ESKIMO CURLEW RESEARCH NOW AVAILABLE

Plumage states of the Eskimo Curlew

Our Eskimo Curlew research is now available as an open access document at http://www.birdconservationresearch.org/…/eskimo%20curlew%2…

It investigates the external anatomy of males vs. females and adults vs. juveniles, and identifies two previously undescribed plumage states. One of these states (see photo) exhibits prominent y-shaped markings on the breast whereas the other exhibits linear markings. It also documents, based on specimen data, the species' historical distribution.

YALE FOREST BIRDS SHOW POPULATION INCREASE

Bird populations at Yale Forest have increased since 1985, but the amount of variability among individual study sites has also increased. As the figure shows, surveys were duplicated each year to gain a perspective of survey variability.

Unlike continental trends, which show that birds have declined by 30%, forest birds in northeastern Connecticut have undergone a 20% increase. Read about this and more in Bird Conservation Research's October newsletter: http://www.birdconservationresearch.org/pdf/bcr%20newsletter%2021-4.pdf.

BIRD CONSERVATION CONTRIBUTIONS

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Bird Conservation Contributions is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of Bird Conservation Research, Inc.  It is made available here through Arts and Academic Publishing.  The series consists of individually published papers on basic and applied avian research that have conservation implications.  Submissions may be data papers, syntheses or commentaries.  Submissions are welcome from anywhere in the world, and are particularly encouraged from women and minority authors, researchers at small and non-academic institutions, researchers who have single author contributions, researchers with limited publication budgets and new authors who may need assistance in achieving professional publication standards.  All submissions, correspondence and reviews are accomplished via the internet.  All published papers are open access. There are no page charges or author fees for accepted papers.

MAPS FOR CONNECTICUT AND RHODE ISLAND FOREST BIRDS

Summer distribution of the Eastern Towhee (higher density in red regions).

Distributional maps for birds reviewed in Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island are now available in a new Bird Conservation Research, Inc. publication.  The maps are open access and may be viewed via Arts and Academic Publishing.  Distribution of habitat and community parameters like species richness are also mapped.  These maps provide the first ever view of the distribution of bird population densities across southern New England.  The maps were produced by Kyle Arvisais of the University of Maine School of Forestry.

Distribution of oak-dominated forest (higher density has larger dots).

DENSITY MAPS OF CT AND RI FOREST BIRDS

Summer bird density corresponds generally to the most densely forested regions.  Circles represent population densities at specific study sites.

BCR is presently working with a GIS specialist to turn our population data from the Forest Bird Survey of Connecticut and Rhode Island into density maps for the study area.  The resulting work will illustrate summer and winter habitat and community data as well as data for densities and distributions of individual species.  The resulting publication will serve as a companion to our recently release book, Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island, which is available via our publishing partner, Arts and Academic Publishing.  As with all products of BCR, including videos, educational documents and scientific papers, it is available as an open access document.

OPEN ACCESS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE VIDEOS

The now lost Cathedral Pines old growth stand in Cornwall, CT is used as an example of inappropriate forest management practices. 

All videos in Arts and Academic Publishing’s environmental science video library are now available as open access materials for students and educators everywhere.  We here highlight the videos in the Land and Water Resources unit. 

This unit covers topics in natural resource management, such as forestry, deforestation effects, sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management,  water resource management, waste management, public lands, habitat restoration and habitat remediation.  Each topic is presented in a single video episode and follows the national AP Environmental Science curriculum.

All videos incorporate PowerPoint lecture notes, images from BCR’s vast photographic library and graphic displays that enhance understanding of the complex topics explored.

Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island now available

Into the Woods, by Barbara Lussier

Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island

Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island, the eight-year long summer and winter study of the population densities, distributions and habitat use by the forest birds of southern New England, is now available for free download. We invite readers to become sponsors for individual species. You may do so by writing us your species choice at mail@birdconservationresearch.org. Upon receipt of your choice (please make a first, second and third choice in your message), your name will be added to the species account as a sponsor. Names of species sponsors will be updated daily on the downloadable book so that you may see which species have already been chosen. You will also receive a printed copy of the book as our gift upon completion of the species sponsor campaign. We request a donation of $125 to become a sponsor, and you may make your donation here. The 251 page book may be accessed through Arts and Academic Publishing under the Bird Conservation Contributions tab.

SPECIES DIVERSITY

The wet, high elevation limestone forests of Rota in the tropical Pacific are characterized by epiphytic ferns, fern allies and orchids.

The topic of species diversity is focused upon in this next episode of a video series designed to complement the AP Environmental Science curriculum.  It begins with an exploration of the scale at which diversity is considered,  discussing the concepts of alpha, beta and gamma diversity.  It also considers the components of diversity- species richness and species evenness.  

The video then goes on to examine methods of computing diversity.  It evaluates the uses and pitfalls of diversity characterization, including the loss of information that occurs by computing diversity indicies.

Still another diversity-related issue is the edge effect.  The video examines how diversity responds to the boundary between habitats and how certain species are edge specialists.  It also notes, however, that edges can have reduced habitat quality as well as higher rates of predator activity.

The video concludes by examining the species-area effect.  It considers the phenomenon of minimum habitat size and the role of chance in the accumulation of species by virtue of area.

This and other videos in this series are produced by the publishing partner of Bird Conservation Research, Inc- Arts and AcademicPublishing.

WETLAND BIOMES

The rocky intertidal zone of the Rhode Island coast is one of the topics considered in the next video in the Living World series.

In addition to terrestrial biomes, aquatic biomes are also recognized.   Those examined in the next video in the Living World lecture series of Arts and Academic Publishing include estuaries and their vegetated wetlands, including salt marshes and mangrove swamps.  Wildlife of estuarine wetlands are distinctive, and include species like the Seaside and Sharp-tailed sparrows.  Adaptations of these species for the stressful physical conditions of the estuary are considered.

Marine ecosystems are explored next, and investigate the habitats that make them up.  These include the intertidal realm, benthic environments and pelagic environments.  These environments are further subdivided into zones, and the characteristics of each are considered.  All these topics related to the National AP Environmental Science curriculum.

DOES COEXISTENCE EQUAL COMPETITION?

Not necessarily and, in fact, maybe not usually, especially in the temperate zone.  In this first video in the series The Living World (which follows the AP Environmental Science curriculum), the construction of an ecological community is explored.  It begins by exploring the curious case of the Louisiana (above) and Northern waterthrushes, which despite being exceedingly similar in what they do and where they live, down to even nesting in the same upturned root of the same tree, do not exhibit any appreciable interspecific competition.  The issue is that there must be something to compete over, and in this case particularly food has been found to be in abundance. 

The video reviews the concept of the ecological niche and discusses the categories and components of the niche.  It further relates this concept to more typical pairs of species that, although related to each other, exhibit ecological differences that place them into separate niches.  It examines how species within a community can differ from one another along single and multiple resource axes. 

It also investigates how communities can change seasonally, with individual species changing their distributions and habitat use seasonally.  It concludes by exploring how communities are affected by habitat size, and discusses the species-area effect and what sorts of phenomena can lead to this effect.

As with other videos in this series, it is available through Arts and Academic Publishing- the publishing partner of Bird ConservationResearch, Inc.

WHY DO PLANTS HAVE COLORS?

Why do plants have colors?  Why do some plants grow in certain places and not others?  It has to do in large part with the properties of the soil that the plants grow in.  In the video Earth Systems and Resources: Soil Properties, which follows the national AP Environmental Science curriculum, these issues are investigated.  In many instances, soil micronutrients are responsible for phenomena like color and presence/ absence, but soil structure, soil particle size, slope and the interaction of plants and mineral soil can further influence these.  Hence, topics like soil horizons, soil textures and macro- vs. micronutrients, are also explored in the video. 

Soil nutrients are explored in particular detail.  For example, each nutrient is responsible for certain functions, with elements like iron being involved in the functioning of the electron transport system and calcium being involved in the permeability of the cell membrane.  Moreover, various soil types have differing capacities to exchange nutrients with plants.  Coarser soils tend to have poorer abilities to hold and exchange nutrients than do soils with clays as components.

The video also explores the issue of soil water.  Again, soils of different textures have varying abilities to retain water, with soil pore size influencing this capacity.

As with other videos in this series, it is available through Arts and Academic Publishing- the publishing partner of Bird ConservationResearch, Inc.

BCR TEAMS WITH SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHER

Bird Conservation Research, Inc. had its origins in grants from the business world, and to this day has never followed the standard non-profit money-begging model of annual appeals, auctions, and the like. Once a year we invite individuals to join as members in furthering our mission of community-based scientific research and environmental education, but we have never hassled them with additional financial requests. Instead, BCR generates revenue via grant-writing, book and cd sales and its open access online journal Bird Conservation Contributions.  Unlike many non-profits during these difficult economic times, we have remained on firm financial footing.

BCR is now joining with a new publisher whose web site will premier this winter. This new venture will feature several components- one that focuses on production of educational materials for the classroom and another that focuses on production of scholarly e-books.   Substantive literary works are to be offered through the e-book publishing arm as well.  A portion of all publishing sales are to be donated to BCR.

NEWSLETTER FOCUSES ON CURLEW SEARCH, NEW ENGLAND FOREST BIRD SURVEY

The Common Redpoll was an irregular but sometimes common winter resident of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The October newsletter of Bird Conservation Research, Inc. focused on the continued search for fall-migrating Eskimo Curlews occurring on the coast of Massachusetts.  It also provided an update on the Forest Bird Survey of Southern New England, which is now in the data analysis phase.  Computations of population densities and distributions are now complete, as are habitat analyses for the region.  The next step is publication of an atlas of forest bird resources for the region..

Also highlighted in the newsletter are video productions being prepared for the national AP Environmental Science curriculum.  Links to the latest versions of these videos are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGVuPr0N2Hw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk5kUx1_aC8.

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE VIDEOS

Bird Conservation Research, Inc. has been pioneering new approaches to online education with a video series that focuses on the AP Environmental Science Curriculum. The first episode uses the evolution of birds as a point of departure for examining large scale Earth phenomena.  It then introduces the topic of Earth Systems and Resources and focuses specifically on plate tectonics:

The second episode continues the investigation of plate tectonics by discussing the phenomena of earthquakes and volcanism:

STUDY OF GEOGRAPHIC BIRD DIVERSITY PATTERNS NOW AVAILABLE

The second major paper to arise from the Forest Bird Survey of Southern New England is now available for free download from the Bird Conservation Research, Inc. web site as well as from Bird Conservation Contributions- the scientific journal of BCR.  This paper, FACTORS INFLUENCING GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN DIVERSITY OF FOREST BIRD COMMUNITIES OF EASTERN CONNECTICUT, USA, explores patterns uncovered during four years of summer and winter studies.  The abstract follows:

At regional scales, the most important variables associated with diversity are latitudinally-based temperature and net primary productivity, although diversity is also influenced by habitat. We examined bird species richness, community density and community evenness in forests of eastern Connecticut to determine whether: 1) spatial and seasonal patterns exist in diversity, 2) energy explains the greatest proportion of variation in diversity parameters, 3) variation in habitat explains remaining diversity variance, and 4) seasonal shifts in diversity provide clues about how environmental variables shape communities. We sought to discover if our data supported predictions of the species-energy hypothesis. We used the variable circular plot technique to estimate bird populations and quantified the location, elevation, forest type, vegetation type, canopy cover, moisture regime, understory density and primary production for the study sites. We found that 1) summer richness and population densities are roughly equal in northeastern and southeastern Connecticut, whereas in winter both concentrate toward the coast, 2) variables linked with temperature explained much of the patterns in winter diversity, but energy-related variables showed little relationship to summer diversity, 3) the effect of habitat variables on diversity parameters predominated in summer, although their effect was weak, 4) contrary to theory, evenness increased from summer to winter, and 5) support for predictions of species-energy theory was primarily restricted to winter data. Although energy and habitat played a role in explaining community patterns, they left much of the variance in regional diversity unexplained, suggesting that a large stochastic component to diversity also may exist.

AVIAN HABITAT SURVEY OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

The Forest Bird Survey of Southern New England, the eight year long project of Bird Conservation Research, Inc. to map density distribution of the region's forest birds, also conducted habitat surveys along its 2220 census points.  The survey examined field conditions in 3417 ha of forest, a sample nearly 100 times that of periodic U.S. Forest Service surveys in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Like the Forest Service surveys, BCR studies evaluated proportionate cover of major forest types.  In addition, BCR examined forest canopy cover, prevailing tree diameter, understory density, moisture regime, and elevation.  The data are to be used to seek relationships between habitat distributions and distributions of forest bird densities.

Analysis of cover types shows that the forests of Rhode Island (RI in the graph below) are dominated by xeric oak and conifer associations.  Northeast Connecticut (NECT) most resembles Rhode Island in its forest composition; both these regions are extensively underlain by glacial sand and gravel.  The locations most heavily dominated by oak forests are Southeast (SECT) and Southwest (SWCT) Connecticut, where lower elevations and milder climates prevail.  Central Connecticut (CECT) also has a high proportion of oak forests, but has as well extensive cover by more mesic-associated mixed deciduous forests.  Much of the remaining forest in heavily urbanized central Connecticut is indeed in wetter environments.  Northwest Connecticut (NWCT), with the most mountainous terrain in southern New England, has less cover by oaks and more cover by conifer-hardwood forests.  Such forests are generally associated with cooler, northern climates.

FOREST BIRDS OF THE LAST GREEN VALLEY NOW AVAILABLE

Forest Birds of the Last Green Valley, the preliminary report from the eight year long Forest Bird Survey of Southern New England, is now available for free download.  It is may be obtained from Bird Conservation Contributions, the open access scientific journal of Bird Conservation Research, Inc.  Printed copies are also available through the BCR web site.  The report covers the first two years of the survey and provides initial estimates of populations, distributions and habitat use of birds in eastern Connecticut.

Although the report, first published in 2003, was based on limited data and analyses, it provided for the region the first fully quantitative conservation planning resource for birds.  Environmental planners have historically been able to draw upon detailed data on soils, geology and land cover in making conservation decisions, but they have had virtually nothing to use on wildlife.

This first report is to be superseded by Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island, an atlas of forest bird resources of the region.  The atlas will cover the full eight years of study and, as such, will make use of greatly increased sample sizes.  Duplication of sampling during the study period also will permit assessment of findings in light of temporal variation in bird populations.

FOREST BIRD POPULATION ESTIMATES NEARLY COMPLETE

Final computations of the regional populations of Connecticut and Rhode Island’s forest birds are presently underway.  This is, however, only one aspect of the ongoing analysis of the enormous quantities of data gathered during the Forest Bird Survey of Southern New England.  Upcoming analyses include characterization of the habitats of Rhode Island and western Connecticut as well as analysis of the relationship between habitat and bird populations. When complete, our analyses will result in the publication of Forest Birds of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Some of the most recently computed population estimates follow:

Black-and-white Warbler:

Northeast CT: 15,671
Southeast CT: 10,983
Central CT: 10,829
Northwest CT: 34,438
Southwest CT: 9,480
RI: 23,332

Blackburnian Warbler: 

Northeast CT: 11,786
Southeast CT: 2,910
Central CT: 1539
Northwest CT: 44,778
Southwest CT: 747
RI: 739

Black-throated Green Warbler:

Northeast CT: 15,373
Southeast CT: 5,392
Central CT: 4,861
Northwest CT: 31,163
Southwest CT: 4,511
RI: 11,365

Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Northeast CT: 1,721
Southeast CT: 0
Central CT: 0
Northwest CT: 6,413
Southwest CT: 0
RI: 2,878

Magnolia Warbler:

Northeast CT: 862
Southeast CT: 425
Central CT: 450
Northwest CT: 6,772
Southwest CT: 0
RI: 0

RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FUNDING

Educating the next generation is key to developing a national environmental consciousness.

For over a decade, Bird Conservation Research, Inc. has provided original, high level environmental planning data on wildlife to municipalities and conservation organizations.  We have as well provided a range of sophisticated environmental education materials to educators.  Most all of our products are made available at no cost to our over 10,000 users per year.  

We approach supporters once each year to ask for their assistance in funding our efforts.  Memberships remain one of our principal means of funding, and we invite your support via this venue.  You may view our membership categories here.  If you are not yet a member, please consider becoming one at this link:

http://www.gofundme.com/1nqlss

SYMPOSIUM VOLUME HIGHLIGHTS ENDANGERED SPECIES, ISLAND ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

Expedition participants census a colony of Marianas Fruit Bats.

The Institute for Marianas Studies was established in 1992 at Northern Marianas College in the western Pacific.  Its leader, Dr. Robert Craig, used the Institute as the model for establishing Bird Conservation Research, Inc. (BCR)- the New England non-profit foundation that he also directs.  A principal goal of both organizations has been to involve students in performing high level research that yields products of value to local and regional communities.

In the year of its founding, the fledgling Institute embarked upon a multidisciplinary research expedition to the uninhabited and largely unstudied Mariana island of Aguiguan.  The Institute presented its findings the following year in a symposium volume- The Aguiguan Expedition.  Out of print for nearly 20 years, we are making its 11 papers available again through our web site and through Bird Conservation Contributions- BCR's scientific journal.

Papers cover topics from history to geology to natural history, and include works that provide textbook examples of evolution in oceanic island environments.  Three of the papers deal primarily with birds.  The expedition's most notable achievement was re-discovery of the presumed extinct Aguiguan Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi).  This open access volume is essentially identical to the original text, although formatting has been altered to conform to the Contributions series' style.