Whippoorwill Population Affected By Michigan Forestry
Introduction
The iconic song of the whippoorwill holds untold value to those who have had the privilege of sitting on a porch, in the warmth of summer, at dusk. The sound attaches to core memories, lore, and traditions. Experiencing the call of the Eastern Whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferus) is not easily forgotten. Unfortunately, their song is much less abundant now than it was in the near past, as their numbers have been dwindling dramatically.
The Question
The importance of this species health goes beyond the nostalgia of memorable times however. This species, and other similar avian insectivores, can be correlated to insect population health and ecosystem resilience. And so a research question arises:
How are Michigan's current forestry management practices of prescribed burns, clear cutting, and selective cutting effecting the population distribution and density of the Eastern Whippoorwill?
Literature Review
Populations have been declining dramatically.
Several variables are likely effecting population decline
Insect population loss, particularly moth populations, may be correlated with population declines
Habitat loss due to agricultural and urban expansion
Whippoorwills require a specific habitat combination of regenerative growth forests near old growth hardwood, shrub cover areas, and wetlands
Food abundance and habitat are each necessary to attract whippoorwill populations
Proximity to urban settings has been shown to negatively impact population density
Lunar cycle highly influences hunting activity. This can be utilized to concentrate observation times
Daily torpor has been noted within the population as well. This may be reason for the earlier spring arrival and can be utilized to coordinate observation times also.
Framework
Triple Bottom Line
Environment - Society - Economy
Research Method & Justification
This research proposal incorporates autonomous recording units (A.R.U.) for site verification, GPS tags to gauge the range of movement for individuals, UV-light traps and metabarcoding methods for insect abundance, and historical mapping data from Michigan forest management by type to cross reference with the primary data collected.
A.R.U.’s are small audio recording devise that are battery operated, weatherproofed, and can be activated during intended periods of monitoring
GPS tags can confirm site presence as well as show movement range of individuals to help minimize multiple recordings of the same individuals. Additionally, GPS tagging can be utilized for future research regarding migratory pattern or multi-year cross studying
UV-light trapping insect population at observations sites, in conjunction with metabarcoding will be used to analyze the prey abundance of the site locations.
Historical mapping of forest management will be utilized as the prominent source of management identification (clearcutting, burnings, or selective cuttings). This data in combination with historic species siting locations, such as this one from Michigan State Universities Extension program Michigan Natural Features Inventory (Antrostomus Vociferus (Eastern Whip-Poor-Will) - Michigan Natural Features Inventory, n.d.) will be the targeted areas of study
While the historic mapping data is the primary source of analyzing forest management type, future studies can utilize this methodology in tandem with current forest operations and time lapse analysis after operations have been completed
Whippoorwill Population Change 1966-2015
Source: Cink, C. L., P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2020). Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whip-p1.01
References
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