Some unfortunate news

For several weeks we have been monitoring the nest of last year's tagged female, Abbo,  quietly from a distance away using a telescope.  On Tuesday June 9th, our field assistant Zach, arrived at the New Ringgold nest at 7am to begin observations for the day. When he arrived Abbo was not present at the nest (possible she was out hunting or grabbing some nest material), but when another hour passed, and then another, Zach knew something was wrong. Many of you in the area were aware of the storm that occurred on Monday night. So because of this and the lack of a bird at the nest Zach decided to search around the area and when he approached the base of the nest tree he found feathers from an adult Broadwing strewn about the forest floor.

After calling Laurie to inform her of the situation, she came out to assess the situation and from the evidence around the nest we believe one of the adults of the pair (Abbo or her mate) was taken by a Great Horned Owl or another avian predator. We walked around the nest site looking for other possible clues and Abbo's transmitter but we did not find it. After checking the last locations online, we retrieved a weak, approximate signal from an area west of the nest. Since the transmitter only turns on every 48 hours to save on battery life, on Thursday, we waited anxiously for a new location to come in however, the one signal from the night of the event is the only signal we have had in 10 days. During observations the week before, Zach noticed Abbo's antenna looked bent up and may have affected its ability to send signals since her return. 

So, we surmise that either Abbo or her mate was taken during incubation of their eggs. We have heard a Broadwing call on several occasions during the past week and Rebecca saw one soaring high, west of the nest, on Wednesday, so we know that one is still in the area. We intend to spend time next week looking around to try to see the  bird and determine if it is her (hopefully) .  We also will climb the nest and do  grid searches to see if we can find the transmitter or other evidence. 

The nest Abbo and her mate had chosen was particularly exposed to the sky due to defoliation from caterpillars, making the nest more vulnerable than usual.  However, predation by larger raptors or nest predation by mammals is one of the natural threats these hawks face and may shape their habitat selection. 

 We will continue to keep you posted when we find more conclusive evidence and thank you for your continued support for the Broadwing Project. 

Meet the Crew

With the expansion of project comes the need for additional personnel. We are pleased to have three new field assistants joining us for our second field season and one returning member. Without the support from our private donors, an East Stroudsburg University grant and the Pennsylvania Game Commission we would be unable to have this wonderful team of dedicated individuals. 

Randy Farley 

 
My name is Randy Farley, I am currently a student at East Stroudsburg University studying Environmental Science. I completed my Associate’s Degree in Environmental Science at Sussex County Community College in 2013. When not studying, I work on farms and am involved in baling hay, growing corn, taking care of livestock, and more. I also live on a Christmas Tree Farm in Hardwick New Jersey, so I spend a lot of time outside taking care of the trees.  In my free time, I spend hours outdoors because I enjoy hiking and watching wildlife.  I started studying the Broad-winged Hawk early this spring and cannot wait to learn more about their habitat as the research progresses.

Cassandra Baun

I graduated from East Stroudsburg University, majoring in biology, physics, and earth and space science. I was a member of the college swim team, and have been swimming competitively since elementary school. I worked as an engineering intern for the past 4 years. I also volunteer with Pennsylvania's DCNR, taking part in such activities as trail maintenance and planting trees at the local parks. In my free time, I enjoy snowboarding in the winter, or hiking and camping during the summer.
  

 

 

 

 

Corinne Campbell   

I am a wife, biologist, birder and runner. I have a bachelor’s of science in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. I have been doing field work almost primarily with birds for over 10 years including working for a wind consulting agency doing raptor migration and breeding bird surveys, monitoring and managing endangered species of birds in Florida and Texas, searching for the elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Texas and banding passerines in North Carolina and Oregon. Hawks are a special passion of mine. Nine years ago I started counting and banding raptors at Little Gap where I met my husband Mike Schall. Mike introduced me to the world of birding and we have traveled all over America camping and hiking incredible places like Arizona and Alaska in a quest to see all the birds we can. I also am an avid runner having completed one marathon a year, every year since 2008. I often combine my running with birding by ear as I remember counting at least 26 Warbling Vireos last year while running the Lehigh Valley Marathon along the Lehigh River.

 

Zachary Bordner

I am currently working on the Broadwing Project for the second summer in a row, assisting with nest searching, field observations and vegetation sampling. I have my B.S. in Ecology and have studied at Juniata College, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and the Foundation for Ecological Research Advocacy and Learning. I was a counter at the Montclair Hawkwatch and have been involved in additional raptor monitoring work in the Delaware Water Gap. My other interests include cooking, playing guitar, books, travel, and marine science.