WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

DONATE

Using Motus and Rushton to Study the Wood Thrush

By

The flutelike song of the wood thrush is emblematic of summer mornings at Rushton Woods Preserve. Unfortunately, both the wood thrush population and places like Rushton, with over 50 acres of deciduous forest, are rapidly disappearing. The loss is so dramatic that wood thrush are one of eight species of conservation concern identified for study by a recent Competitive State Wildlife Grant awarded to the Willistown Conservation Trust. 

One of our nanotagged Wood Thrush caught on September 17th. Photo by Blake Goll

Under the direction of Lisa Kiziuk, the Trust’s Director of Bird Conservation, University of Pennsylvania graduate student Amanda Bebel is conducting research on wood thrush as her capstone project. Amanda’s work is contributing additional scientific information about the wood thrush’s complete life cycle. The focus of her research is to learn precisely where they go during the breeding season. Since they nest in Rushton Woods Preserve, it is an ideal place to conduct the study. And the newly expanding Motus network, which electronically tracks birds’ movement, is an ideal research tool.

By attaching tiny nanotags (small radio transmitters) to six adults and three juveniles at Rushton Woods Preserve in Willistown and several more at Bucktoe Creek Preserve in Kennett Square, Amanda followed these birds during their breeding cycle with incredible geospatial precision. Throughout the summer, she used a hand-held tracking device to zero in on the birds to their physical location while general detections were consistently picked up by the local Motus automated receiver stations at both Rushton and Bucktoe. As the birds migrate south this fall, the broader Motus network that extends to South America will pick them up.

This work contributes more information to conservationists about how to better protect and manage wood thrush habitat. Pennsylvania plays a critical role in the conservation of the wood thrush as it supports a significant portion (approximately 8.5%) of the entire nesting population of the species.

What type of plants do they need for survival? How far do they go after they fledge? How much contiguous forest do they need? Where do they stop to rest and refuel on their migration path? We hope to learn more about these questions when Amanda completes her research in spring 2020. Stay tuned!

Shocking Report Illustrates the Importance of Land Protection

By

Yesterday an alarming study in the journal Science was released, which detailed the dramatic and shocking decline of birds in North America. Three billion birds have been lost in the last 50 years. This staggering drop includes not only threatened species, but also common ones like Eastern Meadowlark, Wood Thrush, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay and even Baltimore Oriole (like the one pictured here, banded this year at Rushton Woods Preserve).

For every 10 Baltimore Orioles in 1970,
4 have been lost since.

Meadowlarks rely on healthy grasslands for habitat, which have been disappearing as human development and agriculture spreads across the land. Making matters worse without those grasslands, which are also needed to filter stormwater runoff, waterways that birds also rely on are being contaminated.

For 40 years, Willistown Conservation Trust has been permanently protecting land to advance conservation, including the preservation of vital habitat. Our Bird Conservation Program has been using this land to help study birds and promote their protection, operating a banding station, studying their health. Most recently, the Bird Conservation Program and their partners have been among the leaders  in expanding the Motus Wildlife Tracking System throughout the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast United States. The Willistown Area has even been designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society because of its habitat and biodiversity.

We will continue our fight to protect land and habitat that birds need to survive. And despite the frightening report, there are some things you can do to help. Here are a few simple actions you can take:

  • Keep cats indoors. It is estimated that domestic cats kill millions of birds every year.
  • Lobby your representatives in Washington, DC, to support the Migratory Bird Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and other legislation that protects the environment.
  • Reduce (or better still eliminate) the use of pesticides (particularly neonicotinoids) and herbicides on your property.
  • Create habitat for birds in your own yard by maintaining shrub scrub, planting native plants, and providing water sources.
  • Participate in citizen science efforts to document bird populations.
  • Provide financial support to organizations that support bird conservation, like Willistown Conservation Trust.

While we are disheartened by the findings of this report, Willistown Conservation Trust is more motivated than ever before to continue our work to protect the land and the birds that rely on it.

We (and the birds) thank you for your continued support!

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 3. Preserve

By

The final blog post in our series of 3 is designed to help you plant native trees and shrubs in a riparian buffer (the land that borders streams and other waterways). While we have been focusing on planting in a riparian buffer, most of the tips provided will apply to planting trees or shrubs in other locations on your property.

Once your trees and shrubs are planted, it is important to protect them from deer damage! Placing tree guards or constructing your own fencing (photos below) around individual trees or shrubs is the best way to protect them from deer until they become large enough to survive without protection (typically 8-10 years).

  • Create your own fencing to protect your newly planted tree or shrub. Or…
  • …use commercially-available tree guards. These can be time-savers for large planting projects.

Once installed, periodically check the plants and manually remove any aggressive vines climbing on the tree guards or fencing. Avoid the use of chemicals to fight the vines in riparian zones; they can harm the plants, insects and our waterways.

See our post about the importance of riparian buffers and our first post about preparing to plant and our second post about planting.

Learn how to give your trees and shrubs a strong start by attending one or more of our upcoming tree planting events on May 29, 30 & 31.  More information and volunteer sign up for these upcoming plantings available soon!

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 2. Plant

By

Welcome to the second in a series of 3 blog posts to help you plant native trees and shrubs in a riparian buffer (the land that borders streams and other waterways). Most of the tips provided in these posts also apply to planting trees or shrubs in other locations on your property.

When planting, dig the hole as deep as the pot and twice as wide. Be sure to keep the root flare (where the roots start to spread from the trunk) just above ground level.

Spacing your trees and shrubs approximately 12 – 15′ from each other, you may plant in rows or in more naturalistic groupings to better echo the more organic patterns found in nature – or a combination of both. Get creative!

Many of your trees and shrubs will likely arrive in pots. Dig the holes as deep as the pot and twice as wide. Remove the plant from the pot and loosen the roots, especially if they are tightly bound. Adjust your plant in the hole, adding or removing soil as needed so the root flare (where the roots start to spread from the trunk – see photo below) is just above ground level. Take care not to bury  the plant too deep or cover the trunk with soil, while making sure your plant isn’t sitting too high, with its top roots exposed. Tamp the soil around the root ball as you fill the hole to ensure that the plant is firmly planted.

A TreeTenders instructor with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society points out root flare on a young tree. Photo by PHS.

See our post about the importance of riparian buffers and our first post about preparing to plant.

You can gain some practical planting experience by joining us for a one or more of our native tree planting days – May 29, 30 & 31 – at Ashbridge Preserve. More information and volunteer sign up for these upcoming plantings available soon!

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 1. Prepare

By

This is the first in a series of 3 blog posts to help you plant native trees and shrubs in a riparian buffer (the land that borders streams and other waterways). While we will focus on planting in a riparian buffer, most of the tips provided in these posts also apply to planting trees or shrubs in other locations on your property. Read our post on why these riparian buffers are so important.

First, choose a location along your stream where a riparian buffer area is lacking or could be enhanced and measure the square footage of the area you intend to plant. If your project involves planting where no buffer exists, measure outward from where the bank drops off to the stream, and while there is no specific ideal buffer width, the wider the buffer area, the greater the environmental benefits. We suggest a minimum of a 25’ buffer width.

  • Example of a riparian buffer area prepared for planting. The grass was mowed prior to marking the plant locations and digging the holes.
  • Work with a reputable native plant nursery or a landscape professional to help select your plants and determine the quantity needed.

Once you know the size of the area you will be planting, you can work with a landscape professional or reputable nursery that specializes in native plants to estimate how many trees and shrubs should be ordered. Typically, plants are spaced 12-15 feet apart.

Prior to planting, you should prepare the project area by mowing it to facilitate digging the holes.

To get an up-close look at a riparian buffer area and gain some practical planting experience, join us for a one or more of our native tree planting days – May 29, 30 & 31 – at Ashbridge Preserve. More information and volunteer sign up for these upcoming plantings available soon!