Outdoor recreational activities are widely regarded as significant threats to both migratory and resident waterbirds, many of which are experiencing population declines. Emerging water sports like kitesurfing have the potential to disturb waterbirds, yet limited information is currently available on their impacts. In order to help address this knowledge gap, we evaluated whether a relationship exists between kitesurfing activity and changes in waterbird abundance over time in Laguna Garzon, Uruguay. Generalized linear models were fitted using a database of 19 systematic bird counts, conducted twice a year in summer and winter between 2005 and 2019. In addition, a survey of 75 kitesurfers who use the lagoon was conducted to assess usage patterns of the area. We found that the abundance of birds at the site drastically decreased during 15 years as the influx of kitesurfers increased. The decrease was only in the waterbirds that use the body water or shorelines and it was more accentuated in summer, coinciding in space and time with kitesurfing activity. These results are consistent with a negative impact of kitesurfing on birds, although other factors may have contributed. We conclude that further research on kitesurfing activity in the lagoon is needed to develop regulatory practices that balance recreational use with bird conservation.

Nocturnal predation by Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a major cause of nest failure for Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and other waterbirds, but few management techniques exist to reduce it. In 2021, an experiment investigated whether artificial lights reduced nocturnal activity of night herons at a tern colony and decreased nest predation. An Experimental Area, with sixteen low-intensity solar garden lights, was established adjacent to an unlighted Control. Tern and heron behaviors were monitored by trail cameras taking time-lapse and motion-sensitive photos and videos; predation was recorded during site visits. Night herons were detected six times less frequently in the Experimental Area than in the Control and fewer tern chicks and eggs were predated in the Experimental Area. Common Terns attended their nests 25% longer in the Experimental Area, but no obvious behavioral changes could be detected. Night heron activity and predation intensity were therefore lower in the presence of artificial lights. Thus, it appears that artificial lighting can modulate night heron hunting activity in tern colonies by changing illumination intensity. Artificial lights have promise as a management tool to reduce night heron predation at tern colonies.

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a generalist predator that forages from saltwater to grassy uplands. We sought to understand how tide and season influence heron habitat use throughout the estuarine and farmed grasslands of Fidalgo Bay and the adjacent Samish Flats in Skagit County, Washington, U.S.A. We counted 168 herons along 51 road transect surveys through both ecosystems across various tidal heights during the summer and winter (2023–2024). We subsequently applied negative binomial generalized linear models to the summer and winter datasets to examine the interaction between tidal height and location. In the summer, heron counts negatively correlated with tidal height in Fidalgo Bay, with fewer herons observed as tidal height increased. Herons did not forage in the bay in winter as daily tides were never low. Heron abundance in the Samish Flats was unrelated to tidal height in the adjacent marine environment. However, seasonality influenced heron counts, with more herons using the grasslands in the winter than summer. These findings contribute to a growing understanding of how abiotic factors may couple the use of marine and terrestrial environments by wading birds and highlight the importance of considering the juxtaposition of lands when planning for conservation.

Studying the breeding patterns and diet of conspicuous predators is a useful way to understand the structure of marine coastal food webs. The Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania, hosts a significant portion of the West African population of a widespread and conspicuous fish predator, the Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia. At two small islands, the relatively offshore Arel and the inshore Zira, in the Parc National du Banc d'Arguin, the size of the colonies and the timing of the first wave of breeding were measured during the breeding seasons 2015–2018. At Arel, the summed number of nests counted varied between 128 in 2015 to 306 in 2018 and at Zira between 375 in 2015 to 279 in 2018. Breeding at Arel commenced about a month later than at Zira. During the breeding season of 2016, the diet of Caspian Terns was assessed by the identification of hard items found in pellets collected near nests. All of these appeared to be parts of fish (e.g., otoliths, bones, vertebrae, scales, bullae and atlas). Despite the effort, for Arel 47% and for Zira 45% of the fish parts remained unidentified. Nevertheless, diet composition differed in interesting ways between the two colonies. At offshore Arel, the identifiable part of the diet consisted primarily of pelagic species, namely Hemiramphidae, while at inshore Zira, pellets consisted primarily of bentho-pelagic prey, namely Cichlids. Repeated sampling across years may show whether the evidence for earlier inshore breeding holds up and is consistently correlated with dietary differences.

The California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni) population is declining in California, U.S.A., but little is known about the Least Tern population breeding in the Gulf of California, México. Because of this decline in California, it is important to determine current distribution, population trends, and movements in the nearby Gulf of California. Emigration from coastal California to the Gulf of California is one possible reason for the decline. We analyzed Least Tern colony counts to provide an overview of its current breeding distribution, abundance trends, and connectivity in the Gulf of California. We documented 84 nesting sites, including 61 extant, 10 historic, and 13 sites of unknown status. We estimated the Gulf of California population to be 2,400–3,500 adults, breeding in the 61 extant colonies. Colonies here were small, averaging 49 adults/colony. Most colonies occurred in the Upper Gulf, Gulf Entrance, and on the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula. We estimated a significant negative trend for the population of the Gulf of California. We found no marked individuals in the Gulf of California nesting colonies banded in California or the Baja California peninsula, indicating no regular movement away from coastal California.

The current biodiversity crisis shows that many species struggle to cope with the drastic changes driven by human expansion, yet some thrive in human-altered environments. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) populations have grown considerably in recent decades, due to their ability to exploit anthropogenic food waste. Thousands of storks now rely on landfills and rubbish dumps year-round, as feeding on anthropogenic subsidies reduces travelling and foraging times, thus lowering overall energetic costs. This steady food supply has altered movement patterns, enabling year-round nest use and influencing home-ranges and affecting breeding and non-breeding behaviours. This shift in the dietary regime has significantly impacted migratory behaviour, with an increasing number of storks wintering in Southern Europe, closer to their breeding grounds, or even abandoning migration entirely. Feeding on landfill waste improves body condition, reproduction and survival, influencing population dynamics and distribution. However, this behaviour may produce contrasting impacts that remain largely unquantified, by significantly increasing the risk of pathogen infections, poisoning and ingestion of foreign bodies, which can affect storks' health and survival. While reducing food waste remains a global challenge, understanding the ecological and evolutionary implications of human-provided food on White Storks is critical for conservation and addressing broader human-wildlife conflicts.