By: Bradley Pierce, Kalli Bell, Darcy Baynes, and Jackson Martini

Background information Due to the fact that the pines were very close together, they suffered a pine bark beetle infestation. Harford Glen managed the situation by clear-cutting the pines in March of 2007.

Event The clear cut of pine trees at Harford Glen. Harford Glen Bird Banding Observatory

Problem The biodiversity of songbirds across the United States is declining. “Forests are critical to the long-term health of bird populations, and public lands are often the largest blocks of unfragmented forest in many regions. Public forests are crucial for the recovery of endangered species, such as the Kirtland’s Warbler which has 97 percent of its U.S. distribution on public lands.”

Issue How has the stewardship of Harford Glen affected it’s environment? “The state of our birds is a measurable indicator of how well we are doing as stewards of our environment, and the signal is clear. Greater bird conservation efforts are needed to realize the vision of a nation sustained economically, biologically and spiritually by abundant natural resources and spectacular wildlife in perpetuity.”

Research Question How has the clear-cut of pines affected the biodiversity of songbirds in Harford Glen?

Study Design= Bird Banding+ Data Analysis Set up mist nets Untangled birds from mist nets Put them in paper bags Took them to banding station pavilion and banded them Recorded the following data: Sex/age/species Wing and tail measurement Fat Skulling Analyzed data 4 years and 4 months before and after the clear- cut (NOTE :This is a baseline study)

Necessary Resources Cameras Mist nets Paper bags Bird banding equipment Banding data sheets Bird i.d. guides Birds Bird banders & net tenders Computers Bird banding data

Analyzing Diversity Data in 2008

Unfortunately, during this detailed process we all developed A.O.D. (Avian Overload Disorder), which is only curable by having a 5 minute DANCE PARTY!!!!

ConclusionsInferences Songbird diversity did not significantly change from The clear-cut occurring in March of 2007, does not appear to have an effect on overall songbird diversity at HG Some species could have left the area, while other species may have preferred the new open habitat. Overall, this would support the fact that species diversity did not change

Recommendations 1) Continue to monitor songbird diversity by banding birds at Harford Glen 2) Analyze WHICH species were caught in the area before and after the clear-cut 3) Continue to be good stewards of the Harford Glen property

TAKE ACTION!! 1. Continue to band birds in future years 2. Continue to monitor and repair bird boxes 3. Inform others about the importance of songbirds and monitoring them through bird banding 4. Analyze data annually and determine whether the clear-cut impacted WHAT species are caught

Acknowledgements  Mrs. Melanie Reichley and Miss Olivia Blondheim for helping us band the birds  Susan B. Heselton for sharing her data and equipment with us  Kenneth Heselton for clearing the net lanes for us  Our parents for allowing us to participate  Mrs. Mary Murray and Mr. Eric Cromwell for running the summer center  Mr. Andy Smith and Mr. Chris Burley for teaching us the process