Waterbird responses to experimental drawdown: implications for the multispecies management of wetland mosaics

Summary The loss and human modification of wetlands world‐wide underscores the importance of efficient management. For wetlands that provide habitats for non‐breeding waterbirds, such management often aims to support a rich and abundant waterbird community. Among the world's many seasonal, moist‐soil managed wetlands, annual winter flooding is followed by spring drawdown to encourage germination of waterfowl food plants. Recommendations on how best to maintain flooded wetlands for multiple species are mostly theoretical, and drawdown management typically focuses on spring for migrating shorebirds. The benefits and drawbacks of shallow‐water management in winter have not been examined, especially where sizeable populations of wintering shorebirds and waterfowl occur together. We considered The Grasslands Ecological Area in California's Central Valley, USA, as a model wetland complex in which to assess optimal winter flood‐depth for multispecies use. We also examined the relative benefits for each waterbird group (e.g. shorebirds and waterfowl) of drawdowns conducted in winter and spring. We experimentally dewatered wetlands of measured topography in the winter and spring of 1994–95, documenting changes in waterbird species richness and abundance associated with daily changes in habitat diversity and availability. Results indicated limited regional availability of shallow‐water habitat across the landscape in winter but not spring, as use by shorebirds and teal increased on drawndown wetlands in winter only. Use by deeper‐water dabbling ducks and diving waterbirds declined during the later stages of drawdown in both seasons, but not until use by shorebirds and teal had peaked. The maximum diversity and abundance of waterbirds occurred at average depths of 10–20 cm on wetlands with topographic gradients of 30–40 cm. This study has important implications for the winter management of seasonal wetland complexes, especially moist‐soil systems where managers provide habitat for different waterbird groups (from shorebirds to diving waterbirds) simultaneously. In general, where topography is variable (e.g. a difference of 30–40 cm between the deepest and shallowest zones), wetlands flooded to average depths of 15–20 cm should accommodate the greatest richness and abundance of waterbirds.