Bergstrom Award Recipients 2009

Antonio Celis Murillo. Evaluation of habitat associations, disturbance impacts, and population trends of endemic Yucatan birds via bioacoustic monitoring. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Yucatan Peninsula supports a diverse and dynamic bird community that includes many endemic species. However, reliable data on the distribution, ecology, and behavior of Yucatan endemic birds are scarce, and currently, no long-term monitoring programs are in place to evaluate population trends of endemic birds and the impacts of human and natural disturbances in this area. The objectives of this project are: 1) understand how detection probabilities of endemic bird species vary as a function of vegetation type, time of day and weather, 2) describe relationships between habitat attributes and occupancy rates of endemic birds accounting for variation in detection probability, and 3) evaluate the impacts of human habitat alteration on endemic species in the region. Birds will be surveyed along a human-modified vegetation gradient ranging from coastal to inland habitats using novel bioacoustic monitoring techniques (Soundscape Recording Systems (SRS) and Autonomous Acoustic Recording Arrays) with the assistance of local people. With one-year of data already collected, a second-year of data will provide critical information on the distribution and natural history of endemic Yucatan birds.

Torre Hovick. Determining post fledging survival and habitat use in Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum). Iowa State University.

Grassland birds are suffering dramatic population declines and have been for decades. The increase in farming of marginal lands, conversion of CRP and agricultural grasslands to row-crop, and early haying have all contributed to losses. Ecologists across the Midwest have focused on investigating the nesting biology of grassland birds to inform decisions on land management, yet little is known about the critical life history stage after fledging. Recent advances in telemetry have made possible the attachment of minute transmitters to post fledging birds. I propose attaching radio transmitters to post fledging Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) to track their habitat use and survival in a working agricultural landscape that is being managed with the use of fire and grazing. This information will aid in identifying habitat that is of sufficient quality for obligate grassland birds during a vulnerable period in their life history.

Allyson Jackson. Survival in a created landscape: radio-tracking fledgling bluebirds on golf courses. College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

The steady trend of development throughout the country poses a major threat to bird conservation, as less natural habitat is available for foraging and nesting. While manicured and artificial, golf courses could be an oasis of green in an increasingly paved landscape, but little is known about how birds are affected by living in this created landscape. The once declining Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) appears to raise successful nests on golf courses, but it is not known what happens to nestlings once they leave the nest. To really understand how birds are affected by living on created landscapes, like golf courses, we must look past nesting success to the time after fledging. This study will use radio telemetry to determine fledgling survival and habitat use during their first month out of the nest. Because survival may depend on the types of habitat available, a GIS-based spatial analysis will be conducted to determine if certain habitat characteristics affect fledgling survival. By understanding what aspect of the habitat is particularly harmful for young birds, we can make recommendations to golf courses and other recreational areas for changes that can greatly increase all avian juvenile survival.

Kacy Ray. Radio tracking Wilson’s Plovers on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: an improvement to a study of demography and habitat use. Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Calandra Stanley. Tropical deforestation and the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina): exploring the consequences of winter habitat quality and determining migratory connectivity. UNIV.

Renzo Piana. Abundance, distribution and the impact of cattle grazing on the Endangered Grey-backed Hawk (Leucopternis occidentalis) in the North Western Biosphere Reserve, Peru. Peru Program, Birdlife International.

The Grey-backed Hawk (Leucopternis occidentalis) is a diurnal raptor endemic to the Tumbesian Zone and it is probably the most endangered raptor species in Peru. The species was first reported in 1979 and until now, no data exists on its distribution and abundance in this country. During the conduction of this research I will survey the core area of the Peruvian North Western Biosphere Reserve, and will use transect counts to obtain data on the species relative abundance, distribution and habitat use. Cattle grazing inside the reserve is widespread and uncontrolled; this activity might be affecting the forest structure and composition through trampling of forests understory and removal of saplings which might in turn affect wildlife communities. Relative abundance of cattle inside the reserve will be obtained by counting dung and recording encounters with cattle along transects. Changes in forest understory structure will be measured by counting stems and saplings in square plots along transects. Additionally, I will measure the impact of cattle grazing on the Grey-backed Hawk’s distribution and abundance by quantifying prey (bird, mammal and reptile species) in grazed and ungrazed areas through transect counts and capture and release traps.

Sueli Souza Damasceno. Biology and population estimate of Stresemann's Bristlefront. (Merulaxis stresemanni, Aves: Rhinocryptidae). Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The objective of this project is to determine the natural history of Merulaxis stresemanni (Stresemann's Bristlefront), a critically endangered species from extinction of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The only confirmed extant population of M. Stresemanni was recently discovered on the border between the state of Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil. The basic biology of M. stresemanni is almost completely unknown, as is the size of the newly discovered population. Therefore, this project is to determine: its biology, its range, and size of its population. Due to the species’s status as Critically Endangered, this information is urgent. Knowledge of the natural history of a species is paramount to its management and conservation. Thus, this research will provide data for conservation planning Stresemann's Bristlefront.

Myriam Velázquez. Ecology and Conservation of Black-masked Finch (Coryphaspiza melanotis) in Paraguay. UNIV.

El cachilo de antifaz, Coryphaspiza melanotis es una especie amenazada, clasificada como Vulnerable a nivel global y En Peligro, a nivel nacional. Esta especie habita la porción sureste de Perú, norte de Bolivia, Brasil y sureste de Paraguay. Su distribución actual está muy localizada, habiéndose convertido en una especie rara, debido principalmente, a la extensa conversión de su hábitat. En Paraguay el cachilo de antifaz habita los pastizales y sabanas de las ecorregiones del Cerrado y los Pastizales Templados, siendo el Cerrado, uno los 25 "hotspots" a nivel global, y los Pastizales Templados, una de las ecorregiones más alteradas por el hombre. Los objetivos de este trabajo son: 1) Actualizar la distribución de la especie en Paraguay, 2) Estudiar la densidad poblacional, los requerimientos de hábitat y los hábitos reproductivos de la especie en la Reserva Natural del Bosque Mbaracayu 3) Realizar un análisis de amenazas y recomendaciones para la conservación de la especie. Los resultados de estas investigaciones contribuirán con la información necesaria para guiar los esfuerzos de conservación de esta especie y sus hábitats.