Observations and Considerations on Appropriate Buffer Zones and Limiting Disturbance to Nesting Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) During a Large Scale Construction Project

摘要

W hen nesting birds are present, it is important to establish buffer zones around bird nests that appropriately reflect different levels of human disturbance. In general, buffer zone size will depend on the bird species, the amount of time and level of disturbance intensity to which a nest will be exposed (Blumstein et al. 2003, 2005) and, in some cases, the professional judgement of the environmental professional on a project. A survey of the literature can provide examples of varying buffer zone dis- tances for the same species (Stantec Consulting Ltd. 2013), but limited information exists on the success of different buffer zone distances by species on hatching success.