LOOKING BACK AND FORGING AHEAD

The State of Our Birds

By Dr. Charles Clarkson, Director of Avian Research

Audubon’s Avian Research Initiative is now in its fourth year and as we take stock of what has been accomplished to date, two things are obvious: there is much to celebrate and there is much more work to be done.

– Dr. Charles Clarkson

Since its inception, the goal of the Avian Research Initiative has been to assess the avian communities using Audubon’s wildlife refuges at any point during their annual cycle and promote science-based conservation for birds and the habitats that they rely on.

While a principle focus of the initiative is performing targeted research across our properties, my position also involves working to slow the decline that is evident in many of our species. It is therefore important to recognize that many drivers of decline that birds face today (cats, window strikes, habitat loss and climate change) are well documented in scientific literature. While science can continue to refine our understanding of local relationships between birds and the habitats Audubon protects, our work also seeks to take real strides towards on-the-ground conservation based on data that has already come to light.

That is why, in addition to the in-house science that we conduct at Audubon, we are engaged in a number of applied conservation projects that convert the findings from research conducted throughout North America to management activities and education in our state. Simply put: we are working on many fronts, all designed to reduce declines in regional bird populations and better understand the local issues birds face when they choose to nest, overwinter or migrate through one of our refuges.

RESPONSIBILITY BIRDS

The Avian Research Initiative continues to perform exhaustive year-round surveys on the distribution and abundance of birds across our refuges. These surveys, which are conducted by passionate volunteers and staff, were highlighted in our “State of Our Birds” reports. Nine species known as “Responsibility Birds” are receiving targeted research and conservation projects over the coming years.

For example, a grant obtained from the Rhode Island Natural History Survey has funded research into habitat-use by the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), a Responsibility Bird that can be found across 71% of Audubon’s refuges and has declined at a rate of 2.42% per year since 1966.

To help the beleaguered Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica), another Responsibility Bird which has declined across North America by 67% in the past 50-years and is now considered vulnerable to extinction, Audubon has erected nesting towers at three locations in the state. These towers will supply a limiting resource to the species in the form of nest sites and more will be constructed over the coming years if the towers are deemed an effective conservation tool. By focusing on these common, but declining, species, Audubon has positioned itself to be proactive with its conservation, recognizing that small actions now have the power to stave off dire situations later.

TAKING THE LONG VIEW

Few phenomena in nature can be explained through a single year of data collection, and natural variation warrants long-term ecological research. The data that were collected for our “State of our Birds” reports have become part of a long-term dataset, now in its fourth year. By continuing to collect annual data on breeding, migrating and overwintering birds, we are able to visualize how our avian communities change through time, taking note of which species are potentially most at risk of disappearing from our refuges and which may be experiencing range shifts as a result of habitat loss and climate change.

CLIMATE CHANGE

To address the effects of climate change on migration and nesting success in birds, Audubon has partnered with the University of North Carolina to document the availability of insect prey across our refuges. The project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to address the issue of phenological mismatch that occurs as the timing in insect activity is falling increasingly out-of-sync with the demands of migrating and breeding birds. Numerous tree species are being surveyed in an effort to document which support the highest abundance and diversity of insects and may therefore supply birds with the best foraging opportunities.

Additional work being done in collaboration with the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) is designed to foster native perennials across our refuges and promote insect populations. As 96% of birds found in North America rely on insect prey to rear their offspring, supporting healthy insect populations can lead directly to increasing breeding success in birds.

MIGRATION ECOLOGY AND WINDOW STRIKES

To better understand how birds move across our air space, Audubon erected a Motus tower at the Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol. To date, our tower has detected 147 birds and bats that have passed within 10-miles of our Bristol center during migration and post-natal movements. Inside the Nature Center, a new Motus exhibit details the technology and serves as an educational tool to engage the public. Identifying which species pass overhead and the timing of their passage, combined with surveys conducted across the city of Providence throughout the late-Summer and Fall documenting building-strike mortality provide data useful at informing our conservation and advocacy work.

AVIAN ADVOCACY

Speaking of advocacy, we have fed data and recently published literature into projects to limit the use of Neonicotinoid pesticides, ban the use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), which have widespread negative impacts on raptors and other birds, and address the impacts of artificial lighting and windows on migrating birds.

Did I mention that Audubon has also hosted two regional bird research symposia and provided over 45 public lectures on the goals and accomplishments of the Avian Research Initiative?

NASA DEVELOP PARTNERSHIP

A partnership with NASA’s DEVELOP applied sciences program provided Audubon with a land-use database for the state that projects how habitats will be altered by development through the year 2043. This invaluable resource will enable Audubon to prioritize land conservation in areas of high development pressure and ensure that birds and other wildlife have the requisite habitats to complete their annual cycle.

Audubon has made great strides towards better managing our refuges for birds, and the dedication of our passionate volunteers have been instrumental in this momentum. While it is rewarding to pause and reflect on all we have accomplished, there is much more work to be done. Onward and upward.

Take Action: REPORT WINDOW STRIKES

Window collisions claim the lives of a staggering number of birds every year. A recent study documented that over 1 billion birds die from window strikes in the United States alone, with nearly half of these collisions occurring at private residences.

Audubon is collecting data on window strikes to better understand the contribution of Rhode Island homes and businesses to this grim statistic. This information will enable us to direct advocacy and funding to curb window strikes in our state.

Your help is needed. If you detect a window strike at your home, place of work, or while you are traveling about in the state, please alert us by taking a short survey using the QR code below (bookmark the form for easy access in the future) or visit asri.org/report-bird-strikes.