what does ice cream have to do with bicknell's thrush conservation?
TRANSCRIPT
What does maple chocolate ice cream have to do with Bicknell’s Thrush conservation?
Marketing Survey
Ice cream flavor Vanilla Maple Chocolate
Extras Maple swirl Maple sugar candy Chocolate swirl Chocolate chips Chocolate-covered maple sugar candy
If you were the flavor guy at Ben & Jerry’s, what kind of ice cream would you make?
Include at least one form of maple and one form of chocolate.
Bicknell’s Thrush u Sound u No eye ring u Range u Habitat
© Larry Master
Mt Washington
“Only a freak ornithologist would think of leaving the trails for more than a few feet.” - Dr. George J. Wallace, 1936
“Only a freak ornithologist would think of leaving the trails for more than a few feet.” - Dr. George J. Wallace, 1936
© Bryan Pfeiffer
Brown vs olive coloring
Brighter lower mandible
Purple vs flesh legs
Song
Gray-cheeked Thrush Bicknell’s Thrush
© Jeff Nadler
Brown vs olive coloring
Brighter lower mandible
Purple vs flesh legs
Song
Gray-cheeked Thrush
© Bill Leaman
Veery
Bicknell’s Thrush
© Jeff Nadler
Studying the Elusive Bicknell’s Thrush
Two Territories Female
^
Complex Breeding
Nesting Female
Male Home Range
Polygynandry: Males mate with multiple females and females mate with multiple males
r r
r r
r
Goetz et al. 2004
Cone Cycle
Bicknell’s Thrush Red Squirrel
Cone Mast Cycle
High mast
Low mast
More squirrels
Low nestling survival Less Squirrels
High nestling survival
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Red Squirrel Abundance
% Fir Trees with Cone Mast
Red Squirrel Abundance %
Fir
tree
s w
ith
cone
mas
t
1992
2000
2008
Management Issues
Total Estimated Mercury Deposition
Bicknell’s Thrush Habitat
VT NH
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
Leaf Litter (6)
Balsam Fir (18)
Cherry (6)
Mountain Ash (18)
White Birch (17)
Hg (ppm dry wt.)
Mercury level of trees and leaf litter
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
Araneae
Opiliones
Coleoptera
Hymenoptera
Diptera
Lepidoptera
Homoptera
Orthoptera
Hemiptera
Orde
r
Hg (ppm dry wt)
Mercury level of invertebrates
R2 = 0.3113
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Feat
her H
g (p
pm)
Feather Mercury of Known Age Individuals
High-elevation Habitat & Climate Change
New Hampshire
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 7+
Northeast
0
25,000
50,000
75,000
100,000
125,000
150,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 7+
BIT
H H
abita
t (H
a)
Vermont
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+
Maine
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
current 2+ 4+ 6+
Adirondacks, NY
0
7,000
14,000
21,000
28,000
35,000
current 2+ 4+
Mean July Temp. Change Relative to 1950-1980
Catskills, NY
0
200
400
600
800
current 1+ 2+
Bick
nell’
s Th
rush
Hab
itat
(ha
)
Mean July Temperature Change (°C)
High-elevation Habitat & Climate Change
New Hampshire
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 7+
Northeast
0
25,000
50,000
75,000
100,000
125,000
150,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 7+
BIT
H H
abita
t (H
a)
Vermont
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
current 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+
Maine
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
current 2+ 4+ 6+
Adirondacks, NY
0
7,000
14,000
21,000
28,000
35,000
current 2+ 4+
Mean July Temp. Change Relative to 1950-1980
Catskills, NY
0
200
400
600
800
current 1+ 2+
Bick
nell’
s Th
rush
Hab
itat
(ha
)
Mean July Temperature Change (°C)
Skewed Sex Ratio >2:1 male:female
sex ratio of chicks at nest: 1:1
Fledge Post-fledging
dispersal 1:1 1:1
1:1?
Fall Migration
Winter Habitat
and Territory Selection
1:1?
High >3:1
Mid ~1:1
Spring Migration
Breeding Grounds
>2:1 ***?
**Juveniles do not differ
1:1
**VT spring juveniles
2:1
Where is Bicknell’s Thrush experiencing problems during its annual cycle?
Breeding grounds? Wintering grounds?
Migration?
Do Males and Females Use Different Habitats on Hispaniola?
Sierra de Bahoruco
Loma la Canela
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Different Diets Significantly different δC13 in blood
(F 41.8, p = 0.0003)
d C1
3
-29
-28
-27
-26
-25
-24
-23
CANELA PUVI
Site
Fruit Arthropods
(MID) (HIGH)
Body Condition by Site and Sex
Bahoruco: High-elevation Canela: Mid-elevation
u Male-dominated, evidence for behavioral dominance
u Little territorial overlap u Arthropod-heavy diet u Females in poor
condition
u Equal sex ratio, no evidence for behavioral dominance
u Little territorial overlap u Fruit-heavy diet u Females in good
condition
Different Sites, Different Dynamics
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
Oriente,Cuba(4)
La Visite,Haiti (6)
Pleine Boeuf,Haiti (8)
Palo de Agua,DR (10)
Pueblo Viejo,DR (38)
El Cachote,DR (5)
Valle Nuevo,DR (2)
La Canela,DR (12)
Mea
n B
lood
Hg
(ppm
)Mercury (ppm)
Bonao Nickel-smelting Plant
Habitat loss and degradation is the largest and most immediate
THREAT
to the survival of Bicknell’s
Thrush
© Eladio Fernandez
Bicknell’s Thrush
u Habitat specialist u Restricted range u ~40,000 birds u Threats
Population Trend Information
Mountain Birdwatch: 9.7% increase
White Mountain National Forest: 7% decline
High Elevation Landbird Program: 19% decline
BBS Canada: 9% decline
Bicknell’s Thrush
u Habitat specialist u Restricted range u ~40,000 birds u Threats
Population Trend Information
Mountain Birdwatch: 9.7% increase
White Mountain National Forest: 7% decline
High Elevation Landbird Program: 19% decline
BBS Canada: 9% decline
IUCN Red List = Vulnerable
Partners In Flight = North American Watch List
ABC/Audubon WatchList = Red List
Canada = Candidate for Federal Listing
USFWS = Special Concern
ME, NH, NY, VT = Special Concern
www.bicknellsthrush.org
International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group
Primary IBTCG Goals
Increase global population by 50% in 50 years
1. Determine BITH population status annually
2. Document BITH population trends over time
3. Relate BITH population trends and demographics to limiting factors
4. Estimate the global population of BITH
Wintering Grounds Conservation Actions
1. Protect, restore, and manage current and potential winter habitat
2. Investigate overwinter survival and demography (connectivity, seasonal carry-over effects)
3. Expand resources and reach of BITH Habitat Protection Fund
4. Clarify BITH distribution and habitat use on other Greater Antillean islands
5. Involve and build capacity of in-country partners
Mountain Birdwatch 1) Monitor populations 2) Determine factors affecting populations 3) Guide conservation efforts
Carrigain Mtn
Montane Birds
Winter Wren
Bicknell’s Thrush Blackpoll Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Swainson’s Thrush
1
2
3
4
5
Features of Mountain Birdwatch
u Cones u Wind farm u Climate change u Mercury u Calcium
u International u Distribution &
abundance u Population Size u Connectivity u Habitat
Can we get there from here? • Publish Conservation Action Plan
• Hire a coordinator to develop an Implementation Plan
• Continually measure and evaluate outcomes
• Expand hemispheric partnerships
• Pursue funding
• Grants and contracts
• Cultivate major donors
• Creative marketing
What does maple chocolate ice cream have to do with Bicknell’s Thrush conservation?
Jesus Moreno, Helados Bon
Peter Lind, Primal Ice Cream Therapist
Marketing Survey
Top 3 flavors?
Vanilla with choc-coated maple sugar candy
Chocolate with choc-coated maple sugar candy
Maple with chocolate chips
If you were the flavor guy at Ben & Jerry’s, what kind of ice cream would you make?
IBTCG Partners u American Bird Conservancy u Atlantic Coast Joint Venture u Audubon New York u Bird Studies Canada u Canadian Wildlife Service u Cornell University u Fornebu Lumber u Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries &
Wildlife u National Aviary u National Park Service u New Brunswick Dept Natural
Resources u New Hampshire Audubon
u New Hampshire Fish & Game Dept.
u NewPage Port Hawkesbury Corp u Parks Canada u Plum Creek u Regroupement QuébecOiseaux u SUNY—Environmental Science
and Forestry u University of Massachusetts u University of New Brunswick u U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service u U.S. Forest Service Intl. Program u Vermont Center for Ecostudies u Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.
Stratton Mtn