Four-Year Comparative Analysis of Summer Avian Biodiversity at Two Sites in the New Jersey Meadowlands

Nalla Patricia Bagon

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: Hennings College of Science Mathematics and Technology

Major: BS.ENVIRSCI

Faculty Research Mentor: O'Connor, Cailin  

Abstract:

The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program facilitates a collaborative bird banding effort in North America during the breeding season to track population dynamics on a landscape scale over time. This project summarizes MAPS data from two bird banding sites in the New Jersey Meadowlands: Harrier Meadow, a tidal salt marsh, and nearby Erie Landfill, a capped landfill with midsuccessional vegetation. Both sites were historically mismanaged and are undergoing active recovery and rehabilitation from the impacts of metal pollution and hazardous waste contamination; both serve as habitat and sanctuary for a variety of native flora and fauna in a highly urbanized area. This study summarizes and compares banding records and biodiversity trends across these sites over four bird breeding seasons. Points of analysis include species richness, capture rates, age structures, sex ratios, and breeding productivity. Recapture trends will also be analyzed to determine which migratory birds return to these sites in subsequent breeding seasons.