Coming Soon - Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge Avian Database

Also coming in the near future - Lake Monroe Avian Database

Also coming in the near future - Bill Zimmerman Wetland Preserve Avian Database

    The Hoosier National Forest, located in southern Indiana, is involved in a breeding bird monitoring project spanning several decades. Researchers affiliated with Purdue University will monitor 475 count points located throughout the length and breadth of the forest from just south of Bloomington, Indiana, to the Ohio River. Nineteen study sites, each with 25 count points, are surveyed every two years. Nine sites are surveyed twice in even-numbered years and the remainder are surveyed twice during odd-numbered years.

    In cooperation with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Department of Forestry and their Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ball State University, Drake University (Iowa), and Indiana State University, the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University has created a long-term field experiment on forest management, centered in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests on south-central Indiana.  A series of study areas has been established in which common forest management techniques are being used. During the years prior to management, pre-harvest data is collected. Those studies are replicated annually post-treatment to determine how a wide variety of organisms are responding.  The forest management techniques will include small clearcuts, single tree or group selection cuts, shelterwood cuts and “no management” controls.  Our goal is to determine which species are winners and losers with different forest management techniques, and how we can mitigate the negative aspects. We expect to expand this project to other locations in future years.  

    Different researchers will follow different study organisms.  We will be focusing on oak regeneration, herbaceous species, forest birds, woodland salamanders, squirrels and chipmunks, moths, wood-boring beetles, bats, eastern box turtles, timber rattlesnakes and more. 

Northern Saw-Whet Owl Banding Project - Yellowwood State Forest

    2009 is here and so are the Northern Saw-whet Owls in Indiana - a few of them at least. Our banding operation began on Saturday, October 17. That night, our first owl a 79-gram male was captured around 9:30 in the evening. Tuesday night, there was another capture, but it wasn't an owl. Instead, a Southern flying squirrel decided to try his (?) luck at removing himself (?) from a mist net. With a little help, he succeeded apparently none the worse for the wear. Our next capture was on Wednesday, a very plump female. And that's been it for the station so far this year. But, alas, it's still early and weather conditions have not been good for migration. With our luck the little guys have been stacking themselves up to our north ready to pounce on us with the first hint of favorable migratory conditions. Stay tuned.

    Here's the final tally for the 2008 season:

NSWOs = 77
Males = 3 (4%)
Females = 71 (92%)
Unknown sex = 3 (4%)
Hatch year = 8 (10%)
Second year = 41 (53%)
After hatch year = 8 (10%)
After second year = 20 (26%)

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>>>>>     Another great book on the BirdCountry.US bookshelf     <<<<<

National Geographic's

Birding Essentials

Jonathan Alderfer and Jon Dunn, National Geographic Society, paperback, 224 pages.

"... Comprehensive and authoritative, yet engaging and user-friendly, it teaches readers how to begin and improve their birding... what to look and listen for... and how to make sense of what they see and hear..."