Blogs from Powdermill Nature Reserve

Powdermill Nature Reserve is Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center. Located 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Rector, Pennsylvania, Powdermill is a field station and laboratory where researchers do long-term studies of natural populations in western Pennsylvania. In addition to being positioned for Appalachian-specific studies in ornithology, ecology, invertebrate zoology, and botany, Powdermill is a great place to spend a fun-filled day outdoors with the family.

August 26, 2022 by Erin Southerland

Encounter With an Orb Weaver Spider: Is It Predator or Prey?

by Brady Karg

It was an early afternoon on a late spring day, and I was out trying to photograph any last stragglers for spring bird migration. The day was going well as I checked off a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers, Indigo Buntings, Black-throated Green Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Ovenbirds, a Broad-winged Hawk, and some recently fledged Barred Owls! As I was making my way back on the trail, I felt the strong pull of a spider web brush against my arm. I stopped and looked around to see a tiny spider dangling below a leaf beside me in the tangled remains of its web. As I leaned in closer, I noticed what looked to be a predator and prey encounter with the spider holding a large insect in its grasp. I soon realized the situation was something much more sinister.

Upon closer inspection, it was apparent the bug was feasting on the spider! The mystery creature was obviously some kind of parasite, but what kind exactly? What kind of spider was being preyed upon? I then did some digging to find out more about this parasitic relationship.

In a conversation with Andrea Kautz, an entomologist at Powdermill Nature Reserve, I learned that this spider is in the subfamily Araneinae or Typical Orb weavers. After posting my observation to iNaturalist, a narrower ID was suggested, the Genus Eustala. This genus covers a large variety of orb weavers, spiders found in a wide variety of habitats including fields, forests, and marshes. The colors and patterns of these spiders vary, but the females are noted for having a distinct dorsal hump.

So, what was eating this spider? Andrea informed me that the parasite is likely the larva of a parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae. These are slender wasps, with many bearing orange and black coloration. The Ichneumonidae are known to parasitize both egg sacs and adult spiders.

This information explained much of what I had seen. Below are two pictures I took using a digital microscope camera.

In each you can see the larva of the parasitic wasp attached to the orb weaver spider. This situation is the result of an adult wasp in the Pimplinae subfamily laying an egg in this spider. The egg hatched, and the now much larger larva is continuing to feast on nutrients from the spider. The larva will continue to feed on the spider until it is ready to metamorphose into its pupal stage, and then into its adult form. The spider, unfortunately, will not survive this parasitic relationship.

Our natural world is full of fascinating and unique relationships such as this wasp and spider. Always keep your eyes peeled in case you happen to stumble upon something such as this!

Brady Karg is an intern at Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center.

“Moldly” Exploring Fungal Functions

by Sara Klingensmith

Fungi, a vast group neither animal nor plant, comprise a diversity of organisms ranging from microscopic, unicellular yeasts and molds to enormous, hardened brackets, to jiggly, gelatinous structures, to classic cap and stem mushrooms, to “what on Earth is THAT?” The enormity of variation in shapes, sizes, and colors is astounding. While some fungal forms may resemble plants in appearance, all fungi lack structures associated with photosynthesis—they are more closely related to animals than they are to plants. Fungi even share a compound called chitin, which is found in their cell walls, with arthropods. Some taxonomists place them in a grouping called Opisthokont, a position closer to animals in a complex tree of relationships. Fungi are ubiquitous, found in a variety of ecosystems and even inside living organisms—what are they doing?

Decomposition and Nutrient Recycling

Saprotrophic fungi are the clean-up crew! Unlike plants that harness energy from sunlight, fungi extend hyphae, or filamentous tube-like structures into their source of nourishment. Collectively, hyphae are referred to as mycelium (mushroom “roots”), which form the main, life-sustaining part of the fungus. These hyphae secrete enzymes that help break down the rotting wood, leaves, and other organic debris, liberating nutrients that are not readily accessible to other life forms. These hard-to-reach nutrients are often locked up in lignin and cellulose—tough compounds that comprise wood and plant cell walls. Often, a single rotting log will support a variety of saprotrophic fungi participating in successional stages of decomposition. This continued release of nutrients helps sustain many generations of organisms within an ecosystem and prevents the establishment of ever-expanding debris piles.

Marasmius sulivantii *decomposing leaf litter*

Pathogens & Parasites

These particular ecological niches often receive a bad reputation because of associations with reduced crop yields, the death of favorite landscaping plants, and even cases of athlete’s foot and ringworm. In the broader scope, native pathogens and parasites are a fundamental component of the complex balance of life and death. They help prevent organisms from exceeding carrying capacity, a service essential to successional ecosystem processes and the establishment of stable populations. Some fungal tree pathogens are even responsible for shaping habitats by creating hollow cavities and tree falls.

Fungal pathogens in plants are frequently host-specific and some are restricted to infecting certain areas of the host. For example, mossy maple polypore (Rigidporus populinus), which causes white rot in living tree tissues, is usually found on maples and oaks, whereas mayapple rust (Puccinia podophylli) only infects mayapples. Some fungi parasitize a wide range of insect species and even other fungi. Some of these species are currently being studied and implemented as biological controls against insect and fungal agricultural pests and detrimental forest pathogens.

Cordyceps sp. provide some of the more charismatic encounters with parasitic fungi-insect relationships here in Pennsylvania. Scarlet caterpillar club (Cordyceps militaris) only targets pupating butterflies and moths. After it infects the host, the mycelium empties the host of nutrients and then forms the species’ distinctive fruit. A common forest mushroom, oak-loving gymnopus (Gymnopus dyrophillus) can be found with tumor-like growths caused by fungal parasite Collybia clouds (Syzygospora mycetophila).

In some cases, it is not clear who is parasitizing who. For example, aborted entoloma (Entoloma arbortivum) was once thought to be another victim of honey mushroom (Amellaria sp.) parasitism. Amellaria sp. can parasitize a variety of trees and shrubs, spreading through large areas of forest like one titan organism. However, a 2001 study of the “aborted” fruitbodies, or carpophoroids, suggests that the entoloma is parasitizing the honey mushroom, and thus may be considered as a potential biological control for Amellaria sp.

Symbiotic Relationships & Carbon Sinks

“When algae met fungus, they took a ‘lichen’ to each other.” That’s how the story goes. Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a partnership between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria. The fungi provide protection, and the photobiont (algae or cyanobacteria) provides the sugars obtained from photosynthesis. Certain species of lichen can be regarded as air quality bio-monitors because of their sensitivity to air pollution.

Roughly 80-90% of plants need mycorrhizal fungi partners to survive. Some mycorrhizal fungi may form sheathes around plant roots (ectomychorrhizal fungi) or live in the plant roots (endomychorrhizal or arbuscular fungi), and some form special relationships with particular plant groups. In exchange for plant-produced carbon, in the form of sugars known as photosynthates, these symbionts break down and gather up minerals and nutrients that would otherwise be locked up in the soil. Furthermore, mycorrhizal fungi are capable of transferring carbon from one tree to another. They can even help plants communicate, provide “parental care” to saplings, or sabotage competitors. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as the “Wood Wide Web.” Additionally, these vast, dense fungal networks help store carbon in the soil in the forms of mycelial necromass and ever-expanding active mycelium. Both forms stitch the soil together, making it more resistant to erosion.

Food Web Links

Fungi serve as food for many species of wildlife. Insects and other arthropods rely on many species of fungi for food. Pleasing fungus beetles are aptly named for their reliance on fungi as a prominent food source. Some fungi feeders may even retain toxins from their meals of poisonous fungi species to help with their own protection from predators.

Many of our favorite foods and life-saving medicine would not be possible without fungi. When we bake bread, we need yeast to make the dough rise. Many fermented foods require a fungal agent, and to combat bacterial infections, we rely on penicillin derived from Penicilium notatum – a species of mold.

To turn the tables, certain fungi species are predatory! Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) are considered saprotrophs with a sinister side. They have toxic, sticky mycelium that traps and paralyzes nematodes. Once the nematode is trapped, hyphae penetrate and dissolve the organism. This predatory strategy helps the mushroom acquire nitrogen in nutrient poor substrates.

Fungi are far too complex for every relationship to be even mentioned here. Although fungi have long been overlooked in terms of conservation, they are gaining attention. The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) is working on mapping mycorrhizal networks in an effort to support underground biodiversity and draw attention to the role these fungi play in supporting healthy ecosystems and mitigating climate change. At Powdermill Nature Reserve, an iNaturalist project collects fungi, lichen, and slime photo observations from community participants to help document biodiversity: Fungi of Powdermill Nature Reserve · iNaturalist. From fine dining to influencing entire ecosystems, fungi are essential to life.

Sara Klingensmith is an Environmental Educator and Naturalist at Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center.

Sources

Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi. Berkeley (California): Ten Speed Press.

Binion, D. (2008). Macrofungi associated with oaks of Eastern North America. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press.

Czederpiltz, D. L. L., Volk, T. J., & Burdsall, H. H. (2001). Field observations and inoculation experiments to determine the nature of the carpophoroids associated with Entoloma abortivum and Armillaria. Mycologia, 93(5), 841–851. https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2001.12063219

Lee CH, Chang HW, Yang CT, Wali N, Shie JJ, Hsueh YP. Sensory cilia as the Achilles heel of nematodes when attacked by carnivorous mushrooms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Mar 17;117(11):6014-6022. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1918473117. Epub 2020 Mar 2. PMID: 32123065; PMCID: PMC7084146.

Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, SPUN

Tree of Life Web Project, Eukaryotes (tolweb.org)

Fall 2021 Lights Out Pittsburgh Overview

by Jon Rice

Why Lights Out Pittsburgh?

Over the past eight years, scientists from Powdermill Nature Reserve have conducted research in Downtown Pittsburgh, working with the generous help of the public to determine where and when birds collide with windows and other building surfaces. During this time, we have determined what building parameters make the structures deadlier to birds. Meanwhile, at Powdermill Nature Reserve, research on avian perception of glass has identified and tested products that can deter birds from colliding with windows. Outside of these research efforts, one major factor related to window collisions demands more attention – light pollution.

Pittsburgh skyline at night with lights on.

As birds migrate at night, using the moon and stars to navigate, they can become disoriented by light pollution coming from the ground surface below them. The source is often large cities, but urban sprawl and suburban areas can be just as detrimental. Disoriented birds are drawn out of the sky into these areas, often ending their migratory flight for the night, when otherwise they would continue flying. It’s at this stage, when migrating birds are close to the ground and moving among buildings, that a large percentage of window collisions occur.

Dark Sky Ordinances and Lights Out Pittsburgh

Many cities around the world have begun developing dark sky ordinances to reduce light pollution for multiple reasons, including public health, improved potential for astronomical observations, and wildlife conservation. The City of Pittsburgh created such an ordinance in August of 2021. At the same time, Carnegie Museum of Natural History was approached by the National Aviary at Pittsburgh and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) with a proposal to start a local Lights Out initiative. A program modeled after existing ones in Philadelphia and several Ohio cities was developed with the input and aid of BOMA, whose participation ensured representation for the owners and managers of some of the city’s largest buildings.

Pittsburgh skyline with lights off during Lights Out Pittsburgh.

Skyscrapers aren’t the only buildings participating in the program. Residential homes, apartment buildings, and other low-rise buildings are also encouraged to participate in the Lights Out initiative. To participate, all one must do is turn out unnecessary external lights from midnight to 6:00 a.m. between March 15 and May 31, then again between September 1 and November 15. These weeks-long intervals are the peak spring and fall avian migration periods.

Fall 2021 Lights Out Results

In the first week of our Fall 2021 Lights Out campaign, 18 buildings signed up. Five were residential homes in the area, and 13 were large commercial buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh, including Point Park University, BNY Mellon Center and Client Service Center, and several PNC Downtown properties. Over the next month an additional 35 participants joined. In total, 73 buildings began participating in the fall migration period, and we are hopeful participation will grow in the upcoming spring season from March 15 to May 31.

To learn more about how you can get involved or participate in Lights Out Pittsburgh visit our website birdsafepgh.org or email us at birdsafepgh@gmail.com.

Jon Rice is the Urban Bird Conservation Coordinator at Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

“Mush-room” for Exploration

by Sara Klingensmith

Mushrooms are becoming popular! Visitors to Powdermill Nature Reserve often bring photos of colorful mushrooms in hopes of learning the identity of each. On nature hikes, the appearance of eccentric mushrooms such as viscid violet cort (Cortinarius iodes), stinky squid (Pseudocolus fusiformis), and some of the color-changing boletes (family Boletaceae) expand perspectives of what exists in nature. People are beginning to pay more attention to these understudied organisms and discovering that fungi do more than decompose. Fungi assist in many ecological processes such as symbiotic partnerships, carbon storage, primary colonization, and parasitism.

How Do We Know When and Where to Find Mushrooms?

Across this vast Kingdom of organisms, only some fungi deploy the charismatic spore-bearing structures we casually call mushrooms when certain environmental conditions are met. Scientifically speaking, these recognizable structures are termed macrofungi (visible sporocarps or fruitbodies). Among the various groupings of fungi, two produce macrofungi we are likely to notice during nature walks: Basidiomycota (external spore production or “club fungi”) and Ascomycota (internal spore production or “sac fungi”).

A mushroom is only the reproductive structure of a fungus. For many species, spores produced within hymenophores (reproductive structures such as gills or pores) are released through an active process called ballistospory. Wind, rain, and animals may help further spore dispersal. The bulk of a fungus lies in the root-like mycelial network within a nourishing substrate (its food). Leaf litter, soil, plants, scat, and even other fungi are all different types of substrates for fungi.

Determining when we will see the most mushrooms erupting from their substrates is challenging because there are multitudes of factors influencing fungal communities. Like many organisms, certain species will thrive better in certain habitats and elevations. Some fungi are tied to their host’s health, phenology, and life stage, which may also be influenced by forest management practices and climate change. Because fungi are fundamentally interwoven with their environment, these organisms undergo succession along with whole forest communities, and even on a single growth substrate.

four different mushrooms held in a hand — Examples of Basidiomycete mushrooms; left to right: coral-shaped fungi (probable families: Clavulinaceae and Gomphaceae), waxy cap (*Hygrocybe sp*.), viscid violet cort (*Cortinarius iodes*), and Eastern black trumpet (*Craterellus fallax*)

collage of three different mushrooms — Examples of Ascomycete mushrooms; top left: morel (*Morchella sp*.), bottom left: yellow fairy cups (*Calycina citrina*), and right: eyelash cups (*Scutellinia sp*.).

Through general observations, we have determined certain species have seasonal fruiting periods. Experienced foragers learn from experience when to search for morels, and we’ve likewise learned when to expect the fruiting of many other fungi species. Some fruitbodies are ephemeral, whereas others produce mushrooms that may persist on trees for years. While the presence of mycelium is generally linked to the appearance of mushrooms, some studies have observed an uncoupling of factors equating abundant mycelium with high sporocarp production. These findings apply particularly to fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plants—the ectomycorrhizal fungi (symbiotic macrofungi)! This fungal phenomenon has been observed in a few ectomycorrhizal species. For example, research that examined the relationship between mycelial and sporocarp abundance of Boletus edulis, also known as the king bolete, found no correlation between sporocarp production and distribution and the abundance of below-ground mycelium. This means some species of mycorrhizal fungi can appear abundant above ground, but lack a robust underground network expected to support such a high sporocarp population. Therefore, aboveground species richness may not reflect mycelial productivity for some species.

Current research suggests that soil moisture and temperature highly influence the appearance of mushrooms. For example, a dry spell may reduce sporocarp production by 50% in pine forests, yet the mycelial networks presumably continue their cryptic business below the soil surface. Research in the Mediterranean region suggests that precipitation is a limiting factor for sporocarp production for both mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi; however, more research is needed to examine these factors in different regions and habitats.

While fungi lack the mechanisms to use photosynthesis, light plays a role in growing mushrooms. Many fungi species show phototropic responses by growing towards light sources, with certain species failing to produce mushrooms in the absence of light.

While the appearance of mushrooms can be seasonal and highly variable, searching after a good rainy period might improve your chances of finding some fantastic fungi! Listed below are a handful of species found at Powdermill, along with simple charts of their seasonal observation trends obtained from iNaturalist, a free online site and app promoting community science. Thanks to participating community members, these graphs reflect observation frequencies across seasons in the state of Pennsylvania. The green line represents research grade observations, meaning more than two-thirds of the identifiers agree on the identification. The gray line represents verifiable observations that have yet to attain research grade status. Because observations are on-going, these graphs may change as more data accumulates.

purple jelly disk mushrooms and graph showing seasonality — Purple jellydisk (*Ascocoryne sarcoides*) – saprotrophic fungi that are typically found on decaying hardwoods.

violet webcap mushrooms and graph showing seasonality — Violet webcap (*Cortinarius violaceus*) – mycorrhizal fungi found in beech and oak forests.

honey mushrooms and graph showing seasonality — Honey mushroom (*Armillaria mellea*) – parasitic/saprotrophic fungi found in oak dominated forests.

birch polypore and graph showing seasonality — Birch polypore (*Fomitopsis betulina*) – parasitic/saprotrophic fungi commonly associated with birch trees.

Sara Klingensmith is an Environmental Educator and Naturalist at Powdermill Nature Reserve. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

Sources

Alday, J., Martínez de Aragón, J., de-Miguel, S. et al. Mushroom biomass and diversity are driven by different spatio-temporal scales along Mediterranean elevation gradients. Sci Rep 7, 45824 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45824

Binion, E. Denise, et al. Macrofungi Associated With Oaks of Eastern North America, West Virginia University Press, 2008.

Ekblad, A. et al. The production and turnover of extrametrical mycelium of ectomycorrhizal fungi in forest soils: role in carbon cycling. Plant Soil (2013) 366: 1-27.

De la Varga, Herminia & Águeda, Beatriz & Martínez-Peña, Fernando & Parladé, Javier & Pera, Joan. Quantification of extraradical soil mycelium and ectomycorrhizas of Boletus edulis in a Scots pine forest with variable sporocarp productivity. Mycorrhiza. 22. 59-68. (2011) 10.1007/s00572-011-0382-2.

De la Varga, H., Águeda, B., Martínez-Peña, F. et al. Quantification of extraradical soil mycelium and ectomycorrhizas of Boletus edulis in a Scots pine forest with variable sporocarp productivity. Mycorrhiza 22, 59–68 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-011-0382-2

De la Varga, H., Águeda, B., Ágreda, T. et al. Seasonal dynamics of Boletus edulis and Lactarius deliciosus extraradical mycelium in pine forests of central Spain. Mycorrhiza 23, 391–402 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-013-0481-3

Štursová M, Kohout P, Human ZR, Baldrian P. Production of Fungal Mycelia in a Temperate Coniferous Forest Shows Distinct Seasonal Patterns. Journal of Fungi. 2020; 6(4):190. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof6040190

iNatualist.org

MushroomExpert.com

Lodge, D. J. et al. Terrestrial and Lignicolous Macrofungi. 2004. 10.1016/B978-012509551-8/50011-8.

2021 Rector Christmas Bird Count Results

by Annie Lindsay

All week leading up to the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the weather forecast threatened heavy rain for December 18, 2021, but that did not deter a group of 34 dedicated birders from going outside and counting birds all day! In fact, after a touch of rain before dawn, the weather cleared, and the day was mostly cloudy, pleasant, and perfect for birding. And what a Christmas Bird Count it was! The birders, along with six people who counted birds visiting their feeders and yards, tallied 7,239 birds of 79 species, broke the high-count records for several species, and added two new species that had never been seen during the Rector CBC before!

ruffed grouse on a branch in winter — Ruffed Grouse, photo by Alex Busato. Pennsylvania’s state bird can be difficult to find due to its well-camouflaged plumage and declining population, but one posed nicely on Laurel Moutain during this year’s Christmas Bird Count.

Christmas Bird Count History

The CBC is an annual tradition that began on Christmas in 1900. Participants counted birds they saw or heard all day, a step away from previous bird censuses during which people used shotguns to collect and count birds. The original group of 27 birders tallying birds in 25 count circles has now become an international event, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, with nearly 3,000 count circles spread across the Western Hemisphere. The compilers for each count circle choose a date between December 14 and January 5, and participants tally every bird they encounter within a designated 15-mile diameter circle. With such a large geographic range and over 100 years of data, the CBC is one of the largest community science projects. The data gathered has been used to study population trends and over 200 peer-reviewed publications have used CBC data.

The Rector count circle is centered just northwest of Powdermill Nature Reserve. Its variety of habitat types along an elevational gradient is excellent for species diversity. Begun in 1974, the Rector count has consistently tallied more than 50 species every year, with the highest species counts of 88 in 2012 and 80 in 2009. This year’s total of 79 species was the third highest in this count’s history! Although there are core species, like chickadees and cardinals, that we expect to see every year, rarities occasionally pop up, and Rector counters have tallied 131 species since 1974.

2021 Rector Christmas Bird Count Numbers and Highlights

The 2021 count started at 4:30 a.m. with several birders searching for owls. Despite the drizzle, the owlers counted three Great Horned Owls, three Barred Owls, a surprise Northern Saw-whet Owl that was spotted in headlights as it flew across the road, and an incredible 17 Eastern Screech-Owls, a number that shattered the previous record of 11. Off to a great start, the owlers were joined by the bulk of the participants to survey their assigned sectors within the count circle, and there were many surprises in store.

two eastern screech owls held in hands — Eastern Screech-Owls, gray morph and red morph. Although not encountered as frequently due to their nocturnal habits, Eastern Screech-Owls are a common species in our area. CBCers shattered the previous high count record for this species during this year’s count, tallying a total of 17 individuals!

At the end of the day, counters met at Powdermill for the tally dinner to report what they’d seen and share stories from the field. As we tallied, we quickly noticed that we were setting new high-count records, or tying existing records, for many species, including Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Black Vulture, Eastern Screech-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl (tie), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Merlin (tie), Common Raven, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (tie), Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Yellow-rumped warbler, White-throated Sparrow, and Eastern Towhee.

The owls certainly set new records due to the increased effort to find them this year: screech owls are a common species in our area, and saw-whets, although quite difficult to find and usually not vocal at this time of year, are likely here in the appropriate habitat.

gray catbird — Gray Catbird. A species that winters from coastal Massachusetts through Central America, catbirds have popped up during the Rector Christmas Bird Count in the past. However, this year we tallied three catbirds, which is quite unusual.

We noticed an interesting trend in the species with high counts: most are species that tend to spend the winter a bit south of us, or if they are species that are expected during the Rector CBC, their winter range tends not to extend much farther north of us and we generally do not expect them in high numbers. We speculate that the combination of a late fall, mild temperatures through the end of 2021, and an abundance of berries may have contributed to some individuals of these shorter-distance migrants not migrating as far south as they usually do.

Our biggest surprises were two new species that had never been encountered during the Rector CBC before. The first was a Palm Warbler reported on a farm in Ligonier foraging with a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers on the edge of a cow pasture. Palm Warblers are seen annually in our area during migration, and we band several of them at Powdermill every year. Many Palm Warblers spend the winter in the southeastern US, but it is not expected in southwest Pennsylvania in the winter. The second species was a Surf Scoter spotted at Donegal Lake. Surf Scoters are a species of duck usually seen in the ocean along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in winter, or perhaps on the Great Lakes or human-made lakes if they’re forced down by bad weather during migration. This is a very unusual species for our area and an excellent find.

As we submit the Rector count’s data to Audubon and wrap up another CBC, we thank all of the participants and look forward to the 2022 count!

Annie Lindsay is the Bird Banding Program Manager at Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

60 Years, One Bird at a Time

by Mary Shidel, with special thanks to Pam Curtin, for her detailed history of the Powdermill Bird Banding Program

On June 18, 1961, a small brown bird with hints of blue on its wings and tail left its shrubby perch or perhaps its nest and flew into a soft nylon net. Little did this Indigo Bunting know that she would be the first data point in a long history of bird banding at the Powdermill Nature Reserve. Bob Leberman carefully extracted the bunting from the net, placed it in a bag for transport, then attached a small, almost weightless metal band to her leg, and collected data for age, sex, wing length and mass. Within minutes she was out flitting through the vegetation foraging for food. This same process has continued for 60 years, one bird at a time—capture, band, collect data, and release.

Powdermill Nature Reserve is the biological field station of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In 1961, Bob Leberman, who had experience banding birds in Erie and near his hometown of Meadville, Pennsylvania, was hired by the museum’s director, Dr. Graham Netting, to establish a banding program at the Nature Reserve. Over the first decade or so the program evolved as Bob experimented with net sizes and placement, and honed skills and techniques for ageing and sexing that are still widely used today. In September 1961, a large pond was constructed and christened “Crisp Pond” after the village that used to exist nearby, and in 1975 two smaller ponds were added with shallower habitat for wading birds.

white building with tall evergreen trees behind it

In the early days, Bob banded from mid-March to mid-November. It wasn’t until 1974, when a permanent residence was established at the reserve for him, that Bob became the first person in the country to band year-round. By 1970, as Bob’s research expanded, a nearby garage and service building were repurposed into a laboratory and office space for the Banding Program.

A 1967 publication of the Carnegie Museum notes that “one of the most valuable assets” of Powdermill Bird Banding is the “considerable effort made to keep data consistent and comparable.” This is still true sixty years later. Just as Bob did in the early days, nets are opened one half hour before sunrise and checked every forty minutes (or adjusted if necessary due to weather conditions). Nets are kept in the same exact location from year to year, and net lanes are trimmed frequently to keep the vegetation surrounding the nets in an early successional state rather than just letting the forest overtake the banding area.

Data consistency and integrity is also still paramount at the banding lab. Over the years, very few people have held the “bander in charge” position, and those collecting the data work closely to calibrate measurements and methods. Amazingly, of the 800,000 records now in the banding database, Bob Leberman, who retired in 2004, collected the data for almost half! In 1983, Bob Mulvihill, whose connection to the banding program began as a volunteer four years earlier, joined Bob Leberman as Powdermill’s second full-time bander. Through the efforts of both “Bobs” the program grew and expanded. In 2004, in a recognition of ongoing research projects beyond the scope of the bird banding program, the lab was renamed “Powdermill Avian research Center,” a name frequently abbreviated as PARC.

The number of people who have supported the banding program in small and great ways over the years is much too vast to name here, but the program could never have grown and flourished without the thousands of volunteer hours and strong support from the staff at both Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Powdermill Nature Reserve. Generous funding from private donors and foundations over the years has extended the influence of PARC both nationally and globally.

Today, PARC is under the direction of Lucas DeGroote, Avian Research Coordinator, with Annie Lindsay, Banding Program Manager, directing day-to-day operations at the Banding Lab. Countless avenues of research focus on finding new ways to help birds. Each banding day, Annie and her staff will be opening nets before sunrise, checking the nets every forty minutes, and safely collecting and measuring the birds, growing the database and avian knowledge, one bird at a time.

And so the tradition continues…

Mary Shidel is a Banding Assistant at Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center. Museum employees blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

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