Draft1- Feeding and Habitat: A Bird's Tale

This topic submitted by Sara Phillips, Tim Bankroft, Elliot Rossbach ( Bankrotj@muohio.edu ) on 10/10/03 .

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Introduction

Ornithology is the scientific study of birds. Ornithologists study every aspect of bird life. Some look at how birds live in their environment, while others focus on how birds find food. Still others study how birds are changing in today's environment and how they might be affected by ecological change in the future. We are particularly interested in whether bird feeders located in varying campus environments will attract a similar diversity of bird species native to Southwest Ohio and its surrounding areas.

We believe that the bird feeders located in more wooded environments will attract a more diverse population of bird species because the woods have a larger carrying capacity and offer more nesting cites. The birds that need less energy will frequent the feeders less often. Coincidently, the birds that fly longer distances to the feeders will require greater sustenance. The birds that nest during the winter months will learn to use the feeders throughout the year and will therefore be consuming the most birdseed. During the winter months, the species diversity will decrease due to the migratory tendencies of the native species. We also believe that greater amounts of seed will be eaten each week as the colder weather approaches.

Our group hopes to familiarize ourselves with the bird populations present in Oxford, Ohio and their feeding habits. We hope to prove our hypothesis stating that a heavily wooded environment will house a more diverse species of birds and that human interaction actually does have an impact on their presence. If our hypothesis is proven, and humans do interfere with bird survival, we can then determine what we as humans can do to prevent the eventual downfall of the species.

Background Information

In review of our predecessors' research and findings, we have found documents very practical to our own research. Miami University undergraduate scientists Lene Martin, Katie Casanta, Malika Kirling, and John Heineman, in their research titled ÒOxford Birds and Feeding Habits,Ó outline a research procedure and goal, very similar to what we hope to accomplish: observe avian (bird) species and their feeding habits as well as feeding habitats.

The authors of ÒDiet and Feeding Ecology of the Diving Petrels Pelecanoides Georgicus and . urinatrix at South GeorgiaÓ describe their methods of obtaining data pertaining to the feeding habits of the birds mentioned above. The power of observation, as utilized by researchers Reid, Croxall, Edwards, Hill, and Prince, will largely impact the results of our own experiment.

One pressing issue scientists must consider when introducing new influences into a species' environment is what time allotment is necessary for the factors to take a visible effect on subjects' behavior. W. Herbert Wilson, Jr., conducted research concerning the feeding habits of wintering black-capped chickadees in central Maine. He was able to draw from his observations that the chickadees discovered his feeders established in late October within two weeks. This fact is of great importance in regards to the timing of our own experiment and Wilson's. When native species decide to visit our feeders may have an impact on the collection and amount of data. Wilson also points out that feeder visitation progressively increased as the weather grew progressively cooler; thus, competition for feeder competition may increase during the later stages of our research, yielding sufficient data concerning species diversity.

Thomas Grubb and Paul Doherty investigated the distribution and diversity of wintering woodland species in woodland fragments isolated in an agricultural landscape in north-central Ohio. They discovered that native species may not necessarily be accustomed to variation in habitat, landscape, or season. This discovery will be useful as we notice the clear transformation of summer into fall, and finally, the approach of the winter months. Grubb and Doherty found that woodland area explained the most variation in presence, density, and species richness. These findings support one of our hypotheses, that we will find greater diversity of bird populations in more heavily wooded areas, namely the Western Woods.

Audrey L. Mayer and Guy N. Cameron observed throughout their research project published in Diversity and Distributions that the total forest edge was positively correlated with higher bird species richness. In addition, the proportion of urban cover was negatively associated with diversity as the extent of the landscape increased, the only exceptions being common birds of urban areas, pigeons or a common sparrow, for example. Also, Mayer and Cameron correlate high proportions of urban land cover to a low neotropical migrant diversity. Each of these points relates to our research: we will confront a high species richness in the area known as the transition zone; our findings in the areas affected by human activity will be more scarce as far as species richness is concerned; and we expect to find very few migrant species, if any at all, in any areas other than the wooded one.

We plan to randomly observe each of the feeders, on as many instances as possible, at random times of day as we observe feeder activity. As the weather grows colder, say Thomas Grubb and Vladimir Pravosudov, we can expect more activity at the feeders earlier in the day. This will occur because the birds will be attempting to increase their fat reserves and prepare for even colder weather.

Greg Krzys, Thomas A. Waite, Martin Stapanian, and John A. Vucetich, of Ohio State University, observed avian species activity at 14 various wetland habitats. As volunteers began to make more evening counts of wetland species, estimates of overall species richness decreased with increasing numbers of evening counts. This aids in our research as well as supports the findings of Grubb and Pravosudov. Fortunately this pattern does not hold when analyses are restricted to wetland-dependent species. A conscious effort must be made to observe feeder activity as often as possible in addition to other times of day.

Peffer Creek as well as its small estuaries intersect the Western Woods in numerous locations. Jeremiah Groom and Thomas Grubb point out that wooded areas along relatively short sections of river may be an effective predictor of avian species richness or abundance. Consequentially, they found that presence of certain bird species was significantly positively correlated with the amount of woodland around a site.
Scientists Riffell, Keas, and Burton studied the habitat of wet meadow birds and bird-habitat relationships. They found that a more structurally diverse habitat can support higher numbers of species. This journal article from Wetlands supports our hypothesis that greater species diversity will be found in wooded areas where a larger quantity and
variety of foliage structures exist.

Amanda Rodewald and Richard Yahner argue that our particular habitats Ð the Western Woods, the forest edge and areas close in proximity, and sites heavily trafficked by humans Ð are undisturbed by agriculture and will therefore observe larger numbers of species if the tracts of forest are uninterrupted. However, birds may find less success at feeders placed amidst human traffic, for they may be scared off.

A study has been done to determine whether or not Lyme disease is caused by residential birdfeeders. This study has proven that birdfeeders are not associated with the prevalence of lyme disease, thus reassuring us that we wont be subjecting the birds to any unneeded diseases. We would not wish to put our subjects in any danger through the course of out study and this previous experiment reassures us that we will not provide a greater risk to the birds' lives by our tampering of the feeders.

Another study shows that blackbirds that traveled shorter distances (per trip and in total) and less often to the feeder had the highest mass midwinter relevant to their spring mass. The relationship between distance traveled and mass was probably independent of food supply because distances actually increased at the end of the winter and the amount of food eaten per individual changed little. This study will help us with our experiment when we determine which feeder will draw the most birds- one that is closer to their dwelling or one that is further away.

Even common species are sensitive to variation in habitat, landscape, and season. A wooded area housed the most variation in presence, density, and species richness. The shrub cover is also an important predicting factor for presence of the smallest residential birds. The shrub cover could also function as a refuge from predators, and as protection from harsh weather conditions. Landscape factors related to isolation and connectedness were also correlated with the presence and density of species. The composition of the community of species changed through the winter along with the density of individual species, suggesting that the winter season may play an important role in determining the bird population distribution throughout the wooded area. This study is directly related to our research. As the weather starts getting colder, we were worried about how the species diversity was going to be affected.

Further information

This site provides more information about birds of the U.S. and Canada

Here is an article about The Great Backyard Bird Count and others' observations

The DNR has this great site about which bird species we can expect to visit our feeders

The Tri-State Environmental Resource Center

A list of Birds

Specific Research Design

For our research we will be doing many things. First, we will need to take gallonwater jugs, and cut them so as to make bird feeders. Our group will then fillthose feeders with the four different types of purchased seeds. The types of seedswill be as follows: blah, pine, millet, and a general mixed variety. We will beputting twelve feeders all across the campus of Miami University. There will befour feeders per specific area. Each of those four feeders will be about twentymeters from each other. Those areas will be a woodland area, a transition area(between woods and urban), and an urban area. More specifically, the four feedersin the Woodland area will be in the woods behind Peabody hall, about a quarter milefrom the building. The feeders that will be in the ñtransition areaî will belocated right next to the Boyd building in the trees on the Eastern side. Thefeeders which will be located in the urban area will be located within the area ofthe Shriver Center on main campus. We will put the feeders in their specific areasand mark each with a felt tip marker as to how much feed is in the feeders. Wewill use different colored markers to correlate with the week which we are watchingthe feeders. At the end of every week, we will refill the feeders to the sameplace that they were at during the beginning of that week.

The next step in this experiment after setting the feeders, will be to watch themfor the following eight weeks. During these eight weeks our group will be visitingeach group of feeders on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We will spend aminimum of twenty minutes with each group of feeders, first marking the amount offeed in the feeder with the appropriate marker, and then watching the feeders for the aviary species which will be feeding off of them. We will carry a guide of birds which habitatualize the area of Ohio which we live in, so we are able to identify the types of birds we see. We willrecord all of this data onto the data sheet. (SEE HOT LINK FOR DATA SHEET BELOW) Finally, we will be taking all of the data which we have gathered in order to checkour hypothesis. We will fill out the data sheets on the computer so that we canpost all of the steps as well as the results of the experiment.

Materials and Methods

Our research project will consist of twelve empty gallon water jugs which will befilled with four different types of bird feed. The four types will be sunflower seed,millet, a general mixed variety, and thistle. We will need to hang these feeders fromtrees with thin rope, which will most probably be twine. We will then fill thefeeders with a measured out amount of bird feed. After we have put the birdseedin, we will need to give the feeders an initial mark which will represent thestarting point for the amount of seed we put in the feeders. We will do this withfelt tip markers. As the weeks progress, we are going to change the color of themarkers so that we can measure the amount of feed that has been eaten during thecourse of any particular week. We will be watching the bird feeders while writingdown certain facts about the birds that we see feeding in our data sheet.

Bibliography

Cresswell.1999.Travel Distance and Mass gain in wintering blackbirds.Animal Behavior.vol.58(5):1109-1116

Doherty, Grubb.2000.Habitat and Landscape Correlates of Presence, Density, and Species Richness of Birds Wintering in Forest Fragments in Ohio.Wilson Bulletin.vol.112(3):338-394

Groom, Grubb.2002.Bird Species Associated with Riparian Woodland in Fragmented, Temperate-Deciduous Forest.Conservation Biology.vol.16(3):832-836

Krzys, Waite, Stapanian, Vucetich.2002.Assessing Avian Richness in Remnant Wetlands: Towards an Improved Methodology.The Society of Wetland Scientists.vol.22(1):186-190

Mayer, Cameron.2003.Landscape characteristics, area, and bird diversity.Diversity and Distribution.vol.9(4):297-311

Pravosudov, Grubb.1998.Management of fat reserves in tufted titmice: evidence against a trade-off with food hoards.Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.Vol.42(1):57-62

Reid, Croxall, Edwards, Hill, Prince.1996.Diet and Feeding Ecology of the Diving Petrels Pelecanoic Georgicus and P. urinatrix at South Georgia.Polar Biology.vol.17(1):17-24

Riffell, Kens, Burto.2001.Area, Habitat Characteristics and Wet meadow birds.The Society of Wetland Scientists.vol.21(4):492-507

Rodewald, Yahner.2001.Avian nesting success in forested landscapes: influence of landscape composition, stand and nest-patch microhabitat, and biotic interactions.The Auk.vol.118(4):1018-1028

Townsend, Ostfeld, Geher.2003.THe Effects of bird feeders in lyme disease prevalence and density of Ixodes scapularis in a residential area of dutchness county, New York.Journal of Medical Entomology.vol.40(4):540-546

Wilson, Herbert.2001.The effect of supplimantal feeding on wintering black-capped chichadees in central maine; population and individual responses.The Wilson Bulletin.vol.113(1)65-72

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