1. Suitability of
the Lake Erie
Islands as Bird
Breeding
Habitat
Rachel DiPietro1 and Dr. James Marshall2
1Undergraduate, North Central College
2 Professor of Biology, Rockford University
North Central College Advisor: Dr. Gregory Ruthig
www.fcps.edu

2. Background: Why Bird
Habitat?
 Increasing human influence
 Species vary in tolerance to habitat
alteration (Stauffer and Best 1980)
 Age ratios are a good habitat indicator
(Weinberg and Roth 1998; Hunt 1996; Holmes et al.
1996)
 Conservation, investment in preserves

3. Background: The Islands
 Lake Erie Islands effective
migration stopovers(Ewert,
et al. 2005; Miskimen 1970)
 Variance in human
influence
 Human-dominated areas
 Preserves
 Focal common species
 Red-winged blackbird
(Agelaius phoeniceus)
 American robin (Turdus
migratorius)
Weber

4. Hypotheses
 In favored habitat:
 More older adults
 More offspring
 Adults in better condition
Species Predicted Favored
Habitat
Red-winged blackbird Preserve
American robin Preserve

5. Methods: Banding Sites
 South Bass Is. (1450 acres,
Langois 1957)
 Gibraltar Is. (6.55 acres)
 Middle Bass Is. (813
acres)
 North Bass Is. (602 acres,
Weber)
Weber

6. Methods
 6/24/2014-7/18/2014,
mornings
 Banding, ten mist
nets
 Measurements:
 wing chord (mm)
 fat
 age
 sex
 weight (g)
Lisa Brohl

7. Older adult female blackbirds
favor human-dominated areas
Age Human Preserve
P-
value
Χ2
Older
adult
108 65
0.014
DF=1,
N=297
Younger
adult
61 63
madmikesamerica.com

8. Hatch-year blackbirds favor
human-dominated areas
Age Human Preserve
P-
value
Χ2
Adult 319 200
P<0.001
DF=1,
N=660
Hatch-
year
115 26

9. Hatch-year robins slightly favor
preserves
Age Human Preserve
P-
value
Χ2
Adult 89 55
0.080
DF=1,
N=211Hatch-
year
33 34
blog.mountain-plover.com

10. Blackbird Fitness Tests
www.birdfellow.com
 Individual heath
not significant
between habitats
 Both males and
females (P>0.01)
madmikesamerica.com

11. Foot Lesion Frequency
Figure 1: Percentage of sampled birds with cases of
lesions across five years. Cases reached a peak just
under 3% in 2013.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
CaseFrequency(%)
Year

12. Discussion
Hypothesis Supported?
Blackbirds favor preserves No
Robins favor preserves Yes

13. Discussion and Conclusion
 Investment?
 Blackbirds and robins living with human
influence
 Other species need preserves
 Replicate methods
Weber

14. Acknowledgements
 Stone Laboratory
 Friends of Stone Laboratory
 Ohio Sea Grant
 North Central College
 Dr. Gregory Ruthig
 Dr. James Marshall
 Dr. Jeff Reutter
 Dr. Justin Chaffin
 EEOB Classmates
 Boat Captains
 NCUR, Eastern Washington
University

15. References
Dabert, J., A. D. Mihalca, and A. D. Sandor. 2011. The first report of Knemidocoptes intermedius Fain et
Macfarlane, 1967 (Acari: Astigmata) in naturally infected European birds. Parasitology
Research 109: 237-240.
Ewert, D.N., G.J. Soulliere, R.D. Macleod, M.C. Shieldcastle, P.G. Rodewald, E. Fujimura, J. Shieldcastle,
and R.J. Gates. 2005. Migratory bird stopover site attributes in the western Lake Erie basin.
Final report to The George Gund Foundation.
Langois, T. H. 1957. The Natural History of South Bass Island. Columbus: The Ohio State University. Print.
Miskimen, M.1970. Red-winged blackbird movements on Lake Erie Islands. Bird Control Seminars
Proceedings. Paper 217. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmbirdcontrol/217
Moore, F. R., P. Kerlinger, and T. R. Simons. 1990. Stopover on a Gulf Coast barrier island by spring trans-gulf
migrants. The Wilson Bulletin 102: 487-500.
Nero, R. F. 1956. A behavioral study of the red-winged blackbird II. Territoriality. The Wilson Bulletin 68: 129-
150.
Peek, F. W. 1971. Seasonal change in the breeding behavior of the male red-winged blackbird. The Wilson
Bulletin 83: 383-395.
Weber, A., ed. ND. “Explore the Lake Erie Islands.” Ohio Sea Grant. PDF.
Stauffer, F., and L. B. Best. 1980. Habitat selection by birds of riparian communities: evaluating effects of
habitat alterations. The Journal of Wildlife Management 44: 1-15.
Weinberg, H. J., and R. R. Roth 1998. Forest area and habitat quality for nesting Wood Thrushes. The Auk
115: 879-889.
Yasukawa, K., R. A. Boley, J. L. McClure, and J. Zanocco. 1992. Nest Dispersion in the Red-Winged
Blackbird. The Condor 94: 775-777.

16. Questions?
Red-winged Blackbird,
Agelaius phoeniceus
American Robin, Turdus
migratorius
Northern Cardinal,
Cardinalis cardinalis
Yellow Warbler,
Setophaga
petechia
Baltimore Oriole (hatch-
year), Icterus galbula
Tree Swallow,
Tachycineta bicolor
Red-eyed Vireo,
Vireo olivaceus
Great Crested
Flycatcher,
Myiarchus crinitus