The Ware River Nature Club’s Spring Conference will take place Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The guild of northeastern avian insectivores—birds that specialize in feeding on flying insects—includes Whip-poor-wills (picture below, courtesy of www.allaboutbirds.org), Common Nighthawks, Chimney Swifts, several species of swallows and flycatchers, and Purple Martins. Most of these species are experiencing dramatic population declines and range contraction. The plight of aerial insectivores is gaining increasing attention since the magnitude of the declines over the past 25 years has been alarming. This conference will address ecology, current status, and theories regarding population decline in several species. Some citizen science opportunities will be explored.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Kim Spiller, UMass ECO Graduate School—Overview: Aerial Insectivore Conservation Concerns

Pam Hunt, New Hampshire Audubon—The Whip-poor-will: Biology and Conservation of a Crepuscular Enigma

Marja Bakermans ,Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Andrew Vitz, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife—Migratory Connectivity of the Eastern Whip-poor-will

KEYNOTE: Margaret Rubega, University of Connecticut—The Disappearance of an Almost-Invisible Bird: The Mysterious Biology and Decline of the Chimney Swift

Mara Silver, Northeast Swallow Conservation—Conservation of Cliff and Barn Swallows, Two Species in Decline in the Northeast

Mary Keleher, Cape Cod Bird Club—Mary’s Mashpee Martins

Jessie Knowlton, Wheaton College—Threats and Coping Strategies of Neotropical Migrants on the Wintering Grounds: Examples from Southern Mexico

Hollie Sutherland, UMass ECO Graduate School—Using Trail and Web Cameras for Bird Study

$35 for WRNC members, $45 for nonmembers, lunch included. Contact warerivernatureclub@yahoo.com to register or for more information.