Multi-scale examination of stopover habitat use by migrant shorebirds

Scope and Method of Study: Surveys of wetland stopover habitats for migrant shorebirds were conducted within broad-scale landscapes in north-central Oklahoma from 2007 thru 2009. The response of wetland shorebird habitat to weather patterns was examined and a metric was developed to measure changes in the composition and configuration of shorebird habitat within landscapes. I subsequently examined the response of shorebirds to the density of wetland habitats at different spatial scales, the amount of different wetland habitats and peripheral land cover types at a landscape level and intra habitat and habitat context characteristics at a patch level.