Last spring, Wyoming Wildlife – The Foundation awarded the Conservation Research Center $2,500 to support our avian research and education programs. Foundation funding was essential to many of our successes this year. A few highlights include:Hand-on banding demonstrations – From June-August 2011, we offered 63 hands-on bird banding demonstrations. Over 550 students (aged 6 to seniors) participated in the demonstrations, where they were able to see riparian birds up close, take part in the banding process, and learn about bird ecology and wildlife field research.Popular guide – We authored a popular guide to our avian research, which summarizes the goals of the project, highlights some of our results and emphasizes the importance of bird conservation in changing landscapes. The document will help the public to better understand the importance of monitoring bird communities and the value of intact breeding habitats.Data collection – From June-August 2011, research staff captured 1,989 birds belonging to 32 different species. Many of our study species are on conservation concern lists. We recaptured 492 individuals (25% recapture rate). Recaptures provide important information about species’ migration patterns, phenology and demography. Over the past 20 years, we have banded more than 11,000 birds of 83 different species. Results of our work provide insight into avian population trends, songbird health and ecosystem function.
Thank you to Wyoming Wildlife – The Foundation for their generous support of our program.
