Do weather and moon have any influence on spotlighting mammals? The case of hare in upland ecosystem

Abstract

Nocturnal spotlight survey is a common census technique for many mammal species. The influence of abiotic factors may be essential for the appropriate design of censuses, however this method has not been examined sufficiently in relation to abiotic factors such as weather conditions and the moon. We tested their influence for a commonly counted species, the brown hare (Lepus europaeus). Spotlight surveys were conducted at certain night time and transects in three upland Mediterranean areas, at different times of the year, different moon phases and under a variety of weather conditions. Wind speed and direction had an influence on hare counts with stronger winds resulted in fewer juvenile hares being observed, and more hares were counted when wind was blowing from the hare towards the vehicle. No significant effects were found from the other factors probably due to the intense relief and thick vegetation of the studied areas. © 2015, ALÖKI Kft.