{"id":8269,"date":"2016-09-13T09:33:46","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T14:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2016.wildlifepreservation.ca\/?page_id=8269"},"modified":"2016-10-19T08:57:15","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T13:57:15","slug":"maritime-swallows-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wildlifepreservation.ca\/fr\/maritime-swallows-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Maritime Swallow Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbsection\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_row admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbRow\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb1_4″][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbSidebar\u00a0\u00bb orientation=\u00a0\u00bbleft\u00a0\u00bb area=\u00a0\u00bbet_pb_widget_area_14″ background_layout=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb remove_border=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb disabled=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bbon||\u00a0\u00bb] [\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb3_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbImage\u00a0\u00bb src=\u00a0\u00bbhttps:\/\/wildlifepreservation.ca\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/barn-swallow-ontario-wc.jpg\u00a0\u00bb show_in_lightbox=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb url_new_window=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb use_overlay=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb animation=\u00a0\u00bbleft\u00a0\u00bb sticky=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb align=\u00a0\u00bbleft\u00a0\u00bb force_fullwidth=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb always_center_on_mobile=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb use_border_color=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb border_color=\u00a0\u00bb#ffffff\u00a0\u00bb border_style=\u00a0\u00bbsolid\u00a0\u00bb] [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbRow\u00a0\u00bb make_fullwidth=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb use_custom_width=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb width_unit=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb use_custom_gutter=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb padding_mobile=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb allow_player_pause=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_method=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb make_equal=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_1=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_method_1=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_2=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_method_2=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_3=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb parallax_method_3=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb column_padding_mobile=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb custom_margin=\u00a0\u00bb-50px|||\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb1_4″][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbSidebar\u00a0\u00bb orientation=\u00a0\u00bbleft\u00a0\u00bb area=\u00a0\u00bbet_pb_widget_area_8″ background_layout=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb remove_border=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb disabled=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bbon||\u00a0\u00bb] [\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbText\u00a0\u00bb background_layout=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb text_orientation=\u00a0\u00bbleft\u00a0\u00bb use_border_color=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb border_color=\u00a0\u00bb#ffffff\u00a0\u00bb border_style=\u00a0\u00bbsolid\u00a0\u00bb custom_margin=\u00a0\u00bb0px|||\u00a0\u00bb custom_margin_phone=\u00a0\u00bb-50px|||\u00a0\u00bb custom_margin_last_edited=\u00a0\u00bbon|phone\u00a0\u00bb]<\/p>\n

Maritime Swallow Research<\/h1>\n

The species<\/b><\/h3>\n

From the 1970s to the 2000s, the four species of swallows found in Canada\u2019s Maritime provinces \u2014 bank, cliff, tree and barn swallows \u2014 have suffered serious declines. In the case of bank swallows, populations have plummeted an astounding 98 per cent. Find out more about these species.<\/a><\/p>\n

The project<\/b><\/h3>\n

Wildlife Preservation Canada is funding research by former Canada\u2019s New Noah<\/a> Tara Imlay to identify the causes for swallow declines in the Maritimes. The two main culprits being investigated are changes in the availability of the insects that swallows feed on and threats on migration routes and wintering grounds. Tara and her team have set up nest boxes for tree swallows and established a nest monitoring and banding program for all four species across sites in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This enables the researchers to closely monitor breeding success and survival and relate it to information on food availability. Meanwhile, geolocators are being used to track the birds\u2019 behaviour and migration routes. In addition, blood and feather samples are collected from returning birds. These samples are analyzed to identify wintering areas and provide insights into wintering ground conditions and their impact on return rates and reproductive success.<\/p>\n

Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2014, Tara and her team monitored nests at 18 sites in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, checking for timing and success of breeding. The team banded 696 swallows and retrieved 11 geolocators from returning birds for analysis at Dalhousie University. In 2015, they banded over 700 chicks, captured over 450 adult swallows and recovered three geolocators from recaptured birds. To date, research suggests that three of the four swallow species have begun breeding earlier than usual in recent years. Pairs that breed later in the season face a shortage of insects during nestling development that can negatively impact young birds.<\/p>\n

Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The data collected in this project will help us to understand why steep declines in swallow populations are occurring, giving us the information we need to plan conservation efforts for these species. It also has broad implications for the conservation and recovery of other aerial insectivores across North America. For more details about this project, check out our <\/strong>field blog.<\/strong> <\/a><\/em> Help us save maritime swallows! Contribute to Wildlife Preservation Canada today.<\/a><\/strong><\/em> Want to do more? Find out<\/a> how you can help birds at risk.<\/strong><\/em> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_team_member admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbPerson\u00a0\u00bb animation=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb background_layout=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb background_color=\u00a0\u00bbrgba(136,183,119,0.47)\u00a0\u00bb use_border_color=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb border_color=\u00a0\u00bb#ffffff\u00a0\u00bb border_style=\u00a0\u00bbsolid\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb8px|8px|8px|8px\u00a0\u00bb]<\/p>\n

The People<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"tara-imlay-with-swallos\"<\/a>Tara Imlay<\/strong>\u2019s work with Wildlife Preservation Canada began in 2008, when she was contracted to study the behaviour and movements of eastern loggerhead shrikes<\/a> released from our conservation breeding program. The following year, she became our 20th<\/sup> Canada\u2019s New Noah and conducted research on kestrel productivity and breeding success during her time in Mauritius. Her experience with birds continued in 2010 and 2011, when Virginia Tech hired her to document the potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on overwintering populations of piping plovers. In 2011, Tara returned to work for Wildlife Preservation Canada as a species recovery biologist, coordinating the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program.<\/p>\n

Today, Tara is a PhD candidate with Dalhousie University, conducting field research into the causes of rapid population declines of swallows in the Maritimes. Tara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science in Biology from Acadia University.<\/p>\n

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Supported by<\/strong><\/p>\n