Project List

MONITORING:

PROJECT NAME: HMN’s Coordinated Monitoring Program

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: USFS, BLM, NPS, DoD, RPBO, CLO, AMNH-SWRS, AZSP, AZGFD, Audubon Arizona, UA-Steward Observatory, UNAM, Idaho Bird Observatory, private landowners, citizen scientists, volunteers

SUMMARY: The goals of HMN’s monitoring program are to:

  1. To determine the best long-term monitoring sites for hummingbirds in North America;
  2. to effectively sample their populations so trends can be detected; and
  3. to use the resulting information to assist in their preservation and protection.

The coordinated monitoring program is a systematic banding study that generates knowledge about hummingbird diversity, abundance, productivity, and survivorship at a number of sites. We choose these sites based upon geographic factors, such as elevation, longitude, and latitude, and vegetation types. Once every other week, we band hummingbirds from late March through October. We use other counting techniques to assess relative abundance of hummingbirds at the sites. Results from each site are evaluated to determine which ones are contenders for long-term monitoring or if a new site should be added and evaluated. Thus, HMN provides information about which areas support a high diversity and abundance of hummingbirds, which areas are important breeding sites, the timing of hummingbird occurrence, and their seasonal movement patterns. Our work helps define the areas needed to maintain hummingbird diversity.

PROJECT NAME: Developing a comprehensive coordinated monitoring program for hummingbirds

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN and Dra Coro Arizmendi, UNAM

KEY PARTNERS: USFWS, IBP, Universidad de Guadalajara, RPBO, USFS, Biophilia, Cuenca Los Ojos, CONABIO,

FUNDER: This project is funded by USFWS Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Program. Project number 5087.

SUMMARY: Recently, hummingbird habitat restoration efforts have been proposed on both public and private lands. In both cases, the lack of standardized monitoring protocols for evaluating the effectiveness of these actions are problematic and could adversely impact restoration efforts. Additionally,  the development of a coordinated monitoring program for hummingbirds that builds upon existing efforts was identified as a high priority action item for the USFS Western Hummingbird Partnership. To begin addressing this action item, they funded a review of existing monitoring programs to determine the extent of hummingbird species and geographies covered. The lack of trend/status monitoring data identified Partners In Flight for most hummingbird species was the impetus to begin the Hummingbird Monitoring Network (HMN), which has been successful at creating a coordinated trend monitoring program in the western USA and British Columbia. We propose to build upon these current efforts and develop protocols needed for a comprehensive monitoring program for hummingbirds. Effective monitoring is the backbone for any conservation program. Funding of this proposal provides the foundation that allows the conservation community to address key conservation issues facing hummingbirds. 

PROJECT NAME: Evaluate available monitoring data from existing programs.

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Tom Gardali, PRBO, Rodney Siegel, IBP, Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: USFS-IP, Universidad de Guadalajara, Idaho Bird Observatory     

SUMMARY: The following existing monitoring programs will be assessed to determine the adequacy of current monitoring programs to sample hummingbirds:

Once completed, this assessment will provide information on which species are well-sampled, where, and for what metrics.  Equally important, the table will highlight gaps in coverage of species, geographies, etc.  Finally, the table could also help us make recommendations for expanding and improving existing programs to better sample hummingbirds.

PROJECT NAME: Developing a Mexican hummingbird banding program

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: UNAM, Universidad de Guadalajara, ECOSUR, USGS-BBL

SUMMARY: Banding is an effective methodology for studying population dynamics of birds. Yet, bands for hummingbirds have not been available for use on resident Mexican hummingbird species. One of the first actions of the RMC was to make bands with advice from the USGS BBL and make these bands available to Mexican biologists who have the appropriate permits to conduct population studies on Mexican birds, who have the skills needed for banding hummingbirds, and who are willing to work with other members in the RMC so banding records can be shared. The RMC also provides training in hummingbird banding techniques and skills for interested professionals.

PROJECT NAME: Develop a hummingbird feeder watch

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Rachel McCaffrey, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: Audubon, UNAM, PRBO-WHIN, USFS

SUMMARY: This program will be a citizen-science based initiative to advance North American hummingbird conservation by engaging the general public in the U.S. and Canada, and trained students in Mexico, into contributing information on hummingbird abundance, richness, and movement on a continental scale. This project will develop collaborative partnerships and use the World Wide Web to bring hummingbird conservation and education opportunities into the homes of millions of people who enjoy feeding hummingbirds in their backyards.

RESEARCH:

PROJECT NAME: Combining remote-sensing and biological data to predict the consequences of climate change on hummingbird diversity

PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS: Dr. Catherine Graham, Stony Brook University, Dr. Scott Goetz and Dr Pieter Beck, Woods Hole Research Center, Dr. Timothy Essington, University of Washington,  Dr. Don Powers, George Fox University, and Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN.

KEY PARTNERS: NASA, USA National Phenology Network, UNAM, Institute of Bird Populations, Universidad de Guadalajara

FUNDER: This project is funded by NASA under their Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2010), Program Element A.30 Climate and Biological Response: Research and Applications.  Project number:   10-BIOCLIM10-0094

SUMMARY: We will use classical statistical niche models, physiologically informed ecological niche models, Bayesian population models and plant-animal network models to evaluate the relationship between environmental data and biological data and to predict how environmental change will influence population persistence of hummingbirds. There are three main research objectives. We propose to combine time series data for hummingbirds with climate and remote sensing data to evaluate what changes have occurred in hummingbird populations. We will then look at variation in resources and physiological responses to environmental and climate conditions to determine why changes may have occurred and then predict how species, phylogenetic and functional diversity might be influenced by climate change.  

PROJECT NAME: Develop a matrix of interactions between hummingbird species and their nectar plants

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Dra. Maria del Coro Arizmendi and Claudia Rodriguez, UNAM

KEY PARTNERS: HMN, USFS-IP

SUMMARY: The purpose of this work is to compile all existing information on plants visited by hummingbirds, elaborating a database consisting on plant species on the rows and hummingbird species in the columns, and presence-absence of interaction. This database will be compiled using literature sources (peer reviewed, as well as thesis, reports and other www based information) to search for studied interactions. In a second phase, for each interaction where possible (reported in the original citation) the geographic position (latitude and longitude when possible), altitude, timing of the reported interaction (flowering and hummingbird presence), vegetation type, and full citation will be recorded. For plants recorded as important for hummingbirds’ phenological data can be determined using specimens in plant collections. As plant collections contain registers for multiple years, this info can be used to search for temporal changes in phenologies.  These records can be mapped using a GIS tool and predictive models can be fitted to predict possible phenological changes that can affect hummingbirds.

PROJECT NAME: Interspecies interactions improve Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) nest success

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Harold Greeney, Yanayacu Biological Station

KEY PARTNERS: HMN, AMNH-SWRS, Coronado National Forest, CLO, UNAM

SUMMARY: This project began in 2007 with the goal of studying the breeding biology and natural history of migratory hummingbirds in southeastern Arizona. During the first year we discovered that Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri) were choosing to cluster their nests around Accipiter hawk nesting sites and, by doing so, realizing increased nesting success. In subsequent years we began to study the intricacies of this interaction, discovering that Accipiter nest placement creates a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade by altering the foraging behavior of predatory Mexican Jays and creating a three-dimensional enemy-free nesting habitat for hummingbirds. The project runs annually from April to August at the Southwest Research Station.

WE ALSO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH by COLLABORATING SCIENTISTS

PROJECT NAME: Conservation Genetics of Hummingbirds: DNA Sequence Assessment toward Development of Nuclear DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Holly Ernest, UC Davis Veterinary School

KEY PARTNERS: USFS-IP, HMN   

SUMMARY: Hummingbirds are one of the most species-rich avian families (Trochilidae, over 335 species) in the world, yet have among the least information necessary for conservation planning. Very little is known of many of the most basic population parameters, such as population sizes and structure, demography, rates of species hybridization, genetic diversity, and threats to persistence. Determination of level of extinction threat and conservation planning requires such basic knowledge of population biology.

Molecular genetics methods have emerged as powerful tools to assess indicators of population structure, genetic diversity, and viability of wildlife species. However due to multiple historical reasons, including lack of sampling opportunity in birds that typically weigh less than 5 grams, population genetic molecular markers have not yet been available to address key questions.

This proposal outlines an approach to initiate development of a suite of molecular genetics tools to differentiate species, identify hybrids, determine population structure, and assess genetic diversity. Seed funding for preliminary laboratory research will allow pilot study of DNA sequence differences among and within species and start the development of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genetic markers and reference DNA data bases for hummingbird species and populations.

PROJECT NAME: The Use of Stable Isotopes to Establish Migratory Connectivity in Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus)

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Jonathan Moran, Royal Roads University

KEY PARTNERS: Rocky Point Bird Observatory, HMN, USFS-IP,    

SUMMARY: The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a familiar sight in many parts of British Columbia and Alberta, where it arrives during its annual northward migration each spring; a number of the birds spend the winter in Mexico, others overwinter along the Gulf Coast of the USA. Unfortunately, its numbers are declining in several parts of its range in North America. The pattern of decline is uneven, with some populations apparently stable from year to year, while others show a reduction in the number birds returning each year. The aim of the study is to determine whether or not the birds that breed in British Columbia and Alberta represent a single migratory population, or whether the disparity in S. rufus numbers returning each spring to different sites can be attributed to geographical differences in wintering range between sub-populations. Using analysis of deuterium (a stable isotope of hydrogen) in the feathers of migrating birds, it is possible to track the annual migration of S. rufus with a degree of precision previously unavailable. Deuterium levels in the environment can be predicted, with a gradient of increasing concentration running from NW to SE in North America. Thus, isotopic analysis of feathers allows us to determine the latitude at which an individual bird was feeding at the time it was molting.

EDUCATION / OUTREACH

PROJECT NAME: Public outreach at monitoring stations

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: USFS, BLM, NPS, DoD, RPBO, CLO, AMNH-SWRS, AZSP, ECOSUR, UNAM, AMNH, Idaho Bird Observatory, UC Davis, AZGFD, Audubon Arizona, UA-Steward Observatory, private landowners, citizen scientists, volunteers.

SUMMARY: We invite visitors to come to our public monitoring sites to observe and learn about the banding operation and understand more of what we are doing and how we hope to protect hummingbird populations. Visitors take photographs, ask questions, and are allowed to release a bird from their open hand. This is an ongoing activity at our monitoring sites open to the public.

PROJECT NAME: Provide training workshops for building HMN’s monitoring program

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: BLM, USFS, NPS, DoD, ECOSUR, UNAM, AMNH, Idaho Bird Observatory, UC Davis, citizen scientists and community support.

SUMMARY: Training workshops in hummingbird banding and monitoring skills are provided to biologists, scientists, and citizen scientists so HMN’s monitoring program can expand to areas with hummingbird populations that can add to our abilities to detect population trends for all hummingbird species in North America.

PROJECT NAME: Student internships for Mexican students for field research

PRIMARY CONTACT: Dr. Susan Wethington, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: CLO, AMNH-SWRS, Yanayacu Biological Station (Ecuador), USFS-IP

SUMMARY: This field program will train students in a variety of hummingbird field study techniques. The program is typically 3 months, occurs during the summer months, and is available to two Mexican students per year. Currently, the interns will be trained in hummingbird nest study techniques by participating in HMN’s ongoing nest study in the Chiricahua Mountains and in hummingbird monitoring techniques, another ongoing program of HMN.

PROJECT NAME: Develop educational materials and tools that improve monitoring efforts

PRIMARY CONTACTS: Susan Wethington, George West, and Rita Colwell, HMN

KEY PARTNERS: HMN

SUMMARY: A variety of materials are being developed to help inform and teach participating volunteers techniques and skills needed to run monitoring stations. Currently, an Age/Sex identification guide for hummingbirds in western USA and Canada has been written and is being reviewed.

HABITAT RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT:

PROJECT NAME: Borderlands Habitat Restoration Initiative         

PRIMARY CONTACTS: H. Ron Pulliam, Valer Austin, Gary Nabhan, Susan Wethington

KEY PARTNERS: Cuenca Los Ojos, Biophilia, HMN, Friends of Sonoita Creek, Panta Rhea, Native Seeds Search, and  community participation

SUMMARY: This initiative focuses on restoring degraded ecosystems and quantifying the ecosystem goods and services provided by those ecosystems. The three central paradigms guiding the initiative are:

  1. that ecosystem restoration is a multi-step process that depends on first restoring physical processes (like stream flow and groundwater recharge), and secondly, restoring vegetative communities and food chains that support both human activity and diverse biological species assemblages;
  2. that regional conservation of ecosystem services and biological diversity, in a time of climate change, requires coordinated efforts among diverse organizations and landowners aimed at creating and protecting dispersal corridors that permit species to find the conditions that they require for their own survival as conditions change;
  3. that sustainable conservation requires citizen involvement and an understanding by the public of the value of conservation efforts. This is best achieved by a systematic assessment of the value of ecosystem goods and services, a public education and outreach program to communicate these values, and the establishment of mechanisms for paying for the non-market benefits derived from ecosystems, thereby offsetting cost otherwise imposed on local residents.

Our vision is to enrich rural Arizona communities and the southeastern Arizona environment by motivating and empowering citizens to restore local ecosystems and protect biological diversity. We believe that if people more fully understand that ecosystems provide goods and services that enrich their lives, benefit their health, and support their local economy, they will be motivated to protect and restore the ecosystems of which they are a part. Our approach is to begin with a focus on the recovery of  declining pollinator populations--- especially hummingbirds, native bees, and butterflies--- by engaging local citizens in restoring pollinator habitat as a means to promote the benefits of ecosystem services to Arizona’s farm, ranch, and recreational communities. This project involves southern Arizona communities in tangible conservation actions, public education, and documentation of the economic benefits which return to our communities when ecosystem services more fully function.