Ecology and management of overabundant bird populations

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The objectives of my research program are to study the ecology of overabundant bird populations and to evaluate different management measures within the general framework of adaptive management. Monitoring the establishment of an increasing bird population such as the Giant Canada Geese in southern Quebec will contribute to further develop population regulation theory. In the next 5 years, I propose to determine the relative effects of survival, reproductive output, and immigration on population growth. The breeding population of Canada Geese in southern Quebec offers a unique opportunity to determine when and how density-dependent effects will take place. More specifically, I propose to determine whether nest-site availability is becoming a limiting factor on the Varennes islands and which demographic parameters are influencing population growth. Second, I want to verify whether the moult migration of temperate-nesting geese from southern Ontario and north-eastern United States is linked to immigration of birds into the breeding population. My third objective is to explore the mechanisms and adaptive significance of brood mixing in Canada Geese. Finally, I want to evaluate the impact of repeated nesting failures on bird dispersal. The need and the proposed measures to conserve endangered species usually generate wide consensus among scientists, stakeholders, and the public. In contrast, the management of overabundant wildlife populations does not usually engender such consensus about both the objectives and the means to achieve them. Knowledge about the relative effects of survival and reproductive parameters on population growth will help managers to make decisions about which parameters to influence through management.