Methods
To assess the effects of golf course habitats on bluebird reproduction, we monitored150 SchweglerÆ ìwoodcreteî nestboxes in control habitat (hayfields and pastures) and others on golf courses (25 on each of four courses in 1999, 33 on each of 6 courses in 2000) near Davidson, NC. We made weekly visits to all nestboxes from early March through early August. For these analyses, we collected the following data: first egg date (FED: date on which the first egg of the first clutch is laid), clutch size (number of eggs laid in a nest), brood size (number of chicks raised in a nest), and nestling condition (residuals from a mass/wing regression; i.e, how heavy a chick is for a given wing length). To control for possible pseudoreplication, the condition of alpha chicks and entire broods were analyzed separately. All error bars represent standard error.
| Previous slide | Next slide | Back to first slide | View graphic version |