By: Bradley Pierce, Kalli Bell, Darcy Baynes, and Jackson Martini.
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Transcript of By: Bradley Pierce, Kalli Bell, Darcy Baynes, and Jackson Martini.
Biodiversity of Songbirds in Harford Glen
By: Bradley Pierce, Kalli Bell, Darcy Baynes, and Jackson Martini
Background information Due to the fact that the pines were very close
together, they suffered a pine bark beetle infestation. Harford Glen managed the situation by clear-cutting the pines in March of 2007.
Problem
The biodiversity of songbirds across the United States is declining .
“Forests are critical to the long-term health of
bird populations, and public lands are often the largest blocks of unfragmented forest in many regions. Public forests are crucial for the recovery of endangered species, such as the Kirtland’s Warbler which has 97 percent of its U.S. distribution on public lands.”
www.stateofthebirds.org
Issue How has the stewardship of Harford Glen affected
it’s environment?
“The state of our birds is a measurable indicator of how well we are doing as stewards of our environment, and the signal is clear. Greater bird conservation efforts are needed to realize the vision of a nation sustained economically, biologically and spiritually by abundant natural resources and spectacular wildlife in perpetuity.”
www.stateofthebirds.org
Research Question How has the clear-cut of pines affected the
biodiversity of songbirds in Harford Glen?
Study Design= Bird Banding+ Data Analysis Set up mist netsUntangled birds from mist netsPut them in paper bagsTook them to banding station pavilion and banded
themRecorded the following data:
Sex/age/speciesWing and tail measurement FatSkulling
Analyzed data 4 years and 4 months before and after the clear-cut
(NOTE :This is a baseline study)
Necessary Resources
CamerasMist netsPaper bags Bird banding equipmentBanding data sheetsBird i.d. guidesBirds Bird banders & net tendersComputersBird banding data
Unfortunately, during this detailed process we all developed A.O.D. (Avian Overload Disorder), which is only curable by having a 5 minute DANCE PARTY!!!!
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-110
10
20
30
40
50
60 Songbird Biodiversity at Harford Glen
Years Before and After Clearcut (March 2007)
# S
on
gb
ird
s
Sp
ecie
s B
an
ded
Conclusions Inferences
Songbird diversity did not significantly change from 2002-2011
The clear-cut occurring in March of 2007, does not appear to have an effect on overall songbird diversity at HG
Some species could have left the area, while other species may have preferred the new open habitat. Overall, this would support the fact that species diversity did not change
Recommendations1) Continue to monitor songbird diversity by
banding birds at Harford Glen2) Analyze WHICH species were caught in the
area before and after the clear-cut3) Continue to be good stewards of the
Harford Glen property
TAKE ACTION!!
1. Continue to band birds in future years2. Continue to monitor and repair bird boxes3. Inform others about the importance of
songbirds and monitoring them through bird banding
4. Analyze data annually and determine whether the clear-cut impacted WHAT species are caught
AcknowledgementsMrs. Melanie Reichley and Miss Olivia
Blondheim for helping us band the birdsSusan B. Heselton for sharing her data and
equipment with usKenneth Heselton for clearing the net lanes for
us Our parents for allowing us to participate Mrs. Mary Murray and Mr. Eric Cromwell for
running the summer center Mr. Andy Smith and Mr. Chris Burley for
teaching us the process