It's Time to Head South

   August 15th marked the start of the fall migration count at Hawk Mountain. As of August 28th, 121 Broadwings have passed over North Lookout. The month of September will be an exciting time for us as it is peak migration for Broadwings heading south. We anxiously await a good flight day in mid-September, hoping to witness a large kettle of Broadwings overhead, possibly with one of the telemetered birds. When we are not spending time at the lookout, we will be conducting data analyses from the past two field seasons as well as dedicating days to trapping Broadwings at the Little Gap banding station. We hope to  affix an additional two to four transmitters on migrating birds this September, putting the total transmitters deployed in this study to 10 or 12.
   If you have not already checked out our movement maps on Hawk Mountain's website, click the link to get daily movements of the newly tagged birds from 2015. Sadie, adult female from Silver Lake (Delaware State Forest) and Ridgena, adult female from Game Lands 106 (Hawk Mountain) have both left Pennsylvania. We anticipate Pocono Penny, adult female from Stoney Acres (Delaware State Forest) and Rachel Carson, adult female from Mud Pond (Delaware State Forest) will start moving south within the next two weeks.

   We are interested to see the comparisons and differences between the birds from 2014 and 2015. Dates of departure, arrival, migration pathway, stopover and roost sites will all be examined and compared with data from 2014. From the data thus far, we can see that Ridgena, Sadie and Abbo have all traveled through the large, contiguous forest along the Appalachian Mountain chain in West Virginia and Virginia.

Table 1. Dates each of the 2014 tagged birds departed their nesting grounds, started migration, left Pennsylvania and were south of Texas.

Bird ID	Depart Nesting Area	Begin Migration	Out of PA	South of TX
Abbo	18- Jul to 23- Jul	29-Aug	3-Sep	30-Sep
Kit	17-Aug to 19 -Aug	27-Aug	29-Aug	-
America	15- Aug to 17- Aug	28-Aug	1-Sep	1-Oct
Hawkeye	8- Aug to 12-Aug	27-Aug	8-Sep	28-Sep

-          Kit stopped transmitting on 18 September 2014, near New River, south of Hinton, West Virginia.

-          America stopped transmitting on 22 November 2014, northeast of Kankintu, Panama.

-          Hawkeye stopped transmitting on 9 November 2014, in Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura, Chiapas, Mexico.

   We suspect America and Hawkeye may have wintered in these locations, though we cannot be certain without further signals. Be sure to check our Facebook page regularly for photos and video links from the summer and updates on our trapping of fall migrants and the latest locations of our migrating Broadwings. We are excited to dive into the data and see what the birds were eating this summer and how that compares to last summer and to analyze habitat use and many other features. Wherever you are Broad-winged Hawks may be passing overhead, so enjoy the migration and check our maps to see if the tagged birds are passing near your home!

Last Day of the Field Season

Yesterday marked the last day of the 2015 field season. We ended at the Common Room nest site at Hawk Mountain with an afternoon downpour while on the slope of the ridge.
Soaking wet and tired we finished up our last veg plot.

Within the last two weeks we have done vegetation sampling at 12 nest sites.
Each nest site has 6 plots (nest site circle and 5 randoms), so all in all we did a total of 72 plots. At each plot we are measuring the nest tree characteristics, canopy and ground cover, shrub density, the diameter breast height (DBH) and species of each tree. A few of the abundant tree species we have seen at many of the sites include, Black Birch (Betula lenta), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus), Red Oak (Quercus rubra), and Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica). 

We are so thankful for the amazing group of people who helped us complete this task. A big thank you to our field assistants, Zach, Corinne, Randy and Cassie and of course our fabulous volunteers Laura, Heather, Holly, Rob, Kara, Marc and Terry. It was hot, humid, there were ticks and mosquitoes  and thick patches of briers, mountain laurel and rhododendron, but we did it!
Thank you all again!

Laurie, Zach and Corinne working on a plot at Stoney Acres

Veg surveys at Mud Pond in the Delaware State Forest 

Dr. Terry Master and Dr. Laurie Goodrich identifying trees

Last plot at Mud Pond before moving down the road to the Silver Lake nest

Corinne recording data for Laurie (who is somewhere in all that Mountain Laurel)

We found her!

Corinne and Laurie at the Game Lands 106 site

Zach using his ocular tube to determine ground cover while Marc records

Everyone hard at work at the Coal Mountain site

Zach walking the transect while measuring canopy cover

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We are also happy to inform you that the movement map with the tagged birds is up on the Hawk Mountain webpage for your viewing pleasure.  Check out
 http://www.hawkmountain.org/birdtracker/ 
to follow the birds in 2015 as they leave their breeding grounds and head south in the fall.
You can zoom in to see where the birds are at currently, and compare movements between those from the same area (Delaware State Forest), those from different forest types (Hawk Mountain and Delaware State Forest) and compare this years movements with the migration pathway from last years tagged bird, Abbo.

Abbo's nest, Observations and Trapping

   Our last blog post delivered some unfortunate news about our tagged bird, Abbo. Since then we have not received any new locations leading us to conclude that the bird attacked at the nest site was Abbo. With the hope of finding more clues or the satellite telemetry unit that belonged to Abbo, a team of staff and volunteers went out to the New Ringgold nest site on June 17th to search around the nest tree and surrounding area for any sign of her or her transmitter. We did not find much other than a few more feathers from an adult broadwing. One week later, Rebecca, Laurie and Todd (HMS facilities) traveled back to Abbo's nest to climb the nest tree to see whether or not the satellite transmitter was sitting in the nest or perhaps find evidence of what happened.  Abbo and her mate were incubating eggs at the time of the event, so we might even find their remains.

Rebecca prepping as Todd checks out the nest tree

Rebecca heading up the tree

Halfway there; note how much defoliation had occurred leaving the nest exposed.

A few branches to get around before reaching the nest

Descending after looking in the nest and snapping a few pictures

mission complete

Center of the nest. Apologies for the blurry pictures, you are just a little shaky when you reach the top

Nest from above

After climbing to the nest, some 70+ feet off the ground, and no transmitter in sight, we are saddened to say that Abbo and the transmitter have not been seen since. No eggs were found in the nest or any evidence of what might have happened except a few feathers. Eggs could have been taken that day or another day by a passing crow, so their disappearance was expected.




   Field observations on the other 11 nests will be coming to an end in the next two weeks. Many of the nests in the Delaware State Forest have young that will be fledging soon. Each of the nests have at least a morning and afternoon observation conducted every week. Our field assistants and dedicated volunteers have been collecting great data and having fun seeing the chicks grow! 

Corinne observing at the Saw Creek nest in the Delaware State Forest

   The nestcam in Shartlesville has been recording since the installation from 6 am to 7 pm everyday. We are getting a lot of great footage, all of which are up on 
The Broad-winged Hawk Project Facebook Page and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's YouTube Page.

   In other project news, we began trapping Broadwings on June 22nd, starting in the Delaware State Forest. We had a successful first day, with our first bird trapped being a female, and large enough to have a transmitter attached!

Rebecca and Laurie banding the female

Meet Pocono Penny!

Fitting the backpack

Randy and Pocono Penny

Rebecca and David putting on the transmitter

Once the bird is banded and the unit is attached we always take a few pictures of the wing, tail feathers, head, etc.

Ready for release

 As of July 1st, we have a total of three transmitters on female Broadwings. Two of which are in the Delaware State Forest and the third at Hawk Mountain. We have also trapped three males, who each received color bands and a USGS aluminum band.

Color code: Black-Black. Male from Saw Creek in the Delaware State Forest

We will continue trapping the next two weeks, with the hopes of putting on five more units. Once observations and trapping are finished we will move on to vegetation sampling at all of the nest sites. It has been a hectic couple of months but we are happy to share all of our success with all of you!

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.

Nest Searching in Spring

   It has been a few months since our last blog entry. Since early 2015 we have been preparing for the field season by writing grant proposals, hiring field assistants, ordering the new transmitters, and planning for the fieldwork ahead.
   We are expanding the study this spring to include nest sites up in the Delaware State Forest of Pocono region (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/delaware/) to compare with the Hawk Mountain/Appalachian area nests and southeastern Piedmont area nest sites. To help us determine where pairs of Broadwings were in the large, contiguous forest near the Delaware Water Gap, we mapped locations of birds found in the Breeding Bird Atlas and more recently reported in eBird and then picked out sites where we thought we would see the birds upon their return from spring migration. In mid-April along with the three field assistants, eight volunteers, and Laurie and I we started visiting possible territories and mapping locations where birds were seen. By late April we had several possible nest structures identified.
   It is now May 13th and we have a total of 8 confirmed nest sites; 4 in the Delaware State Forest, 3 in the southeast, 1 at Hawk Mountain. The last week and a half have been a little frustrating as we watch possible nests and search areas where we know the birds are located but are finding birds being very quiet and elusive. We will continue to search over next few weeks in hopes of finding another 4 to 6 nests to include in the study.

Viewing spot, with the nest in the distance

Confirmed nest in the Pocono Region

Female on the nest near Hawk Mountain

A second confirmed nest in the Delaware State Forest

Female incubating in French Creek State Park

                                                                                                                                                      







One reason we suspect things are more challenging this year is that some birds appear to have returned later than usual. Abbo, our one satellite-tagged adult, did not return to her nesting territory until May 6th.  She was moving northward on schedule but in April was stalled in northern Mexico and southern Texas during a unrelenting week of torrential rain and storms.  After that subsided weather continued to be unsettled and she moved slowly from Texas to Alabama and Mississippi. Once she hit the Appalachians in Georgia, her pace accelerated, arriving in Pennsylvania on May 4th.

Abbo's movements during Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 migration

Abbo's movements since she returned to New Ringgold (yellow = more accurate locations)

  Since her arrival we have had sightings of three Broadwings flying together and sightings of lone birds but not definitive sightings of Abbo. We know she is in the forest near her former nest site still and moving around quite a bit.  We are hopeful she will settle down and nest soon.

  Check back next week to learn more about our fantastic field assistants!

Abbo in South America

   As the only bird of four to continue transmitting (we are hoping at least America or Hawkeye's transmitters will pop back on during spring migration), Abbo's journey during the wintering period has been quite interesting to watch. Some of you may remember from the earlier Facebook/ Blog posts that Abbo arrived in South America around October 23rd when she crossed over from Panama into Colombia. Once in Colombia she flew down the center of Colombia, through Peru and then into Brazil during the first week of November. 

   Around November 13th she made her way into the Mapinguari National Park and stayed close to the Madeira River. The Madeira River flows through about a quarter of the Brazilian Amazon and is one of the Amazon's largest (approximately 3,250 kilometers or 2,020 miles long) and most important tributaries (http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/madeira-river). 

   Abbo continued moving east until November 22nd when she decided to follow a river south and then looped back north in the first two weeks of December. The signal of Abbo's transmitter went in and out a few times in December but by the 1st of January she had crossed into the State of Amazonas, right outside of Juruena National Park. The Juruena National Park is Brazil's third largest national park, spanning over 1.9 million-hectares (4.7 million-acres)!!! Not only is this national park providing wintering habitat for our Abbo but it is also providing habitat and protecting other species like the endangered jaguar, giant otter and harpy eagle! How cool!
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   Interestingly, Abbo continued northwest on January 7th  and around the 11th found herself passing through Nascentes do Lago Jari National Park and continued moving west on January 19th.  Just a few days later, Abbo continued north almost retracing her southbound journey and as of February 7th, she moved north towards the border of northeastern Peru.

   The data we have received from the last 4 months of Abbo's journey include her route and the direction of her movements as well as the possible importance national parks and protected habitat play during the wintering period. We are very excited to increase our sample size of tagged adult Broadwings and hope that we can provide more concrete data on the locations and routes used by Broadwings when they enter South America.  

We are still seeking sponsors or donors to our 2015 field work where we hope to tag up to eight more Broadwings.  Information on making donations is on the Broadwing page of Hawk Mountain website, www.hawkmountain.org.  Thank you for your continued interest in our Broadwing adventures!