More good news this month, as Ohio Sea Grant generously funded an aspect of our Lake Erie Migratory Bird Ecology research. The funded project, " Emerald ash borer tree mortality and invasive species penetration into forested wetlands in the Lake Erie coastal zone: developing habitat restoration priorities", will examine the interaction between invasive tree pests, invasive wetland plants, and one of the fastest declining birds in North America.

Emerald Ash Borer will fundamentally change forest dynamics when it kills virtually every ash tree in the eastern hardwood region.  In forested remnants of the Great Black Swamp of Ohio, we will determine if opening of the canopy from ash mortality results in increased invasion of the understory by species like Phragmites and Reed Canary Grass.  These plants could out-compete important native woody understory plants in forested wetlands, like buttonbush and dogwood. We will then examine how changes in habitat structure impact use during migratory stopover by the rapidly declining Rusty Blackbird. This work will compliment Jay Wright's M.S. thesis, which focuses on multiple aspects of Rusty Blackbird migration, a yet to be examined stage of their annual cycle.         

Great news for our research on Prothonotary Warblers, Dr. Tonra and Elizabeth Ames received a generous grant from the Columbus Audubon Society to examine the nesting ecology of this iconic species. Our project, "Thinking inside the box: Evaluating the relative value of natural vs. artificial cavities in habitat patches of varying size for Prothonotary Warblers", will fund an important aspect of Liz's thesis, as the bulk of work on this species has focused on birds in artificial nests.  Understanding how breeding season limitation of individuals using natural cavities, which is the bulk of the population, is different from those using boxes is critical to conservation efforts. This work will complement other aspects of Liz's thesis, which includes testing for winter to breeding carry-over effects. Thank you Columbus Audubon for supporting our research!