February
Engaging Students with
Citizen Science:
It’s for the Birds!
Iowa Bald Eagle Monitoring
In 2010, the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program is initiating a new bald eagle territory monitoring survey. For many years we have tracked eagle nests on an opportunistic basis, encouraging citizens and natural resource professionals to report anything they could about eagle nests in their area. This approach has worked well but a few things have happened in recent years: 1) The number of nesting pairs in the state has grown exponentially making it more difficult to track all of them, 2) the eagle was taken off of the Federal Endangered Species List, and 3) while eagles are doing very well they still face some old threats (habitat loss) as well as some threats recently brought to light (lead poisoning). For these reasons we would like to put into place a more standardized and comprehensive eagle nest monitoring plan that would help us keep a better eye on trends of bald eagle productivity and population.
Volunteer Eagle Nest monitors are assigned an eagle nest to observe and
report on yearly. It requires about a ten hour time commitment annually and
volunteers must participate in some form of training either through attending a workshop or if you are unable to attend a
workshop, the online training video and materials.
For more information visit:
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys/ReportingEagleNests.aspx
Iowa Colonial Waterbird Rookery Monitoring
One of the most unique groups of birds to occur in Iowa are the
Colonial Waterbirds. Colonial Waterbirds are birds that depend on water for
their food source and who nest in colonies called rookeries. These rookeries
can have as many 100 or more nests and as few as two. The rookeries most often
occur adjacent to or very close to water and depending on the species be in a
tree or on the ground.
Only conservative estimates of the number of rookeries in the state are
available, because Iowa DNR staff does not have the resources to monitor many
of the Iowa nests, nor to adequately search for new colonies. Great Blue heron
rookeries are by far the most common and can be found statewide. Monitoring
these rookery sites is important as it provides data on the reproduction and
population of these important species which among other things serve as
indicators of our water quality. Monitoring of nests is left mostly up to
volunteers and concerned citizens. Therefore, the discovery of new nests, which
is often by chance, is primarily by volunteers, other citizens, and agency
staff.
For more information and to learn how you can volunteer visit:
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys/ReportingRookeries.aspx
BirdSleuth
Are you
still looking for a citizen science project to participate in with your class?
Check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdSleuth K-12! BirdSleuth is an
inquiry-based science curriculum that engages kids in scientific study and real
data collection through an exciting citizen science project. BirdSleuth encourages kids to answer their own
questions about nature, spend time outdoors connecting with nature, and
motivates kids with the real-world importance of the data they enter online
which scientists use to study and help conserve birds. BirdSleuth offers
educators kits, free resources, and training.
Find out more today
at: http://www.birdsleuth.org/
International Migratory Bird Day
International
Migratory Bird Day is May 12, 2013! IMBD takes place the second Saturday in May
every year. On this day we celebrate migratory birds. What a fun way to
celebrate after a citizen science project that has focused on birds!
For more information
visit:
http://www.birdday.org/
