DOI: 10.5061/dryad.kwh70rzch
title: Data from: Flying without fear: shooting disturbance has little effect on site preferences in a conflict goose species

description: Human-modified landscapes have created opportunities for numerous taxa.
 Agricultural expansion has proven advantageous for several Arctic-breeding
 goose species, leading to increased abundance and intensified conflict
 with farmers. Shooting is frequently implemented as a mitigation strategy
 to control population and via scaring to alter the spatial distribution of
 conflict species. However, the efficacy of such regimes in manipulating
 the fear landscape is not always investigated. We developed resource
 selection functions using GPS-tracking data for Greenland barnacle geese
 (Branta leucopsis) wintering on Islay, Scotland to assess foraging site
 choice. We assessed overall foraging site preference and evaluated the
 influence of shooting management on foraging site selection of key
 habitats. Barnacle geese selected for improved grassland areas and the
 likelihood of utilisation varied between these fields according to
 field-specific management. Protected areas were strongly selected for
 along with newly reseeded grassland. Field-level exposure to shooting
 disturbance did not cause a notable change in site selection. Synthesis
 and Applications: Our results demonstrate the importance of providing
 refuges within managed agricultural landscapes to encourage site use and
 minimise conflict. We highlight how low intensity shooting disturbance may
 be ineffective in altering winter habitat selection of high-value foraging
 sites (especially near roosts). If future management aimed to stimulate
 redistribution higher intensity shooting disturbance along with the
 spatial and temporal coordination of shooting effort would likely be
 required to create a stronger perceived gradient of disturbance risk.
description: # Data and code associated with McIntosh, A.L.S., Langley, L.P., Hilton,
 G.M., Shaw, J.M., and Bearhop, S. 2024 "Flying without fear: Shooting
 disturbance has little effect on site preferences in a conflict goose
 species" Journal of Applied Ecology ## Contact information: Please
 contact Aimée McIntosh
 ([a.l.s.mcintosh@exeter.ac.uk](mailto:a.l.s.mcintosh@exeter.ac.uk)) for
 additional information about the analysis and data. ## Project Summary:
 This data was collected as part of a PhD funded by the Natural Environment
 Research Council (NERC) in collaboration with the Wildfowl and Wetlands
 Trust (WWT) and NatureScot (formally Scottish Natural Heritage) ##
 Description of data and file structure: R code for each habitat selection
 model is found in "McIntosh2024_RSF_Model_Code.R" ### 1. Overall
 habitat selection: Data file: "Overall_Hab_Model_Data.csv"
 Columns in the file include: i) Winter &lt;- Winter year ii) Shooting
 &lt;- Field-scale classification of shooting management designation  iii)
 TOD &lt;- Time of day (Day/Night) iv) ceh_simp_hab &lt;- Habitat
 classification v) Case &lt;- Binomial numeric designation of real GPS
 fixes (1) and pseudoabsences (0) vi) weight &lt;- Initial weight of 1
 assigned to all GPS fixes (real and pseudoabsences) vii) Used &lt;-
 Two-level factor classification of real GPS fixes (Used) and
 pseudoabsences (Avail) viii) Dist_roost &lt;- Distance to nearest roost
 (m) ix) Shoot_Tot &lt;- Field-specific total number of shooting events in
 a single winter ### 2. Improved grasssland field selection - Management
 designation: Data file: "Imp_Grass_Management_Model_Data.csv"
 This file includes only real GPS fixes and pseudoabsences that were
 previously classified as "Improved grassland" Columns in the
 file include: i) Shooting &lt;- Field-scale classification of shooting
 management designation (Yes/No) ii) tod\_ &lt;- Time of day (Day/Night)
 iii) weight &lt;- Initial weight of 1 assigned to all GPS fixes (real and
 pseudoabsences) iii) weight2 &lt;- Weighted data point of 5 assigned to
 all real GPS fixes and 1 for pseudoabsences iv) Used &lt;- Two-level
 factor classification of real GPS fixes (Used) and pseudoabsences (Avail)
 v) Case &lt;- Binomial numeric designation of real GPS fixes (1) and
 pseudoabsences (0) vi) Winter &lt;- Winter year ### 3. Improved grassland
 field selection - Shooting disturbance designation: Data file:
 "Shoot_Field_Disturbance_Model_Data.csv" This file includes only
 real GPS fixes and pseudoabsences of improved grassland fields that were
 classified as "NatureScot Shooting" Columns in the file include:
 i) Winter &lt;- Winter year ii) tod\_ &lt;- Time of day (Day/Night) iii)
 case\_ &lt;- Classification of real GPS fixes (TRUE) and pseudoabsences
 (FALSE) iv) Roost_Dist &lt;- Distance to nearest roost (m) v) Shot_2019
 &lt;- Field-specific shooting disturbance classification in 2019
 (Zero/No/Yes) vi) Shot_2020 &lt;- Field-specific shooting disturbance
 classification in 2020 (Zero/No/Yes) vii) Case &lt;- Binomial numeric
 designation of real GPS fixes (1) and pseudoabsences (0) viii) weight
 &lt;- Initial weight of 1 assigned to all GPS fixes (real and
 pseudoabsences) ix) weight2 &lt;- Weighted data point of 5 assigned to all
 real GPS fixes and 1 for pseudoabsences ### 4. Improved grassland field
 selection - Shooting intensity designation: Data file:
 "Shoot_Intensity_Model_Data.csv" Columns in the file include: i)
 Winter &lt;- Winter year ii) tod\_ &lt;- Time of day (Day/Night) iii)
 case\_ &lt;- Classification of real GPS fixes (TRUE) and pseudoabsences
 (FALSE) iv) Dist_Roost &lt;- Distance to nearest roost (m) v) Shooting
 &lt;- Field-scale classification of shooting management
 designation (Zero/Low/High) vi) Case &lt;- Binomial numeric designation of
 real GPS fixes (1) and pseudoabsences (0) vii) weight &lt;- Initial weight
 of 1 assigned to all GPS fixes (real and pseudoabsences) viii) weight2
 &lt;- Weighted data point of 5 assigned to all real GPS fixes and 1 for
 pseudoabsences ix) intensity &lt;- Field-specific classification of
 shooting intensity per