Field Notes newsletter

The winter version of Field Notes, the biannual newsletter of the Conservation Biology Department, is here! Learn about our current research findings--from butterflies to mountain songbirds, and from Bolivia to Baxter State Park. Be introduced to one of our most committed citizen scientists. Learn how to interpret error in statistical charts. Familiarize yourself with the programs in which over 1,000 citizen scientists participate. It's all inside the latest edition of Field Notes!

A PDF version is on our website here: http://www.vinsweb.org/cbd/news.html

Vermont Breeding Loon Report 2006

The overall status of Vermont’s Common Loon population continued to improve in 2006,
one year after the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources removed the species from the state Endangered and Threatened Species list. The Vermont Loon Recovery Project, a program of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, documented a record high 58 loon nesting pairs and 77 territorial pairs statewide. Of the 58 pairs that attempted nesting, 44 successfully hatched 66 eggs, with 56 chicks surviving through August (chick survival rate 85%, 0.73 chicks surviving per territorial pair). Two fewer eggs hatched in 2006 than in 2005 due to a higher number of nest failures. Peacham Pond supported 3 nesting loon pairs, marking Vermont’s first documentation of a lake with more than 2 breeding pairs. There were 65 known and 12 potential territorial pairs (77 total territories). Five new nesting pairs and 6 new potential territorial pairs were identified. Three pairs that had nested at least once during the previous 3 years were no longer present. Fifteen total nest failures, including 1 renest, were documented. Causes of these failures included human disturbance (1), probable predation (3), flooding (5), and unknown (6). The single documented re-nest was unsuccessful. The causes of mortality of most chicks were unknown. One chick was abandoned, and another chick likely died after being attacked by intruding adults, after one of its parents was caught in fishing line and unable to defend it. Four adult and 2 subadult loons were found dead. One adult died from ingestion of lead fishing gear, and 2 died from complications after ingesting bait/lures and monofilament fishing line. At least 2 additional loons snagged live bait or lures and became partially entangled in fishing line, but both were rescued. A juvenile or subadult died during migration after becoming entangled in a gill net. People reported other loons caught in fishing line, but these birds were not found during follow-up surveys. Over 180 volunteers surveyed 133 lakes throughout Vermont on 15 July as part of the annual Loonwatch. The final count was 201 adults, 2 subadults, and 53 chicks. The record adult total reflected a steady increase in the past decade (79 in 1996, 104 in 1998, 126 in 2000, 166 in 2002, 184 in 2004, 191 in 2005). Loons nested on 22 of the 33 artificial nesting platforms placed (38% of total nests). Warning signs were placed around 34 of the 58 nest sites to reduce human disturbance. Warning signs were also placed around 3 additional potential nest sites where loons ultimately did not nest in 2006. Volunteers assisted with the placement and maintenance of nest warning signs and/or nesting platforms on over 32 lakes. Nineteen loon conservation programs were presented to over 506 adults and 114 children statewide.

View the entire report at http://www.vinsweb.org/assets/pdf/LoonReport2006.pdf.

eBird for Everyone!

Join Bridget Butler from Audubon Vermont to learn how to use the online database for birdwatchers called eBird. Take your interest and passion for birds and use it to make a difference in bird conservation and research across the state! This database allows birders to store their bird lists while assisting scientists at Audubon Vermont, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Participants will learn how to submit their sightings online, create special databases for their favorite places to birdwatch, view and explore data from around the state, create a monitoring routine for their property or backyard. This is hands on computer use in one of the new CVU computer labs.

eBird for Everyone by Audubon Vermont will be offered through Access CVU at Central Vermont Union High School on Thursday nights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for 2 weeks during April 5 & 12. To register: email access@cvuhs.org or call 482-7194.Instructor: Bridget Butler, Conservation Education Coordinator Fee: $25 Limit: 16.

Arrival of fox sparrows harkens arrival of spring

American Robins, Common Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds returned to Vermont in force this week as birdwatchers are becoming increasingly engrossed in spring migration.

Among the earliest spring visitors, and one that can sometimes be found in back yards under bird feeders, is the Fox Sparrow. A sure sign of their presence is a bird noisily scratching both feet across the ground while making a hopping motion. Fox Sparrows use this technique to remove litter and debris from the surface to uncover insects and seeds for food.

Fox Sparrows are recognized by their relatively large size (as compared to other sparrows) and bright reddish markings. This reddish coloring is like that of a red fox, which is how it got its name. Fox Sparrows have a brown and yellow bill and streaks on their breast that converge in the center to form a spot. This is not to be confused with the Song Sparrow, which also has a central breast spot. Song Sparrows are smaller, more brown than red, and have uniformly colored bills and less clearly defined streaks on the breast. If you are really lucky, you might hear a Fox Sparrow give its rich and melodious song -- a series of clear whistles.

Fox Sparrows are among the most variable birds in North America. They vary in plumage characteristics, size, song, distribution, habitat preferences, migration movements, and genetics. Here in the Northeast, we are familiar with the red form (Paserella iliaca iliaca), but this is only one of 18 recognized subspecies, and scientists may eventually split these out into four distinct species.

The Red Fox Sparrows that migrate through Vermont spend the winter in the southeastern United States. Late March and April mark their spring passage through the state. They breed in dense shrubby areas in eastern Canada, making their nest near or on the ground in concealed places. More than half of the entire Fox Sparrow population breeds in the boreal forests of Canada.

A Fox Sparrow was sighted in South Newfane on Wednesday with more sure to follow in the coming weeks.

Other Sightings

Several first-of-season birds were observed in the last few days, including Eastern Meadowlark in East Dorset on March 15, American Woodcock in White River Junction on March 16, Eastern Phoebe and Tree Swallow in Vernon on Sunday, and Wilson's Snipe in South Newfane on Wednesday. Turkey Vultures, with their familiar dihedral wings rocking in the wind, have also trickled into the state.

The emergence of open water is attracting waterbirds, with sightings from the past week including Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Duck.

You can explore all the birds reported last week in Vermont and add your own sightings at Vermont eBird.

-Julie Hart, Conservation Biologists

Terry Bicycles Supports Bobolink Research and Conservation

A year ago the founder and President of Terry Bicycles approached me about making a product with a Bobolink theme and an educational slant. The end product? Two specially designed, very high-quality shirts, fitted for women. Made for biking, hiking, or casual wear, these shirts are classy. The two designs point out interesting facts about Bobolinks and the importance of conserving grassland ecosystems.

Terry Bicycles is giving 20% of the proceeds to the Bobolink Wintering Ecology project. Click here to see.

- Roz Renfrew
Conservation Biologist

Vermont Weekly Bird Notes 3/16/07

All winter long they feasted quietly on the spilled seed below my feeder. The only sound I heard from them was the whistle of their wings as they burst into the air. Then, as I scraped the morning ice off the car last week, I heard my first sign of spring, the mournful coo of the doves.

The mourning dove is one of the earliest nesting birds in Vermont. Courtship displays are performed on the ground where the bowing male persistently waddles after the female or in the air where the male climbs upward with noisy wing beats and then glides down in sweeping circles with wing and tail feathers spread outward.

Mourning dove populations exploded in Vermont from the 1960s to the 1980s. Christmas Bird Counts in Saxton River recorded 36 in 1959 increasing to 539 in 1981, Bennington had 31 in 1961 and 369 in 1980, and Ferrisburg went from only one in 1961 to 792 in 1981. Why the change? No one really knows for sure. This dramatic increase was most likely due to several factors – hunting, bird feeding, and climatic conditions. It is now considered to be one of the 10 most abundant birds in North America.

The nest is a poorly built stick cup. The female stays at the nest during construction and the male collects sticks. He stands on her back to give her the nest material. She takes each stick and weaves it into the nest. Nests are usually placed on horizontal branches. We once found a nest at a ski area made completely out of metal lift ticket wickets!

The pair rarely leaves the nest unattended. The male will incubate from mid-morning until late afternoon and the female sits during the remainder of the day and through the night. They can have up to 6 clutches during the breeding season!

There may be some new doves coming to town. Eurasian Collared-Doves and Ringed Turtle-Doves are both non-native species that are visiting feeders across North America with increasing frequency. Telling the two apart can be very difficult.

Ringed Turtle-Doves are a popular caged bird that can be found in the wild after escaping or being released from captivity. A ringed turtle-dove was observed in December 2005 at a feeder in southern Vermont and was thought to be an escapee.

Eurasian Collared-Doves are rapidly expanding their range since establishing a population in Florida several decades ago. Its spread across North America is still an evolving story, and the extent of its final range and the impact it will have on other bird species remains to be seen.

Other Bird Sightings

The rare bird of the week was a tufted duck, a rare winter visitor from Eurasia, found off Allen Point in South Hero on March 5.

The first turkey vultures of the season were sighted this week in Bellows Falls on March 10 and White River Junction on March 11. Two wood ducks, the first of the season, were seen in Vernon above the dam on March 11 along with 6 ring-necked ducks and an early American coot. Red-winged Blackbirds returned to Milton, West Brattleboro, Saxton's River, West Rutland, Woodstock and Hartland. Two red crossbills were seen along South America Pond Road on March 4.

Bald eagles were reported from Dorset, Bellows Falls, Grand Isle, Vernon,

Burlington, and Lake St. Catherine. Northern shrikes were seen in Richford on March 7 and Vernon on March 10. A gray jay, not usually observed outside of the Northeast Kingdom, was observed in Huntington on March 8.

You can explore all the birds reported last week in Vermont and add your own sightings at Vermont eBird.

Kent McFarland

Vermont Weekly Bird Notes, 5 March 2007

An Aristocratic Duck Visits Lake Champlain

Often considered the “aristocrat of ducks”, the canvasback is a striking bird and one which seldom graces Vermont waters. The February 25^th sighting of three canvasbacks off the South Hero side of the Colchester Railroad Causeway, among 2-3,000 other diving ducks, provided a welcome relief to late winter birding doldrums. The causeway is a reliable area to observe a variety of diving ducks, mainly greater scaup, lesser scaup, common goldeneye, and ring-necked ducks, with occasional rarities like tufted duck, redhead, and Barrow’s goldeneye. Birders are advised to bring a spotting scope, as birds may be distant, and to be aware that the causeway is not plowed in winter.

The male canvasback’s appearance is unmistakable, with its large size, rich chestnut-red head and neck, black chest, and white back and sides. In any plumage, the species’ most distinctive feature is its long, sloping blackish bill, giving birds a unique profile. The rarity of canvasbacks in Vermont is due to their breeding distribution, which is centered far to our west in the prairie-parklands of southern Canada. Major winter concentrations occur along the Atlantic Coast between Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina, in the Mississippi River Delta, and in bay areas of California. This a true “bay duck”, as characterized by the immortal Roger Tory Peterson in his landmark field guides of a half-century ago.

Canvasbacks take their scientific name, Aythya valisneria, from Vallisneria americana, or wild celery, whose winter buds and rhizomes are the species’ preferred food during its non-breeding period. Although capable of diving to 9 meters or more, wintering canvasbacks typically opt for shallow coastal waters, where they also feed on other submergent plants and invertebrates.

A strictly North American duck, canvasbacks have undergone dramatic population fluctuations in recent decades. Between the 1960s and early 1980s, continental declines dropped the species to a level that warranted federal “Special Concern” listing. Long-term degradation of prairie-pothole wetland habitat, a succession of dry years, and hunting pressure may have contributed to these declines. Canvasback populations have since rebounded and remained at levels above their long-term average since 1995. Despite its currently healthy population status, the sight of a canvasback in Vermont is always cause for excitement.

Other diving ducks of note in the vicinity of the Colchester Railroad Causeway on February 25 included a male tufted duck, 2 redheads, and 28 ring-necked ducks. A red-shouldered hawk in Westminster on the 22^nd was an apparent early-returning “spring” migrant, while a northern flicker in Addison on the 25^th probably overwintered. Northern shrikes were reported from three locations statewide, and a singing male in Montomery Center on the 24^th previewed the species’ imminent northward departure for its subarctic breeding grounds. Moose Bog in Ferdinand yielded reports of several boreal forest specialties, including black-backed woodpecker, gray jay, and white-winged crossbill, while three red crossbills were observed at Victory Bog. Finally, horned larks and snow buntings were reported from multiple locations, with large flocks of both species sighted in Middlebury.

You can explore all the birds reported last week in Vermont and add your own sightings at www.ebird.org/vins.

Chris Rimmer
VINS Conservation Biology Dept.