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BondermanFieldStationatRioMesa2017BirdBandingReport

ŞekercioğluLabUniversityofUtahDepartmentofBiology257South1400EastSaltLakeCity,UT84112801-587-5661

CoverPhotos,clockwisefromtopleft:AMountainChickadee,Wilson’sWarbler,andCanyonWren.Allcapturedandbandedduringthe2017seasonattheRioMesabandingstation.StationOverviewStatistics StationLifetime

TotalsSpeciesObserved 183SpeciesCaught 125SpeciesBanded 113OverallCaptures 11,173BirdsBanded 8,648BandingDays 655OurMission WeseektounderstandtheecologyandmigratorypatternsofthebirdcommunityattheBondermanFieldStationatRioMesa(RMC)usingmist-nettingandmark-recaptureanalysis.Bycapturingandbandingbirdsweareabletogainvaluableinsightsintopopulationsize,communitystructure,thetimingofmigration,andhowaviangroupsarerespondingtoanthropogenicthreats.Wearealsodedicatedtooutreachandeducation.Birdsareanexceptionalflagshipgrouptohelpinstillinterestinconservationandtheenvironment1andeveryyearwewelcomehundredsofvisitorstoourstationwherepeoplefromallwalksoflifecanreceiveahands-oneducationaboutnature,ecology,ornithologyandconservation.BondermanFieldStationatRioMesa TheRMCrepresentsanideallocationtoconductornithologicalresearch.Riparianzones,liketheRMC’sDoloresRiver,compriseadisproportionatelyimportanthabitatinthearidintermountainwest.Birds,inparticular,dependheavilyonthisdelicateenvironment,andriparianzonesserveascriticalmigratorycorridorsforbirdsmovingthroughanotherwiseharsharea2.Riparianzonesarealsounderseverethreatfromclimatechange3.Withthegrowingthreatofglobalchangewe,morethanever,needadetailedunderstandingoftheecologyofriparianhabitatsandtheorganismsthatdependonthem.

OurResearch OurstationfollowsstandardprotocoldevelopedbytheMonitoringAvianProductivityandSurvivorshipprogram(MAPS)4.Weoperatesixteen12x2.5metermist-netsthatareopened30minutesbeforesunriseandremainopenfor6hours.Netsareopen10outofevery12daysfromApril-JuneandAugust-November.Netsarecheckedevery30minutesandanybirdsareextractedandtakenbacktoacentrallocationforprocessing.EachbirdisoutfittedwithametallegbandissuedbytheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey(USGS).Thisallowsustotrackthecapturehistoryforeveryindividualbirdandperformrobustmark-recaptureanalysestoestimatechangesinpopulationandsurvivorship5.Wealsotakeasuiteofmorphologicalanddemographicmeasurementsfrom

eachbirdincludingsex,age,fatcontent,breedingstate,moltstage,winglength,andbodymass.ThesedataallowustodescribethebirdcommunityatRMCaswellasmonitorthehealthofindividualsastheyundergotheiryearlymigration.2017 Wehavenowgathered6½years(13seasons)ofbandingdatafromRMC,makingourstationoneofthelongest-runningbirdbandingoperationsinUtahandoneofonlytwopasserine(songbird)stationscurrentlyoperatinginthestate(theotherstationbeingourbirdbandingstationinRedButteCanyon,nearSaltLakeCity).Thoughthestationhasbeenoperatingforoverhalfadecade,wecontinuetodetectnewspeciesforthearea.Thisyearwebandedfourspeciesthathadpreviouslybeenonlyvisuallyobservedornotdetectedatall:Red-eyedVireo,HairyWoodpecker,SagebrushSparrow,andWilliamson’sSapsucker.Statistics 2017TotalsSpeciesCaught 81SpeciesBanded 79TotalCaptures 2,072BirdsBanded 1,599BandingDays 105Participants Inthespring,ourbandingteamconsistedofleadbanderKylynnClareandvolunteersTravisFarewellandMirandaCastillo.Inthefall,ourbandingteamconsistedofleadbanderMichaelaGustufsonandvolunteersGregBrinkmanandAlexBaseman.ManyofthevolunteerscametotheRMCwithlittleexperienceworkingwithbirds.Ourstationisdedicatedtoprovidingeducationalopportunitiestovolunteersofallskilllevels.Asidefromtheregularbandingteams,ourstationalsohostedmanyindividualorgroupvisitorsincluding:

− HighschoolstudentsfromtheSaltLakeCenterforScienceandMathEducation− MultipleclassesfromtheUniversityofUtah− NaturaleducationworkshopsforUtaheducators− Localschoolgroups− SeveralUniversityofUtahgraduatestudents− Manylocalcitizensinterestedingettinghands-onexperiencebird-banding

Whilemanygroupswerenotcountedcompletely,weestimatethatover450peoplehavebeenexposedtoavianconservationandecologyresearchatourstation.PreliminaryAnalyses Bird-bandingdatahasgreatvalueinitsabilitytoelucidatelong-termtrendsinpopulationsorcommunitydemographics6,7.Whileourprojectisstillinitsearlystages,wearenonethelessabletobeginpreliminarycommunityandmark-recaptureanalyses.Itisimportanttonotethatthesepatternscurrentlyrepresentmoreofa“snap-shot”intime

ratherthanlong-termcontinuingtrends.However,theresultspresentedherestillgiveusanideaofwhatfactorsneedadditionalmonitoringintheyearstocome. SpeciesAccumulation:Foranareathathasreceivedlimitedornithologicalinterest,liketheRMC,oneofthefirstavenuesofresearchistosimplydescribethebirdcommunity,therelativeabundanceofdifferentspeciesandtheirphenologythroughouttheyear.Allspeciesencounteredoverthecourseofourresearcharelistedintheappendix,alongwithcapturerates.Wealsoperformedspecies-accumulationanalysestopredictthespeciesrichnessoftheoverallbird

communityatRMCthatwecandocumentwithmistnets(Figure1).Whenwestartedthisprojectin2011,theRioMesabirdlisthad44species.OurmodelpredictsthatthebirdcommunityatRMCthatcanbesampledwithbandingisapproximately185speciesthoughthisfigurecouldvaryby10speciesineitherdirection(175-195species).Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatthisanalysisisbasedonbandingdataandthuscannotincorporatespeciesunlikelytobecaughtinmist-netssuchasheronsorlargeraptors.Becauseofthis,185speciesislikelyanunderestimateofthebirdspeciesrichnessattheRMC.However,thetotalnumberofspeciesobservedattheRMC,bandedorotherwise,currentlystandsat183.ThereforewecanbereasonablysurethattherearestillahandfulofspeciesthatoccasionallymakeuseofthehabitatatRMCandhaveyettoberecordedinmistnets.Atotalof188specieshavebeenrecordedinthenearbytownofMoab,furthersuggestingtherearespeciesusingtheRMCthathaveyettobedocumented.WerecordnewspecieseveryyearandatthisrateweexpectthattheRMCbirdlistwillexceed200specieswithinadecade.AgreaterunderstandingofthenumberofspeciesthatregularlyoroccasionallyusetheRMC’sriparianhabitatwillbecriticaltoensuresuccessfulconservationaction. Survivorship:Weperformedsomebasicmark-recapturemodelingtoestimatethesurvivorshipprobabilityforcommonlycapturedspeciesatRMC.Theseestimatesarebasedontrackingthecapturehistoryofindividualbirdsovermanyyears.Thus,ourabilitytoestimatesurvivorshipandotherdemographicinformationwillimprovesubstantiallywitheachadditionalyearofdatagathered.However,theseearlyanalysesallowustoidentifyspeciesthatmaybedeclining.Wehadsufficientdatatoestimate

Rio Mesa Species Accumulation

Year

Num

ber o

f Spe

cies

'11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '170

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Speciesaccumula,onanalysisoverthecourseof6½yearsofbandingatRMC.Totalpredictedspeciescapableofbeingsampledbymist-ne@ngis185(s.e.10).

survivorshipfor10species(Figure2).Eightofthesespeciesallproducedsurvivorshipestimatesoflessthan0.5,meaningthatadultindividualsinthesespecieshavelessthana50%chanceofsurvivingfromoneyeartothenext.Itislikelythattheselowvaluesmaybeareflectionoftherelativelyfewyearsofdataincludedintheanalysis.Indeedmostofthespeciesanalyzeddisplaysubstantialerrorintheirsurvivorshipestimates.However,fourofthesefivespecies(White-crownedSparrow,Yellow-breastedChat,SongSparrow,andYellowWarbler)havealsobeennotedassufferinglong-termdeclinesbytheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey,themostcomprehensivebirdmonitoringprojectinthecountry8.Thesedata,thoughstillpreliminary,helptocorroborateobservednationaltrendsandprovideuswithvaluableinsightsintohowthesespeciesarefaringatamorelocalscale.FutureDirections ThenextfewyearspromisetobeanexcitingtimeforourornithologicalresearchattheRMC.Withadditionalyearsofdata,ourabilitytoaccuratelymonitorthechangesinbirdpopulationsandcommunitycompositionwillimprovegreatly.Thisdataisespeciallyimportantnowgiventheacceleratingpaceofclimatechangeandtheramificationsforriparianecosystems9.OurworkattheRMCwillcontinuetobeoneoftheonlylocationsinUtahproducingthiskindofvaluabledataandwillbeintegralindevelopingconservationregulationsinthenearfuture.Wealsoplantogreatlyexpandouroutreachprogramincludingtravellingtonearbypopulationcenterstoreachabroaderaudience.Theseeffortswillhelpmorepeopleunderstandthenecessityofconservationbiology,ecologyandornithologyresearchandtheimportanceofensuringhealthyecosystems.LiteratureCited1. Şekercioĝlu,Ç.H.Promotingcommunity-basedbirdmonitoringinthetropics:

Conservation,research,environmentaleducation,capacity-building,andlocalincomes.Biol.Conserv.151,69–73(2012).

2. Parrish,J.R.,Norvell,R.E.,Roberts,D.,White,H.&Howe,F.P.PopulationMonitoringofNeotropicalMigratoryBirdsinRiparianHabitatsofUtah.(2007).

Yearlysurvivorshipes/matesand95%confidenceintervalsfor10commonlycapturedspeciesatRMC:White-crownedSparrow(WCSP),Yellow-breastedChat(YBCH),SongSparrow(SOSP),Blue-grayGnatcatcher(BGGN),Dark-eyedJunco(DEJU),SpoTedTowhee(SPTO),YellowWarbler(YEWA),Bullock’sOriole(BUOR),BlueGrosbeak(BLGR),andAmericanRobin(AMRO).

Year−to−year Survivorship for CommonlyCaptured Species at Rio Mesa

Survivorship

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

WCS

P

YBCH

SOSP

BGGN

DEJU

SPTO

YEWA

BUOR

BLGR

AMRO

3. Seavy,N.E.etal.Whyclimatechangemakesriparianrestorationmoreimportantthanever:Recommendationsforpracticeandresearch.Ecol.Restor.27,330–338(2009).

4. Desante,D.F.etal.MAPSManual2016Protocol.(2016).5. Ralph,C.J.,Geupel,G.R.,Pyle,P.,Martin,T.E.&DeSante,D.F.HandbookofField

MethodsforMonitoringLandbirds.Director144,1–41(1993).6. Sodhi,N.S.,Butler,R.,Laurance,W.F.&Gibson,L.Conservationsuccessesatmicro-,

meso-andmacroscales.TrendsEcol.Evol.26,585–594(2011).7. Newmark,W.D.A16-yearstudyofforestdisturbanceandunderstorybird

communitystructureandcompositioninTanzania.Conserv.Biol.20,122–134(2006).

8. Sauer,J.R.etal.TheNorthAmericanBreedingBirdSurvey,ResultsandAnalysis1966-2013.Version01.30.2015.(2014).

9. Niman,R.J.,Decamps,H.&Pollock,M.TheRoleofRiparianCorridorsinMaintainingRegionalBiodiversity.Ecol.Appl.3,209–212(1993).

Appendix:CaptureratesforallspeciescaughtatRMC.Specieswithnocapturerecordshaveonlybeenobserved

SpeciesName Totals

NumberBanded

NumberRecaught

NumberUnbanded

Waterfowl CanadaGoose Mallard Blue-wingedTeal CinnamonTeal NorthernShoveler Green-wingedTeal CommonMerganser Duckspp.

Grouse,Quails,andAllies Chukar WildTurkey 4

Herons,Ibis,andAllies GreatBlueHeron White-facedIbis

Vultures,Hawks,andAllies TurkeyVulture Osprey GoldenEagle NorthernHarrier Sharp-shinnedHawk 4 Cooper'sHawk 1 NorthernGoshawk BaldEagle Swainson'sHawk Red-tailedHawk Rough-leggedHawk

Rails,Gallinules,andAllies Sora 1

Shorebirds Killdeer Wilson'sSnipe SpottedSandpiper 1

PigeonsandDoves RockPigeon Band-tailedPigeon Eurasian-collaredDove White-wingedDove MourningDove 16 4

Owls WesternScreech-Owl 2 GreatHornedOwl NorthernSaw-whetOwl 2

Nightjars CommonNightawk CommonPoorwill 2

Swifts Vaux'sSwift White-throatedSwift 4 4

Hummingbirds Costa'sHummingbird

1

Black-chinnedHummingbird

160Broad-tailedHummingbird

24

CalliopeHummingbird

8RufousHummingbird

37

Hummingbirdspp.

4

Kingfishers BeltedKingfisher

Woodpeckers Williamson'sSapsucker 1 2

Yellow-belliedSapsucker Red-napedSapsucker 31 1

DownyWoodpecker 3 HairyWoodpecker 2 NorthernFlicker(Red-shafted) 18 3 2

FalconsandCaracaras AmericanKestrel

Merlin PeregrineFalcon PrairieFalcon FlycatchersandAllies

Olive-sidedFlycatcher 2

WesternWood-pewee 83 4 2WillowFlycatcher 151 9

WesternFlycatcher 5 Pacific-slopeFlycatcher 2 2

CordilleranFlycatcher 4 Hammond'sFlycatcher 15 DuskyFlycatcher 157 19 1

GrayFlycatcher 32 5BlackPhoebe 1

1

Say'sPhoebe 11 1Ash-throatedFlycatcher 54 11EasternKingbird 1

Cassin'sKingbird WesternKingbird 10 3

Flycatcherspp. 37

2

Shrikes LoggerheadShrike 7

NorthernShrike Vireos

Bell’sVireo

1PlumbeousVireo 15 2Cassin'sVireo 8

WarblingVireo 180 19GrayVireo 18 3Red-eyedVireo 1

Vireospp. CrowsandJays

PinyonJay Woodhouse'sScrub-jay 20 1

Black-billedMagpie AmericanCrow CommonRaven Larks

HornedLark MartinsandSwallows

NorthernRough-wingedSwallow TreeSwallow Violet-greenSwallow 7

BankSwallow BarnSwallow 1

CliffSwallow 2 Swallowspp.

ChickadeesandAllies Black-cappedChickadee 27 7

MountainChickadee 13 2JuniperTitmouse 7 1Bushtit 123 27 5

NuthatchesandCreepers BrownCreeper 3

Red-breastedNuthatch 1 White-breastedNuthatch

Wrens Bewick'sWren 141 48 11RockWren 12 11

CanyonWren 10 6 1HouseWren 51 8 1MarshWren 19

1

GnatcatchersandKinglets Blue-grayGnatcathcer 464 110 15Golden-crownedKinglet 2

Ruby-crownedKinglet 341 61 30

Thrushes MountainBluebird 2

WesternBluebird Townsend'sSolitaire 6 2

Swainson'sThrush 18 3 1HermitThrush 153 33 3AmericanRobin 31 19 2

MockingbirdsandThrashers GrayCatbird 28 3

NorthernMockingbird 6 BrownThrasher 1 SageThrasher 23 5

StarlingsandMynas EuropeanStarling

WagtailsandPipits AmericanPipit

Waxwings CedarWaxwing 2

WoodWarblers NorthernWaterthrush 14

Orange-crownedWarbler 213 29 1NashvilleWarbler 23

Virginia'sWarbler 65 4Lucy'sWarbler 32 36 1

MacGillivray'sWarbler 250 28 4CommonYellowthroat 94 1

AmericanRedstart 2 1NorthernParula 2

MagnoliaWarbler 1 1YellowWarbler 375 72 2

Black-throatedBlueWarbler 1 1PalmWarbler 1

Yellow-rumpedWarbler(Unidentified) 16

1Yellow-rumpedWarbler(Audubon's) 426 27 4Yellow-rumpedWarbler(Myrtle) 18 6

Yellow-rumpedWarbler(MxA) 7 Black-throatedGrayWarbler 9 Townsend'sWarbler 4 Wilson'sWarbler 687 66 13

Yellow-breastedChat 483 390 12Warblerspp.

1

Sparrows Green-tailedTowhee 70 30

SpottedTowhee 286 128 20VesperSparrow 13

2

AmericanTreeSparrow 1 ChippingSparrow 51 18

Clay-coloredSparrow 12 6Brewer'sSparrow 310 74 10

LarkSparrow 24 3LarkBunting

Black-throatedSparrow 29 SagebrushSparrow 27 1

SavannahSparrow 1 SongSparrow 514 160 12

Lincoln'sSparrow 230 37 9GrasshopperSparrow 2

FoxSparrow 4

Dark-eyedJunco(Unidentified) 11

2Dark-eyedJunco(Gray-headed) 5

Dark-eyedJunco(Oregon) 284 113 10Dark-eyedJunco(Pink-sided) 17 9

Dark-eyedJunco(Slate-colored) 6 4White-throatedSparrow 13 1 1

White-crownedSparrow(Unidentified) 254 57 15White-crownedSparrow(Mountain) 178 13 4White-crownedSparrow(Gambel's) 437 210 33Golden-crownedSparrow 1

HouseSparrow Sparrowspp. 2

2

Cardinals SummerTanager 1

WesternTanager 228 9 2Rose-breastedGrosbeak 1

Black-headedGrosbeak 65 2 1BlueGrosbeak 54 7 2LazuliBunting 94 24

IndigoBunting 6 1PaintedBunting

1

OriolesandBlackbirds Red-wingedBlackbird

WesternMeadowlark Yellow-headedBlackbird Brewer'sBlackbird CommonGrackle Brown-headedCowbird 25 3 1

HoodedOriole 1 Bullock'sOriole 59 15 1

FinchesandAllies Cassin'sFinch

1

HouseFinch 114 9 1PineSiskin 43 1 1LesserGoldfinch 42 1

AmericanGoldfinch 11 EveningGrosbeak