There are many resources you can access to expand your knowledge of the species in your area, but few are more accessible than those on your phone. As citizen science continues to expand with the help of technology, apps are being developed with the sole purpose of helping amateur naturalists and landowners identify and better understand the plants and animals on their property.
If a prairie chicken clucks in the prairie and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Thanks to the innovative survey techniques deployed by the NRI research team of Dr. Brian Pierce, Frank Cartaya and Sarah Turner, we finally have our answer. Travel to eastern New Mexico with us in this week's blog as we track the team's progress while they conduct surveys using acoustic technology, which is 50 times more efficient than traditional methods for detecting the occurrence of the formerly ESA-listed Lesser Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicintus) on Melrose Air Force Range. This is what raising the bar for the standards of proactive wildlife management looks like.
Brown-headed cowbirds are obligate brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other songbirds instead of building their own. Learn about trapping efforts to control this species in our Map of the Month and accompanying article.
