Alaska Bird Observatory

The Arctic Warbler - On-Line Edition Winter 1998 Volume 4, Number 3 Table of Contents ABO Research 1998 Field Season Preliminary Results - From the Director - Christmas Bird Count - Field Season Volunteers - Teaming up for Bird Conservation - EPA Grant: Songbirds of Interior Alaska - Bird Songs of Alaska CD Update - 1998 Alaska Bird Camp Report - ABO Presents Boreal Forest Songbirds of Alaska - Crossbill Manners - ABO Welcomes New Board Member - American Tree Sparrows in Alaska - ABO Wish List - Holiday Gift Ideas
Alaska Bird Observatory Research 1998 Field Season Preliminary Results by Anna-Marie Benson Recently, we have expanded and diversified our research program with direction from our Scientific Advisory Board consisting of agency biologists and university faculty (Philip Martin, Lori Quakenbush, and Dr.'s Pierre Deviche, Eric Rexstad, and Kevin Winker). Our research program focuses on long-term monitoring of Alaska's bird populations, analyses of life histories, habitat selection, and how disturbances affect birds. This past year has been exciting in many ways. Herein, I present preliminary results from ABO's 1998 research program. More comprehensive analyses will be presented in our annual report and on our web page. Habitat Selection of Passerines in Interior Alaska The boreal forest is a mosaic of habitats; there are many species of trees of different ages. The mixture of habitats is used by nearly 100 species of birds that breed in interior Alaska forests. While some species of birds use a variety of habitats for nesting (habitat generalists), other species prefer specific habitat types (habitat specialists). We designed a study to determine which habitat types were selected or avoided by forest birds and collected data during the 1998 field season. We used a GIS map (graciously provided by ABR, Inc.) to determine which habitat types were available to birds on the Tanana Flats and the Yukon Maneuver Area on Fort Wainwright. We then sampled the habitat types in proportions to their availability, e.g. 25% of the Tanana Flats is Lowland Needleleaf Forest, therefore, 25% of our point-count surveys were located in Lowland Needleleaf Forest. We used these point-count surveys to determine habitat selection of breeding birds. The final analysis is not complete; however, preliminary analyses show Townsend's Warblers, Varied Thrush, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were most common in mature upland habitat types, while species such as Dark-eyed Junco were common in a variety of habitat types. One of the census crew's favorite sightings was a family of Great Gray Owls. We'd like to thank the Department of Defense for funding the project, Pam Bruce and Brad Andres for logistical support, and ABR Inc. for technical support. Creamer's Field Migration Station-Fall migration monitoring Stopover sites are critical for migratory birds to replenish fat reserves and continue their migration. Located near the beginning of a migrant's fall journey, Creamer's Field is an important stopover site for migratory birds. ABO has operated the Creamer's Field Migration Station, a standardized mist-netting station, from 25 April to 30 September for the past seven years. The migration station allows us to monitor population dynamics and life histories (migration, reproduction, molt, and fat deposition) of common species of passerines. To monitor populations accurately, long-term data sets are required. Migration monitoring stations can detect drastic declines in species; however, numbers of birds can fluctuate among years without showing distinct trends. Although we need many more years of data to accurately describe trends in bird populations in Alaska, it is interesting to note interannual variation in the numbers of birds we capture. During fall migration in 1998, we captured and banded nearly 20% more birds than any other year. The high captures this year were driven by our four most common species. We banded over 1,200 American Tree Sparrows, 1,350 Myrtle Warblers, 800 Slate-colored Juncos, and 900 Orange-crowned Warblers. Capture rates of American Tree Sparrows were triple the station average, and approximately double the station average in the latter three species. In other species that we can monitor effectively at this site, capture rates were near average. The ratio of hatch-year to after-hatch-year birds was higher than average in American Tree Sparrows, but near average in most other species. Other exciting captures included our first ever Common Snipe, two Merlins (one of which was still carrying old falconry leather), a Northern Harrier, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Special thanks to the many volunteers who supported CFMS. Your help is the reason for the continued success of the migration station. Moose Creek Migration Station We operated a new fall migration-monitoring station in the Moose Creek Drainage, near Wonder Lake in Denali National Park, from 16 July to 30 August. The drainage is a fascinating migration corridor. Located in the Alaska Range, the site is approximately 2,000 feet above sea level. We operated 10 nets and banded 1,289 birds of 27 species. Capture rates were approximately 50% higher than our Creamer's Field site. The most abundant species was Wilson's Warbler. We also caught large numbers of White-crowned Sparrows and Swainson's Thrush. Rainy weather inhibited the frequency of the number of days netting was possible, but we will try again next year. We also hope to develop an interpretive program in the future. The Denali Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education and study of Alaska's natural history, funded the project. Thanks to Nan Eagleson, Bob Barni, and Wally and Jerre Cole for support throughout the migration season. Monitoring Landbirds in Denali National Park For the past six years, ABO has conducted research to develop a protocol for long-term monitoring in Denali Park. This year, our primary role was to continue monitoring based on the protocol we developed in previous years. We conducted on-road Breeding-Bird Surveys along the park road, plus off-road transects in spruce forest habitats. The spruce forest does not represent the major habitat type in Denali; therefore, we added a new component to the protocol by conducting routes in riparian and tundra habitat types. On both routes we detected species that we could not monitor with the previous protocol. The alpine data points showed high numbers of American Pipits, Upland Sandpipers, and Horned Larks, while the riparian route had high detection rates of Blackpoll Warblers. Our six-year data set shows those species of birds we can monitor in Denali Park are relatively stable. Many thanks to Pat Owen and the National Park Service for funding and logistic support. Training Program Update Each year, ABO offers a training program for wildlife professionals that covers banding, aging, and sexing passerines. While it takes a bander years to develop speed and consistency, the program offers a solid introduction to bird-banding skills. This summer, we conducted on-site follow-up visits at Yukon Flats and Kotzebue. The students demonstrated they were off to a great start in their banding careers. We had one trainee during fall migration: Philip Martin from Ecological Services (USFWS), is a veteran at handling birds and bird identification. One of the most difficult aspects of banding birds is identifying degree of skull ossification. He quickly developed these skills, and we are confident he will be successful in future research that requires bird-banding tools. Our next training program will be offered in May 1999. Watch our web site for details.	From the Director by Nancy DeWitt This was an incredibly busy field season for ABO, as we broadened our research efforts and saw our Creamer's Field Migration Station capture over 2,000 more birds than last year. This summer we had biologists and interns working on projects throughout interior Alaska, from the heart of Denali National Park to the Yukon Maneuver Area on Fort Wainwright. 1998 has also been a year of tremendous growth for our education program. In addition to our popular bird-banding demonstrations, this year we offered our first Alaska Bird Camp, began a series of bird-identification workshops for the public, created educational materials for elementary school teachers, and developed a web page. We owe special thanks to you, our members and supporters, for making all this possible! Even though the migrant birds have left, we still have a full schedule. This winter we are presenting a series of ornithological seminars to help other scientists share their avian research projects with the public. Anna-Marie Benson is preparing several papers on ABO's research and will be attending the Boreal Partners in Flight meeting in December. Andrea Swingley has been conducting Alaska Songbird Workshops at several elementary schools and recently uploaded our new Boreal Forest Songbird Teaching Unit onto the Internet. We're also working with local feed stores to conduct winter bird-feeding workshops and hold birdseed sales that benefit ABO. To stay up-to-date on ABO's activities, be sure to check out our web page from time to time. Job listings, volunteer programs, our calendar of events, and research results will be posted on www.ptialaska.net/~birds1. Christmas Bird Count The 38th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for Fairbanks will take place on Saturday, January 2. The CBC is the largest and longest-running wildlife survey ever undertaken and consists of an early-winter bird census. The CBC was started in 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman, who was disturbed at the slaughter of birds in the annual holiday event called the "side hunt." The team that shot the most birds and other small animals was the winner. In protest, Chapman organized 27 friends in 25 locations on Christmas day that year to count, rather than shoot, birds. The CBC is now sponsored by the National Audubon Society and involves more than 45,000 volunteer counters in the Western Hemisphere. The Arctic Audubon Society invites bird-lovers to get involved in the Fairbanks count. You can simply count birds at your feeder, or you can cover a pre-assigned area in the official count circle. We'll all get together that evening at a potluck to compile the master list and share stories. To sign up, call the coordinator nearest you. For more information on the CBC, check out these web pages: www.mbr.nbs.gov/bbs/cbc.html and www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.   Overall Coordinators   Larry & Gail Mayo   479-2954   Chena Ridge   Lori Quakenbush   479-3210   Creamer's Refuge   John Wright   459-0292 or 479-0194   Ester   Ray Hadley   479-5380   Fairbanks South   Ken Russell & Laurel Devaney   488-8170 or 456-0219   Farmer's Loop   Shelli and Dave Swanson   452-3365   Ft. Wainwright/ Steese   Pam Bruce   488-0283 or 353-9507   Goldstream East   Sherry Lewis & Jim Logan   479-0848   Goldstream West   Brain Lawhead   455-6849   University   Pierre Deviche & Anna-Marie Benson   474-7158 Field Season Volunteers This year 57 volunteers assisted with our mist-netting and banding research at our Creamer's Field migration station in Fairbanks. Most of these folks volunteered one or more days each week during spring and fall migration, starting at 5:30 am. We appreciated their assistance, not to mention the occasional baked treat! We also had some wonderful volunteers help at the new Camp Denali Migration Station this summer, including several employees from Camp Denali and North Face Lodge. We are grateful for our volunteers' time, energy and commitment to bird conservation and hope to see them again in 1999. Tim & Kris Adamczak Nathan Adams Cyndie Beale Maria Berger Naya Brangenberg Marlene Braun Carol Brice Jim & Kyle Campbell Robin Carter Elona Charbonnet Rita Colwell Doug & Susie Crevensten Judy Dearborn Carrie Dershin Laurel Devaney Jim DeWitt Donna DiFalco Dorinda Dutcher Nan Eagleson Cindy Fabbri Matt Gerbrandt Rebecca Gilbert Eric Greene Abby Hawkins Lori Hawkins Joanne Haller Carol Hander Randy Horner Laurie Hynson Billy Hynson Marianne Jakob Frank Janca Carol Kasza Dan Kennedy Keith Larson Sherry Lewis Mary Liston Jim Logan Philip Martin Shelly Martin Gail & Larry Mayo Greg McClellan Steve Neumuth Miriam Paquin Elizabeth Porter Steve Porter Joyce Potter JoAnne Riordan Lori Quakenbush Pam Randles Steve Reidsma Ken Russell Juliann Schamel David Shaw Shelly Swanson Kristine Sowl Ted Swem Kathy Taylor Yokel Doug Wacker Judy Williams Nancy Winford Fritz Wittwer John Wright Did you know? The Lincoln's Sparrow was named after Thomas Lincoln, a companion of Audubon, not Abraham Lincoln. - From 10,001 Titillating Tidbits of Avian Trivia.
Teaming up for Bird Conservation We would like to extend our appreciation to the Northern Alaska Ecological Services (N.A.E.S.) Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for obtaining a $14,500 challenge cost-share grant to help ABO promote bird conservation. The grant allowed USFWS, ABO, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to jointly sponsor an environmental education program this summer on Alaska's migrant landbirds for school children, summer camp participants, student interns and visitors to the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. The grant funded the ABO Education Coordinator position this summer, as well as start-up costs for the inaugural Alaska Bird Camp. We also purchased a new banding station, thanks to this grant and a great discount from Alaska Tent & Tarp. We are grateful to USFWS for their generous support and can't wait to set up the new station next spring! The Fish and Wildlife Service supports two fundamentally important aspects of the ABO program; first, as a partner in the gathering of scientific information about birds, and second, as a leader in science-based education. With numerous species of migratory birds, particularly warblers and other songbirds, facing population declines across North America, the Fish and Wildlife Service sees the banding and data collection being done at ABO as critical to the successful management of these species. With banding stations located on National Wildlife Refuges across Alaska and other states, we see ABO as an effective partner in this monitoring "network." In addition, however, ABO has proven to be a leader in combining scientific and educational achievement. We believe the public's direct contact with birds and science is very effective in promoting a greater awareness and understanding of the natural world we live in. Larry Bright, assistant field supervisor for N.A.E.S., USFWS, and cost-share grant coordinator. We would also like to thank the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) for their continued support of the Alaska Bird Observatory. ADF&G provides ABO with office space in the Creamer's Field Visitor Center (and all the benefits that come with it, such as snow removal and garbage-hauling service), a computer, access to a fax machine, storage space, assistance from their grounds crew and technical support from staff. We are especially grateful to John Wright, the Creamer's Field Refuge Manager, who serves on ABO's board as a non-voting member and eagerly bicycles out to the banding station on short notice when we're inundated with captures.	EPA Grant: Songbirds of Interior Alaska The Alaska Bird Observatory received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop an interactive workbook and teaching unit for K - 6 grades that promotes conservation of migratory and resident birds in Alaska's boreal forest. These materials are designed to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to the boreal forest songbird populations of Alaska. Sara McDaniel performed the majority of material development from fall 1997 - spring 1998. The Songbird Activity Book includes illustrations of a hawk, a falcon, and 18 songbirds along with descriptions of each bird, a field checklist, a key for coloring birds, and activities using the species pages as a reference. We continued revisions and improvements to the teaching unit in summer 1998 and began distributing all materials in September 1998. All teachers who visited ABO for banding demonstrations in September received a copy of the teaching unit and copies of the activity book for each student. In fall 1998, 54 educators received copies of the teaching unit, and 985 copies of the activity book were distributed to students and educators. Bird Songs of Alaska CD Update Many of you have been asking when our new version of the "Bird Songs of Alaska" CD set will be available. This project is in the hands of the Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology and has been mired in the production stage for some time. Unfortunately, we have not been given a clear completion date but we are doing our best to make sure the CD's are ready in time for the 1999 field season. If you would like to be on our e-mail notification list for CD updates, please contact us at: birds1@ptialaska.net.
Chattering Silky-Tails? By Andrea Swingley Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) are one of the few year-round residents of interior Alaska. The name Bombycilla comes from combined Greek and Latin words "Bombyx" for "silk" and "cilla" for "tail" (although cilla does not actually mean tail; Choate 1985). The species name, garrulus, comes from a Latin word for chattering or talkative (Terres 1980). In flight waxwings constantly twitter and call. Their call is a trilling zir-r-r-r. Other names for the Bohemian Waxwing include Bohemian chatterer, northern chatterer, and northern waxwing (Terres 1980). These birds were named waxwings after the red, wax-like tips of their secondary wing feathers. The waxy droplets reminded people of sealing wax (Ehrlich, et al. 1988). The function of these droplets has yet to be determined although it has been suggested they may serve as a signal of age or social status that is used in pair formation. The Bohemian part of the name is thought to refer to the way these birds wander around seemingly without a permanent home (Ehrlich, et al. 1988). Bohemian Waxwings have sleek, silky plumage, prominent crests, and black masks. Males and females look similar. The body is soft gray in color with rusty or cinnamon colored undertail coverts. There are white marks on their red- and yellow-tipped wings. Waxwing flight is graceful and undulating. The size and shape of waxwings is similar to the European Starling, as is waxwing flocking behavior and flight patterns (Cramp 1988). These similar features may cause confusion for those used to seeing large flocks of starlings. The largest of the waxwings lives around northern parts of the world including Alaska. Waxwings are mostly tree dwelling and make their nests in spruce and tamarack trees (Bent 1965). In summer their diet consists mostly of insects and some berries. They have been observed catching dragonflies out of the air and beating them against rocks until they were dead (S. Sharbaugh pers. comm.). Waxwings also eat flowers (Ehrlich, et al. 1988). In winter, waxwings feed mostly on berries, fruits, and tree sap. Terres (1980) and Bent (1965) suggest waxwings come to feeders for raisins and other dried fruit or berries but only rarely for sunflower seeds. Some types of berries and fruit eaten by waxwings include highbush cranberries, bearberries, blueberries, rose hips, and chokecherries. Bohemian Waxwings have a reputation for being gluttonous, voracious eaters (Bent 1965; Ehrlich et al. 1988). Some of the best ways to see Bohemian Waxwings in winter is to find chokecherry trees. Locally, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has chokecherry trees near buildings on upper and lower campus that frequently attract waxwings. Look for large flocks of noisy birds that are larger than redpolls yet smaller than robins. Literature cited Bent, A.C. 1965. Life histories of North American wagtails, shrikes, vireos, and their allies. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, pp. 62-79. Choate, E.A. 1985. The dictionary of American bird names. The Harvard Common Press, Boston, pp. 99-100. Cramp, S. (ed.). 1988. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The birds of the Western Palearctic, volume 5. Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes. Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 490-502. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1998. The birder's handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon & Schuster Inc., New York, pp. 484-485. Terres, J.K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, pp. 1005-1006.   ABO Welcomes New Board Member In October we welcomed Ted Swem to ABO's board of directors. Ted is an endangered species biologist with Northern Alaska Ecological Services at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. He has done extensive monitoring of Arctic Peregrine Falcons along the Colville River, and he recently assisted with the USFWS evaluation of whether the Queen Charlotte Goshawk warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act. In his spare time, Ted helps run a hawk migration station and maintains a series of Boreal and Saw-whet Owl nesting boxes in south-central Alaska. Ted has been an ABO member and Birdathon participant for several years and we're fortunate to add him to our board.	ABO Presents Boreal Forest Songbirds of Alaska a teaching unit designed for use with elementary-age students. The teaching unit has six chapters. Each chapter includes a student page and three activities. Topics covered in the unit include songbirds, bird adaptations, the boreal forest, bird research methods, and bird conservation. A companion Alaska Songbirds Activity Book for students is also available. For more information, contact the Alaska Bird Observatory at (907) 451-7059 or email us at birds1@ptialaska.net The teaching unit and songbird activity books are also available through our web site at http://www.ptialaska.net/~birds1. Crossbill Manners by Pierre Deviche In fall and winter, when interior Alaska passerines have completed their breeding and migrants have departed, conifer forests may seem devoid of avian life. However, a few species stay here during the winter months despite low temperatures and short day lengths. Careful observation or attentive listening may reveal flocks of White-winged Crossbills, Loxia leucoptera, foraging in high spruces. Watching the birds easily discloses their main winter activity: they feed on seeds that they extract from cones. Conifer seeds are the only food of crossbills throughout the year, except for a few summer months during which the birds are partly insectivorous. The particular morphology of crossbills' beak and their strong, short legs help them reach the seeds. In winter, each crossbill probably requires several hundred seeds per day to compensate for energy loss resulting from daily activities and maintenance of body temperature. Winter survival of the birds, therefore, entirely depends on their having consistent access to ample spruce seed supply. The close association of crossbills with conifers restricts their geographical distribution and dictates their abundance at any specific location as well as many aspects of their lifestyle. In a given area, the production of spruce seeds varies greatly and irregularly from one year to another. Therefore, local crossbill populations undergo large fluctuations from one year to the other. For example, during the past eleven years, the Fairbanks Christmas Bird Count of the National Audubon Society reported no crossbills during three different years, but 830 birds were found in 1994. Presumably, low winter numbers result from a local shortage of spruce seedsthat force the birds to leave the area and wander over the boreal forest in search of regions where food is more abundant. While the feeding habits of crossbills are well known, the timing of their reproduction is still a subject to debate. This question is of interest because most bird species breed in spring and early summer whereas crossbills can presumably breed nearly year round if food is available in adequate quantity. This is apparently the case at low latitudes where winters are relatively mild. My studies have involved the examination of approximately 500 crossbills that we live-caught in Fairbanks over the past five years. The results indicate that interior Alaska crossbills do not breed year round but only in spring and summer. This seasonal pattern is similar to that of most other species. It is possible that interior Alaska birds are physiologically ready to breed at other times of the year, as has been proposed for other locations, but low temperatures and short winter day length inhibit actual reproduction. Another particularity of interior Alaska crossbills is that they undergo body molt between September and November. In contrast, most other species complete molt by the end of summer. Crossbills molt when temperatures are still rather mild, conifer seeds are fully mature and in some years abundant, and daily amount of time available to gather these seeds is decreasing but still relatively long compared to the following months. Undergoing the energy-consuming molt process later than is the case in other species may be an adaptation to an every day lifestyle dependent on a single source food that may be at its best in early winter. Dr. Pierre Deviche has been Professor of Animal Physiology with the Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology & Wildlife since 1988. Pierre started conducting research on crossbills after catching his first one in 1992 and becoming increasingly interested in the fact that they supposedly breed year-round. Pierre is also an ABO Board member.
American Tree Sparrows in Alaska by Anna-Marie Benson The American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea ochracea) can be identified by its rufous-colored crown, white wing bars, notched tail, and black dot on its breast. This species is a Nearctic-Nearctic migrant as its wintering and breeding ranges are entirely north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and within the United States and Canada. Although we don't know exactly where the Tree Sparrows that we capture in Fairbanks overwinter, two individuals we've banded have been recovered during migration in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This species is typically abundant during fall migration at Creamer's Field; however, in 1998 they were unusually abundant and we banded over 1,200 individuals. The mean capture rate during fall migration this year was twice the capture rate in 1997. Also, there was a higher proportion of juveniles captured this year compared with other years. These data suggest that the tundra habitats these birds used for nesting were extremely productive this year. American Tree Sparrows are one of the earliest migrants to arrive in interior Alaska during spring, (median date of passage: 15 May) and one of the last species to leave in the fall (median date of passage: 13 Sept.). The species therefore occupies its breeding range in northwestern Alaska for 121 days. This duration is longer than any other species we can monitor effectively. There is no difference in the timing of passage between juveniles and adults (X2=1.06, P>0.05, df=1) when all years were combined. There is no interannual variation from 1992-1997 in the median dates of passage for this species (X2=0.05,P>0.05,df=5). These data indicate that the mechanism controlling the timing of departure is under strict control and could be an endogenous mechanism, or an environmental mechanism such as photoperiod, rather than unpredictable variables such as weather.
ABO Wish List Back issues of The Auk - vol. 11(2) 1983 and pre-1980 issues; Condor - vols. 86(4) 1985, 85(2) 1983, 82(1-3) 1980, and vols. 60-81; Journal of Field Ornithology - vol. 62(2) 1991 and pre-1988 issues; Journal of Wildlife Management - pre-1986 and post-1991 issues; Wilson Bulletin - vol. 97(1) 1985 and pre-1981 issues. Slide projector Pentium computer Good working truck or SUV IBM-compatible laptop computer Talk About Plus radios 2-drawer file cabinet binoculars for the Alaska Bird Camp keyboards for Macintosh computers a box or two of paper clips	Holiday Gift Ideas Need an idea for a gift this holiday season? How about buying an item that benefits bird conservation in Alaska? Here are a few things that ABO has on sale: T-shirts (long- and short-sleeve) and sweatshirts with our Townsend's Warbler logo ($15-$25) Songs and Calls of Alaska birds cassette tapes ($15) National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America ($21) Beautiful limited-edition Great Gray Owl prints by Randall Compton - only $50 each! Gift memberships to the Alaska Bird Observatory ($20 on up). These items can be purchased by stopping by our office or visiting the Creamer's Farmhouse Visitors Center on Saturdays from noon to 4:00. The Visitor Center also has a great selection of shirts, note cards, nature jewelry, coffee mugs, and books. ABO members receive a 10% discount on merchandise purchased though our office.