Browsing by Author "Liljenquist, Alexis L"
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Item Avian Surveys for the St. Louis River Natural Areas Project: Submitted to Minnesota Land Trust(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019-02) Liljenquist, Alexis LIn 2018, researchers from the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota Duluth conducted bird surveys along the St. Louis River Estuary (SLRE) in nine project areas nominated for inclusion in the Duluth Natural Areas Program (DNAP). The DNAP was created in 2002 to manage Duluth’s environmentally significant areas to ensure the preservation of services and values, such as habitat diversity and water quality (Duluth Natural Areas Program Guidelines 2002). To assess the importance of the SLRE to birds, we conducted surveys throughout spring migration, the breeding season, and fall migration. In total, we documented 13,953 individuals of 169 species. We summarized bird use of the nine project areas based on abundance and diversity by guild classification within each season. All nine project areas in the nominated tract (i.e. SLRE) meet the conditions for ‘Important Bird Congregation Area’ based on nomination criteria outlined by DNAP. The western tip of Lake Superior is a well-known corridor for migrating birds, which funnel along the shore, using forests, wetlands, and shoreline habitat, to rest and refuel during both north and southbound migration. This study highlights the importance of the SLRE for breeding birds and as stopover habitat for a wide diversity of migratory birds, including 50 species of conservation concern.Item Implementing Conservation Plans for Avian Species of Concern: Submitted to Audubon Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2020-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Bracey, Annie; Liljenquist, Alexis LAudubon Minnesota is interested in establishing benchmark survey locations throughout Minnesota to guide restoration and enhance activities within designated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for three species of conservation concern: common tern, black tern, and yellow rail. Data collected during the 2009–2013 Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas (MNBBA) project (Pfannmuller et al. 2017) were used to identify potential and confirmed breeding locations for black tern and common tern in the state. These data were then aligned with IBA boundaries and previously established survey locations from Audubon’s statewide marshbird monitoring program. Using this information, survey locations were identified within selected IBAs to document presence and abundance of tern species during the 2020 breeding season. Collectively, survey results can be used as a first step by Audubon Minnesota to formalize high-priority benchmark survey locations for long-term monitoring of these species in IBAs throughout the state.Item Minnesota Land Trust Final Report - Let the Birds Guide You(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Walton, Nicholas G; Bracey, Annie; Liljenquist, Alexis LIdentifying environmental and habitat characteristics associated with specific bird communities can help guide conservation and habitat management efforts. The goal of this project was to quantify and characterize bird communities in the St. Louis River Estuary (SLRE) based on bird-habitat associations. Bird communities are commonly described with respect to their associated cover types (i.e., habitat). However, birds often respond to combinations of local cover types and larger-scale landscape features (e.g., forested wetlands in proximity to emergent wetlands), which are not adequately described by a single attribute such as dominant plant species or aquatic habitat type. Therefore, to understand bird species’ ecological needs and habitat preferences, we evaluated community assemblages without initially linking the locations sampled for birds with standard habitat categories. Bird assemblages were first identified using hierarchical cluster analysis, which revealed relationships among locations sampled within the SLRE based solely on bird species composition. This approach identified assemblages of species that tend to co-occur irrespective of traditionally defined habitat types. We used percent perfect indication (PPI) models to identify which species or groups of species were most strongly associated with specific landscape features. We also assessed habitat availability at the landscape-scale (i.e., within a 400m buffer from the shoreline) to identify specific features that are under-represented in the SLRE but likely important to a species or group of species. We also quantified species relative abundance, richness, and diversity throughout the SLRE to identify locations of high use and diversity. Once those locations were identified, we summarized local-scale habitat data define vegetation characteristics at locations with the highest and lowest species richness. Together, these analyses will provide a holistic assessment of the environmental and habitat requirements of migratory and breeding birds at multiple spatial scales. We quantitatively assessed which landscape and habitat characteristics are most likely to be beneficial for birds that use the SLRE and, ultimately, to assist in informing habitat management objectives for current and future projects in the area.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995-2019(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019) Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Liljenquist, Alexis LMinnesota’s National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program has documented trends in forest bird abundances for 25 years. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding birds and helped inform the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2019. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2018(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2018-12-06) Grinde, Alexis R; Walton, Nicholas G; Bednar, Joshua D; Liljenquist, Alexis L; Kolbe, StephenMinnesota’s National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program has documented trends in forest bird abundances for 24 years. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding birds and helped inform the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2018. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.