Master's Theses

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Date of Award

Spring 1998

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

Advisor

G. H. Farley

Abstract

I investigated the use of riparian areas along the North Fork of the Solomon River and Bow Creek on Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge by migrating birds during the spring of 1997. One banding site and two bird census transects were set up along each of the two watercourses. Along these four transects vegetation structure, vegetation distribution and larval insect larval abundance were assessed; behaviors of foraging birds were also recorded. Two census methods, transect and point counts, were used to estimate bird abundance and species composition along the four transects. The results of the two census methods were not statistically different when comparing groups of species with at least 15 observations. Banding data appeared to underestimate both species richness and number of individuals along the two streams. A total of 33 species were caught mist-netting, while 69 and 68 species were observed along transects and point counts respectively. There was no apparent foraging preference by birds for any particular species of tree. The total number of foraging observations were reflective of tree distribution for the five most commonly measured species. Of the 204 foraging observations, 149 occurred in the outer layer of the sampled species of trees, with the majority of these (n= 121) in the upper half of the canopy.

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Rights

© 1998 Michael S. Sevigny

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