Comparing Satellite and Digital Radio Telemetry to Estimate Space and Habitat Use of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in Massachusetts, USA

Abstract. The use of digital VHF telemetryis expanding as a lightweight alternative to satellite-based technologies for tracking bird movements, though few studies have compared how they perform. During 2013, satellite telemetryand digital VHF telemetrywere compared for estimating the length of stay and home rangesof American Oystercatchers(Haematopus palliatus) on their breeding grounds in Massachusetts, USA. American Oystercatchers(n = 5) were captured at their nest sites and tagged with a 9.5-g solar-powered satellitetransmitter and a 1.0-g digitally coded VHF transmitter, and tracked using the Argos satellitesystem, an array of eight automated radio telemetrystations, and periodic land-based and aerial telemetrysurveys. Estimates of mean minimum length of stay in the study area were slightly longer for satellite telemetryat 118 ± 12 days vs. digital VHF telemetryat 108 ± 11 days. Size estimates of mean (± SE) fixed kernel 95% utilization distributionswere similar for satellite telemetry(...