Neighborhood Nestwatch - Focus in an Urban Forest

Project Description:

About the Study Area:

Rock Creek Park (Washington, DC) is an island of forest surrounded by an ocean of concrete. The extensive deciduous woodland in the park has changed little over the years and would appear to be ideal habitat for many species of forest-nesting songbirds. However, long term surveys indicate that many songbirds no longer breed in the park. The pressures from the surrounding landscape (numerous predators, increased levels of pollution and disturbance, exotic invasive plants, isolation from other populations of songbirds) may adversely affect local bird populations.

Are Bird Populations in the Park Declining?

In order to assess the health of these populations, survival rates and reproductive success of several common bird species in the park will be studied. Our research will be conducted in collaboration with the Neighborhood Nestwatch program of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and will allow us to compare breeding bird success in Rock Creek Park with suburban and rural yards throughout the greater Washington, DC metro area.

Songbirds that will be Studied:

American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
House Wren
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse

Collecting the Data:

Mist nets (very thin nets) will be used to capture birds so that unique combinations of colored plastic leg bands can be applied. This will allow researchers to identify individual birds without having to recapture them.

At the time of capture the birds will be weighed and measured and a small (50 microliter) blood sample will be taken for genetic analyses and to test for the presence of West Nile Virus. Nests will be searched for and monitored and nestlings will be weighed and banded. Territories of adult birds will be mapped. Finally, we will use point-counts to estimate bird abundance and diversity around our study areas.

Outreach:

Bird banding demonstration

There will also be an educational component to the project through the National Zoo's Columbia Heights Community Science Workshop. Small groups of students will be brought to the study site to teach them about field research, demonstrate bird banding, and learn some basics about bird biology and identification. A few motivated high school students will be involved in the project as interns.

Neighborhood Nestwatch:

Neighorhood Nestwatch is a citizen science project administered through the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. It's goal is to teach people about bird biology as we learn how different land uses affect breeding bird populations.

Neighborhood Nestwatch