| I studied on Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and surrounding lands in central New York in 2003 and 2004 to (1) estimate survival and nest success of female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and (2) evaluate waterbird and emergent vegetation responses on hydrologically managed and non-managed WRP wetlands.; I radiomarked and monitored 60 female mallards and, using program MARK, modeled and estimated survival probabilities of females (0.68--0.87) and their nests (0.27--0.37). Survival probabilities of females and nests were comparable with other mallard populations and suggested potential for stable or increasing breeding population size.; I exposed substrates in 5 WRP wetlands and did not manage 5 other WRP wetlands. Summer drawdowns stimulated re-vegetation of basins by 25 plant species beneficial to waterbirds as food and cover. I generally detected significantly more species and greater densities of waterbirds on managed than non-managed wetlands from spring-fall, implying periodic drawdowns improved duality of restored wetlands for waterbirds. |
