2016 conference

Inland BIrd BandIng assocIatIon (IBBa) Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary • indiana

2 3

Mary gray Bird sanctuary3499 S Bird Sanctuary roadconnersville, Indiana 47331

Phone: 765-827-5109

contact: Amy & carl Wilms, Resident Managerswilmsab@indianaaudubon.org

carl.wilms@indianaaudubon.org

2 3

Inland BIrd BandIng assocIatIon conFErEncE11-13 november 2016

Hosted by the Indiana Audubon Society at the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary near Connersville, Indiana

each year, usually in the autumn, the Inland Bird Banding Association holds an annual conference in a different part of the inland area. There you can meet amateur and professional banders and ornithologists with a wide range of interests, and discuss with them mutual concerns.

Mary gray Bird sanctuary

The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary (MGBS), owned and operated by the Indiana Audubon Society (IAS), is the location for the fall 2016 Inland Bird

Banding Association (IBBA) meeting from 11-13 november 2016. The MGBS, near connersville, Indiana, provides over 700 acres of various habitats for birds and wildlife. The MGBS maintains over 10 miles of walking trails for visitors, 4 ponds, a pine and wooded forest, and an established prairie.

We are excited to host this gathering in celebration of the Migratory Bird Treaty centennial. one of Indiana’s goals for the year is to promote key actions to help birds. The work of IBBA members aligns with this goal and we are enthusiastic to welcome attendees to Indiana.

4 5

Friday, 11 november 2016

3:00 p.m. – Inland Bird Banding association Board Meeting

5:00 p.m. – registration is open

Feel free to arrive early to enjoy the hiking trails.

7:30 p.m. – the Mary gray Bird sanctuary Presenters: Dr. Carl E. Wilms & Amy Wilms, Resident Managers, Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary

The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary, located near connersville, Indiana provides over 700 acres of habitat for wildlife, native plants, and most importantly, resident and migrating birds. carl and Amy will share the amazing aspects about the Sanctuary and how it was established. They will provide an overview of the projects underway that include Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS), northern Saw-whet owl, and hummingbird research. In addition, carl and Amy will discuss their future research on invasive plant removal and the connections to birds.

8:15 p.m. – Banding and Education at Hueston Woods state Park and the connections to the Mary gray Bird sanctuary

Presenter: Dr. David Russell, Avian Research and Education Institute

the avian research and Education institute (arEi) is a non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to the protection and conservation of avian populations. AreI is committed to establishing biological stations that will provide bird banding and environmental education to the public. the specific research goals of arEi are to monitor migratory and breeding bird populations through banding and molecular studies.

4 5

Dusk - Midnight – northern saw-whet owl Banding demonstration Bander: Jess Gwinn

Two years ago, the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary started participating in banding northern Saw-whet owls. from past records, this is the weekend to catch a few! Join Jess Gwinn to learn more about the banding process and how to age and sex the owls.

9:00 p.m. - Midnight – reception

Join us on this late night for some time to talk to friends and new banders! Local made cheeses will be served alongside crackers and other small snacks. You won’t want to miss this!

6 7

saturday, 12 november 2016

8:30 a.m. – registration and continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. – Birding tour at Brookville lake/dunlapsville Guide: Sam Fitton

Birding at Brookville Lake in the Dunlapsville area is enjoyable any time of year! Participants on this trip will enjoy seeing one of the largest Black Vulture roosts in Indiana. This birding trip will leave the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary promptly at 8:30 am and arrive back just in time for lunch. Dress warm (in layers) and bring a scope if you have one.

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. – learning the Molt! Woodpeckers & american

Goldfinches Dr. David Russell – Miami University & Avian Research and Education Institute

David russell will give a short talk to offer tips and tricks when aging and sexing woodpeckers and american Goldfinches. after the talk, dr. russell will demonstrate what participants have learned with live birds from Mary Gray’s feeder stations.

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. – Banding demonstrations

Brenda & Rich Keith – Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory

feeder Birds! Sometimes the most common birds are the toughest to age and sex. Join us at our extremely active feeders to learn more about processing our most abundant birds. Tips, tricks, and informative information will be provided by some fantastic banders.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. – ohio Bird Banding association (oBBa) Meeting

12:00 p.m. – KEYnotE lunch

tracking golden-winged Warbler Migration with geolocators RevealsPopulationsSpecificTiming,Routes,andWinteringAreasPresented by: Dr. Henry M. Streby, Gunnar R. Kramer, Sean M. Peterson, Justin A. Lehman, David A. Buehler, Petra B. Wood, and David E. Andersen

Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chyrsoptera) are neotropical migrants experiencing very different population trends across their breeding range, but those trends are not explained by breeding-grounds factors (e.g. habitat is available, nest success is generally high). no information exists on nonbreeding distributions, migration routes, or timing of migration among populations, and

6 7

factors outside the breeding period may influence population trends. We tracked annual movements of 21 Golden-winged Warblers from 3 north American breeding locations experiencing varying population trends using geolocators from 2013-2015 to investigate the potential for nonbreeding-site factors to influence breeding populations. We will present geolocator attachment methods and view a short video. We analyzed geolocator data using the template-fit method, which is more accurate than the commonly used threshold method. We will present results supporting near complete temporal and spatial isolation of Golden-winged Warblers from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee during migration, and a lack of overlap among populations on the wintering grounds. This isolation among populations supports our hypothesis that non-breeding factors likely influence populations differently and therefore influence observed differences in local and regional population trends on the breeding grounds. Depending on our schedule before the meeting, we hope to present preliminary results from 2015-2016 with >75 additional birds, including Blue-winged Warblers (Vermivora cyanoptera) and Vermivora hybrids, from 22 sites across the species-complex breeding range.

saturday afternoon Presentations

Banding as a critical tool in documenting the biology and restoration of Peregrine Falcons in the midwestern United statesPresented by: John Castrale, Retired Nongame Bird Biologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources; Co-authors Patrick Redig and Amber Burnette

once extirpated in the midwestern United States and adjacent parts of southern canada, Peregrine falcons have now been restored to around 300 pairs mainly

as the result of the release of over 1,200 captive-reared chicks in 12 states and two provinces from 1981-2007. Due to an extensive, coordinated effort to color band peregrine falcon chicks and identify banded adults on breeding territories, the Midwest Peregrine falcon population is one of the best studied of any restored bird population on such a large scale. This presentation will discuss the growth and distribution of

the Midwest Peregrine falcon population, as well as productivity, pair bonds, site fidelity, survival rates, age distribution, longevity, and dispersal.

8 9

the Future of Boreal owls in alaska: How will climate change effect a common, elusive owl of the north? Presented by: Aaron Anderson, Miami University Graduate Student

The effect of climate change on environmental disturbance is particularly evident in higher latitude ecosystems. In boreal forests, the projected temperature increases associated with climate change are expected to increase summer droughts and thus increase wildfire frequency. Boreal Owls (aegolius funereus), inhabitants of these high latitude forests, are a species of special concern, as they depend upon old growth forests for abundant prey items. Will this increase in wildfires, projected to dramatically alter the forest composition of the boreal forest effect the breeding success of an elusive denizen of the north? Using a combination of chick growth monitoring, video monitoring of provisioning events and GIS analysis of the habitat surrounding nest sites, I hope to shed light on this question and will discuss the results of my research during this presentation.

american Kestrel research: Building nest Boxes; determining success Presented by: Michael Hall, MGBS Resident Caretaker

Michael Hall, in connection with the Avian research and education Institute (AreI), is working on a long-term project to determine breeding success of the American Kestrel after constructing and installing nest boxes on landowner’s properties. Michael will share his tips and current research data.

Kalamazoo Valley Bird observatory: an Update from the Field Presented by: Brenda and Rich Keith

rich and Brenda Keith will give a brief overview of the bird banding program conducted at the Kalamazoo Valley Bird observatory since the beginning. Dr. Lou Batts, co-founder of the Kalamazoo nature center, started banding in 1960. The present day fall migration banding project began in 1974 and MAPS was started in 1990. Banding takes place at the Kalamazoo nature center, Kalamazoo, Mi; the Pitsfield banding station near Vicksburg, Mi; and Fort custer Training center near Battle creek, MI.

owl Banding for the stewardship trifecta Presented by Brad Bumgardner, Indiana Dunes State Park

for eight seasons, the Indiana Dunes State Park Interpretive Services has brought the public closer to the annual migration of the elusive northern Saw-whet owl through the state park’s fall banding research program. over 2,000 visitors a year have had the opportunity to experience a program that combines live research, interpretive education and volunteer action, while also generating needed revenue and donations. This presentation will highlight the park’s successes and failures in using one program to not only tell its story but to also address operational goals.

8 9

Bird Banding lab Update Presented by: Bruce Peterjohn, Chief, BBL

Bruce will share current updates from the Bird Banding Lab.

4:00 p.m. – Inland Bird Banding association Membership Meeting

saturday Evening

6:00 p.m. – celebrating 100 Years of Bird conservation: Migratory Bird treaty Presented by: Katie Koch, Regional Migratory Bird Biologist, USFWS

6:45 p.m. – dinner, Keynote, and silent auction Join us for the highlight of the weekend, the iBBa banquet! A homemade Indiana fantastic dinner will be served.

IBBa Keynote Worm-eatingWarblerBreedingDemographyandPost-fledgingHabitatUse in south-central Indiana

Presented by: Patrick Ruhl, Graduate Student, Purdue University

Patrick ruhl is conducting research into Worm-eating Warbler breeding demography in the Brown county Hills region of Southern Indiana. over the past two years of banding in 6 (4 ha) clearcuts, over 100 adult Worm-eating Warblers (WeWA) have been

captured and banded in breeding condition during the month of June. Based on their described breeding phenology, this early association with young forest habitat raised several questions. in addition to banding efforts in 2016, Patrick implemented a nest-searching and radio-telemetry study in an attempt to better understand WeWA habitat use. In this talk Patrick will review results from this study and discuss the implications for forest habitat management.

10 11

silent auction Silent Auction fundraiser (to commence on friday and end 15 minutes after the keynote presentation Saturday evening). Stop by the table often throughout the meeting!

The annual silent auction is one of the most important fundraisers for IBBA. We have items on display to bid on including:

•FamilyEyeCareofClarksville – Dr. Steve and cyndi routledge – 2 pairs of designer sunglasses and cases

•SoutheasternAvianResearch(SEAR) – Toolbox and digital calipers•ScottWeidensaul – Signed copy of Peterson Reference Guide to Owls

of North America and the Caribbean (Peterson Reference Guides)

•JulieZickefoose – Signed copy of Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest

•EagleOptics – Binocular strap

Many thanks to Cynthia Routledge for organizing the Silent Auction!

Dusk - Midnight – northern saw-whet owl Banding demonstration

Join Jess Gwinn to learn more about the banding process and how to age and sex the owls!

sUndaY, 13 noVEMBEr 2016

8:30 a.m. – continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. – Hike the Mary gray Bird sanctuary with carl Wilms, resident Manager

carl Wilms will meet up with attendees in front of Brooks Hall to lead a hike through the Sanctuary. You’ve come this far – take the time to see part of the 700 acre property and trails. The walk will be semi-moderate hiking on the Sanctuary trails and will cover over 2 miles. carl will spend time talking about the history of the Sanctuary and watching out for birds! Bring your binoculars, dress in layers, and hiking shoes/boots. You’ll enjoy your hike – we promise!

10 11

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. – Banding demonstrations Demonstrations provide by: dr. david russell – Miami University & Avian Research and Education Institute: Dr. Russell will focus on woodpecker aging. Brenda & rich Keith – Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory

Sometimes the most common birds are the toughest to age and sex. Join us at our extremely active feeders to learn more about processing our most abundant birds. Tips, tricks, and informative information will be provided by some fantastic banders.

10:00 a.m. – BBl permit “101”

Bruce Peterjohn will cover the basic issues associated with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, bird banding permits, and related issues. There’s a lot of misinformation about banding permits that is a part of the bander “lore”. even experienced banders are misinformed and everyone in attendance will have an opportunity to ask questions and cover the basics of banding permits.

11:00 a.m. – loggerhead shrikes in decline and What Bird Banders can do to Help them Presenter: Allisyn Gillet, Nongame Bird Biologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources

over the past 40 years, the population of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) in north America has declined by more than 70%. In Indiana alone, Loggerhead Shrikes are declining at a rate of five percent per year. now fewer than 10 breeding territories are occupied annually. This means that within the next century, shrikes may very well become extirpated from the state of Indiana, where nearly 100 breeding pairs were found less than three decades ago. The Indiana Department of natural resources has recognized this decline and listed the Loggerhead Shrike as state endangered. Through many years of monitoring, the indiana dnr has developed several research questions that, when answered, can help conserve this species across its range. I will discuss the population trends of Loggerhead Shrikes in Indiana and the methods involved in banding them. Finally, i will pose questions that will hopefully inspire future research across their range. I solicit the help of bird banders and researchers alike to help resolve this conservation conundrum.

12:00 p.m. – conclusion of the conference

12 13

aBoUt tHE PrEsEntErs

aaron anderson is a current graduate student in Biology at Miami University working with Dr. David russell. His research project explores the possible effect future climate change may have on Boreal owls (Aegolius funereus). Aaron spends his spare time banding migrants at Hueston Woods State Park and spending his summers researching owls in Alaska.

Brad Bumgardner is the interpretive naturalist at Indiana Dunes State Park. He has worked for the Indiana Department of natural resources for fifteen years. Brad holds a Bachelor in Science Degree from Purdue University. Brad serves as the station coordinator for the popular northern Saw-whet owl banding station in the Indiana Dunes and currently serves as vice-president of the Indiana Audubon Society.

JohnCastrale is a retired nongame bird biologist with the Indiana Department of natural resources and continues to monitor and band Peregrine falcons in Indiana in conjunction with the Midwest Peregrine Society. Pat redig founded The raptor center at the University of Minnesota and co-developed and coordinated the restoration effort for Peregrine falcons in the Midwest. Amber Burnette is a Program Associate at The raptor center at the University of Minnesota, helps coordinate banding and monitoring through the Midwest Peregrine Society, and uses bird banding to teach environmental education.

Michael Hall is a resident caretaker at the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. Michael graduated from Miami University with a degree in business. He volunteers at the banding station in Hueston Woods with Dr. David russell and assists in banding efforts at the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. Michael monitors and bands American Kestrels in Indiana and ohio and enjoys sharing his passion with the many folks that he meets.

allisyn gillet is a nongame Bird Biologist for the Indiana Department of natural resources. She coordinates and conducts research projects on the status, demographics and distribution of Indiana bird populations and their habitats and evaluates statewide bird population trends, especially for species considered to be of greatest conservation need.

JessGwinn started banding northern Saw-whet owls in 2002 alongside ross Brittain and Vicky Meretsky in Yellowwood State Forest in indiana. this banding project was the first nSWO banding station in Indiana. Instead of driving an hour each way to Yellowwood State forest, the following year he started banding at his forested home in Greene county. Since then he and his wife have banded several hundred nSWos with a few other owls thrown in for variety. They also started a MAPS banding station at their property in 2011 to study the breeding songbird populations.

12 13

rich and Brenda Keith began working with the research Program at the Kalamazoo nature center in the mid-80’s as volunteers. This expanded into a hired position as bird bander and responsible party for getting data entered and submitted to the Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland for Brenda and rich took over as coordinator for the banding program.

In 1990, rich and Brenda began a MAPS project on their 43-acre property near Vicksburg. It soon became clear that this property

was a good site for both summer and fall banding and the Pitsfield banding site was established, an extension of the Knc bird banding program. Besides banding, rich and Brenda work with other researchers collecting various samples from birds for study. Brenda has taken blood, feather and fecal samples as well as helped rich collect thousands of ticks from birds before they are released. Samples are used in research on West nile Virus, avian influenza and the spread of deer ticks and Lyme disease in Southwest Michigan among others. Besides banding birds, rich and Brenda also work on other related research projects such as the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas I and II, winter feeder surveys and christmas Bird counts.

In 2005, Brenda began training to band hummingbirds and received her sub- permit in 2007. rich trained and received his permit in 2012. In 2011 this long running research program was given a new name, Kalamazoo Valley Bird observatory (KVBo) to better reflect the nature of our work. rich Keith is now the director of KVBO, supervising several banders and a group of volunteers doing research at the Kalamazoo nature center, Fort custer training center and the Pitsfield Banding Station, near Vicksburg.

Katie Koch is a regional Migratory Bird Biologist with the uSFWS, stationed in beautiful Marquette, Mi. Since 2009, Katie has developed and led the Midwest coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership, a group committed to improving conservation of birds and their habitats through the use of sound monitoring data, the best available science, and open, collaborative partnerships. Katie also leads the Midwest Avian Data center, a regional node of the Avian Knowledge network. In addition to enabling bird conservation partnerships ranging from secretive marshbirds to owls, grassland

birds, and forest birds (and everything in between), Katie manages to occasionally get out in the field with partners and works on conservation of the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler. Katie shares an organic, homesteading lifestyle with her husband and dog and enjoys spending time in nature, practicing yoga, reading, learning, birding, traveling, and enjoying good company!

Patrick ruhl is a Ph.D. student at Purdue University studying avian ecology under the direction of Dr. Barny Dunning. He is using constant-effort mist-netting in southern Indiana clearcuts to explain the association of mature forest birds with early successional habitat during the post-fledging period. in addition to comparing avian site-use with environmental variables (e.g., fruit abundance, insect biomass, and vegetation density), Patrick is also using radio telemetry to uncover some interesting new developments in Worm-eating Warbler breeding demography.

14 15

Bruce Peterjohn serves as chief of the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL). He administers the program that coordinates bird banding activities across the US and its Territories. This program supports the activities of approximately 1,750 Master bird banders and more than 5,000 subpermittees. In addition to issuing bird banding permits and bird bands, the BBL maintains databases for all birds banded in the US and canada. These databases currently house approximately 65 million banding records and 4.5 million records of banded birds that have been reported by the public.

He received his BS in Zoology from The college of Wooster in 1974 and his MS in Zoology in 1976 from Southern Illinois University. He is the past recipient of the uSGS Patuxent Scientific achievement award (2000), Elective Member, american ornithologists Union (2000), and DoI Secretary’s Stewardship Award (1993).

david E. russell received his BS in entomology from University of california /Davis and his Masters and Doctorate in Molecular Systematics from Miami University in oxford, ohio. A Senior Lecturer of Intro and environmental Biology at Miami University, he teaches a number of courses including Biology, environmental Biology, ornithology and Methods in field ornithology. A Master Bird Bander and certified north american Banding council trainer, he is the co-founder and research/education Director for the avian research and Education institute (arEi), a nonprofit bird

conservation, education, and advocacy organization. AreI has bird banding stations in ohio’s Miami Valley that serve as both research and outdoor classrooms giving local college and high school students first hand experience in environmental science. An avid birder with a passion for sharing the birding world with all that will listen, Dave frequently leads field trips and conducts birding workshops throughout the uS. For the past six summers, Dave with his wife Jill, have taught at the University of Alaska fairbanks and conducted research on the growth and development of young Boreal owls in Alaska.

dr. Henry streby was born in rural ohio and grew up chasing birds and other critters around in his forested backyard. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from ohio University (not The ohio State University!) in Wildlife Biology (BS) and ecology and evolutionary Biology (MS), and then earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota working with Dr. David Anderson at the Minnesota cooperative fish and Wildlife research Unit. Henry then conducted postdoctoral research with the University of Tennessee and the University of california, Berkeley, and he is now

an Assistant Professor of ecology at the University of Toledo. Henry has published >30 peer reviewed scientific papers, mostly on birds, and he has edited a volume for Studies in Avian Biology on Golden-winged Warbler research, which will be available in october. Henry has banded birds in many states and a few countries, but most of his research has been on the nesting and post-fledging ecology of migratory birds in the Midwest. recently, Henry and his lab developed the tools that allow light-level geolocators to be carried by very small songbirds. now, he and his graduate student Gunnar Kramer, and many collaborators, have tracked the migration of Golden-winged Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and Vermivora hybrids, and have plans to track many additional species in the near future.

14 15

amy and carl Wilms are the resident Managers of the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary (MGBS). They are enthusiastic stewards living on a jewel of property dedicated to wildlife preservation in Indiana. The Indiana Audubon Society (IAS) owns the 700-acre property. In 2014, carl accomplished two amazing feats; he retired from teaching middle school science after 33 years and in the same month received his PhD from Miami University in educational Leadership. He is a faculty member at Indiana University east teaching science and math methods to education majors. In his spare time, he cuts wood in the dark (for the upcoming winter season), maintains the Sanctuary grounds, and focuses a huge amount of energy in eradicating invasive plant species at the Sanctuary (ask him about Stilt grass...)! Amy works at Miami University in oxford, ohio as the Assistant to the chair in Psychology. In addition to working at Miami and caring for the MGBS, Amy bands migrating songbirds, runs a MAPS station, bands nSWos and hummingbirds at the Sanctuary. She is focused

on how to connect her banding research with invasive species eradication and its benefits at the MGBS.

airport arrivalsIndianapolis, cincinnati, and Dayton airports are each about 1 ½ hours from the Sanctuary.

driving directionsFroM IndIanaPolIs UsIng I-70: Take I-70 east from Indianapolis and exit south at exit 137 onto Sr 1. follow the signs on the south side of connersville to Sr 121. Head south on Sr 121 for approximately 3.5 miles to cr 350 S, which will be on your right just after a bridge. Turn right (west) onto cr 350 S. Drive approximately 3 miles, where you will come to a 90° turn. The gravel road directly in front of you is the beautiful Sanctuary entrance.

FroM IndIanaPolIs UsIng sr 52 and sr 44: Take Highway 52 from Indianapolis to rushville, where you will want to catch Sr 44. Drive east on Sr 44 until to cr 525 W in fayette county, which is approximately 3.5 miles from the fayette/rush county line. Turn right (south) on cr 525 W for drive for 0.7 mile. Turn left (east) onto cr 150 S and drive 0.7 mile. At the next intersection, turn right (south) on the winding Bird Sanctuary road. In 1.2 miles you will come to a “T” intersection. Turn right into the beautiful Sanctuary entrance road.

FroM cIncInnatI: exit I-74 in Indiana at exit 169 (Highway 52). Drive north on Highway 52 through Brookville and Metamora to Sr 121. Turn right (north) onto Sr 121 and drive approximately 12 miles to cr 350 S. Drive approximately 3 miles. The gravel road directly in front of you is the beautiful Sanctuary entrance.

MarY graY BIrd sanctUarY3499 S Bird Sanctuary roadconnersville, Indiana 47331

Phone: 765-827-5109

contact: Amy & carl Wilms, resident Managers;wilmsab@indianaaudubon.org orcarl.wilms@indianaaudubon.org