112 Wigeon vigilance on golf courses
©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl
(2013) 63: 105–114
can offer relatively predator- or risk-free
habitats while providing enhanced
individual fitness such as increased intake
rate associated with lower anti-predatory
behaviour (Sorace 2002; Valcarcel &
Fernández-Juricic 2009).
Golf courses are likely attractive habitats
for wintering and migrating American
Wigeon because they provide ideal grazing
substrate (
i.e.
fertilised grass fairways,
maintained at a short sward height) and
minimal time spent in head-up vigilance (as
illustrated by vigilance accounting for only
< 7 % of the activity budget, Table 1) which
may allow birds to allocate more time to
fitness-enhancing behaviours, such as resting,
maintenance, and feeding. Golf courses
therefore may be suitable supplementary
habitats for American Wigeon in areas where
conversion of their natural habitat (
i.e.
coastal
saltmarsh or pastureland) to other land uses
(
e.g.
residential development) has occurred,
although further research is needed to
determine how they utilise golf courses
throughout the annual cycle, at larger spatial
scales, and in conjunction with natural
habitats.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the Fallbrook Golf Club for
access to study sites and to L.T. Berl for aid
with field work and data collection. I thank
B.D. Dugger, A.D. Fox, J.M. Black, J.W.
Edwards, A.M. Anderson, G.F. Albers and
an anonymous reviewer for commenting on
earlier versions of the manuscript.
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