Monitoring of avian predator reproduction on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada
Abstract
Predators play a key role in the functioning of ecosystems and could potentially control the abundance of their prey. As predators are at the top of the food chain, they can be good indicators of the state of the tundra ecosystem. Avian predators, mostly raptors and seabirds, are the most diverse groups of predators in the Arctic tundra and range from specialists to generalists in terms of their diet. Most species of avian predators are migrants and are only present in the Arctic during the summer to reproduce. During the short Arctic summer, they can encounter harsh conditions that could affect their breeding effort, reproductive success or even their survival. Furthermore, these species are exposed to climate change, which is predicted to be most severe at northern latitudes. For instance, raptors have already started to experience loss of breeding habitats in some regions due to the collapse of their nesting structures cause by permafrost thawing. Changes in prey distribution and abundance can also impact avian predators, especially those that are diet specialists. Hence, implementing a monitoring program of avian predators can provide useful information on the status of these species, some of which are considered vulnerable, as well as on the health of the whole tundra ecosystem.
This archive contains annual reproduction monitoring data for the four most abundant avian predators in our study area on Bylot Island: long-tailed jaegers, glaucous gulls, snowy owls and rough-legged hawks. The data set includes the GPS location of nests that are found through either systematic search along transects in suitable habitats for these species or opportunistically. We also report, whenever possible, clutch size, laying and hatching dates and hatching and fledging successes, based on observations during return visits to the nests during the breeding season.
In addition, given that these predators share a common resource (lemmings) whose abundance varies considerably from year to year, it is possible to better understand the distribution of this prey among the main avian predators of the Bylot Island using data extracted from regurgitation pellets collected at nests. This publication also contains measurements of lemming mandibles taken from these pellets which allow the size of lemmings consumed among species to be determined during the breeding season (for more details, see Schmidt et al. 2020).
Data citation
Gauthier, G., Cadieux, M.-C., Seyer, Y., Therrien, J.-F. 2020. Monitoring of avian predator reproduction on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, v. 1.2. Nordicana D50, doi: 10.5885/45591AW-F9B906CC647948E0.
Location map
Key references
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Beardsell A., G. Gauthier, D. Fortier, J.-F. Therrien & J. Bêty, 2017. Vulnerability to geomorphological hazards of an arctic cliff-nesting raptor, the rough-legged hawk. Arctic Science, 3:203-219
DOI: 10.1139/as-2016-0025 -
Beardsell A., G. Gauthier, J.-F. Therrien & J. Bêty, 2016. Nest site characteristics, patterns of nest reuse and reproductive success in an arctic nesting raptor, the Rough-legged Hawk. The Auk, 133:718-732
DOI: 10.1642/AUK-16-54.1 -
Gauthier, G., P. Legagneux, M.-A. Valiquette, M.-C. Cadieux & J.-F. Therrien, 2015. Diet and reproductive success of an Arctic generalist predator: Interplay between variations in prey abundance, nest site location and intraguild predation. The Auk, 132:735-747
DOI: 10.1642/AUK-14-273.1 -
Therrien, J.-F., D. Pinaud, G. Gauthier, N. Lecomte, K. L. Bildstein & J. Bêty, 2015. Is pre-breeding prospecting behaviour affected by snow cover in the irruptive snowy owl? A test using state-space modelling and environmental data annotated via Movebank. Movement Ecology, 3:1-8
DOI: 10.1186/s40462-015-0028-7 -
Therrien, J.-F., G. Gauthier, A. Robillard, N. Lecomte & J. Bêty, 2015. Écologie de la reproduction du harfang des neiges dans l’Arctique canadien. Le Naturaliste Canadien, 139:17-23
DOI: 10.7202/1027666ar -
Therrien, J.-F., G. Gauthier, E. Korpimäki & J. Bêty, 2014. Predation pressure imposed by avian predators suggests summer limitation of small-mammal populations in the Canadian Arctic. Ecology, 95:56-67
DOI: 10.1890/13-0458.1 -
Gauthier, G., J. Bêty, M.-C. Cadieux, P. Legagneux, M. Doiron, C. Chevallier, S. Lai, A. Tarroux & D. Berteaux, 2013. Long-term monitoring at multiple trophic levels suggests heterogeneity in responses to climate change in the Canadian Arctic tundra. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B – Biological Sciences, 368:20120482
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0482 -
Therrien, J.-F., G. Gauthier & J. Bêty, 2012. Survival and reproduction of adult snowy owls tracked by satellite. Journal of Wildlife Management, 76:1562-1567
DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.414 -
Schmidt, E., D. Fauteux, J.-F. Therrien, G. Gauthier & Y. Seyer. 2020. Improving diet assessment of Arctic terrestrial predators with the size of rodent mandibles. Journal of Zoology, 311:23-32
DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12756
Contributors
Bêty, Joël
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Beardsell, Andréanne
Université Laval
Robillard, Audrey
Université Laval
Valiquette, Marc-André
Université Laval
Acknowledgements
We thank Polar Knowledge Canada for funding the publication of this archive.
Polar Data Catalogue links (Metadata)
Version history
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Version 1.2 (2004–2019)Updated August 4, 2020
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Version 1.1 (2004–2019)Updated March 27, 2020
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Version 1.0 (2004–2018)Updated June 18, 2019
You can request an older version by contacting nordicana@cen.ulaval.ca
Measurement sites
| Site | Latitude | Longitude | Altitude (m) | Altitude maximale (m)<br>Maximum altitude (m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallée Qarlikturvik, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Qarlikturvik Valley, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 73.15625 | -79.97187 | 20 | More info | |
| Camp 3, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Camp 3, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 73.04735 | -80.07749 | 40 | More info | |
| Camp 2, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Camp 2, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 72.88851 | -79.90606 | 40 | More info | |
| Pointe Dufour, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Pointe Dufour, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 72.78381 | -79.53589 | 55 | More info |
Supplementary material
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