge of the area and provided assistance via telemetry flights to locate some lost birds. Thanks to Dr. Jim Gammonley of CPW for not only providing financial support for nest monitoring cameras, but also for paving the way for this research to take place with his past work on cinnamon teal and in the San Luis Valley. None of this work would have been possible without the technicians and volunteers that helped out along the way. Meghan Keating, Brandon Nooner, Liz Smith, Katherine Scott, Kelsey Persyn, Josh Houghtaling, Christina Meuhlbauer, Hailey Glasko, Michelle Moyer, all of my video and photo reviewers, and all of the Student Conservation Association/Pathways interns who helped out (especially Adam Braddock, Cloe Traylor, and Hilary Syvertson), thank you for bearing with me throughout this learning process and for being the workhorses of the project. You made field work and living in the bunkhouses so enjoyable, and I’m glad to call you all friends. Thank you to everyone in the Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology department and the USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit who has supported, challenged, and laughed with me over the course of my Master’s. Gabriele Engler provided constant logistical support over the course of three remote field seasons and the day-to-day administrative challenges of being a graduate student. Thank you to all of the other graduate students who have shaped my time at Colorado State University. The other members of the Kendall lab, Brian Gerber, Perry Williams, Kristen Pearson, and Maria Dzul, were extremely influential mentors, role models, and friends. The Doherty Lab welcomed me into their group when I was without a v lab group to attend, as did the Bailey/Huyvaert “Superpopulation” Lab. All of these people provided instrumental advice on both professional and personal levels. Thanks to my mom, for showing me the delightful world of birds at a young age and for always being willing to lend an ear, Michael, Amy, and Pete for showering me with humor and joy throughout a sometimes-difficult degree, and my dad, who is the strongest, hardest working man I know. A special thanks goes to Adam Behney for not only geeking out about ducks with me on a regular basis, but for being a constant source of support and being generally wonderful. Finally, thanks to my cat, Aloo, for falling asleep on my keyboard every time I tried to write this thesis. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2 - NEST SITE SELECTION INFLUENCES CINNAMON TEAL NEST SURVIVAL IN COLORADO ............................................................................................................................. 9 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 9 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 9 METHODS................................................................................................................................ 13 RESULTS.................................................................................................................................. 18 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 20 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ......................................................................................... 23 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 37 Chapter 3 - SOCIAL INDICES OF CINNAMON TEAL REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN COLORADO ...............................................................................................................................