Monthly Archives: November 2016

Breeding Bird Surveys going strong on Mass Audubon Sanctuaries

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Margo Mercer

People have been observing and counting birds at Mass Audubon sanctuaries for as long as these properties have existed. In order to provide a focus for these observations and to insure that data are collected in a similar fashion, Mass Audubon initiated a program of breeding bird surveys on our sanctuaries in 2004 and has been carrying out these surveys ever since. We use standard point count methodology where observers stand in the middle of a 50 meter (forests) or 100 meter (salt marsh, grasslands) radius circle for 10 minutes three times in June and record all the birds they see or hear. The goal of the program is to track the birds that occur on our sanctuaries during the breeding season, determine the habitat characteristics that support different species of birds, evaluate the impact of any ecological management, and examine long term trends, such as those that might be caused by climate change. Since 2004 staff and volunteers have logged over 30,000 records of birds in 315 counting circles on 48 sanctuaries. We typically carry out surveys at each sanctuary for three years every ten years, but at a number of sanctuaries, enthusiastic staff and volunteers have made observations every year.

We have recorded 149 species of birds during these breeding bird surveys of which 25 are considered conservation priorities. Sanctuaries harboring the most of these high priority conservation species are Allens Pond, Wellfleet Bay, and Ipswich River. Not surprisingly, sanctuaries in central and western Massachusetts, such as Pleasant Valley, Wachusett Meadow, and Rutland Brook and are notable for the number of wood warblers and other species associated with forest interiors that have been recorded in these sanctuaries. Vegetation data we have collected on our counting circles have shown that many of these wood warblers species have an affinity for forests containing a high percentage of evergreens.

The breeding bird surveys will enable us to track changes in a number of birds that are conservation priorities. Salt marsh sparrows are considered vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise associated with climate change. After ten years of monitoring, the numbers of

Saltmarsh Sparrow by John Sill

saltmarsh sparrows seems to be holding its own at Allen’s Pond and Rough Meadows wildlife sanctuaries. Data from other surveys carried out over a longer time period indicate a steady decline region-wide, so it is important for us to continue these surveys on our sanctuaries. We are also tracking the responses of bobolinks to ecological management measures that create improved grassland habitats at Daniel Webster and Drumlin Farm. Neotropical migrants whose numbers are declining nationally, such as wood thrushes are also priorities for our monitoring. As permanently protected lands, the sanctuaries at Mass Audubon enable us to evaluate changes in the populations of these and other birds over long periods of time and allow us to take actions that will serve to maintain and enhance their populations in the future.

Canoe Meadows grassland restoration project begins

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Margo Mercer

No idyllic scene of grassland habitat is complete without a meadowlark singing from atop a fencepost. Unfortunately, this sight is becoming increasingly rare in the Commonwealth, and the Breeding Bird Atlas 2 showed us that Eastern Meadowlarks have declined by 78% in the last 35 years.

While conversion of open land to developed land is one of the most visible contributors to the loss of grassland habitat, a less obvious factor is the loss of big fields for breeding. Bigger fields (20+ acres) can hold more breeding pairs, and some species, like Eastern Meadowlark like really big fields.

At our Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary we recognized an opportunity to create a big 70-acre field by removing a line of white pine trees that was separating two smaller fields. The trees have officially come down, and the field is looking fantastic! Check out the below before and after photos of the field.

Private and federal dollars have gotten us this far in the restoration, but we still have to pay for fence removal and restoration work in the spring. Please help us reach our goal of $10,000. We’re 70% of the way there thanks to the Leverett Foundation, the USDA, and many generous individuals! Learn more and donate here.

Before

After

Before

After

Foresters for the Birds Program comes to Elm Hill

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Margo Mercer

Brown Thrasher by John Sill

Birds that breed in young or recently disturbed forests are a conservation priority in Massachusetts. Sharp declines of these species, such as the Eastern Towhee and Brown Thrasher, have been linked to habitat loss due to changes in the frequency of these natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes. For example, fire and flooding have been suppressed, our familiar middle-aged forests are less susceptible to storm damage, and once common forestry practices have declined.

However, carefully planned forestry is one of the most effective ways to create early successional habitat, and the corresponding breeding bird species respond positively. What’s more, some species of birds that breed in the more mature surrounding forests use these same young forests during the post-fledgling period – a time of high morality after young have left the nest. Having this habitat in place also bolsters populations of mature forest breeders.

Mass Audubon’s Foresters for the Birds program responds to this conservation need. The program provides technical assistance to private landowners who wish to manage their woods for important bird habitat, including the creation of early successional forest.

To further this conservation initiative, Mass Audubon will demonstrate these science-based habitat management techniques at our Elm Hill sanctuary. Not only will this project provide crucial habitat for species in decline, but the site will also be used to educate professional foresters, agency staff, conservation professionals, the land trust community, our members, and the public at large.

Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, the project is in its initial phase. The end product will be a 100 year plan to maintain a mosaic of forest successional stages, including various ages of young forest, and stands that will naturally progress towards old growth conditions. In this initial phase, we are working with a Foresters for the Birds trained forester to map out the existing forest resources, and determine areas to be actively managed for bird habitat. Other phases include monitoring birds to assess and adjust our management efforts, delivering public outreach, engaging the help of volunteers, and conducting studies of other taxa to inform management decisions.

This will be an exciting time of sharing and learning, and we hope you will follow along with the project as we post further updates.

Research Update: S4 – The Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Steward Program

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Margo Mercer

Leach’s Storm Petrel by John Sill

Seabirds constitute one of the most difficult groups of birds to systematically monitor, particularly when they are at sea and away from their breeding colonies. Fortuitously, the inshore location and rich marine biota of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary provide a unique opportunity to support a long-term seabird monitoring program.

In 2011 Mass Audubon joined Stellwagen Sanctuary staff in initiating the S4 Program (Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Steward Program). The goal of this program is to systematically gather baseline data about seabird seasonal distribution and abundance within the Stellwagen Bank Important Bird Area (IBA). By using sanctuary scientists and Mass Audubon personnel working in concert with trained volunteer observers, seabird data has now been systematically gathered for six years. It is hoped that this information will increasingly inform seabird scientists and Massachusetts residents about how seabirds utilize local marine waters. More importantly, the information will hopefully also help predict future environmental impacts possibly caused by climate change and its effect on the regional marine ecosystem.

Since the initiation of the S4 Program in 2011, regular seabird surveys have been conducted at least six times throughout the year along a 63 nautical mile-long transect located within the Stellwagen Sanctuary. Observations recorded during these surveys have collectively provided hundreds to thousands of sightings annually of a majority of the seabird species regularly utilizing the Stellwagen Sanctuary. In addition to the observers participating in the regular year-round systematic surveys, volunteer observers coordinated and trained by Stellwagen Sanctuary and Mass Audubon staff, have also been monitoring seabirds on public whale watching vessels the during the regular whale-watching seasons.

With concurrent regular monitoring efforts taking place in the sanctuary of other marine features including physical ocean characteristics, plankton, fish, and marine mammals, it is hoped that the information gathered will gradually help elucidate both short-term and long-term fluctuations taking place in seabird distribution and abundance that may possibly correlate with climate change. The S4 project represents a unique opportunity to allow citizen scientists to partner with both Mass Audubon and a federal agency to support local research and conservation efforts. Future editions of The Warbler will provide highlights of some of the already noteworthy findings provided by the S4 Program. For more information and volunteer opportunities with the S4 Program, contact Wayne Petersen, Director of the IBA Program at [email protected].