Saturday schedule5.png

Presentation Abstracts

AUDITORIUM

Migration biology in the context of the full annual cycle: identifying stopover habitat hotspots for conservation – Emily Cohen
Research in Dr. Cohen’s laboratory broadly aims to understand animal migration biology in the context of the full annual cycle. We live in a rapidly changing world where many species are declining, and this is especially true for migratory species. It is possible that changes in habitat, climate, and resource availability due to unprecedented human activity are inflating the costs associated with animal migration. At the same time, advancing technologies and analytical tools are making it possible to solve many of the important mysteries about migratory animals. Dr. Cohen’s research makes use of field, lab, and remotely sensed data integrated with rigorous quantitative tools to 1) address fundamental questions about migration biology, 2) understand how and why migration is changing and migratory species are declining, and 3) develop tools for the inclusion of stopover and airspace habitats into conservation and management efforts for migratory species.

Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3: A Record of Change – Gabriel Foley
Breeding bird atlases are a great way for you to explore new birding areas, learn more about the behavior of their local birds, and contribute directly to bird conservation! The Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 began in January 2020 and will continue until December 2024. This community science effort will document the distribution, abundance, and timing of the birds breeding in Maryland and DC. Volunteers will use the website ebird.org/atlasmddc to collect atlas data. Gabriel Foley, Atlas Coordinator, will be discussing what the Atlas is, how it is used to conserve birds and their habitats, and how, with a little knowledge of your local birds, you can get involved. You can follow the Atlas on social media at @mddcbba3.

Banding and telemetry Study of Fall Migrant Soras on the Patuxent River – Greg Kearns
Greg Kearns began studying the Sora rail in 1987. At their peak in 1998, they banded 1,300 rails; by the year 2000, only 100. This research linked the decline of the rails to the vanishing stands of wild rice (95% decline) observed during the same period. Resident Canada Geese, whose population was increasing 15-20% per year during the 1990s, were grazing the wild rice. Greg coordinated a goose management plan and the additional planting of seeds and rice plants. Today the wild rice has recovered beyond the acreage there was 30 years ago. Now, 20 years later, Greg revived the Sora telemetry migration research with a new system called Motus, meaning “movement” in Latin. Motus is a large network of automated tracking stations all over eastern North America and beyond to detect birds with a digitally coded transmitter. Work was also done using DNA from blood samples to try and develop a method to sex the birds accurately.

Halting habitat loss and mitigating climate change: What are your elected officials doing? – Kimberly Golden Brandt
Our local and state elected officials have a critical role to play in halting habitat loss and mitigating climate change. Learn about recent and on-going efforts at the state level and in several of Maryland’s fastest growing counties. Topics will include local forest conservation ordinance improvements, solar siting, transportation investment, and planning for future growth.

Bringing Birds to Your Backyard – Jonathan Irons
Have you ever wondered how to bring more birds to your back yard? Jonathan will discuss habitat, feeding and making your yard bird friendly. 

Drones for conservation: how drones are providing a new way to monitor bird populations – Andy Wilson
Low-cost drones are increasingly used in ecology and conservation, for mapping, counting and monitoring larger organisms, including large birds such as wildfowl and seabirds. Drones can be used to access terrain more quickly and easily than fieldworkers can on foot, and in some circumstances, this can reduce disturbance. However, many birds are too small to capture and identify from aerial images, and often they are obscured from above by vegetation. I describe how airborne bioacoustics, that is, taking audio recordings of singing and calling birds from a drone-mounted recorder, could be a useful new way of monitoring birds. I will discuss recent advances from an ongoing research program conducted by undergraduate students at Gettysburg College, PA.

RACHEL CARSON ROOM

The Killing of Bald Eagles on Maryland’s Eastern Shore – Donna Cole
30 bald eagles have been killed on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the last ten years, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a long history of these carbofuran poisonings on the Delmarva Peninsula, which have continued to happen long after the Environmental Protection Agency banned the toxic pesticide. Award-winning journalist Donna Cole, has spent over three years on this story, explains the sordid history of these killings, why they’ve happened and what’s being done about it.

Anthropogenic Alteration of Common Shorebird Stop-Over Sites in the North Atlantic Flyway – Madelaina Ondo
Migratory shorebirds using the Atlantic flyway rely on a few productive stopover sites to fuel their journeys. The presence of humans in these crucial habitats has had quantifiable effects on shorebird migratory success. This talk will identify and expand on ways humans have altered migration success of shorebirds through the lens of Washington College's Senior Capstone Experience.

Barn Owls of the Patuxent River – Andy Brown
When you imagine the bird life of the Patuxent River, you don't usually think of owls. However, the marshes of the Patuxent and surrounding farmlands are important habitats for one of Maryland's most endangered owls. I will discuss the history of Barn Owls conservation efforts along the Patuxent River and how the nest box program is helping to maintain their population.

Effects of Heavy Metal Pollution on Quality of Bird Song – Nina Black
This study is an acoustic analysis of the vocal quality of multiple European bird species living in areas of high anthropogenic heavy metal pollution compared to those with little exposure to heavy metal pollution. This study also looks at the use of public science for research purposes.

Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3: A Record of Change – Gabriel Foley
Breeding bird atlases are a great way for you to explore new birding areas, learn more about the behavior of their local birds, and contribute directly to bird conservation! The Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 began in January 2020 and will continue until December 2024. This community science effort will document the distribution, abundance, and timing of the birds breeding in Maryland and DC. Volunteers will use the website ebird.org/atlasmddc to collect atlas data. Gabriel Foley, Atlas Coordinator, will be discussing what the Atlas is, how it is used to conserve birds and their habitats, and how, with a little knowledge of your local birds, you can get involved. You can follow the Atlas on social media at @mddcbba3.

Patuxent Forest Breeding Bird Surveys and Forest Inventory – Sandy Spencer
Patuxent Research Refuge is a nearly 13,000 acre national wildlife refuge of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This presentation is on recent efforts to understand the contribution this forest makes to a selection of the area's forest-dependent bird species as well as the quality of the forest.

Manakins: nature’s Lords of the Dance – Kevin Bennett
The manakins are a Neotropical family of birds unique for their elaborate courtship displays, anatomical and behavioral novelties, striking male ornamentation, and complex social behaviors. The traits that make manakins so remarkable stem from their breeding system in which males gather in aggregations called leks to display for females. The extraordinary features of manakin biology have made them a model system for studying sexual selection and its impact on morphology, behavior, ecological roles, and even evolutionary trajectories.