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ABO Welcomes New Staff and Interns
Don't be surprised if you see a number of new faces working for the Bird-O this summer. Andrea Swingley, a UAF graduate student working on her Master's in Wildlife Biology, is our new Education Coordinator. Andrea moved to Alaska from New Jersey after receiving her B.S. degree from Cook College in 1992. She has participated in several avian research projects throughout Alaska and is a great addition to our team. She'll be busy organizing and leading banding demonstrations and bird walks, teaching birding workshops, directing the new Alaska Bird Camp and producing our newsletter and other outreach materials.
Amy Wise, a long-time Alaskan and 1997 ABO intern, is returning to work as our Education Program Assistant for three months. West Valley High graduate Nathan Adams, also a 1997 ABO intern, worked with Steve Springer on the Denali National Park bird censusing project during June. During August, Nathan will work as a Banding Assistant at Creamer's Field and Camp Denali before heading off to Albertson College in Idaho. David Shaw, a recent graduate of Evergreen State College, will be interning at the new migration station at Camp Denali. David is from Littleton, Colorado and has banded passerines for The Nature Conservancy.
Four new folks are running the bird censusing project on Fort Wainwright this summer. Tim Walker and Matt Gerbrandt are working as our Census Technicians for this project. Tim, a graduate of Penn State University, has worked in many parts of Alaska as a Wildlife and Fisheries Technician since moving to the state in 1987. Matt is from Oregon and is a graduate of Dominican College. His most recent work involved conducting bird surveys in the Pacific Northwest for the University of Washington and the Institute for Bird Populations.
Interns for the censusing project are Dan Kennedy and Dan Stein. Dan K. is a local wildlife artist and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Dan S. earned his B.S. in Forest Ecology from Evergreen State College in Washington and moved to Fairbanks last September. Rebecca Gilbert, a teacher at Monroe High School and a long-time ABO volunteer, rounds out our 1998 Creamer's Field Migration Station intern group.
From the Director - Nancy DeWitt
Life was certainly exciting here at the Bird-O this spring. In addition to preparing for our spring banding season, we were kept busy organizing a new bird censusing project for Fort Wainwright, hiring new staff and interns, training volunteers, preparing for the Birdathon, hosting hundreds of school children at the banding station, and refining our training program in mist netting and banding techniques. We worked with the local newspaper to produce a "weekly birding report" during spring migration, and we have been fielding numerous calls from visiting birders and locals with bird-related questions. Hundreds of Common Redpolls and their offspring have kept the banders and volunteers busy at our Creamer's Field Migration Station (maybe feeding redpolls all winter wasn't such a good idea after all!).
It doesn't look like our summer will be any less exciting either. Our biologists are scattered throughout the state, monitoring birds on Fort Wainwright and in Denali National Park, as well as performing training program follow-ups in Kotzebue and at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. We are working with Denali National Park Wilderness Centers to establish a migration station at Camp Denali starting in mid-July. Our first Alaska Bird Camp for youth ages 10-12 will take place July 13-17. We have a number of groups scheduled to visit the banding station this summer, including Betchart Expeditions from California.
These projects would not be possible without the support of all our wonderful members, volunteers and donors. Thank you!
Anna-Marie Barber Benson
Congratulations to Anna-Marie Barber, our Migration Program Manager, on her marriage to Carl Benson on July 4th! Please change your rolodex™ cards to read Anna-Marie Benson.
Anna-Marie had another reason to celebrate upon being awarded a $200 grant from the Wilson Ornithological Society to use for her graduate research.
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A Record-Breaking Birdathon
The 1998 Farthest North Birdathon was a tremendous success, with more than 70 people from Fairbanks, North Pole, Paxson and Nenana taking part. Routes covered many parts of the state, including Valdez, Seward, Nenana, Delta and the Dalton Highway. The "Quill Pig Conspiracy" team (so named for the unusually high number of porcupines spotted) shattered the old record of 99 by identifying 107 species in 24 hours of non-stop birding. Team members Philip Martin, Ted Swem, Laurel Devaney and Steve Porter combined skill, pre-Birdathon scouting, intuition, a GPS and a little bit of luck to take home the coveted "Golden Binoculars" award. They were the only birdathoners to see the Sora and Alaska's first confirmed record of an Eared Grebe. Fortunately, several other teams were also able to add Red-winged Blackbird, Ruddy Turnstone and Least Flycatcher to their lists.
Although ABO's team, "The Jaegermeisters," bettered last year's performance by seven species, we found one species less than "Bunky's Birders" total of 97 species. We still managed to have a lot of fun, and our team raised over $2,400. The sad thing is that we didn't see a jaeger until our time had expired, so we rechristened ourselves "The Jaeger-missers." We'd like to thank Joe Faulhaber for the use of his suburban, Rich Holmstrom for the free lodging at Tangle Lakes Lodge, and the folks who let us visit their homes to view Boreal Owls and Merlins.
We are also grateful for the wonderful prizes donated to the Birdathon, especially Wally and Jerri Cole for the three-night stay at Camp Denali (congratulations to winner Marlene Braun!). Other donors include Alaska Feed Co., The Artworks, Beaver Sports, Big Ray's, The Binkley Family, Bun on the Run, Ed Clark & Judy Dearborn, Cold Spot Feeds, Ester Hatworks, Food Factory/Jaybird's Wingworld, Fountainhead Development, Fred Meyer, Hot Licks, Kmart, Pat Pearlman Designs, Q-Lube, Tim Shields, 65th Parallel Woodworks and the Tanana Valley State Fair. Steve Neumuth Advertising was a great sponsor, and we thank Steve for donating the production of a Birdathon commercial and all the media coverage. Finally, we want to thank everyone who participated in the Birdathon and those who made pledges.
Birdathon Results:
- Most Money Raised: Individual on a Team: Judy Dearborn ($1,007); Nancy DeWitt ($863); Philip Martin ($675); Sherry Lewis ($550)
- Individual Birder: Steve Neumuth ($343); R.J. Nelson ($332); Cathy Donaldson ($173)
- Family: Dan & Mary Kennedy ($310); The Redpolls - Pam & Geneva Randles, Ryan & Amanda Stossel ($108)
- Team: The Jaegermeisters - $2,420 (Jim & Nancy DeWitt, Jeff Ross, Steve Springer & Andrea Swingley); Quill Pig Conspiracy - $1,457; Bunky's Birders - $1,150 (Steve Dubois, Sherry Lewis, Jim Logan, Mark Ross & John Wright). The Birch Hill Birders (Ed Clark & Judy Dearborn) raised the most money per team member ($504).
- Youth: Abby Hawkins ($140), Geneva Randles ($108), Kyle Campbell ($53).
- School: Rebecca Gilbert and Monroe High School ($265)
- A Selection of Best Birds Seen: Eared Grebe, Sora, Least Flycatcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Snow Goose, Black Oystercatcher, Great Gray Owl, Snow Bunting, Willet, Northern Wheatear and Rhode Island Red.
- A Selection of "Big Misses": Canada Goose, Hairy Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, eiders, Downy Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee and American Golden Plover.
- Least Resource Consumptive Team: Boreal Birding Bikers (Carol & Ray Hander, Michelle Ambrose & Deb Nigro)
- Most Miles Covered: Lori Quakenbush (489 miles), Naya Brangenberg (484 miles), Richardson Roadrunners - John Cogdill, Randy and Rob Horner (400+ miles)
- Good Sport Award (non-birder): Jeff Ross
- Youngest Birder: Ryan Stossel (2)
- Best Performance by First-Timers: Richardson Roadrunner
There's a lot more articles in the printed version of The Arctic Warbler. Join ABO and get the complete newsletter three times a year.
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Spring Migration at Creamer's Field - A spring dominated by Redpoll Captures
Anna-Marie Benson
(Migration Program Manager)
An extended version of this article with supporting data is available at our Research Papers page.
After a long winter we bird lovers long for spring migration. As an ornithologist, I love spring migration because it is a time to marvel at the variation in Yellow-rumped Warbler songs, observe details in plumage variation of Wilson's Warblers, imagine the journey of Alder Flycatchers, and share information about birds to guests.... At least that is what I assumed prior to the spring of 1998. After five seasons of migration monitoring at Creamer's Field, the words of our founder, Tom Pogson, echo in my ears "The longer you do this work, the more you will realize how little you know." I contemplated this, and the number of Redpolls that came to our feeder last winter, as I was removing 50 Redpolls from a single mist net. A question posed by a volunteer "Could Redpolls take over the other birds out here?" went unanswered that day. I understand very little about the high capture rates of Redpolls during the spring of 1998, but the "mew...mew...mew" call note of Common Redpolls now echoes in my ears.
Capture Rates
Capture rates of Common Redpolls surpassed all other years with 639 individual captures compared with 456 captures during all previous years combined (Table 1). Only 36 % of the captures of Common Redpolls were adults, and 64% were hatching year birds. The condition of the incubation patch of many female Redpolls suggested they were incubating their second clutch by early June, which may explain a second "wave" in Redpoll captures during early June.
When captures of all species are combined (excluding Redpolls) the station capture rate in 1998 was 7.75 birds/100 net hours, compared with a mean station capture rate of 5.17 birds/100 net hours from 1992-1997. Capture rates of birds at the species level wil be annalyzed in our annual report.
Editors Note: Total Birds Captured and Capture Rates for Spring Migrations 1992-1998 are now available.
Timing of Migration - Does an early spring in Fairbanks cause migrants to arrive early?
The literature suggests that the timing of migration is genetic. Therefore, we do not expect Nearctic-Neotropical migrants (birds that breed north of the Tropic of Cancer and overwinter south of the Tropic of Cancer) to vary their departure date from the tropics based on the phenology of the season at their breeding grounds. However, some Nearctic-Nearctic migrants (migratory movements occur north of the Tropic of Cancer) such as the Dark-eyed Junco are able to sense large weather systems, and may be able to vary the timing of their migration. When Redpolls are excluded from the analysis, the timing of spring migration during 1998 was similar to other years (Fig.1). The peak of spring migration occurred between 16 May-20 May.
Returns
Records of birds banded in a particular year and recaptured in subsequent years help ornithologists answer questions relating to survivorship and longevity of birds. Return rates of birds at CFMS are typically high. In 1998, 64 individual captures were those of birds banded in previous years. For example, an American Robin banded on 16 May, 1993 was recaptured in 1995, 1996, and also in 1998. This bird was an adult when it was banded, and is therefore at least six years old.
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Volunteer Profile - Jim Logan
Even after retiring as ABO's Executive Director in April of 1997, Jim Logan has continued to stay active with the organization through a variety of volunteer projects. Jim is one of those folks who goes beyond the "fun" jobs at the banding station by serving on our Board of Directors and helping with chores around the office. Whether it's assembling a 500-piece desk or the monotonous job of copying data sheets, Jim is always there with a smile on his face. He didn't even hesitate when he was asked to join ABO's board, and he willingly accepted the position of Vice-President.
Jim's path to ABO was an interesting one. Prior to moving to Alaska in 1992 his work included middle school science teacher, college instructor and tennis pro. While teaching outdoor education classes for the University of Arizona in 1981, a group of his students presented him with a small pair of binoculars and a bird book as a gift. He's been interested in birds ever since. He became involved with Creamer's Field while serving as director of Camp Habitat in 1993. After seeing a banding demonstration he decided he wanted to be "part of the action" with ABO.
Jim served as ABO's Executive Director from 1995 to 1997. He and his wife, Sherry, are great at working the mist nets (Sherry sews many a bird bag for us too!) and always seem to be there just when we need lots of help. When asked why he volunteers for ABO Jim replied, "I enjoy seeing birds up close and the kids' expressions when they listen to a bird's heartbeat. I also enjoy the company of like-minded people and want to contribute in a small way to ABO's research." Jim states that his volunteer highlights include finding a Boreal Owl perched on a net while unfurling the nets one early morning and taking a Sharp-shined Hawk out of a net.
Jim is also active with Friends of Creamer's Field, Arctic Audubon Society, Camp Habitat and the Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association. His hobbies include hiking, birding, traveling, reading, skijoring and home maintenance. He and Sherry live in the Goldstream Valley with their three dogs, one of whom is the sponsor for Net 24 at ABO's banding station.
Habitat selection and relative abundance of birds at Fort Wainwright
Anna-Marie Benson
Few data exist on avian communities breeding in the diverse regime of habitats on Fort Wainwright, except those from one Breeding Bird Survey route that has been conducted during the past 10 years. The Alaska Bird Observatory has undertaken a one-year study to determine habitat selection and relative abundance of landbirds on Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The goal of the project was to determine which habitats are selected and avoided by bird species. Results of this study will provide information to the U.S. Army and Fish and Wildlife Service to support the management of breeding birds on federal lands.
We were fortunate to have a Geographic Information System map of the area prior to initiating the study. The map helped us determine which habitat types were available to birds and the proportion of their availability. Our field work determined which habitats birds are using based on point-count observations. The final analysis will determine which habitats are selected or avoided by birds.
We focused our efforts on the Yukon Maneuver Area and the Tanana Flats on Fort Wainwright. Armed with the great field crew of Tim Walker, Matt Gerbrant, Anna-Marie Barber, Dan Kennedy, and Dan Stein we conquered intense mosquitoes, unmarked bear baiting stations, waking up at midnight to get to our starting points by 3 AM, and powering through dense willow thickets. The bushwhacking factor and close encounters with grizzly bears did not deter our hardy crew, as we ended up with nearly 500 independent point counts between 27 May and 26 June. The first day of sampling on the Tanana Flats included sightings of family groups of Great Gray Owls and Northern Hawk Owls. The beauty and magic of the Tanana Flats has amazed all of us, and the final report will answer some fascinating questions relating to landbird ecology in interior Alaska.
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Raid of the Redpolls
Anna-Marie Benson
(Migration Program Manager)
Redpolls are small finches that overwinter in nothern regions. The migratory movements of Redpolls throughout Canada and the Northern United States are irregular but appear to be related to food availability. Although redpolls often visit bird feeders during the winter, their natural food sourceprimarily consists of birch seeds. Large foraging flocks of redpolls eat birch seeds directly from the trees or from the ground, often in feeding frenzies, then store the seeds in a crop-like structure called the esophageal diverticulum or "crop." Birds can then travel to a sheltered spot where they can later digest the seeds. The storage system helps them survive during periods of short daylight, heavy snow and extreme cold.
The number of redpolls recorded during Arctic Audubon's 1998 annual Christmas Bird Count in Fairbanks--the highest ever recorded-- indicatedthat these birds were unusually abundant already in January. After mild spring temperatures, a mist- netting session in March indicated early signs of females incubating eggs. Further, during spring 1998, the "crops" of adults and juveniles were loaded with caterpillar larvae. Early nesting combined with a high protein diet may have enabled females to successfully raise two clutches, which may explain high numbers of redpolls this spring.
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ABO Training Program
16 May-26 May 1998
During May ABO offered a training program to teach banding techniques to wildlife professionals. The program is designed for people with a strong science background who will be using their knowledge to collect accurate and important data. Instructed by Anna-Marie Benson, the trainees were Nan Eagleson (Denali National Park Wilderness Centers, Ltd.), Gary Busteed and John Pushuck (National Park Service - Northwest Alaska Areas), and Paul Charland (United States Fish and Wildlife Service - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge). The field component of the program consisted of station set up, use of mist nets, and daily banding. We captured 228 birds of 16 species. High capture rates of juvenile Common Redpolls allowed us to practice examination of different stages of skull ossification. The lecture and discussion component of the course consisted of:
- Introduction and background information to studies on migratory passerines
- Alternate plumage and sexing techniques
- A visit to the University of Alaska Museum with Dan Gibson to examine plumage variation in Alaska birds
- Molt, skull ossification, and basic plumage identification
- Banding ethics
- Avian education and interpretation
- Use of spreadsheets
The training program also includes a follow-up on-site visit from an ABO biologist.
The students were a group of hard working and fun individuals. We're sure they will be extremely successful in collecting good data while minimizing the impact of the birds they handle. We will be offering another training program September 1 - 12. Call us at (907) 451-7059 for details.
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No Songbird Decline After '99
On June 30, several representatives from ARCO Alaska, Inc. visited ABO to see our songbird program up close and present a generous $10,000 check for our environmental education program. Kevin Meyers - President and Chief Operating Officer, Joan McCoy - Director of Community Relations, Jan Fisher - Vice-President of External Affairs, Eric Reinbold - Staff Engineer, and Steve Porter - Fairbanks Representative (and ABO board member) enjoyed an informative (and very hot) tour of our banding station, saw how we collect data, helped release several birds and then viewed a slide presentation about our education program. We are very grateful for ARCO's commitment to songbird conservation in Alaska and appreciate their personal interest in our programs. We'd also like to thank Elizabeth Porter for her volunteer efforts and for the delicious refreshments!
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ABO Says Farewell to Two Friends
There was melancholy at the banding station on May 22 when Sara McDaniel gave her last banding demonstration for school children at Creamer's Field. Sara and her husband Terry moved to the Seattle area in June for Terry's new job with Alaska Airlines. In addition to her work as ABO's Education Coordinator, Sara was president of Friends of Creamer's Field. All of us at the refuge will miss Sara, especially her enthusiasm and creativity. Her move is a loss for the Fairbanks community, and we will treasure the many songbird drawings she left us with.
In April, board member Terry Doyle moved to Florida for his new job at the newly formed Ten-thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Terry diligently commuted from Tok to Fairbanks for many of ABO's board meetings, and we will miss his input and humor. We send our best wishes with Sara, Terry and their families as they embark on their new adventures!
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Art for the Birds
Fairbanksan Randall Compton, one of Alaska's best-known wildlife artists, has generously contributed some of his time and artwork for the benefit of ABO. Randall's latest print, entitled "Owl Watch," is a stunning drawing of a Great Gray Owl in a birch tree. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the limited-edition prints (only 100 were made) will go to ABO. The print is on display at the Creamer's Field Visitors' Center, and you can purchase the print directly from ABO or the Visitors' Center for only $50.
On May 9, Randall hosted a drawing workshop for six people and donated all of the proceeds to ABO. The group had so much fun that we persuaded Randall to come back for a session drawing duck mounts to improve our technique. We'd like to thank Randall for being so generous and encourage our members to buy a print of "Owl Watch." Give us a call if you're interested!
Net Sponsor Update
We are happy to announce the addition of four new Adopt-A-Net sponsors, bringing the total number of sponsors to 24. New supporters include: Steve, Elizabeth, Knight and Jonathan Porter, PDC, Inc. and Dr. Jon and Missy Lieberman. Also, The Nature Conservancy of Alaska and The Usibelli Foundation have renewed their sponsorships for 1998. All sponsors have their names placed on a sign at their net and receive a year-end report summarizing their net captures. If you would like to adopt one of our remaining six nets, please call Nancy at 451-7059. Sponsorships start at $250 and include a framed photo certificate, a tour of the migration station and a year-end report summarizing the captures at that net.
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New Grants
Thanks to a $3,450 grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, ABO has been able to substantially upgrade our computer technology. We've added a much-needed Pentium II computer and a laser printer to our tiny office, which will increase our ability to handle data and disseminate information about our research and songbird conservation. In March, we received a generous $5,000 grant from the Skaggs Foundation to support our education and internship programs, which in turn supports our research efforts. This contribution will help fund two intern positions, the Alaska Bird Camp, our fall classroom program and a new interpretive sign at the banding station.
On June 24, Brian Dunphy from Exxon Company, USA delivered a $5,000 renewal grant to support our Creamer's Field research and education programs. On-going support such as Exxon's is crucial to our ability to conduct long-term studies on the health of Alaska's songbird populations. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and MAPCO Alaska Petroleum have teamed up to support the development of a boreal forest songbird teaching unit by ABO. Their respective grants of $1,286 and $1,000 have helped us design an interactive unit for K-6 graders promotes critical-thinking and problem-solving skills related to migration of boreal forest songbirds.
Finally, the Environmental Protection Agency has informed us that our grant application for $4,500 has been funded effective July 1. This grant will support the Alaska Bird Camp, our summer internship program and several in-school programs this coming winter. We are grateful for the generous support of our grantors and look forward to another outstanding year!
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Seasonal Mass and Fat Dynamics of Black-capped Chickadees in Interior Alaska
by Nathan Adams
Last winter, Anna-Marie Benson worked with Nathan Adams, a 1997 ABO student intern, on this high school science project. Nathan presented the results at the Alaska Statewide High School Science Symposium where he took third place in the Ecology, Environmental Science and Zoology section, and placed in the top five presenters overall. Nathan will continue to pursue his ornithological interests by working for ABO again in 1998.
Mass and fat content of Black-capped Chickadees, Parus atricapiilus, were measured from 21 September to 21 December 1997. Three null hypotheses tested were: 1) There us no relationship between time of day and body mass or fat reserves; 2) There is no relationship between date and body mass or fat reserves; 3) There is no relationship between temperature and body mass or fat reserves. Live traps were used once weekly for capturing birds from sunrise to sunset during the study period. Each bird was individually marked with a leg band. Body mass, wing chord, and an index of fat reserves were recorded for each bird captured. Fat content was positively correlated to both time of day (r2=0.168, p=<0.001), and date (r2=0.178, p=<0.001), but negatively correlated with average daily air temperature (r2=0.051, p=0.022). However, time of day, date, and temperature were poor predictors of both body condition (r2=0.018, 0.017, and 0.018, p=0.179, 0.191, and 0.179 respectively) and body mass (r2=0.004, 0.008, and 0.054, p=0.522, 0.360, and 0.019, respectively). These results suggest that body condition was not significantly affected by any of the variables. However fat varied significantly with all the variables, and mass changed significantly with temperature.
Good job, Nathan!
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Alaska Bird Observatory