2025 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

AUTHORS: Olivia LeDee, U.S. Geological Survey

ABSTRACT: Given their essential role to people and ecosystems, migratory birds have been the focus of monitoring and research even before the inception of scientific inquiry. As a well-studied resource with demonstrated responsiveness to weather and latitudinal diversity, migratory birds were also some of the first subjects in studies of the effects of climate change on fish and wildlife. In this presentation, I’ll briefly review the history of climate science related to migratory birds. I’ll then focus on advances in climate impacts and adaptation science in the last 15 years, focusing on what we have learned and applied to migratory bird management. I’ll conclude with a review of key knowledge gaps that merit attention from the science and management community to effectively manage migratory birds in an era of climate change.

AUTHORS:  Benjamin Zuckerberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Christine Ribic, University of Wisconsin-Madison

ABSTRACT:  Assessment of species' vulnerability to climate change has been limited by a mismatch between coarse macroclimate data and the fine scales at which species select habitat. Habitat is an important mediator of climate, and fine-scale habitat features may permit species to exploit favorable microclimates, but habitat preferences and life histories of species can also constrain their ability to do so. Few studies have examined how habitat selection and life history can interact to affect microclimatic exposure. We leveraged fine-resolution models of near-surface temperature and humidity in temperate grasslands to understand how microclimates affect climatic exposure and demographics in a declining grassland songbird community. We asked: 1) Do species select favorable nest-site microclimates? 2) Do habitat preferences limit the ability of species to access potentially favorable microclimates? 3) What are the demographic consequences of microclimatic exposure? We found limited evidence that grassland birds select beneficial cooler microclimates. Instead, many species appeared constrained by habitat preferences. While facultative generalists displayed flexibility to nest in denser vegetation that provided thermal buffering, most obligate species were associated with more exposed microclimates. Nesting success in facultative species was not well explained by microclimate variables, but success in specialized grassland obligates declined with elevated microclimate temperatures. These findings suggest that habitat specialists may be more vulnerable to future temperature extremes because of a limited ability to take advantage of favorable microclimates. More broadly, our work illustrates how microclimate and species life history can interact to influence the potential vulnerability of species to climate change.

AUTHORS:  Mohammed A. Al-Saffar, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT:  Breeding populations of many birds have been declining in the Midwest region for decades while climate is changing, and human population is increasing. The Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture aims to understand and address this condition while integrating objectives across bird groups, as well as human dimensions. To guide conservation actions under the current conditions, we generated decision support tools that focus on breeding and non-breeding habitats while integrating predictions for current human use and benefits from these landscapes (bird hunting and watching as well as other recreation activities and ecological goods and services). Although the JV lacked sufficient demographic and density data to develop population models for birds and predict species response to climate change, we developed spatial models to target current habitat objectives using species occurrence and land cover data, and we proposed further geospatial analysis to account for climate change. We provided a framework that is transparent, flexible, and ready to integrate biological and social objectives and add climate objectives, as needed, to increase the relevance of bird conservation to society now and in the future.

AUTHORS: Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., U.S. Geological Survey; Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Cherokee Nation System Solutions; Lori A. Randall, U.S. Geological Survey; Amanda Y. Crandall, Cherokee Nation System Solutions; R. Randy Wilson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jeffrey J. Buler, University of Delaware

ABSTRACT: Texas and Louisiana comprise a large and diverse landscape that supports billions of landbirds each migration season as they stopover to rest and refuel. The stopover habitats used by migrants are often in areas experiencing human population growth and are impacted by natural disturbances and climate change. Over the next several decades, climate change impacts (e.g., sea-level rise, extreme weather events, changes in temperature and precipitation) are expected to intensify, which may lead to habitat loss and, subsequently, loss of birds. Consequently, natural resource managers need information on how climate change indicators, such as sea-level rise and land cover change, influence stopover distributions in order to identify areas of conservation priority. We investigated predicted landbird response to climate change using historical weather surveillance radar (WSR) data and historical as well as predicted environmental variables. Our predictor variables included distance from the Gulf of Mexico and future estimates of temperature, precipitation, and several land cover variables. We used forecasted predictor variables for three future years (2030, 2060, and 2080) under two representative concentration pathways (RCP; 4.5 and 8.5). Using training data sampled from 15 WSRs across Texas and Louisiana from 13 years, we predicted estimated bird density using boosted regression tree models during spring and autumn migration for our response variable. For autumn, regardless of RCP and year, the highest estimated density of migrants was in the western Texas panhandle and the lowest density was within the Lower Rio Grande Valley. During spring migration, regardless of RCP and year, the highest densities of migrants are predicted to be in the Trans-Pecos Mountains and within the Lower Rio Grande Valley, whereas the lowest densities appear to be in the Texas panhandle as well as extreme eastern Louisiana and western extents of Texas.

AUTHORS: Abigail Derby Lewis, Field Museum; Doug Stotz, Field Museum

ABSTRACT: We will discuss impacts of climate change on migratory birds in urban landscapes, and share examples of actions that can be taken to help birds not only survive, but also thrive, in cities. Rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns and extreme climatic events impact migratory birds in a multitude of ways, including the ability for individuals to find food, shelter, and nesting sites. Additionally, many of the bird species in the habitat groups most vulnerable to climate change are frequent as passage migrants or breed in urban areas. As a result, migratory birds now face the challenges that have arisen due to urbanization– including heat island effects, green spaces dominated by non-native vegetation, small habitat patches, phenological shifts, greater exposure to extreme climatic events, light pollution and building collisions– in an environment compounded by climate change. As daunting as these challenges may be, there are coalitions of committed and highly engaged people across U.S. cities tackling these issues head on. Increasingly, there is a focus to identify opportunities where alignment can exist between community interests and urban bird conservation goals, allowing engagement with a wider cross-section of urban residents to take up actions that increase both environmental and human health. We will share examples of how seeking out diverse partnerships that center and uplift community needs can lead to greater conservation impact for people and nature.