Note: Peyton Jackson will speak for ten minutes over Zoom prior to Dr. Job’s program. Peyton is a 2024 recipient of a BCAS teen scholarship to the Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens Program at Hog Island. He attended Pagosa Springs High School and birds the forests around his home in southwest Colorado. For his Eagle Scout project, he built 163 nest boxes and installed them with the help of his scout troop and the Weminuche Audubon Society. He will speak about attending Hog Island birding camp, his first eastern birding experience.
Photo of East Troublesome burn scar by Dr. Jacob Job
The 2020 Colorado wildfire season was the most severe in the state’s history. An expansive and prolonged drought, millions of acres of beetle-killed trees, and unusually severe fire weather helped create the largest and fastest-burning fires the state has ever seen–conditions that are predicted to continue. Understanding how severe wildfires impact ecosystems and taxa such as birds is critical if we are to take appropriate action to mitigate the worst impacts and promote ecosystem recovery. Starting in 2021, we investigated this issue by examining avian diversity at five sites within the East Troublesome Fire (ETF) burn scar and five control sites outside the ETF burn scar. Automated recording units deployed at each site captured audio recordings throughout each day from late April through October. Data from the first three years show that the avian community varied between sites and across treatments, but overall species richness was similar between burned and control sites. Significantly more birds were detected during point counts at burned sites than at control sites. We will work to continue to monitor these trends as the forest regenerates, ultimately looking to see if the bird community recovers compared to that outside the burn scar.
Photo by Dr. Jacob Job
Some of the birds that have been most affected are Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadee, Hermit Thrush, and Dark-eyed Junco. Some species that are showing increased usage of the burned areas are American Three-toed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Mountain Bluebird, American Robin, and Violet-green Swallow.
Photo by Dr. Jacob Job
Dr. Jacob Job is a conservationist, science communicator, natural sounds recordist, and nocturnal flight call enthusiast. He primarily uses acoustics as a storytelling and conservation tool. His evocative soundscape recordings are featured online and in visitor centers in National Parks units across the American West. He has published several podcasts including with Scientific American and Colorado Public Radio, and is a recognized National Geographic Explorer. Dr. Job has a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology, studying how noise pollution affects space use and communication in songbirds. Dr. Job currently serves as Communications Director for Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.
In-Person Gathering - BCAS welcomes everyone back to in-person programs at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder. Doors open at 7 PM for socializing and the program begins at 7:15. While the church is no longer requiring masks, we encourage you to wear your favorite high-quality mask, and we will provide free surgical masks for anyone who needs one. Please stay home if you feel sick, and watch the program on Zoom!
Online Gathering - The meeting room will open at 7:10, and the program starts at 7:15. Questions for the speaker will be taken from the chat feature of the Zoom session.
Click this link to join the program.
Meeting ID: 865 4887 3470
Passcode: 967940
One tap mobile
+17193594580,,86548873470# US
+12532050468,,86548873470# US