Avery Myers

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Leininger, Elizabeth

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies with Philosophy Secondary Field

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore gaps in the narrative history of American osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) populations, focusing on increased human-wildlife conflicts following the recovery of the species. I conducted a systematic review of osprey literature to model the total number of occupied nests, number of occupied nests on artificial structures, and proportion of occupied nests on artificial structures in the United States from 1970 to 2020. The systematic review yielded 30 usable sources. The reported difference in proportion of nests on artificial structures before and after 1995 was -0.502 (-0.520, -0.483), indicating an increase in the use of artificial structures after 1995. The difference in proportion of occupied nests on artificial structures in the bootstrap distribution was -0.514 (-0.520, -0.485). I conducted a two tailed hypothesis test for study sites with data collected multiple times over several decades (coastal New Jersey and Willamette Valley, Oregon) to determine if the differences in proportion of artificial structures used were significant. The only differences in proportion for which I could reject the null hypothesis were increases. Apart from the 2010 survey in coastal New Jersey, the number of occupied nests on artificial structures increased with each survey. Osprey reliance on artificial structures has increased within the last five decades, therefore installation and maintenance of artificial nesting platforms should be a priority in osprey management.

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