Productivity, mortality, and response to disturbance of nesting Swainson's hawks on the Hanford Site

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5212015· OSTI ID:5212015

Poole, L D; Marr, N V; McCorquodale, S M

The objectives of this study were to characterize Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainson) use of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site and to evaluate the potential for engineering and other human activities on the Hanford Site to negatively affect the nesting Swainson's hawk population. Activities associated with the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) were used as the primary external stimuli in studying hawk responses to potential human disturbance. Parked and moving vehicles were the most common disturbance sources observed in Swainson's hawk territories. Hawks appeared to be sensitive to disturbance from pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles near nests. Novel stimuli were much more likely to evoke strong responses than were recurring events. Adult hawks reacted more frequently and vigorously than did juveniles. When disturbed, adult hawks usually flew toward the location of the disturbance; juvenile hawks usually flew away from disturbances. Human activity associated with BWIP may have had negative on one pair of nesting Swainson's hawks and may have precluded the use of an additional traditional nesting territory. Negative impacts to nesting Swainson's hawks from human activity could be minimized by confining activities to the non-nesting period or to distances greater than 2.2 km from nest sites. Tree groves and elevated perches, including utility poles, across the Hanford Site are probably critical to the success of nesting Swainson's hawks. Potential mitigation strategies associated with energy research and development activities on the Hanford Site could include provisions for maintenance and establishment of drought-tolerant trees and native vegetation. 22 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5212015
• Report Number(s): PNL-6496; ON: DE88007919
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BIRDS
MORTALITY
PRODUCTIVITY
HANFORD RESERVATION
BASELINE ECOLOGY
VEHICLES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
AGE DEPENDENCE
AGE GROUPS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MITIGATION
NESTS
REPRODUCTION
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
ANIMALS
ECOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
510500* - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage