Tags:
Animal Migration,
Evolutionary ecology,
Hormones,
Life-history evolution,
Partial migration,
Tagging,
Behavioral ecology,
Bird migration,
Climate change,
Climate effects,
Ecology,
Life history strategies,
Ornithology,
Population ecology
Publications
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Nilsson, Anna Lisa Kristina; Molværsmyr, Sindre; Breistøl, Arild & Systad, Geir Helge Rødli
(2023).
Estimating mortality of small passerine birds colliding with wind turbines.
Scientific Reports.
ISSN 2045-2322.
13(1).
doi:
10.1038/s41598-023-46909-z.
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Walseng, Bjørn; Durant, Joël; Hessen, Dag Olav; Jerstad, Kurt; Nilsson, Anna & Røstad, Ole Wiggo
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2022).
Long-term annual and spatial variation of polygyny in the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus).
Ecology and Evolution.
ISSN 2045-7758.
12(10).
doi:
10.1002/ece3.9416.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Mating strategies are key components in the fitness of organisms, and notably in birds the occurrence of monogamy versus polygyny has attracted wide interest. We address this by a very comprehensive dataset (2899 breeding events spanning the years 1978–2019) of the white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus. Though the mating system of this species has been regarded as generally monogamous, we find that 7% of all breeding events were performed by polygynous males (approximately 15% of all pairs). The fraction of polygyny has been stable over the entire study period irrespective of population size. The assumption that polygyny is most common at low population density was not supported. Surprisingly, there was no difference between polygynous and monogamous males with regard to the quality of the territories they inhabited, ranked according to their overall frequency of use. The most common age group, first-year breeders, dominated among monogamous males, while among polygynous males second-year breeders were most common, followed by third and first-year breeders. The primary females were in general older than females mated to monogamous males, also when controlled for their general frequency in the population. The majority of the two females mated to a polygynous male, bred in the vicinity of each other. The probability for a male to be involved in polygyny more than once, was significantly higher than by chance, suggesting phenotypic quality differences among males.
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Nilsson, Anna L. K.; Skaugen, Thomas; Reitan, Trond; L'Abee-Lund, Jan Henning; Gamelon, Marlène & Jerstad, Kurt
[Show all 11 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Hydrology influences breeding time in the white-throated dipper.
BMC Ecology.
ISSN 1472-6785.
20(70).
doi:
10.1186/s12898-020-00338-y.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Background: Earlier breeding is one of the strongest responses to global change in birds and is a key factor determining reproductive success. In most studies of climate effects, the focus has been on large-scale environmental indices or temperature averaged over large geographical areas, neglecting that animals are affected by the local conditions in their home ranges. In riverine ecosystems, climate change is altering the flow regime, in addition to changes resulting from the increasing demand for renewable and clean hydropower. Together with increasing temperatures, this can lead to shifts in the time window available for successful breeding of birds associated with the riverine habitat. Here, we investigated specifically how the environmental conditions at the territory level influence timing of breeding in a passerine bird with an aquatic lifestyle, the white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus. We relate daily river discharge and other important hydrological parameters, to a long-term dataset of breeding phenology (1978–2015) in a natural river system. Results: Dippers bred earlier when winter river discharge and groundwater levels in the weeks prior to breeding were high, and when there was little snow in the catchment area. Breeding was also earlier at lower altitudes, although the effect dramatically declined over the period. This suggests that territories at higher altitudes had more open water in winter later in the study period, which permitted early breeding also here. Unexpectedly, the largest effect inducing earlier breeding time was territory river discharge during the winter months and not immediately prior to breeding. The territory river discharge also increased during the study period. Conclusions: The observed earlier breeding can thus be interpreted as a response to climate change. Measuring environmental variation at the scale of the territory thus provides detailed information about the interactions between organisms and the abiotic environment. Breeding phenology, Climate change, Environmental heterogeneity, Hydropower, Long-term study, Passerine bird, River discharge, Snow, Spatial scale, Stream
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Nilsson, Anna; Slagsvold, Tore; Røstad, Ole Wiggo; Knudsen, Endre; Jerstad, Kurt & Cadahia, Luis
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2019).
Territory location and quality, together with climate, affect the timing of breeding in the white-throated dipper.
Scientific Reports.
ISSN 2045-2322.
9,
p. 1–11.
doi:
10.1038/s41598-019-43792-5.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Recent climate change has led to advanced spring phenology in many temperate regions. The
phenological response to variation in the local environment, such as the habitat characteristics of the
territories birds occupy, is less clear. The aim of this study is to understand how ecological conditions
affect breeding time, and its consequences for reproduction, in a white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus
population in a river system in Norway during 34 years (1978–2011). Hatching date advanced almost
nine days, indicating a response to higher temperatures and the advanced phenology in the area. Earlier
breeding was found in warm springs and at lower altitudes. High population density facilitated earlier
breeding close to the coast. Furthermore, when population density was low, breeding was early at
territories that were rarely occupied, while in years with high density, breeding was early at territories
that were frequently occupied. Also, when population density was low, earlier breeding occurred at
territories that on average produced more offspring than other territories, while there was no difference
in breeding time in high population years. Selection for early breeding was dependent on spring
temperatures and high spring temperatures contributed to higher breeding success during the study
period. We found that breeding phenology may have strong effects on fitness in the white-throated
dipper, and thus that breeding time is an important ecological factor in a species that feeds mainly on
aquatic rather than terrestrial prey.
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Nilsson, Anna; L'Abee-Lund, Jan Henning; Vøllestad, Leif Asbjørn; Jerstad, Kurt; Larsen, Bjørn Mejdell & Røstad, Ole Wiggo
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2018).
The potential influence of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta on density and breeding of the white-throated dipper Cinclus cinclus.
Ecology and Evolution.
ISSN 2045-7758.
8(8),
p. 4065–4073.
doi:
10.1002/ece3.3958.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Interactions between birds and fish are often overlooked in aquatic ecosystems. We studied the influence of Atlantic salmon and brown trout on the breeding population size and reproductive output of the white-throated
dipper in a Norwegian river. Acidic precipitation led to the extinction of salmon, but salmon recolonized after liming was initiated in 1991. We compared the dipper population size and reproductive output before (1978–1992) and after (1993–2014) salmon recolonization. Despite a rapid and substantial increase in juvenile salmon, the breeding dipper population size and reproductive output were not influenced by juvenile salmon, trout, or total salmonid density. This might be due to different feeding strategies in salmonids and dippers, where salmonids are mainly feeding on drift, while the dipper is a benthic feeder. The correlation between the size of the dipper population upstream and downstream of a salmonid migratory barrier was similar before and after recolonization, indicating that the downstream territories were not less attractive after the recolonization of salmon. Upstream dipper breeding success rates declined before the recolonization event and increased after, indicating improved water quality due to liming, and increasing invertebrate prey abundances and biodiversity. Surprisingly, upstream the migratory barrier, juvenile trout had a weak positive effect on the dipper population size, indicating that dippers may prey upon small trout. It is possible that wider downstream reaches might have higher abundances of alternative food, rending juvenile trout unimportant as prey. Abiotic factors such as winter temperatures and acidic precipitation with subsequent liming, potentially mediated by preyabundance, seem to play the most important role in the life history of the dipper.
birds, breeding, predators, river, salmonids
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Gamelon, Marlène; Grøtan, Vidar; Nilsson, Anna L. K.; Engen, Steinar; Hurrell, James W. & Jerstad, Kurt
[Show all 12 contributors for this article]
(2017).
Interactions between demography and environmental effects are important determinants of population dynamics.
Science Advances.
ISSN 2375-2548.
3(2).
doi:
10.1126/sciadv.1602298.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Climate change will affect the population dynamics of many species, yet the consequences for the long-term persistence of populations are poorly understood. A major reason for this is that density-dependent feedback effects caused by fluctuations in population size are considered independent of stochastic variation in the environment. We show that an interplay between winter temperature and population density can influence the persistence of a small passerine population under global warming. Although warmer winters favor an increased mean population size, density-dependent feedback can cause the local population to be less buffered against occasional poor environmental conditions (cold winters). This shows that it is essential to go beyond the population size and explore climate effects on the full dynamics to elaborate targeted management actions.
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Nilsson, Anna; Nilsson, Jan-Åke & Mettke-Hofmann, Claudia
(2016).
Energy reserves, information need and a pinch of personality determine decision-making on route in partially migratory blue tits.
PLOS ONE.
ISSN 1932-6203.
11(10),
p. 1–18.
doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0163213.
Full text in Research Archive
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Skaugen, Thomas; Peerebom, Ivar Olaf & Nilsson, Anna
(2015).
Use of a parsimonious rainfall-run-off model for predicting hydrological response in ungauged basins.
Hydrological Processes.
ISSN 0885-6087.
29(8),
p. 1999–2013.
doi:
10.1002/hyp.10315.
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Nilsson, Anna; Nilsson, JA & Alerstam, Thomas
(2011).
Basal metabolic rate and energetic cost of thermoregulation among migratory and resident blue tits.
Oikos.
ISSN 0030-1299.
120,
p. 1784–1789.
doi:
10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19440.x.
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Nilsson, Anna; Stige, Leif Christian; Jerstad, Kurt; Røstad, Ole Wiggo; Slagsvold, Tore & Knudsen, Endre
[Show all 8 contributors for this article]
(2011).
To make the most of what we have: extracting phenological data from nestling measurements.
International journal of biometeorology.
ISSN 0020-7128.
55,
p. 797–804.
doi:
10.1007/s00484-011-0461-2.
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Nilsson, Anna; Nilsson, Jan-Åke; Alerstam, Thomas & Bäckman, Johan
(2010).
Migratory and resident blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus differ in their reaction to a novel object.
Die Naturwissenschaften.
ISSN 0028-1042.
97(11),
p. 981–985.
doi:
10.1007/s00114-010-0714-7.
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Nilsson, Anna & Sandell, Maria I
(2009).
Stress hormone dynamics: an adaptation to migration?
Biology Letters.
ISSN 1744-9561.
5,
p. 480–483.
doi:
10.1098/rsbl.2009.0193.
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Nilsson, Anna; Alerstam, Thomas & Nilsson, Jan-Åke
(2008).
Diffuse, short and slow migration among blue tits.
Journal of Ornithology = Journal fur Ornithologie.
ISSN 0021-8375.
149,
p. 365–373.
doi:
10.1007/s10336-008-0280-3.
View all works in Cristin
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Critchley, Emma Jane; Nilsson, Anna Lisa Kristina & May, Roelof Frans
(2024).
Life-cycle impact assessment of offshore wind energy development on migrating bird diversity in the North Sea.
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Critchley, Emma Jane; Nilsson, Anna Lisa Kristina & May, Roelof Frans
(2023).
Life-cycle impact assessment of offshore wind energy development on migrating bird diversity in the North Sea.
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May, Roelof Frans; Nilsson, Anna; Critchley, Emma Jane; Szymanski, Anne-Laure & Murvoll, Kari-Mette
(2022).
WP2 - Novel marine stressors and receptors.
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May, Roelof Frans; Nilsson, Anna; Szymanski, Anne-Laure & Murvoll, Kari-Mette
(2022).
WP2 - Novel marine stressors and receptors.
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Nilsson, Anna & May, Roelof Frans
(2022).
Offshore wind power impacts on birds at Hywind Tampen.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2022).
Havvind og fugl - presentasjon av MARCIS og kunnskapsstatus.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2012).
Stochastic demography in fluctuating environments: theory and empirical patterns.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2012).
Making use of extracted phenology data: analyzing 35 years of dipper breeding phenology.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2010).
Causes and consequences of partial migration – using ringing recovery data for linking movement strategies with life-histories.
Show summary
In studies of partial migration, the question of interest is often approached in one of two ways. We either study the migratory process, where we typically have little or no knowledge of the breeding performance, or we study the breeding ecology and do not know exactly which individuals are migrating, dispersing or not surviving through the non-breeding season. This is due to our inability to track individuals close enough to follow them outside our window of study. With this study, we attempt to connect these two unfortunately disconnected processes of migration and breeding and thereby translate individual movement strategies into life-history ecology. Since 1973, we have studied a dipper Cinclus cinclus population in southernmost Norway. The dipper occupies a very specialized niche compared to other passerine partial migrants. It is an obligate specialist feeding on aquatic insects submerged in running fresh water. From the start of the study, individuals have been recovered abroad during winter, while others have been wintering in the study area. As all individuals are individually marked and the breeding ecology particularly well known in this system, we are able to relate movement strategies to breeding performance and survival. Ultimately, this enables us to place individual movement trajectories into a life-history context.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2010).
To make the most of what we have – extracting phenology data from nestling measurements.
Show summary
Among the most well documented examples of climate change is the change in timing of annual events. Changes in phenology have been particularly prominent among birds. To study the ecological and evolutionary effects of climate change, scientists need access to data that has been collected over long time periods. Many long-term studies on breeding birds include detailed information about individually marked parents and offspring, but does not include information on phenology, as this often requires an even larger field effort. We demonstrate how a study of repeated standard measurements of nestlings can be used for modeling nestling growth, and how this statistical model can be used to estimate timing of breeding also for birds with sparser data. Using data from our model system of a population of white-throated dippers Cinclus cinclus in southernmost Norway, studied from 1978 until present, we also demonstrate how the extracted estimates of timing of breeding can be used for studying the ecological effects of climate change.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2009).
Bird migration and climate change.
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Nilsson, Anna
(2008).
Flyttfåglar och klimatförändringar.
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Cordes, Line; Nilsson, Anna Lisa Kristina; Hamre, Øyvind & May, Roelof Frans
(2023).
Preliminary exploration of radar data from Lista covering the spring bird migration (2023). Migration for Development.
Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA).
ISSN 978-82-426-5211-9.
Show summary
The Migration for Development project is jointly funded by industry partners and put in place to complement and support the VisAviS collaborative research project funded by the Research Council of Norway. As part of the work, two avian radars were deployed at coastal locations in Norway to record seasonal bird migrations. Here, we present a preliminary investigation of the avian radar data collected at Lista (Farsund municipality) during spring 2023. Firstly, using radar tracks annotated by an observer, we showcase issues with how the radar classifies bird tracks (small, medium, large and flock). The radar tends to underestimate the size of birds and thereby provide an inflated estimate of numbers of small birds. We used the data from annotated tracks to provide improved categories of radar tracks and to explore flight characteristics of known bird species. Secondly, using all tracks collected by the radar, we filtered these based on likely migration flight characteristics, and present temporal and spatial patterns of probable migration tracks. There was temporal variation in the number of tracks recorded per day by the radar. Within a day, larger numbers of small birds were typically detected during the evening or night. There was a large proportion of low flying birds in or below the rotor swept zone vulnerable to collision with turbines. The radar detection range varied by category from 5 km for small birds to 13.6 km for larger flocks of large birds. However, given the issues with the way the radar classifies tracks, this report only presents a preliminary view of the avian radar data collected, and we discuss the next steps to be taken and plans for actual analysis of these data to be presented in the following report.
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Nilsson, Anna Lisa Kristina; Molværsmyr, Sindre; Breistøl, Arild; Hamre, Øyvind & Systad, Geir Helge Rødli
(2023).
Effekter på fugletrekket over Guleslettene. Etterundersøkelser ved Guleslettene vindkraftverk.
Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA).
ISSN 978-82-426-5024-5.
Show summary
Etterundersøkelsene bekreftet funnene fra forundersøkelsene av et omfattende fugletrekk over Guleslettene som årlig passerer vindkraftverket vår (mars-mai) og høst (juli-oktober). I møte med vindkraftverket kunne vi vise at fuglene trakk høyere og at flere gjorde unnvikelsesmanøvrer enn før det ble bygget. Det ble funnet totalt 105 drepte fugler de to årene det ble søkt etter kollisjonsofre, 31 om våren og 74 om høsten. Hver turbin drepte mellom null og fem fugler per trekksesong; Hoveddelen av fuglene som ble drept av turbinene i Guleslettene vindkraftverk var spurvefugl, noe som er i tråd med forventningene siden spurvefugl utgjør mesteparten av de forbitrekkende fuglene (visuelle observasjoner og songmeterdata). Kollisjonsfunnene inkluderer fem individer av rødlistede arter (fire heilo Pluvialis apricaria og en stær Sturnus vulgaris).
Spurvefugl er den mest tallrike gruppen fugler, men de er små og kan være utfordrende å finne i søkene etter kollisjonsdrepte fugler. Søkene etter kollisjonsofre ble gjort av hunder trent for formålet. Siden hundene på Guleslettene var dyktige til å finne mindre fugler selv i utfordrende værforhold, designet vi et eksperiment med utlegging av døde fugler for å estimere hvor stor den faktiske turbindødeligheten var. Større spurvefugler som stær og trost var klart lettere å finne (74 %) enn mindre spurvefugler som rødstrupe og heipiplerke (17 %), selv for godt trente hunder. Basert på dette estimerte vi at 400 fugler samlet sett ble drept under etterundersøkelsene 2021-2022 (341 små spurvefugler, 45 større småfugler samt 14 store fugler). Dette tilsvarer 0,77 drepte fugler per turbin og undersøkelsesmåned, eller 0,62 drepte fugler per produsert GWh. Det understrekes at dette er et estimat for vår- og høstsesongen, og inkluderer ikke sommer- eller vintersesongen.
En sammenligning av radardata fra vårsesongene i for- og etterundersøkelsene viste at fuglene som passerte Guleslettene om dagen trakk høyere etter utbygging enn før turbinene var på plass. Vi kunne også vise at flere fugler endret trekkretning i møte med turbinene i vindkraftverket. Dette tyder på at fuglene aktivt unnviker å fly gjennom vindkraftverket. Natt-trekket over Guleslettene gikk på samme høyde både før- og etter utbygging, noe som indikerer at nattrek-kende fugler kanskje ikke har samme muligheter til å oppdage hinder foran dem i luftlagene, og derfor er mer utsatt for kollisjon enn dagtrekkende arter. Siden trekkaktiviteten fortsatt var høy etter utbyggingen, og det faktisk ble registrert flere radarspor i etter- enn forundersøkelsen, trek-ker fuglene sannsynligvis gjennom området i like stor grad som før vindkraftverket ble bygget. Trekket foregår hovedsakelig om natten. Om høsten trakk også større finkeflokker gjennom området på formiddagstimene. Sammenligning av data fra songmetere (lyttebokser) og radar viste en større aktivitet om dagen av lydytrende fugler enn om natten, noe som indikerer at den store massen av nattrekkende fugler lager lite lyd, eller at de flyr for høyt for at lydene registreres av songmeterne. Deteksjonene fra radar og songmetere samvarierte i svært liten grad, og songmeterdata alene er dermed ikke egnet for å kvantifisere trekkaktivitet. Songmeteropptak, sammen med visuelle observasjoner, bidro derimot med artsbestemmelse av fuglene som trakk forbi.
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Zinke, Peggy & Nilsson, Anna
(2021).
Plan for vannforvaltning og forslag til tiltak i Nesheimsumpen naturreservat - Trinn 1
Med vekt på naturmangfoldet, karbonlagring i myr og flomdemping.
Sciencemonastery.
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Holtskog, Thorstein; Dervo, Børre Kind; Mjelde, Marit; Zinke, Peggy; Nygård, Magnus & Elvigen, Stine Wiger
[Show all 8 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Restaureringsplan for Gjølsjøen - 2020.
Dokkadeltaet Våtmarkssenter Rapport 2020-13.
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Jerstad, Kurt; Walseng, Bjørn; Nilsson, Anna & Røstad, Ole Wiggo
(2012).
Fossekallen i Lyngdalsvassdraget 1978-2011. Har kalking resultert i en bedre hekkesuksess?
Norsk institutt for naturforskning.
ISSN 978-82-426-2403-1.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Fossekallbestanden har variert fra 20 til 117 hekkende par i perioden 1978-2011. Til sammen er
det ved 158 hekkelokaliteter utført 4709 årssjekker. Middeltemperaturen under vinteren sammen
med nedbøren, tidspunktet for islegging på systemets største innsjø, samt NAO-indeks gir
de viktigste bidragene til å forklare svingningene i fossekallbestanden. De mest brukte hekkelokalitetene
har både størst andel vellykkede hekkeforsøk og produserer flest unger per kull. Det
er en direkte sammenheng mellom hekkesuksess og følgende fire variabler: bestandstetthet,
høyde over havet, skjul av reiret og kalking. Andel vellykkede hekkeforsøk går ned i år med høy
hekkebestand og avtar med høyde over havet. Ungekullstørrelsen viser også at det i gjennomsnitt
blir produsert flere unger per kull i de lavereliggende områder. En bedre hekkesuksess i
lavereliggende områder er tilfelle også når kalkede lokaliteter utelukkes. Andel vellykkede hekkeforsøk
var større når reirene lå skjult enn når de lå åpent eller synlig. Dette resulterte i at reir
bak foss og inne i bruer, som oftest lå skjult, gjorde det bra. Et unntak var ”på stein i
elva/fossen” der 78,8 % var vellykket til tross for at disse alltid lå åpent eller synlig. Legger vi til
grunn lokaliteter som er, eller har vært berørt av kalking, har andelen vellykkede hekkeforsøk
vært signifikant høyere i en kalket situasjon sammenlignet med en ukalket situasjon. Antall unger
produsert pr hunn har også vært større. Etter etableringen av kalkdosereren ved Rossevatn
har antall hekkende par på strekningen nedstrøms blitt redusert, noe som antakelig skyldes en
endret tilgang på byttedyr.
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Published
May 26, 2011 9:50 PM
- Last modified
Nov. 1, 2021 2:05 PM