VCE eNews: Updates

Common Green Darner © Kent McFarland VCE Joins Other Scientists to Help Unravel the Mysteries of Dragonfly Migration To better understand and conserve dragonfly migration in North America and beyond, VCE has joined other scientists from throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada in the collaborative Migratory Dragonfly Partnership (MDP). Goals of the MDP are two-fold: to combine research, citizen science, education, and outreach to better understand North America’s migrating dragonflies, and to promote conservation of the habitats on which they rely. In the past, VCE biologists have used stable-hydrogen isotopes in bird feathers to help unravel bird migration mysteries. Hydrogen isotopes enable us to infer the origins of migratory organisms because they reflect the latitude at which certain body tissues were grown. By examining isotopes in the wings of Green Darners, a large migratory dragonfly, we will be able to unravel the mystery of where they overwinter and how they migrate northward each spring. Stay tuned for more on this ground-breaking research.

County Quest Nears the Finish Line With barely two weeks to go before the 2011 Vermont County Birding Quest wraps up, results have been nothing short of remarkable. As of mid-December, nearly 22,500 individual checklists have been submitted to Vermont eBird, 313 species have been tallied, and we're pushing the 2 million mark for numbers of individuals! Seven individual birders have logged 200 or more species in a single county so far, and 6 of Vermont's 14 counties have hit the 200 species mark, with Addison narrowly edging out Chittenden for the current overall lead, 248 vs. 245. We're working hard to develop a county "par" system that will level the playing field. With the Christmas Bird Count season upon us, get out there and find those Snowy Owls, Pine Grosbeaks, and crossbills! We'll issue a full Quest summary early in 2012.

White-winged Crossbill on Stratton Mountain, Vermont © Kent McFarland 112th Christmas Bird Count The 112th Christmas Bird Count will run from December 14, 2011 through January 5, 2012. Last year’s count shattered records. Over 60 million birds were tallied by 62,624 participants on 2,215 counts. Counts took place in all 50 states, all Canadian provinces, plus 107 count circles in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. The first-ever CBC tally was submitted from Haiti, where the count circle is located at Les Cayes, the birthplace of John James Audubon. For more information visit Vermont eBird!

Four Countries in Four Weeks: Hispaniola Update Juan Carlos Martinez's whirlwind introduction to all things Bicknell's Thrush began in September, with his near-simultaneous move to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and acceptance of the Caribbean Bird Conservation Coordinator position. Now, three months later, his head may be spinning, but he has hit the ground running. Juan Carlos spent almost three weeks this fall based at VCE, with productive visits to meet partners at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO), Washington DC, and Quebec City. After a brief pit-stop back in Haiti, it was on to the Dominican Republic, where he and Chris Rimmer spent 8 days meeting local collaborators and setting the stage for an ambitious conservation agenda focused on Hispaniolan montane forests. Juan Carlos' activities are at the core of a productive partnership between U.S. Forest Service - International Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and CLO, all under the aegis of the International Bicknell's Thrush Conservation Group. We're very excited to have him on board! Jamie and Jesus Moreno, Chris Rimmer and Juan Carlos Martinez-Sanchez in the Dominican Republic © VCE

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