During my stay at this reserve, I will be collecting flight-initiation distance data. Data will be gathered following a standard protocol. Using binoculars, birds will identified from afar and I will begin to approach the bird by walking towards it in a straight line and at a constant speed (ca. 0.5 m/s). The distance at which I begin to approach a bird will be recorded as the Starting Distance (SD). The distance at which the bird first shows signs of being alarmed (e.g., the bird ruffles its feathers or orients its body towards me) would be recorded as the Alert Distance (AD), and the distance at which the bird begins to flee will be recorded as the Flight Initiation Distance (FID). Individuals who already seem to be engaged in alarmed behaviors will not be approached. I will need to go on and off of trails in order to called the FID data.

Approved