Bird Conservation
and Research
DelNature’s conservation land management ensures the
protection of native habitats and preserves biodiversity and
places where wildlife can thrive. In recent years, numerous
studies have reported that many North American birds are
experiencing a steady or sometimes drastic decline.
One of the most common reasons is due to the loss
or degradation of their habitat. DelNature is actively
involved in habitat restoration at several of the sites we
own or manage.
Through our ongoing Bird Conservation and Research program,
we are ensuring our practices are based in science and protect
biodiversity. Helping to make this possible is Dr. Ian Stewart,
our staff ornithologist, and six volunteers. Collectively they
banded 1,460 birds of approximately 50 species in 2018 and
2019. New species banded for the project were Marsh Wren,
Mourning Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, Scarlet Tanager,
Blackpoll and Tennessee Warblers. Bird banding helps scientists
track individual birds and their movements.
Regional Bird Conservation Partnerships
In 2018, Dr. Stewart helped researchers from Willistown
Conservation Trust place transmitters on eight Wood Thrushes
at Bucktoe Creek Preserve to collect data on the migration and
survival of this near-threatened species using the Motus Wildlife
Tracking System Network of bird detecting stations spread across
the continent. The Motus System is a collaborative research network
that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry arrays to study wildlife
movements. Wood Thrushes spend the winter in Central America and one of
these same tagged birds was detected at Bucktoe Creek Preserve on May 10,
2020! In addition, the Bucktoe Creek Motus station detected 33 birds tagged
birds in 2018 and another 52 in 2019, including 3 Rusty Blackbirds, a rapidly
declining species.
In 2019, Dr. Stewart began conducting bird surveys in 3 meadows in the agricultural
lands and 3 meadows in the natural areas at Coverdale Farm Preserve. This aims
to compare biodiversity in our fields that use regenerative agriculture methods with
the preserve lands. Dr. Stewart started bird counts and banding, documenting
several species of conservation concern that use these habitats during
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