HABITAT ASSOCIATION VS. POPULATION TRENDS

FOR FOREST BIRDS

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I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Habitats and populations 1

Habitats– continued 2

BCR Web statistics 3

Field station 4

Arts and Academic videos

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Membership 6

B I R D C O N S E RVAT I O N V O L U M E 1 9 , N U M B E R 1 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Percent comparison of seasonal population trends vs. habitat use by forest bird species. N = 84 summer, 45 winter. FI = forest interior, ES = edge and

successional habitats, G = generalist.

As we complete final editing of the Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island, we con-tinue to refine the Re-sults and Discussion section of this work. This section examines the forest bird community as

a whole. As part of this community analysis, we have exam-ined population trends of the species we encoun-tered during surveys and compared these trends to species’ habitat associa-

tions. By dividing habitat associations into three broad categories (see fig-ure above), patterns emerge. In summer, pop-ulation increases are most prevalent among forest interior inhabitants,

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“patterns ... may also be

related to community productivity

and, therefore, to the ability of landscapes to

support a rich, dense

bird assemblage.”

We have pioneered the computation of im-portance values for bird species, and compute them by examining each species’ biomass, contri-bution to community den-sity and frequency of oc-currence across land-scapes. The spring news-letter will consider this topic more fully.

FOREST BIRDS -C ON T IN UE D

whereas declines are greatest among species associated with succes-sional habitats. Habitat generalists show the least tendency for population change. In winter, the patterns dif-fer markedly, with edge species experiencing the greatest increases. Habi-tat generalists have both the most declines and the most species showing no population trends. Indeed, the majority of species that winter in southern New England are best classified as generalists. We have also examined

I n s u m m e r , c o m m u n i t y s p e c i e s r i c h n e s s i s d i r e c t l y r e -

l a t e d t o c o m m u n i t y p o p u l a t i o n d e n s i t y .

the relationship of species number to population density (see above), and determined that in both summer and winter spe-cies richness grows with community density. Such patterns are interpreted as being in part a statisti-cal sampling phenome-non, but they may also be related to community productivity and, there-fore, to the ability of land-scapes to support a rich, dense bird assemblage. Still another aspect of community patterns that we are investigating is something we refer to as community importance.

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Bird Conservat ion Page 3

“As we continue to unveil new

products, we expect that our viewership will

continue to grow.”

BCR’s web site has grown it audience greatly since first premiering in its present form in 2007. During these years, view-ership has increased by six times. Particularly researchers, teachers and students visit the site, where they make use of scientific publications and such teaching resources as PowerPoints, lab activities and videos. Our scientific publications now reach an audience size similar to that of traditional scientific journals. Among the most popular

materials downloaded over the past year are our Pow-erPoint presentations on energy flow, southern New England habitats and bio-logical communities, our lab investigation on popu-lation growth, and our sci-entific publications on birds of the tropical Pacific, for-est birds of southern New England, and marsh birds. After a lull in promoting our web site in 2015 during the setup of our publishing partner, Arts and Academ-ic Publishing, in 2016 we have again posted weekly blogs (http://birdconservationre-search.blogspot.com/) that have directed traffic to our

BCR’S WEB OFFERINGS REACH WIDE AUDIENCE

site. As we continue to unveil new products, we expect that our viewer-ship will continue to grow. We plan to release Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island this year and are also in the process of developing an online course in endan-gered species conserva-tion, so we will have a number of new offerings to promote.

V i s i t o r s h i p o f t h e B C R w e b s i t e h a s g r o w n a t a r a t e o f

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Bird Conservat ion Volume 19 , Issue 1

“We are most interested in capturing,

marking and recapturing

birds making use of

agricultural lands and

their immediate borders.“

FIELD STATION UPDATE

This Song Sparrow was one of the first birds banded this past year.

The BCR field station began its first banding season this past year with a number of trial runs to find suitable cap-ture locations. We are most interested in cap-turing, marking and re-capturing birds making use of agricultural lands and their immediate bor-ders. We have now identified some promising loca-tions from which to sam-ple the birds using these

habitats. In particular, we wish to discover the im-portance of local agricul-tural landscapes in host-ing migratory birds not necessarily associated with New England. Our working hypothesis is that New England farm-lands are important as migratory stopovers for typically Midwestern and open country inhabitants. To date, we have ob-served a surprising varie-ty of such species within

the confines of the field station. Such species as Vesper and Clay-colored sparrows have appeared, as well as large concentrations of Horned Larks. As re-cently as several weeks ago, we have even rec-orded a rare Peregrine Falcon hunting and roosting on the proper-ty.

Page 4

Bird Conservat ion Volume 19 , Issue 1

“Wildlife of estuarine

wetlands are distinctive, and include species like the Seaside and Sharp-

tailed sparrows.“

ARTS AND ACADEMIC VIDEOS

The Sharp-tailed Sparrow is a characteristic inhabitant of salt meadow habitats of the coastline.

In addition to terrestrial biomes, aquatic biomes are also recog-nized. Those examined in the next video in the Living World lecture se-ries of Arts and Academ-ic Publishing include es-tuaries and their vegetat-ed wetlands, including salt marshes and man-grove swamps. Wildlife of estuarine wetlands are distinctive, and include species like the Seaside and Sharp-tailed spar-rows. Adaptations of

these species for the stressful physical condi-tions of the estuary are considered. Marine ecosystems are explored next, and inves-tigate the habitats that make them up. These include the intertidal realm, benthic environ-ments and pelagic envi-ronments. These envi-ronments are further sub-divided into zones, and the characteristics of each are considered. All

these topics related to the National AP Envi-ronmental Sci-ence curriculum.

Page 5

The Newsletter of

Bird Conservation Research, Inc.

P.O. Box 209

Pomfret, CT 06258

Web:

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g

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