Grassland Birds & Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Here is the abstract from a recently published scientific paper with interesting results showing differences in the grassland bird community on and off prairie dog colonies.

McCown's Longspur by Shawn Billerman

Augustine, D. J. and Baker, B. W. (2013), Associations of Grassland Bird Communities with Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs in the North American Great Plains. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12013

Colonial burrowing herbivores can modify vegetation structure, create belowground refugia, and generate landscape heterogeneity, thereby affecting the distribution and abundance of associated species. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are such a species, and they may strongly affect the abundance and composition of grassland bird communities. We examined how prairie dog colonies in the North American Great Plains affect bird species and community composition. Areas occupied by prairie dogs, characterized by low percent cover of grass, high percent cover of bare soil, and low vegetation height and density, supported a breeding bird community that differed substantially from surrounding areas that lacked prairie dogs. Bird communities on colony sites had significantly greater densities of large-bodied carnivores (Burrowing Owls [Athene cunicularia], Mountain Plovers, [Charadrius montanus], and Killdeer [Charadrius vociferus]) and omnivores consisting of Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) and McCown's Longspurs (Rhynchophanes mccownii) than bird communities off colony sites. Bird communities off colony sites were dominated by small-bodied insectivorous sparrows (Ammodramus spp.) and omnivorous Lark Buntings (Calamospiza melanocorys), Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), and Lark Sparrows (Chondestes grammacus). Densities of 3 species of conservation concern and 1 game species were significantly higher on colony sites than off colony sites, and the strength of prairie dog effects was consistent across the northern Great Plains. Vegetation modification by prairie dogs sustains a diverse suite of bird species in these grasslands. Collectively, our findings and those from previous studies show that areas in the North American Great Plains with prairie dog colonies support higher densities of at least 9 vertebrate species than sites without colonies. Prairie dogs affect habitat for these species through multiple pathways, including creation of belowground refugia, supply of prey for specialized predators, modification of vegetation structure within colonies, and increased landscape heterogeneity.

More Mimickry!

I came across a couple of amazing examples of birds mimicking human speech on Buzzfeed and wanted to share the videos with you all! It seemed particularly apropos following Julie's post on mimickry.
First, an amazing Common Myna named Kaleo who was raised by a human from the age of about 3 days old:

Here is another myna making an appearance on The Johnny Carson Show (some of you may remember Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo appearing on late-night talk shows with a host of animals- seeing him on TV as a child was one of the reasons I became a biologist!) :

And finally, Pepper, a European Starling that was rehabilitated after being found at a very early age with a broken leg, making an incredible array of vocalizations:

More on the CBC

Fellow board member Anika pointed out this recent podcast from Science Friday about the Christmas Bird Count. For more information on the CBC check out the National Audubon site. More locally, Eve Newman, Outdoors reporter for the Laramie Boomerang, accompanied my team the day of the count and wrote an article about this year's event in Laramie.

A Not So Silent Spring

I came across this article from Conservation Magazine yesterday, albeit a couple years old, but it's very interesting. The article is about birds incorporating human noises into their vocal repertoire.

A male European blackbird was terrorizing the neighborhood. For several months, he started singing at around 5 a.m. each day, but this was no ordinary song. The bird imitated the sounds of ambulance sirens and car alarms at a jarringly life-like volume. It even produced cell-phone ring tones that went unanswered for hours.

The tale of the annoying blackbird in Somerset, U.K., was not unique. Hans Slabbekoorn, an assistant professor of behavioral biology at Leiden University in The Netherlands, had heard similar stories—but he was skeptical that such bizarre reports could be true. So he started asking people to send him recordings of the off-kilter blackbirds. Sure enough, what he got back was pitch-perfect imitations of urban noises, including not just sirens and car alarms but even the distinctive sound of a golf cart backing up—mimicked by blackbirds living near a golf course.

While the sounds seemed artificial, the reason birds were making them was surprisingly natural....continued here.

The Laramie CBC results are in!

Gray-crowned Rosy-finch by Shawn Billerman

Laramie's Christmas Bird Count was held December 15, 2012 with 38 participants working in 15 teams. There were 50 species and 4851 individuals observed. The weather was the best we've had in years: overcast with scant wind.  Highlights included crossbills, rosy-finches, redpolls, and a few lingering blackbirds.






Canada Goose    1
Gadwall    1
Mallard    123
Green-winged Teal    4
Common Goldeneye    4
Bald Eagle    5
Northern Harrier    3
Red-tailed Hawk    1
Ferruginous Hawk    3
Rough-legged Hawk    16
Golden Eagle    3
American Kestrel    1
Merlin    4
falcon sp.    2
Wilson's Snipe    20
Rock Pigeon    1059
Eurasian Collared-Dove    231
Mourning Dove    16
Great Horned Owl    1
Downy Woodpecker    2
Hairy Woodpecker    2
Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker    15
Northern Shrike    2
Steller's Jay    2
Blue Jay    1
Clark's Nutcracker    1
Black-billed Magpie    28
American Crow    570
Common Raven    298
Horned Lark    2
Black-capped Chickadee    21
Mountain Chickadee    174
Red-breasted Nuthatch    59
White-breasted Nuthatch    4
Brown Creeper    4
Townsend's Solitaire    11
American Robin    497
American Tree Sparrow    28
Song Sparrow    1
White-crowned Sparrow    1
sparrow sp.    30
Dark-eyed Junco    3
Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco    15
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco    3
Snow Bunting    5
Red-winged Blackbird    4
Brewer's Blackbird    2
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch    132
House Finch    112
Red Crossbill    65
White-winged Crossbill    1
crossbill sp.    42
Common Redpoll    2
Evening Grosbeak    2
House Sparrow    1212

Specimens, Bald Ibis, and Razorbills

Northern Bald Ibis or Waldrapp
(Wikimedia Commons)

In my morning perusal of The New York Times, I came across this 2011 series on collecting. I thought it might interest others and it relates to our December public talk.

At the same time, my fiance was reading his Swiss newspaper and came across a story on a Northern Bald Ibis that took a wrong turn in migration this year and ended up in Spain. The Northern Bald Ibis, or Waldrapp, is a critically endangered species that, unlike other ibis species, prefers to nest on cliffs in arid regions. For more on this interesting species, check out the website here (click on the British flag for the English version).

And that story reminded me of a recent article I read on the eBird site on an invasion of Razorbills in Florida this winter. There must be something wrong when a pelagic seabird from the north shows up in numbers in tropical waters. You can read about the Razorbill invasion here.

Julie Hart, LAS Secretary

Welcome New Board Members!

At the last public meeting held Nov 28, Laramie Audubon members unanimously elected three new board members and approved the renewal of existing board members up for re-election. The three new board members are:

Vicki Henry: long-time Laramie Audubon member and past board member and officer
James Maley: curator of the Vertebrate Museum at the University of Wyoming
Anika Mahoney: graduate student in Zoology at the University of Wyoming

Please welcome our new board members!

Is this 'Bird Armageddon'?

Since 1966 UK bird population has decline by 44 million which amounts to just under a million birds a year (over 45 years), which is dismal November news indeed.

Yesterday (November 19th) the RSPB published their most extensive survey of the UK’s bird populations over the last 4 decades (including data from 2011); ‘The state of the UK’s birds 2012’. SUKB2012, as it is also known, is a collaborative affair between NGO’s and the UK’s governmental nature conservation agencies: RSPB, BTO, WWT, NE, NIEA, SNH and JNCC. The report uses a mix of indicators to assess the populations of wild birds, seabirds and wintering birds throughout the UK and overseas territories. All species are given a conservation status (red, amber or green) in accordance with the criteria set out in the BTO’s document Birds of Conservation 3, 2009.

View the full story on the British Ecological Society blog here.

UW Collections Manager, Talk & Tour, Nov 28

Dr. James Maley to talk about rails and give a tour of the University’s vertebrate collections: We have all heard of splitters vs. lumpers when it comes to dealing with bird species, but how do scientists determine whether two species really should be lumped together as a single species or whether a single species should be divided into two or more? Dr. James Maley, Collections Manager for the University of Wyoming’s Museum of Vertebrates, will touch on this issue as he discusses his Ph.D. research on the very similar Clapper and King rails during the November public meeting. James used morphology (the study of the form and structure of organisms), genetics, and ecological adaptations to salt vs freshwater marshes to better understand what differentiates Clapper and King Rails--in essence what defines them as species. He also used specimens housed in museums throughout the United States to understand the genetic diversity of the Clapper/King Rail complex, often using scrapings of toe pads from specimens when tissue samples were not available. After his talk, James will provide a tour of the collections at the University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates to highlight the importance and utility of bird specimens for avian research and conservation.

We will also be holding a public vote: At this meeting, our members will vote for three new Board Members (Anika Mahoney, James Maley, Vicki Henry), President (Sophie Osborn), Vice President (Brian Waitkus), and Secretary (Julie Hart) at the meeting before the program.  If you are unable to attend, please email your vote to laramie.audubon@gmail.com.  Thanks for your support!

When & Where: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 6:30pm Bird Chat & Refreshments, 7:00pm Short Business Meeting & Program, UW Berry Center, corner of 10th & Lewis Streets.

LAS Raptor Trip – November 10, 2012

Despite threats of snow and wind and cold, eight stalwart Laramie Auduboners ventured out to look for raptors in the Laramie area on November 10. We were lucky with the weather as well as with the birds. The snow stopped, the wind died down, and we were treated to looks at a variety of raptors, as well as many other birds and mammals.

Raptors

Bald Eagle – 4 (All juveniles or subadults)

Golden Eagle – 9

Northern Harrier – 2

Red-tailed Hawk – 1

Ferruginous Hawk – 6 (including one that caught a rodent after we inadvertently flushed it)

Rough-legged Hawk – 11 (mainly adult females; no adult males).

American Kestrel – 1 (a male with a vole)

Great Horned Owl – 1

Non-raptors

Eared Grebe

American Wigeon

Mallard

Northern Shoveler

Canvasback

Redhead

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

American Coot

Black-billed Magpie

Common Raven

Black-capped Chickadee

Western Meadowlark

We had a great look at a pronghorn herd that bunched together and ran when an adult Golden Eagle flew toward it. We also saw another large herd of running pronghorns. Other mammals included a small group of mule deer, a white-tailed deer, and a little red fox poking its head over a nearby hill. Thanks to all who participated!

Laramie Christmas Bird Count to be Dec 15th

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO TAKE PART IN THE 113th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT. The Laramie Audubon Society will again take part a 100-year-old Christmas tradition, the annual Christmas Bird Count. Volunteers are welcome to join in the count with the LAS chapter as it conducts the Albany County Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 15. This will be the 36th count of the Albany County circle. Volunteers are needed to help count every bird present in the 15-mile diameter circle around Laramie on the day of the count. Novices are welcome, and will be paired with more experienced bird watchers. Volunteers can call ahead (307-286-1972) or meet at Coal Creek Coffee (110 E. Grand) at 7:30 am on the day of the count to get data forms and team assignments. Some teams walk, while others drive through the territory. Volunteers will reconvene at The Grounds Internet and Coffee Lounge (171 N. 3rd St.) at 12:00 pm to drop off morning reports and regroup for those continuing in the afternoon. Volunteers should wear warm, layered clothing and boots, and bring water, snacks and binoculars if you have them. Feeder watchers are also welcome. Volunteers are invited to a chili supper where results will be compiled beginning at 4 pm the home of Shay Howlin. Potluck items welcome, but not required. Please contact Shay Howlin if you would like to be assigned a route early, would like forms for feeder watching, or have any questions (307-286-1972; wolfhowlin [AT] gmail [dot] com).

Matt Hethcoat to speak on the effects of natural gas development on songbirds.

Research has shown that energy development in sagebrush habitats can have negative effects on songbirds. It is unclear, however, why the abundance of certain songbirds declines in areas of intensive development. Is it because disturbance and habitat fragmentation reduce the availability of food for these birds or is it because of an increase in generalist predators that are associated with human presence and prey on nests? Matt Hethcoat’s research tackles the second hypothesis and focuses on the effects of natural gas development on the predation rates of sagebrush-obligate songbird nests. He is working to identify what drives the predation patterns on songbird nests in sagebrush habitats affected by energy development. He also hopes to develop some strategies to reduce the impacts of energy development on songbirds. Come and find out more about energy development and songbirds on October 31, 2011. Refreshments start at 6:30 pm and the talk will begin at 7:00 pm in the Berry Center (10th & Lewis) Auditorium.