2025 Project Report

Third Place for Wildlife Biotic Survey – Yr 1

Avian Research and Education Institute, Inc

Reporting Period: May 27, 2025 – June 1, 2026
Prepared by: Kaleigh Seeley

Bird Acoustics

Five acoustic monitoring units (SongMeter Mini Bat 2 devices equipped with acoustic microphone attachments) have been deployed at Boundary Hill, Goose Creek, Jake Road, Castle Hill, and Marty's House. SD cards are collected and replaced weekly. During each visit, battery levels are checked and batteries are replaced as needed.

Data from the SD cards are transferred to a USB drive for student access and are also backed up to external hard drives. To date, a portion of the data collected for the Echoes of the Night Project has been analyzed using Nighthawk. Michelle and Katie are currently completing this analysis as part of their senior project. Data intended for general bird surveys using BirdNET have not yet been analyzed.

Tasks to Complete by End of July

• Develop a BirdNET protocol and datasheet.
• Install rain covers for microphones.
• Prepare a project summary for Hendrix College.
• Create a sign-in/sign-out spreadsheet for students replacing SD cards.
• Train Vada and Jill on data analysis procedures.

Future Needs

• Establish iCloud storage for acoustic data backup.
• Train participating teachers on equipment use and data analysis. Acoustic monitoring units have already been configured and distributed.

Bat Acoustics

Five SongMeter Mini Bat 2 units have been deployed at Boundary Hill, Goose Creek, Jake Road, Castle Hill, and Marty's House. SD cards are collected and replaced every two to three weeks. Battery levels are monitored and batteries replaced as needed.

Data are transferred to a USB drive for student access and backed up to external hard drives. Bat acoustic data have not yet been analyzed but will be processed using Kaleidoscope Pro.

Tasks to Complete by End of July

• Finalize bat acoustics protocol (currently near completion).
• Train Vada and Jill on data analysis procedures.
• Train Dominic upon his return if he remains interested in participating.

Future Needs

• Establish iCloud storage for acoustic data backup.

Future Directions

• Integration of eDNA studies.

Box Turtles

Box turtle surveys are conducted opportunistically during fieldwork. Whenever a turtle is encountered, data are collected. To date, no turtles have been encountered while survey equipment was available.

Field equipment includes:

• Turtle data binder
• Long-jawed calipers
• File for shell notching

The turtle binder contains datasheets, notch code references, metadata sheets (visit logs), and will soon include a measurement reference guide.

Tasks to Complete by End of July

• Create a field measurement cheat sheet.

Future Directions

• GPS tracking studies.

Pollinators

Pollinator surveys are led by Grace as part of her master's research project. Malaise traps, blue vane traps, and VFIT traps have been deployed at Boundary Hill, Jake Road, and Castle Hill. Her team collects samples on a weekly basis.

As this project is primarily associated with Grace's graduate research, my involvement has been limited.

Moths

Boundary Hill, Jake Road, and Castle Hill each contain three bucket-trap sites for moth monitoring. Blacklight surveys are intended to occur approximately every ten days; however, weather conditions and scheduling challenges have limited sampling opportunities this season.

This project is primarily managed by Dave and his team.

Plants

Rich Moore's laboratory has been conducting plant surveys at Boundary Hill. The most recent update from the team was approximately one month ago, and communication has been limited this semester.

Recommendation

• Reconnect with the plant survey team at the beginning of the fall semester to assess progress and future plans.

iNaturalist General Survey

iNaturalist projects have been established for all study sites and are configured to capture all observations made within each location. Observations are contributed opportunistically by project participants, including Grace, Dave, and myself. The plant survey team has been the primary user of this platform for data collection.

Recommendation

• Download and archive iNaturalist project data at the end of each field season, as student accounts and associated observations may be lost after graduation.

eBird Lists

eBird checklists are submitted during site visits. Acoustic monitoring data may eventually supplement these records and help identify additional species.

Future Need

• Establish a centralized eBird account to which all observations can be shared. This will facilitate the creation of site-specific bar charts for locations that are not designated eBird hotspots.

Eastern Whip-poor-wills

The Eastern Whip-poor-will project is currently on hold because the species is not covered under Dave's existing permit. An article requesting public reports of Whip-poor-will sightings has been released, and a "Wanted" advertisement is expected to be distributed soon.

Future Directions

• Banding and deployment of CTT tags, pending permit approval.

Newspaper Team

The newspaper team continues to publish articles on a biweekly schedule. Michelle now leads the team following Marlow's graduation. Current team members include Michelle and Qabo.

Recommendation

Meet with Qabo at the beginning of the fall semester to discuss her interests and long-term goals. She joined the newspaper team partly due to transportation limitations but may be interested in GIS, mapping projects, or other research opportunities. As a Biology and Geography double major pursuing a GIS certificate, she may have skills and interests that align well with other projects.

Articles have been planned through September 7, including contributions from guest writers.

Education Team

The Education Team develops and delivers programming for schools, Girl Scouts, and other community groups. The team also creates educational materials for both the Boundary Hill Project and the bird banding station.

Matt has been the primary leader of this team as part of his Ph.D. research. Nichole has also contributed substantially. Addy Schultz is expected to join the team beginning this fall and will remain involved throughout the next academic year.

Camera Traps for Mammals

Camera traps have been deployed at each project site at least once. Current evidence suggests that most commonly detectable mammal species have been documented. Unless tied to a specific student research project, camera trap deployments are not conducted according to a formal sampling design.

Currently, cameras are deployed at Goose Creek to monitor beavers and potentially river otters.

Outstanding Task

• Upload remaining photographs and associated data to the shared drive.

Other Activities

An Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) application has been initiated and will continue to be developed over the summer. Progress was temporarily delayed while permit approvals were pending.

Current permit status:

• Box turtle permit: Approved
• Eastern Whip-poor-will permit: Pending