Monitoring of Owls and Nightjars in Illinois “MOON” Presented by: Tara Beveroth S.O.S. for our Flying Bug Eaters Ingleside Hotel, Waukesha WI September 7th 2018 Outline: • Nightjar Natural History • Nightjar challenges • MOON program • Future Outlook Eastern Whip-poor-will The Myth of the Goatsucker aka “Nightjars” Nightjar Distribution Nearly 100 species of nightjars in the world with 2 main subfamilies: Caprimulginae (80 species) and Chordeilinae (19 species) Common Nighthawk Nightjar Facts Large-tailed Nightjar • Very short legs and bills with large eyes. • Long wings • Forward facing whiskers • Sensory • Facilitate prey capture • Nightjars usually nest on the ground and time their chicks hatching around 10 days before a full moon. Chuck-will’s-widow nesting • Unlike other birds that perch across branches nightjars usually perch along a branch, better concealing them during the day. They excel at blending in with their environment. Eastern Whip-poor-will European Nightjar John Audubon – Birds of North America • Their mouths open wide vertically and horizontally, which allows them to have a large gaping mouth to easily scoop insects up during flight. Diet • Primarily Insects • Moths • Beetles • Spiders • Crane Flies • Swarming insects • They drink while flying low over water surface and scooping water with large bill. Illinois Nightjars Chuck-will’s-widow - threatened Eastern Whip-poor-will Common Nighthawk Habitat • Chuck-will’s-widow • Deciduous, pine, oak-hickory and mixed forests • Openings or gaps in forests are very important for foraging • Eastern Whip-poor-will • Open Woodland, dry deciduous or mixed forests • Herbaceous understory • In Illinois, where they have been found to nest in the same area, CWWI prefer more open habitat on forest edge, while EAWP prefer more wooded , or pine groves or upland areas. Nightjar Challenges • Food Availability • Pesticide use • Inclement Weather • Habitat Loss • Change in forest composition • Wintering habitat • Collisions/Run over • Predation • Climate Change • Very hard to maintain in captivity Lack of management CTAP data – David Zaya INHS How are nightjar populations? Average # of CWWI/Party Hour Average # of EAWP/Party Hour 0.005 0.015 0.025 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.01 0.02 0.03 0 0 1975 1975 1978 1978 1981 1981 1984 1984 1987 1987 1990 1990 Whip Eastern Chuck 1993 1993 Year Year 1996 1996 - 1999 will’s 1999 2002 2002 2005 - - poor widow 2005 2008 2008 2011 - will 2011 2014 2014 Average # of CONI/Party Hour2017 0.05 0.15 0.25 0.35 0.45 2017 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0 count data are not reliable for estimating estimating notfor reliable are data count and Count, Spring bird Bird Christmas BBS, population in nocturnal population trends species. 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 CommonNighthawk Year 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 Project MOON - 2008 Objectives: • Track trends in abundance and distribution over broad scales • Investigate causes of declines • Develop suitability models and best management practices for nightjars and owls Methods • Roadside point counts • 10 stops, ≥ 1 mile apart • Listen passively for 6 minutes while recording detections in 1 minute blocks. • Optional playback of EASO and BAOW. • 2 surveys run each year in May and June based on lunar cycle. MOON Routes eBird Basic Dataset. Version: EBD_relMay-2013. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. May 2013. Eastern Whip-poor-will and Chuck-will’s-widow MOON occurrences eBird Basic Dataset. Version: EBD_relMay-2013. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. May 2013. eBird Basic Dataset. Version: EBD_relMay-2013. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. May 2013. Importance of Route Consistency 18 16 14 12 10 8 of of routes monitored # 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 # of surveys over 10 years Average # of EAWP/route 6 5 4 3 2 Average Average of EAWP/route# 1 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year Future Outlook • Continued long-term monitoring • Continue to collaborate with partners. • Use LiDAR to assist in analysis of habitat use of Illinois nightjars. • Work with partners and private landowners to try different management techniques. • Prescribed Fire • Removal of invasive plants/clearcutting • Graduate projects • Incentive Programs • MOON Volunteers • United States Nightjar Survey Network • Western Great Lakes Owl Monitoring • Illinois Audubon Society • Cornell Lab of Ornithology • Critical Trends Assessment Program • Jen Mui • Loren Merrill • Terry Esker • Kelsay Shaw • David Bohlen Tara Beveroth [email protected] 217-265-7303.