Biodiversity of Songbirds in Harford Glen

By: Bradley Pierce, Kalli Bell, Darcy Baynes, and Jackson Martini

Background information Due to the fact that the pines were very close

together, they suffered a pine bark beetle infestation. Harford Glen managed the situation by clear-cutting the pines in March of 2007.

Event The clear cut of pine trees at Harford Glen.

Harford Glen Bird Banding Observatory

Problem

The biodiversity of songbirds across the United States is declining .

“Forests are critical to the long-term health of

bird populations, and public lands are often the largest blocks of unfragmented forest in many regions. Public forests are crucial for the recovery of endangered species, such as the Kirtland’s Warbler which has 97 percent of its U.S. distribution on public lands.”

www.stateofthebirds.org

Issue How has the stewardship of Harford Glen affected

it’s environment?

“The state of our birds is a measurable indicator of how well we are doing as stewards of our environment, and the signal is clear. Greater bird conservation efforts are needed to realize the vision of a nation sustained economically, biologically and spiritually by abundant natural resources and spectacular wildlife in perpetuity.”

www.stateofthebirds.org

Research Question How has the clear-cut of pines affected the

biodiversity of songbirds in Harford Glen?

Study Design= Bird Banding+ Data Analysis Set up mist netsUntangled birds from mist netsPut them in paper bagsTook them to banding station pavilion and banded

themRecorded the following data:

Sex/age/speciesWing and tail measurement FatSkulling

Analyzed data 4 years and 4 months before and after the clear-cut

(NOTE :This is a baseline study)

Necessary Resources

CamerasMist netsPaper bags Bird banding equipmentBanding data sheetsBird i.d. guidesBirds Bird banders & net tendersComputersBird banding data

Analyzing Diversity Data in 2008

Unfortunately, during this detailed process we all developed A.O.D. (Avian Overload Disorder), which is only curable by having a 5 minute DANCE PARTY!!!!

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-110

10

20

30

40

50

60 Songbird Biodiversity at Harford Glen

Years Before and After Clearcut (March 2007)

# S

on

gb

ird

s

Sp

ecie

s B

an

ded

Conclusions Inferences

Songbird diversity did not significantly change from 2002-2011

The clear-cut occurring in March of 2007, does not appear to have an effect on overall songbird diversity at HG

Some species could have left the area, while other species may have preferred the new open habitat. Overall, this would support the fact that species diversity did not change

Recommendations1) Continue to monitor songbird diversity by

banding birds at Harford Glen2) Analyze WHICH species were caught in the

area before and after the clear-cut3) Continue to be good stewards of the

Harford Glen property

TAKE ACTION!!

1. Continue to band birds in future years2. Continue to monitor and repair bird boxes3. Inform others about the importance of

songbirds and monitoring them through bird banding

4. Analyze data annually and determine whether the clear-cut impacted WHAT species are caught

AcknowledgementsMrs. Melanie Reichley and Miss Olivia

Blondheim for helping us band the birdsSusan B. Heselton for sharing her data and

equipment with usKenneth Heselton for clearing the net lanes for

us Our parents for allowing us to participate Mrs. Mary Murray and Mr. Eric Cromwell for

running the summer center Mr. Andy Smith and Mr. Chris Burley for

teaching us the process