2. Introduction Limited knowledge of these species: – Yellow Rail – Nelson’s Sparrow – Le Conte’s Sparrow

3. Conservation Loss and degradation of wetlands due to human activity All three = Species of Greatest Conservation Need in MN Yellow Rail = species of high concern – North American Waterbird Conservation Plan – Northern Prairie and Parkland Waterbird Conservation Plan

4. Systematic surveys are needed – USFWS & USGS: Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols (Conway 2009) However… – Tendencies to call at night = often times missed by surveys Also… – Secretive habits – Cryptic coloration – Difficult to access habitat Dr. Jim Petranka

5. Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) Good candidates for surveying with ARUs that can be analyzed in a laboratory Benefits: – Minimize observer biases – Permanent records of surveys – 24 hr/day data collection – Limited numbers of expert field observers Disadvantages: – No visual detections – Estimating distances and numbers of birds? – Time spent going through recordings

6. Song Scope Bioacoustics Recognition Software Ideally, you build “recognizers” to scan recordings

7. Main Objectives Compare the detection probabilities of these three species using ARUs versus the standard marsh bird monitoring protocol. Use ARU recordings to determine temporal (daily and seasonal) changes in species calling and environmental factors affecting detection, in order to improve survey efforts

9. Field Methods 16 survey routes, 10 stations 22 ARUs (per season; 1-4 ARUs/route) – SM1 Song Meter, Wildlife Acoustics – 10 min every 15 min, from 20:00 until 08:00

10. Field Methods Standard Marsh Bird Protocol – Call-broadcast surveys-- Yellow Rail call only – Start 1 hour after sunset – May-June = survey season – 4 times/season