Bonderman Field Station At Rio Mesa

Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa2020 Bird Banding Report

Cover Photos, clockwise from top left: Williamson's Sapsucker, Sage Thrasher, MacGillivray'sWarbler, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Green-tailed Towhee. All captured and banded during fall2020 at the Rio Mesa banding station. Pictures taken by Kyle Kittelberger and Megan Miller.Şekercioğlu LabUniversity of Utah Department of Biology257 South 1400 EastSalt Lake City, UT 84112801-587-5661Station OverviewStatisticsSpecies ObservedSpecies CaughtSpecies BandedOverall CapturesBirds BandedBanding DaysStation LifetimeTotals18312912117,08413,505972Our MissionThe primary purpose of our project is to understand the ecology and migratory patterns ofthe bird community at the Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa using mist-netting and birdbanding. We capture and band birds to gain valuable insights into population size,community structure, the timing of migration, and how avian groups are responding toanthropogenic threats. We are also dedicated to outreach and education. Birds are anexceptional flagship group to help instill interest in conservation and the environment1 andevery year we welcome hundreds of visitors to our station where people from all walks oflife can receive hands-on education about nature, ecology, ornithology and conservation.Bonderman Field Station at Rio MesaRio Mesa represents an ideal location to conduct ornithological research. Riparian zones,like Rio Mesa’s Dolores River, comprise a disproportionately important habitat in the aridIntermountain West. Birds, in particular, depend heavily on this delicate environment, andriparian zones serve as critical migratory corridors for birds moving through an otherwiseharsh area2. Riparian zones are also under severe threat from climate change3. With thegrowing threat of global change we, more than ever, need a detailed understanding of theecology of riparian habitats and the organisms that depend on them.Our ResearchOur station follows standard protocol developed by the Monitoring Avian Productivity andSurvivorship program (MAPS)4. We operate sixteen 12 x 2.5 meter mist-nets that areopened 30 minutes before sunrise and remain open for six hours. Nets are open 10 out ofevery 12 days from late August to early November. Nets are checked

every 30 minutes and any birds are extracted and taken back to the banding office forprocessing. Each bird is fitted with a metal leg band issued by the United States GeologicalSurvey (USGS). This allows us to track the capture history for every individual bird andperform robust mark-recapture analyses to estimate changes in demographic rates5. Wealso take a suite of morphological and demographic measurements from each birdincluding sex, age, fat content, breeding state, molt stage, wing length, and body mass.These data allow us to describe the bird community at Rio Mesa as well as monitor thehealth of individuals as they undergo their yearly migration.2020Due to the unprecedented global coronavirus pandemic, we did not band during the springbut resumed in the fall, banding from August 31 through November 3. This fall was our18th banding season, representing 9 ½ years of banding data from Rio Mesa. These datamake our station one of the longest-running bird banding operations in Utah and one ofonly two passerine (songbird) stations currently operating in the state (the other stationbeing our bird banding station in Red Butte Canyon, near Salt Lake City). Some notablecaptures this fall included our first Least Flycatcher and our second ever American Kestreland Golden-crowned Sparrow. This fall also happened to be one of our most productive interms of diversity and number of captured birds. Also of note this fall was an historicsnowstorm in early September, part of a larger storm across the Interior West. We alsoobserved a notable number of emaciated and lethargic birds, especially around this storm.StatisticsSpecies CaughtSpecies BandedTotal CapturesBirds BandedBanding DaysParticipants2020 Totals68611,19091855In the fall, our banding team consisted of lead bander Megan Miller (who is returning toband for us in spring 2021) and volunteers Jenna Breckel and Amanda Tveite. NikolasOrton and Brandy Bowmaster also assisted at times during the season. Our volunteerscome to Rio Mesa from across the country with varying degrees of experience workingwith birds. Our station is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to volunteers ofall skill levels and by the end, they are highly competent banders.Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, our station did not host any group visitorsthis season.

Future DirectionsThe next few years promise to be an exciting time for our ornithological research at RioMesa. First, with additional years of data, our ability to accurately monitor the changes inbird populations and community composition will improve greatly and we will soon beable to estimate migratory arrival and departure dates. These data are especiallyimportant now given the accelerating pace of climate change and the ramifications forriparian ecosystems9. Second, we are now beginning to analyze our data, so the nextseveral years will hopefully see multiple papers based on our banding efforts.Our first paper based on Rio Mesa data is looking at the past five years of banding to assessthe potential effects of wildfires in the western United States on fall bird migration,specifical the total number of captures and bird body condition. This is the first paper of itskind to look at this relationship and one of the few studies to utilize bird banding data toevaluate effects of fires on birds. We hope to have this paper accepted for publicationbefore the start of the next fall season. We are also going to be introducing an emaciationscale during 2021 and test this scale across the fall and spring seasons. We will likely writea paper on this emaciation scale after the next fall season.Our work at Rio Mesa will continue to be the only location in Utah producing this kind ofvaluable data and will be integral in developing conservation approaches for migratorybirds in the near future. We also plan to restart our outreach program in the near future,perhaps in the fall, bringing several groups to the station. These efforts will help morepeople understand the necessity of conservation biology, ecology and ornithology researchand the importance of ensuring healthy ecosystems.Literature Cited1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.Şekercioĝlu, Ç. H. Promoting community-based bird monitoring in the tropics: Conservation,research, environmental education, capacity-building, and local incomes. Biol. Conserv. 151,69–73 (2012).Parrish, J. R., Norvell, R. E., Roberts, D., White, H. & Howe, F. P. Population Monitoring ofNeotropical Migratory Birds in Riparian Habitats of Utah. (2007).Seavy, N. E. et al. Why climate change makes riparian restoration more important than ever:Recommendations for practice and research. Ecol. Restor. 27, 330–338 (2009).Desante, D. F. et al. MAPS Manual 2016 Protocol. (2016).Ralph, C. J., Geupel, G. R., Pyle, P., Martin, T. E. & DeSante, D. F. Handbook of Field Methods forMonitoring Landbirds. Director 144, 1–41 (1993).Sodhi, N. S., Butler, R., Laurance, W. F. & Gibson, L. Conservation successes at micro-, mesoand macroscales. Trends Ecol. Evol. 26, 585–594 (2011).Newmark, W. D. A 16-year study of forest disturbance and understory bird communitystructure and composition in Tanzania. Conserv. Biol. 20, 122–134 (2006).Sauer, J. R. et al. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966-2013.Version 01.30.2015. (2014).Niman, R. J., Decamps, H. & Pollock, M. The Role of Riparian Corridors in MaintainingRegional Biodiversity. Ecol. Appl. 3, 209–212 (1993).

Appendix: Capture rates for all species caught at Rio Mesa from 2011 to 2019. Species withno capture records have only been observedSpecies WaterfowlCanada GooseMallardBlue-winged TealCinnamon TealNorthern ShovelerGreen-winged TealCommon MerganserDuck spp.Grouse, Quails, and AlliesChukarWild Turkey4GrebesPied-billed GrebeHerons, Ibis, and AlliesGreat Blue HeronGreat EgretSnowy EgretWhite-faced IbisVultures, Hawks, and AlliesTurkey VultureOspreyGolden EagleNorthern HarrierSharp-shinned HawkCooper's HawkNorthern GoshawkBald EagleSwainson's HawkRed-tailed HawkRough-legged Hawk81Rails, Gallinules, and AlliesSora1

Sandhill CraneShorebirdsKilldeerWilson's SnipeSpotted Sandpiper1Pigeons and DovesRock PigeonBand-tailed PigeonEurasian-collared DoveWhite-winged DoveInca Dove1Mourning Dove20OwlsWestern Screech-OwlGreat Horned Owl2Northern Saw-whet Owl26NightjarsCommon NightawkCommon Poorwill2SwiftsVaux's SwiftWhite-throated Swift44HummingbirdsCosta's HummingbirdBlack-chinned HummingbirdBroad-tailed HummingbirdCalliope HummingbirdRufous Hummingbird1186291164Hummingbird spp.6KingfishersBelted KingfisherWoodpeckersWilliamson's SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerRed-naped SapsuckerDowny WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerLewis’s WoodpeckerRed-shafted Flicker424442227312

Falcons and CaracarasAmerican KestrelMerlinPeregrine Falcon2Prairie FalconFlycatchers and AlliesOlive-sided FlycatcherWestern Wood-peweeWillow FlycatcherWestern FlycatcherPacific-slope FlycatcherCordilleran FlycatcherYellow-bellied FlycatcherHammond's FlycatcherDusky FlycatcherGray FlycatcherBlack PhoebeSay's PhoebeAsh-throated FlycatcherEastern KingbirdCassin's KingbirdWestern KingbirdLeast 13Flycatcher spp.Shrikes504Loggerhead Shrike85Northern ShrikeVireosBell’s VireoPlumbeous VireoCassin's VireoWarbling VireoGray VireoRed-eyed VireoCrows and JaysPinyon JayWoodhouse's Scrub-jayBlack-billed MagpieAmerican CrowCommon Raven191927741131311012911

LarksHorned LarkMartins and SwallowsNorthern Rough-winged SwallowTree SwallowViolet-green SwallowBank SwallowBarn SwallowCliff SwallowChickadees and Allies1812Black-capped ChickadeeMountain ChickadeeMountain x Black-capped ChickadeeJuniper Titmouse52233637811Bushtit2698118Nuthatches and CreepersBrown CreeperRed-breasted Nuthatch338211102214White-breasted NuthatchWrensBewick's WrenRock WrenCanyon WrenHouse WrenWinter Wren2272114951Marsh Wren44Gnatcatchers and KingletsBlue-gray GnatcatcherGolden-crowned Kinglet745215221Ruby-crowned Kinglet58197301222251236013American Robin37192Mockingbirds and ThrashersGray Catbird463ThrushesMountain BluebirdWestern BluebirdTownsend's SolitaireSwainson's ThrushHermit Thrush1122

Northern MockingbirdBrown Thrasher13133Sage Thrasher61231414127048311Starlings and MynasEuropean StarlingWagtails and PipitsAmerican PipitWaxwings and DippersCedar Waxwing3American DipperWood WarblersNorthern WaterthrushOrange-crowned WarblerNashville WarblerVirginia's WarblerLucy's WarblerMacGillivray's WarblerCommon YellowthroatAmerican RedstartNorthern ParulaMagnolia WarblerYellow WarblerBlack-throated Blue WarblerPalm WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)Yellow-rumped Warbler (MxA)Black-throated Gray WarblerTownsend's WarblerWilson's WarblerYellow-breasted 5129692473Warbler spp.SparrowsGreen-tailed TowheeSpotted TowheeVesper SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowChipping SparrowClay-colored Sparrow16231517171100356272771242160226202

Brewer's SparrowLark SparrowLark BuntingBlack-throated SparrowSagebrush SparrowSavannah SparrowSong SparrowLincoln's SparrowGrasshopper SparrowFox SparrowDark-eyed JuncoDark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed)Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided)Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)White-throated SparrowWhite-crowned Sparrow (Mountain)White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's)White-crowned SparrowGolden-crowned SparrowSparrow er TanagerWestern TanagerRose-breasted GrosbeakBlack-headed GrosbeakBlue GrosbeakLazuli BuntingIndigo BuntingPainted Bunting1274191691306142412271221Orioles and BlackbirdsRed-winged BlackbirdWestern MeadowlarkYellow-headed BlackbirdBrewer's BlackbirdCommon GrackleBrown-headed CowbirdHooded OrioleScott’s OrioleBullock's Oriole1312925172151