Tracking Eastern Willets

The willet is a migratory shorebird that breeds in salt marshes of the eastern United States but its migratory destination and habitat use in winter is not well understood. BRI researchers are tracking these birds via geolocators to gain critical knowledge that will help inform land management and conservation decisions.

 Shorebirds face numerous conservation challenges, including loss of shoreline and wetland habitat, increasing pollution and predation, and climate change. The exact causes for the declines observed in shorebird populations are largely unknown and may be the result of many factors. Determining which factors are currently limiting shorebird populations, and which factors may play a role in the future, is crucial for shorebird conservation.

As part of a broader effort by the Smithsonian Institute to understand Willet movement, BRI began a collaboration with  the New Jersey Nature Conservancy and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Understanding the annual cycle of this species (i.e., migration routes, and the locations of stopover sites and breeding/wintering grounds) provides insight into potential stressors for Willets, which are vulnerable long distance migrants. BRI biologists are also testing Eastern Willets for mercury contamination, a potential stressor read more>>>

Bird Population Declines in Alberta’s Boreal Forest

More than 20 per cent of Alberta’s boreal forest has been directly altered by human activities, leading to a corresponding decrease in terrestrial bird populations, a report released Wednesday reveals.

The study, conducted by the University of Alberta’s Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, explores the relationship between development and the abundance of common bird species in the boreal forest, an ecological zone that represents 58 per cent of the province’s land area and covers a vast expanse of the north, including Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and the oilsands region.

The report shows that as of 2010, 21 per cent of the boreal forest had been affected by a variety of activities, including agriculture, forestry and energy production, resulting in bird populations 80 per cent of what would be expected if there was no development.

The abundance of 74 landbirds was assessed, with numbers generally highest for species that adapt readily to human development, such as barn swallows and house wrens, which were four and six times more common than would be expected. Species closely associated with old-growth forest were less abundant than anticipated, including the brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet and black-throated green warbler. Read more>>>