Waterfowl Tracking VHF and GPS Data Relative to Sacramento Delta Fog and Clean Air Act

Heavy fog was hypothesized to interfere with flight of waterfowl by obscuring visibility and cause waterfowl to fly more in search for habitat below, which in turn, is likely to increase bioenergetic (caloric) cost related to increased time flying. The data sets include variables used to analyze the relationship between fog characteristics (occurrence, density, and longevity) and flight activity (likelihood flying vs. not flying) of waterfowl, specifically of northern pintail (Anas acuta) during winter in the Central Valley of California, U.S. From analysis of pintail telemetry and fog observations for years 1991-93 and 2015-2023 using these data sets, the researchers inferred effects of fog reduction on the bioenergetics of waterfowl and related conservation implications since administration of the federal Clean Air Act (1972) (see related publication "Clean Air Standards, a Win-win for Human Health and Bird Conservation" for more details).