Timing and Weather Offer Alternative Mitigation Strategies for Lowering Bat Mortality at Wind Energy Facilities in Ontario.

Relatively high mortality of migratory bats at wind energy facilities has prompted research to understand the underlying spatial and temporal factors, with the goal of developing more effective mitigation approaches. We examined acoustic recordings of echolocation calls at 12 sites and post-construction carcass survey data collected at 10 wind energy facilities in Ontario, Canada, to quantify the degree to which timing and regional-scale weather predict bat activity and mortality. Rain and low temperatures consistently predicted low mortality and activity of big brown bats () and three species of migratory tree bats: hoary bat (), eastern red bat (), and silver-haired bat ().

Early breeders choose differently - Refining measures of habitat quality for the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), a keystone species in the mixedwood boreal forest.

Despite the prevalent use of nest-site selection studies to define habitat quality for birds, many studies relying on use-availability analysis have found poor correlations between selected vegetation and reproductive success. Using 3 years of data from northeastern British Columbia (2007-2009), we determined timing of breeding from hatching dates and contrasted the nest-site selection of earlier (n = 22) with later-nesting pairs (n = 36) of yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius), because early breeders were expected to be more reproductively successful. We then compared these choices with those identified from use-availability analysis, and determined whether reproductive performance (fledgling production) was related to selected vegetation.