Radio-tracking Delaware Wood Thrushes to aid their conservation

Ian Stewart

The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is one of our most iconic woodland birds yet unfortunately it is in steady decline and is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in several states, including Delaware. In 2024, US Fish and Wildlife launched an ambitious range-wide, full-cycle tracking study to understand the causes of this decline, in which Wood Thrushes were fitted with radio-transmitters on their breeding grounds then followed using the Motus network of automated receiving stations (www.Motus.org). Given enough tagged birds, it should be possible to identify the stages in their annual cycle associated with the greatest losses (breeding season, migration, or non-breeding season). This was a huge success, with 572 Wood Thrushes tagged in over 20 US states and 1 Canadian province. Thanks to support from Delaware Audubon as well as donors and partners, Delaware was well represented, and we were able deploy transmitters on 26 birds (20 adults and 6 juveniles). This gave us interesting data on the timing of their migration, which we found to be later than expected. Most birds left our area in mid-September, but some remained through mid-October. 23 of our 26 tagged birds (89%) made it out of the state, and the majority of these were detected several states away (13 in Georgia, plus several in the Carolinas and Florida). One of them was detected in Belize, Central America, and several more may have made it to the non-breeding grounds but are not within range of an automated Motus station. We are excited to see the results of data uploads from these stations and also how many birds are detected when they migrate north this spring.

Construction and installation of 100 nest boxes for use by secondary cavity nesting birds in New Castle County

Catherine Woodfield

The goal of this project is to install 100 birdboxes in New Castle County, mainly for Eastern Bluebirds, but also for Tree Swallows, Chickadees, and Wrens. Thirty birdboxes were previously installed at Middle Run, Newark De at a reforestation site, which have shown success over two seasons, with 41 nesting sites, 90 nesting attempts, 342 eggs, 257 young, and 220 fledglings. Working with Joe Sebastiani from the Delaware Nature Society, we received permission to place birdboxes at two new sites on Polly Drummond Road, south and north of the original location, featuring a mix of meadow and wooded areas, including a pond and a reforestation project. The boxes will be installed by mid-March, with similar positive community feedback expected. The University of Delaware Birding Club plans to visit, and 15 boxes will be donated to start a Bluebird trail on the UD campus. Additionally, 5-6 boxes will be donated to a local middle school whose boxes are in disrepair.

Using genetic sequencing techniques to study avian malaria parasites in American kestrels across Delaware

Laura Kwasnoski

Piglet Bugs! Investigating the Species-level Classification of A Charismatic Insect of Conservation Concern and the Description of a New Species From Delaware.

Solomon Hendrix