Connecting People and Places via Migratory Birds
Tracking grassland birds with satellite tags is all about understanding their year-round movements. And it’s also about connecting people and lands along the bird’s migratory path.
Tracking Birds Has Never Been So Easy, Yet So Hard
Even we have to admit that tracking satellite-tagged Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda), from our smartphones, while we sip coffee, is pretty incredible…and downright easy. So what’s the hard part?
The ‘Price is Right’ Bird Delivers
For VCE biologist Jason Hill, unveiling the secrets this bird holds is more exciting than a new car or a vacation in Hawaii. This summer Jason and his crews are logging many miles on foot at six Department of Defense installations across the country to recapture Grasshopper Sparrows with valuable data on their backs.
Globetrotting for Grassland Birds
Rosalind Renfrew reports on her two-month journey to South America, where she worked with VCE’s conservation partners to reverse the disturbing population decline among Bobolinks.
“Fracking” and Wildlife: Suds & Science on January 12
Natural gas extraction from shale formations in Appalachia, already a contentious political issue, also raises concerns about habitat loss and the fragmentation and degradation of forest and grassland wildlife habitats. VCE’s Jason Hill reports.
Where the Bobolink Meets the Booby
The Galapagos islands. Fodder for Darwin’s theory of natural selection, home to sea lions and iguanas so “tame” you can nearly shake hands, and the dream destination for wildlife-watchers who seek its famous specialized finches and the Blue-footed Booby. Add to the list: Bobolink.
Plight of the Grassland Birds
From the fields of New England and Canada to the vast plains of Montana to the deserts of Mexico, grassland birds are losing their habitats at an alarming rate. VCE is co-hosting a special pre-screening of this documentary on Thursday, September 24th at 7 pm in the Moore Psychology Building at Dartmouth College, Room B023.
Choppers and Hoppers: A Report from the Grasslands
By mid-June we were fairly used to tanks shooting over us and helicopters buzzing past our heads. Such is a typical day of research with Grasshopper Sparrows on an active military reservation.
Nightlife With Upland Sandpipers
VCE’s research into the migratory routes, timing, and wintering grounds of grassland birds took us first to the prairies of Kansas, where we fitted Upland Sandpipers with tracking devices called “geolocators.”
Jason Hill Joins VCE as Post-Doctoral Research Biologist
With the new year, VCE welcomes post-doc Jason Hill, who has relocated from State College, PA to launch our 3-year, nationwide project studying the migration ecology of Upland Sandpipers and Grasshopper Sparrows.
Grassland Bird “Ambassadors” Talk Future and Outreach
A cool rainy day was well-spent indoors this weekend at the Grafton County UNH Cooperative Extension office for a discussion on grassland-nesting birds, hosted by myself and other experts on…
Grassland Birds Field Technician Position Available for Surveys in VT and NH
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), in partnership with Massachusetts Audubon, is seeking a temporary field technician to complete grassland bird surveys at pre-determined locations May-July. Responsibilities will include conducting…
