Emma Smith | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Emma Smith
Title: Sky-Blue Princess: An Analysis of Cerulean Warblers and Whole Songbird Communities through Passive Acoustic Monitoring at Fern Valley Field Station
Major: Biology
Minor: Music
Advisor: Richard Lehtinen
Deforestation is a known problem when it comes to habitat loss. Still, by actively regenerating a forest, an entirely new habitat can be created which can become a crucial carbon sink and a host for biodiversity. While regenerating habitats have been extensively studied in terms of songbird communities, the Midwest appears to be understudied. Through the use of passive acoustic monitoring, the breeding bird community at Fern Valley Field Station near Big Prairie, Ohio was analyzed to determine the makeup of the breeding songbird communities in both the mature and regenerating forest. A special focus of the study was the Cerulean Warbler, which is a declining species, and has an established population at Fern Valley. The breeding bird communities showed significant differences from each other between the mature and regenerating forest. Cerulean Warblers were detected significantly more often in the mature forest, and there is potential for a hybrid between the Cerulean Warbler and the Northern Parula at Fern Valley. This study has shown that Fern Valley holds a diverse breeding bird community with species of conservation concern. Habitats like Fern Valley should be protected, and considered for conservation efforts. Further research is needed to confirm observations of the Worm-eating Warbler, Pine Warbler, and the Dark-eyed Junco during the breeding season and to evaluate for potential changes in breeding behavior in these species. Further research is also needed to confirm the existence of the potential hybrid.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
