May 2023
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As we begin the second year of breeding season data collection across our refuges, there is a great deal of progress to celebrate already, including the production of the first-ever “State of Our Birds” report in January of 2023. Since the inception of Audubon’s Avian Research Initiative, we have engaged in a number of projects across our refuges and this breeding season, we will be collecting additional data on our refuges and the birds that occupy them. Here are some highlights from the Avian Research Initiative.
The Release of “The State of Our Birds, Part 2”
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State of Our Birds Report Part II: Migration - The current status and suggested conservation actions for birds migrating through Audubon Society of Rhode Island wildlife refuges
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The second part of our “State of Our Birds” report is currently available for download on our website. The first part of the report, released on 28 January 2023, addressed bird diversity, distribution and habitat association across our refuges during the breeding and overwintering periods. The second part of our report addresses the periods of spring and fall migration. Specifically, the report begins to elucidate the chronology of birds that pass through our state.
As we grapple with the impacts of climate change on our biodiversity, understanding how and when birds use our properties during migration is essential to our capacity to conserve these vital resources. The concept of “phenological mismatch” is nothing new, but is perhaps the greatest threat to all migratory birds. As individual birds and entire populations become increasingly out-of-phase with the resources they depend on, declining overwinter survival, increased migration mortality and reduced reproductive success all follow suit. The result is long-term population decline, which is already evident in multiple species found throughout Rhode Island and New England.
The second part of the “State of Our Birds” report focuses on the timing of passage and the turnover in avian communities during periods of spring and fall migration. When, on average, certain species move through our state, how long individuals stay to refuel on our refuges and the capacity of our refuges to provide essential resources to birds undergoing both long- and short-distance migration is critical information to amass. Although the report covers only a single year of migration, it begins to establish these metrics and identify gaps in our understanding that can be filled in subsequent years of study. The report serves as a snapshot of avian migratory behavior and, as with all aspects of nature, in order to capture the variability that occurs in our habitats and their use by birds within and between years, we will plan to continue collecting data every year until we have a detailed understanding of how birds use our refuges in an “average” year and what needs to be done to meet the unique demands of the warblers, flycatchers, thrushes, blackbirds, tanagers and others that pass through our state.
I invite you to download and read the second part of our report, keeping in mind that the data contained therein are just the beginning of a long but essential period of data collection. The full-annual cycle of a bird is taxing and involves as tremendous amount of energy expenditure. It is our goal to ensure that when choosing to nest, overwinter or migrate through our properties, birds are always able to meet and exceed those energetic costs. Audubon properties should serve as a lifeline for all birds, all the time.
Responsibility Bird Monitoring
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Audubon Society of Rhode Island's Responsibility Birds (top left to bottom right): Black-and-white Warbler, Barn Swallow, Chimney Swift, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Wood Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager
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This summer, individuals and teams of dedicated volunteers will be combing our publicly accessible refuges to gather detailed nesting data for all 9 of our “Responsibility Birds” (for a list of these species and information about the work we are doing, please read “The State of Our Birds, Part 1”). Close to 100 people attended online training sessions for this monitoring project. The data collection protocol, which will focus on the documentation of breeding behavior and habitat use, will be instrumental to the creation of highly effective management plans that will help not only these 9 species, but the multitude of associated birds that reside in these same habitats.
Concurrent to these volunteer surveys, close to 200 point counts will be conducted across both our public and non-public refuges, allowing for the refinement of models depicting avian distribution, relative abundance and habitat associations. In addition, the targeted deployment of our 6 acoustic recording units (ARUs) on select refuges will enable us to begin modeling the change in avian communities along forest edge – forest interior gradients.
At the end of this breeding season, we will have enough data to begin creating detailed management plans for species based on their population size, habitat preferences and sensitivity to forest fragmentation. Look for the release of technical reports and addendums to our current reports by mid- to late-fall 2023.
There is still time to contribute to data collection! If you are (or someone you know is) interested in assisting with data collection, please reach out to the director of avian research (cclarkson@asri.org) to get a copy of the “Responsibility Bird Monitoring Training Manual” and begin contributing your data!
Neonicotinoid Analysis
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As we continue to fight for the regulated use of (and push for an outright ban on) neonicotinoids, it is incumbent on us to determine whether these pervasive and deleterious compounds are making their way onto our refuges.
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Beginning this month, we will be analyzing water samples from across our refuges for the presence of neonicotinoid pesticides. This class of chemical is a known toxin to aquatic invertebrates and birds and poses a real threat to biodiversity. These pesticides have been banned in certain European countries, are currently banned in Maine and New Jersey and are restricted for licensed use only in Massachusetts. Here in Rhode Island, Audubon has been fighting diligently to limit the use of these chemicals and, although we’ve managed to make neonicotinoids a restricted-use pesticide, there is pressure from multiple groups in the state to weaken these restrictions. The potential negative effects of using these chemicals cannot be overstated.
An assessment released this month by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlines the adverse impacts of neonicotinoids on both species (invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, mammals and plants) and habitats. As we continue to fight for the regulated use of (and push for an outright ban on) this class of chemicals, it is incumbent on us to determine whether these pervasive and deleterious compounds are making their way onto our refuges. By partnering with an analytical lab at the University of Rhode Island, we are spearheading a campaign to create a testing facility that is capable of processing samples from here in Rhode Island and throughout the region, in order to determine the presence of neonicotinoids across the landscape.
MOTUS Tower Installation
On Tuesday, 25 April, the long-awaited MOTUS tower was installed at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol (see the images below!) The tower, which is part of a growing international wildlife tracking network, will enable us to determine which species pass overhead during periods of migration, adding to the collective data on the migratory behavior of birds, bats and insects. The MOTUS network (MOTUS.org) represents a large collaborative effort by multiple international organizations to utilize automated radio telemetry to track individuals of over 300 species of wildlife as they undergo both long- and short-distance movements. MOTUS towers and associated wildlife tags are found in 34 countries where over 38,000 individual animals have been tagged. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island is now yet another collaborator in this international project to better understand the movements of animals (along with close to 2,000 partner organizations).
The technology behind the MOTUS network is conceptually straightforward. Individuals (birds, bats or insects) are fitted with small radiotransmitter tags, which transmit a signal on a particular frequency (166.38 Mhz). An array of automated receiver stations (MOTUS towers) are scattered across the landscape and are all programmed to monitor this frequency. Individuals passing within 10 miles (under ideal conditions) are detected by the towers and, when combined with detections across multiple additional towers, provide data on timing of movement and routes taken. Our MOTUS tower is the third tower on the mainland of Rhode Island and helps to fill a gap in coverage within the eastern portion of the state.
The tower and the detections it has made can be viewed using the following link:
https://motus.org/data/receiverDeployment?id=9661
The real strength of the MOTUS tower is the capacity to thrust the Audubon Society of Rhode Island into the collaborative and multidisciplinary work being done across the globe to increase our understanding of avian migration. Soon, an interactive display explaining the tower, its operation and the data it collects will be installed at the Nature Center and we invite you to visit the site and learn about this important collaboration.
Below are some images from installation day.
Click to enlarge images and use the navigation arrows below.
