New VCE study reveals population health of mountain songbirds

A 16-year study of mountain forest songbirds across New York and New England, including thrushes, warblers and other iconic species, has documented their population changes. Although species like Black-capped Chickadee and Swainson’s Thrush have thrived in the mountains during recent decades, some species that depend on the region’s evergreen forests of spruce and fir – notably Blackpoll Warbler – appear to have undergone substantial declines.

The State of Mountain Birds, a new report by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), documents the health of bird populations using data from a unique citizen-science project called Mountain Birdwatch (MBW). Trained volunteers have been monitoring bird populations annually for VCE’s Mountain Birdwatch project since 2001. Scientists at VCE used these annual counts to create indicators of population change for each species, revealing which species are thriving and which may be in need of additional study and conservation. The full State of the Mountain Birds report is available online – www.mountainbirds.vtecostudies.org

Source: VT Digger, Oct 4, 2017
https://vtdigger.org/2017/10/04/new-vce-study-reveals-population-health…