Where are Merlins (Falco columbarius) nesting in Moorhead, and what factors affect their nest site selection?
Location
Comstock Memorial Union, MSUM
Document Type
Poster
Event Website
https://www.mnstate.edu/sac/
Start Date
2021 12:00 AM
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Description
Merlins (Falco columbarius) are a small falcon that have begun breeding in more urban areas in the Northern Great Plains over the last forty years, and I am curious about why this is happening. This spring, I will be conducting two different types of surveys, nest surveys to determine likely nest sites and playback surveys to determine presence of Merlins, in order to get an idea of where Merlins are nesting here in Moorhead, MN. I have two main goals in my analysis of the data I collect. The first will be to compare the data between the two types of survey to assess whether the winter nest surveys were useful in determining where Merlins actually chose to nest. The second will be to look for patterns in the environmental factors associated with the Merlin nest sites (i.e. tree type, neighborhood, presence of bird feeders, presence of open areas, etc.) in order to get an idea of Merlin preferences when it comes to nest site selection. Information gleaned from this analysis will guide us in the right direction in how we design future studies in order to begin answering the question of why Merlins are nesting in urban areas and what that might mean for the conservation of Merlins and other species.
Where are Merlins (Falco columbarius) nesting in Moorhead, and what factors affect their nest site selection?
Comstock Memorial Union, MSUM
Merlins (Falco columbarius) are a small falcon that have begun breeding in more urban areas in the Northern Great Plains over the last forty years, and I am curious about why this is happening. This spring, I will be conducting two different types of surveys, nest surveys to determine likely nest sites and playback surveys to determine presence of Merlins, in order to get an idea of where Merlins are nesting here in Moorhead, MN. I have two main goals in my analysis of the data I collect. The first will be to compare the data between the two types of survey to assess whether the winter nest surveys were useful in determining where Merlins actually chose to nest. The second will be to look for patterns in the environmental factors associated with the Merlin nest sites (i.e. tree type, neighborhood, presence of bird feeders, presence of open areas, etc.) in order to get an idea of Merlin preferences when it comes to nest site selection. Information gleaned from this analysis will guide us in the right direction in how we design future studies in order to begin answering the question of why Merlins are nesting in urban areas and what that might mean for the conservation of Merlins and other species.
https://red.mnstate.edu/sac/2021/cshe/3