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April 2022

The Audubon Bird Research Email Newsletter provides you with monthly updates outlining the work we are doing as part of the scientific research initiative at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. You will also receive emails when we are in need of volunteers for projects. Suggestions and questions regarding the newsletter can be sent to Dr. Charles Clarkson, Audubon Director of Avian Research, cclarkson@asri.org.

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Upcoming Avian Research at Audubon

For those of you that have been keeping up with the newly established Avian Research Initiative at Audubon, you know that we have been primarily focused on collecting baseline data of bird abundance and distribution across our wildlife refuges. This information is vital to our ability to track changes in these metrics through time as well as design conservation and management programs that have the greatest impact possible.

As this data collection continues through the migratory and breeding seasons, additional targeted research is underway which will work in tandem with these surveys to lend even more insight into the health of our habitats and their ability to provide for the needs of birds using protected open space. As one of the state’s largest conservation landholders, the data we collect on Audubon parcels can serve as a bellwether for the remainder of Rhode Island’s protected forests, wetlands and grasslands.

Beginning this Spring, the following two targeted research initiatives will commence at Audubon:

Acoustic Monitoring as a Tool for Effective Conservation

Neonicotinoid Exposure to Birds on Refuges

Neonicotinoid Insecticides (NNIs) are known to impact the health and function of ecosystems within and adjacent to agricultural zones, where they are commonly applied to manage crop pests. Most research to date has focused on the ability of NNIs to impact the physiology of invertebrates (target and non-target species) and vertebrates (mammals, birds and fish) living within these ecosystems. Due to their high water-solubility and low soil-binding properties, NNIs have also been shown to contaminate aquatic environments where they can impact aquatic food webs. Many invertebrate species spend their larval stage in aquatic habitats where they can bioaccumulate sublethal amounts of organic chemicals and heavy metals present in these systems. When these insects emerge into the adjacent terrestrial habitats as adults, they are often consumed by birds that forage and nest in riparian zones. While no studies have investigated the accumulation and impacts of NNIs in these species, studies of methylmercury have shown that certain avian species can accumulate contaminants in high levels, impacting nesting success and survival.


Who is that?

Blog: Bird Research at Audubon

Well over 1 MILLION birds passed over Rhode Island on the evening of September 10-11, 2024. The following morning, Audubon Director of Avian Research Dr. Charles Clarkson hit the streets in Downtown Providence to see how these birds fared.

A bird’s food may be small but it plays a clear and critical role in species survival, not to mention habitat conservation and ecosystem balance, both important for wildlife and humans alike. This effort to create a “Bird Food Baseline” is part of the overall RI Audubon Avian Research Initiative.

Birds' lives are tough and their work is nonstop. The very least we can do to ensure their success is to make their jobs as easy as possible…by protecting habitats and resources critical to their needs.


Learn More About Bird Research at Audubon