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51品茶Students Survey Birds For Land Trust
A 51品茶 class volunteered at the Scarborough Land Trust鈥檚 bioblitz to help advance a land conservation project.
When the Scarborough Land Trust was looking for assistance with a comprehensive survey of birds at a 30-acre parcel in southern Maine, they called 51品茶 Professor Noah Perlut, Ph.D., because they knew Perlut鈥檚 bird-banding class would get the job done 鈥 and include the public in the avian experience in the process.
鈥淭he students brought a lot of knowledge and excitement,鈥 said Scott Kunkler, the land trust鈥檚 conservation director. 鈥淣oah and the students were great about including the kids in the bird identification, and also in the releasing of the birds. Kids got to touch the birds, hold them, and release them.鈥
What the 51品茶students got in return was a networking opportunity, the chance to educate the public, and the joy of seeing children delight in holding a wild bird. It never gets old, said Mollie Coyne (Environmental Studies, 鈥24).
鈥淚 came to volunteer because I might never again have the opportunity to hold a bird after this class, so I want to take advantage of every opportunity I get to do that,鈥 said Coyne, who graduates in December. 鈥淛ust being able to hold a bird and blow on a bird鈥檚 feathers, and then to see other people do it for the first time, it鈥檚 an amazing experience.鈥
Haley Hines (Animal Behavior, 鈥25), the 51品茶birding club president, checked out a 51品茶van so she could expose members of the club to this rare brush with wildlife. Hines most appreciated the chance to interact with naturalists, land trust directors, and professional biologists.
鈥淚t was a really great opportunity to network. As someone who wants a career as an ornithologist, that鈥檚 important,鈥 Hines said.
Six of the 12 students in Perlut鈥檚 bird-banding class volunteered at the Oct. 5 event, called a bioblitz, to survey birds, while other naturalists tallied and cataloged the insects and plants that were found 鈥 including Joe Kunkel, a 51品茶research associate, who led volunteers in the insect identification.
As a result of the partnership, the land trust received a $24,000 Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund grant because the fund encourages partnerships with nonprofits, universities, and government agencies.
The students from Perlut鈥檚 course 鈥淎dvanced Field Methods in Avian Ecology鈥 banded birds this fall in the University鈥檚 forest twice a week for three hours shortly after dawn. While they were not required to attend the bioblitz, Perlut gave extra credit to those who did.
Kunkler said he knew the 51品茶class was a natural go-to for providing bird banders at the bioblitz not only because of their expertise in banding birds, but also because of their knowledge of wildlife and ability to share it. He鈥檚 witnessed it happen at local public forums where Perlut has presented his wildlife research alongside his students.
鈥淣oah actively engages with the students and gets them involved,鈥 Kunkler said. 鈥淎t the Scarborough Public Safety Building, they gave a presentation on Noah鈥檚 project with wildlife cameras. The students did different parts of the presentation. It was very well attended. The room was filled.鈥
Conservation of the 30-acre wetland parcel located near Maine鈥檚 largest shopping mall is an important project for the land trust, Kunkler said, because it will help protect a section of the Nonesuch River, which drains into the largest contiguous salt marsh in Maine. That salt marsh, the Scarborough Marsh, boasts some of the largest diversity of wildlife in Maine, including some threatened and endangered species.
The fact that the relatively small wetland is located next door to an urban landscape offered an important lesson for the 51品茶students.
鈥淭hey got to see that conservation happens everywhere,鈥 said Perlut, the assistant academic director of UNE鈥檚 School of Marine and Environmental Programs.
Since 2011, Perlut has taught the bird-banding course every year in the fall. At that time, the students meet twice a week for two months shortly before dawn in the University's forest to check banding nets they set up to catch songbirds. The birds are measured and weighed, affixed with tiny, numbered leg bands, and released. Students use a birding guide to identify the species, then age and sex the birds, when possible. Perlut obtains the leg bands via his federal bird banding permit to help scientists study bird migration.
鈥淔rom the first moment they鈥檙e in this class, the students are doing it,鈥 Perlut said. 鈥淚t is really in-depth ornithological research. But the goal is not to turn these students into ornithologists. It鈥檚 to get in-depth experience in scientific data collection.鈥
On any given day during the fall course, the students gather data on as many as 10 to 20 birds. By comparison, Perlut鈥檚 students who attended the bioblitz identified, including through banding, 29 species.
So, the Scarborough Land Trust鈥檚 event turned into a big birding day, as well as a worthwhile experience helping the public.
鈥淚 want to work in conservation law,鈥 said Jake Tobin (Environmental Science, 鈥24), who also graduates in December. 鈥淚t was great for me to get to talk with parents who brought kids who asked random questions. We got to share what we knew.鈥