Reference number : GC-2017-Q2-00035, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Stutchbury, Bridget (York University)|Stutchbury, Bridget (Université York), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Plus Grants for Universities, program name french : Subvention d'engagement partenarial Plus pour les universités, program purpose english : Grassland birds are in steep decline throughout North America and these declines are caused mainly by_x000D_
regional habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural intensification. A key question is how can_x000D_
habitat quality be improved in agricultural landscapes to benefit declining grassland birds? Few studies have_x000D_
tested how different agricultural habitats impact the breeding success. There is also an urgent need to study_x000D_
habitat selection of grassland songbirds in agricultural landscapes, both during and after nesting, to better_x000D_
understand how habitat quality affects breeding females. Prior studies have been hampered by the high expense_x000D_
and difficulty of radio-tracking songbirds. We are studying Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis), a_x000D_
declining species in Canada and the U.S, near Guelph, ON. In 2016, funded by ENGAGE, we monitored 10_x000D_
nests from intensive agricultural sites and 26 from natural sites and found that nesting success was similar in_x000D_
these vastly different habitats. Adult body mass was also not significantly different between agricultural and_x000D_
non-agricultural sites for both males and females. We are also using innovative new technology (MOTUS_x000D_
automated telemetry array) to remotely track the dispersal and habitat selection of post-breeding adults over_x000D_
tens of kilometers and up until the point of fall migration. Birds radiotagged with uniquely coded Nanotags are_x000D_
automatically detected when they fly within 5-10 km of any of the dozens of receiver towers in southwestern_x000D_
Ontario. In 2016 we tagged 14 adults in agricultural sites and 18 in natural sites; movement data will be_x000D_
available in Feb 2017 for analysis. We will use GIS analysis of landscape features to monitor post-breeding_x000D_
habitat selection, and test if nesting habitat carries over to affect timing of fall migration. By continuing this_x000D_
study in 2017, to increase sample sizes and to test for between-year effects (2016 was a drought year) our_x000D_
research will identify which agricultural habitats can best sustain declining populations of grassland birds. This_x000D_
is expected to lead to management recommendations for farmers., program purpose french : Grassland birds are in steep decline throughout North America and these declines are caused mainly by_x000D_
regional habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural intensification. A key question is how can_x000D_
habitat quality be improved in agricultural landscapes to benefit declining grassland birds? Few studies have_x000D_
tested how different agricultural habitats impact the breeding success. There is also an urgent need to study_x000D_
habitat selection of grassland songbirds in agricultural landscapes, both during and after nesting, to better_x000D_
understand how habitat quality affects breeding females. Prior studies have been hampered by the high expense_x000D_
and difficulty of radio-tracking songbirds. We are studying Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis), a_x000D_
declining species in Canada and the U.S, near Guelph, ON. In 2016, funded by ENGAGE, we monitored 10_x000D_
nests from intensive agricultural sites and 26 from natural sites and found that nesting success was similar in_x000D_
these vastly different habitats. Adult body mass was also not significantly different between agricultural and_x000D_
non-agricultural sites for both males and females. We are also using innovative new technology (MOTUS_x000D_
automated telemetry array) to remotely track the dispersal and habitat selection of post-breeding adults over_x000D_
tens of kilometers and up until the point of fall migration. Birds radiotagged with uniquely coded Nanotags are_x000D_
automatically detected when they fly within 5-10 km of any of the dozens of receiver towers in southwestern_x000D_
Ontario. In 2016 we tagged 14 adults in agricultural sites and 18 in natural sites; movement data will be_x000D_
available in Feb 2017 for analysis. We will use GIS analysis of landscape features to monitor post-breeding_x000D_
habitat selection, and test if nesting habitat carries over to affect timing of fall migration. By continuing this_x000D_
study in 2017, to increase sample sizes and to test for between-year effects (2016 was a drought year) our_x000D_
research will identify which agricultural habitats can best sustain declining populations of grassland birds. This_x000D_
is expected to lead to management recommendations for farmers., agreement title english : Do agricultural sites provide high quality habitat for declining grassland songbirds?, agreement title french : Do agricultural sites provide high quality habitat for declining grassland songbirds?, agreement number : EGP2, agreement value : 12000.0, agreement start date : 2017-07-12, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada