Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Deviation Factors in the Mississippi Flyway: Geographic Barriers and Ecological Quality

Anderson, Ian Alfred
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1597314324074134

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Migrating passerines (Passeriformes) can travel thousands of kilometers to reach their summer and winter grounds, and while migrating, they encounter environmental barriers like mountains, deserts, and oceans, which force birds to decide whether to continue in the typical migratory direction or deviate around the barrier. Hundreds of species of migrants utilize the Mississippi Flyway, which may involve encountering the Great Lakes including the southwestern coast of Lake Erie. Gesicki et al. (2019) found that during Spring migration many migrants deviated westwards along the southern coast of Lake Erie instead of crossing the lake along their same heading. The goal of the current study was to determine whether migrants arriving at the Ohio coast of Lake Erie in the Fall, after crossing the lake, would similarly respond to the coastal features of Lake Erie’s Ohio coastline as they do in Spring. Specifically, would migrants display deviated flight directions with respect to the coastline at three observation sites as well as compared to the broad front direction of migration recorded by Doppler weather radar in Cleveland? This was determined by comparing individual flight directions recorded from three sites, Cedar Point, Ottawa, and Maumee Bay, as well as the nightly, broad front direction recorded at Cleveland. Across a number of analyses, no meaningful differences in migratory flight directions were observed across the three observation sites nor with respect to the broad front direction recorded by Doppler weather radar. Generally, migrants flew in a south-southwesterly direction irrespective of location. As a separate analysis, no differences were found in the flight directions of migrants when birds observed early in the night were compared against birds observed later in the night. In summary, and in contrast to the Spring (Gesicki et al, 2019), migrant songbirds reaching the southern coast of Lake Erie in Fall do not appear to respond to coastline features nor do they deviate from the broad front migratory direction. Collectively, the Spring and Fall data suggest that migrating birds are active decision makers, choosing to deviate when approaching an obstacle (Ohio-Lake Erie in the Spring), but in the absence of any obvious benefit to deviate (Ohio-Lake Erie in the Fall), they do not respond to the same topographical features so no significant differences from the broad front were found.
Verner Bingman, Dr. (Advisor)
Kevin Neves, Dr. (Committee Member)
Daniel Wiegmann, Dr. (Committee Member)
40 p.
Biology; Environmental Science
Ornithology; Migration Theory; Mississippi Flyway

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Anderson, I. A. (2020). Deviation Factors in the Mississippi Flyway: Geographic Barriers and Ecological Quality [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1597314324074134

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Anderson, Ian. Deviation Factors in the Mississippi Flyway: Geographic Barriers and Ecological Quality . 2020. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1597314324074134.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Anderson, Ian. "Deviation Factors in the Mississippi Flyway: Geographic Barriers and Ecological Quality ." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1597314324074134

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1597314324074134
140
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.