Project Details:

This summer my research project will be focused on performing call surveys at night for several focal species King , Black, & Yellow Rails as well as Least Bitterns across the state of Wisconsin. I have 18 total field sites with varying numbers of waypoint locations, where I actually perform the surveys between 10 pm-3 am for Yellow Rails and 10pm- 7 am for King/Black Rails. A survey consists of five minutes of passive listening once I reach each waypoint to determine what birds are immediately calling. Then I play 30 seconds of each breeding call then listening 30 more seconds to see if the species responds. If a bird responds, it is considered an observation. Each survey site will be revisited at least after two weeks theoretically to determine if the species are staying in the area to do their breeding. So I will complete a total of 36 field survey visits over a course of seven weeks as my field season is May 21st to July 7th. So far, it has been an interesting ride…

Goals:

I will begin by saying that as long as I’ve been in this Master’s program, I wanted to do a project that involved birds. Never knew what that was going to mean, but here we are. I’m incredibly excited to travel the state to look for birds and reach my goals for this project. My first goal is fairly generic, to find at least one King or Yellow Rail. I never even knew these species existed in the state until I heard about this project so I want to make this survey worthwhile for documenting these species. My second goal is to utilize the communication skills I have learned thus far in this program to help further my research capabilities. I won’t necessarily be involved with the public, but I will need to keep in check with local birders/property managers who are familiar with my survey sites so that I can a) be safe b) conduct ethical research with all parties permission and no trespassing c) allow them to accompany me on my surveys. Effective conservation communication will be key in the success of that. My third and final goal is to have fun. I was initially disappointed that I was not going to travel the country (or out of the country as some of my cohort members) because I never wanted to stay in Madison to do my project. I still will be travelling, a lot, around the state to see many different wildlife areas, but I want to use this platform to show future cohorts that great projects can be right under their noses.

What’s Happening So Far:

I began this journey by researching my study species, learning the survey protocol, and learning where my survey sites would be located. Most of the sites are on public DNR managed lands so I’ve been in contact with many property managers and local birders associated with those properties. I haven’t been to most of the sites yet, mainly because they are scattered across the state. 11 sites in the southern part of the state are my King Rail sites, while 7 sites in the northern part of the state are my Yellow Rail sites. So far, what I’ve been doing is getting to the site during the daytime and scouting out the area in daylight when I can actually see what I’m doing. It’s easier to take data measurements when I can actually see, plus birds are active around dusk so it gives me a rough idea of what I may expect during the night.

Traveling to these sites during the day has been absolutely breathtaking. I’m getting the privilege to see all of these beautiful sites in this state that I wouldn’t normally see (or even knew existed). I’m seeing and hearing birds that I’ve never encountered before, which is amazing because I keep track of all the birds I see for the first time in the state. It’s my life list, and my goal is to add enough species this summer to get to my goal of 200. My faculty adviser assured me I’d reach that this summer and I’m going to hold him to that, because that was one of the reasons I chose this project.

It hasn’t been all perfect though, the sites that I’ve visited so far I have gone solo. I’ve known this for as long as I’ve been able to go hiking in the woods that being out alone in nature at night is a whole different ball game. A lot of my sites will be along roadsides, but then there’s others that actually involve hiking and kayaking to the waypoints. Even roadside surveys can be scary. When you’re so focused on listening to what is calling in the night, it can be easy to forget your surroundings. I’ve unexpectedly had deer (loudly) snort and run past me and raccoons come running past me next to my car. I don’t like seeing the things that go bump in the night but hey, it’s nature. I’m sure they don’t like seeing a random girl with a speaker playing bird calls in the middle of the night either.

Where to Next:

So far I’ve checked out Lake Koshkonong, Lake Belle View, and Kettle Moraine with no success at finding my study species. There is still hope for when I visit for a second time! The rest of the 15 sites includes: the Ahnapee State Trail in Kewaunee, Thunder Lake SWA, Lost Land Lake, Bear Lake Sedge Meadow, Amsterdam Sloughs, Reed Lake Barrens, Powell Marsh, Eldorado SWA, Wolf River Bottoms SWA, Mack SWA, Rat River, White River Marsh, Mud Lake- Waterloo, Mud Lake- Columbia, & the North Tomah Marsh. Migration is in full swing and they have been documented as being in the state already, but I want to be part of that documentation! Until I find them, I’m just going to document all of my notes at my study sites and enter checklists on eBird of all the species I observe while scouting my sites. The least I can do while performing these surveys is to document all bird species I find to help other citizen science-based researchers. I hope that the next time I write to you all, that I’ll have better news on finding my study species. Cheers to that, and happy birding!