Songbird Program

Studying birds throughout their lifecycle to inform decision-making and support conservation worldwide. BRI uses complementary methods from traditional surveys to the latest tracking technology and quantitative analyses.

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Director: Ed Jenkins, M.S.

Capabilities

Tracking

Understand bird behavior, habitat use, and migratory routes by attaching lightweight devices to track their movements. Options include radio transmitters, cellular tags, geolocators, and satellite tags, depending on the project goals and species.

Surveys

Understand bird abundance and distribution via surveys tailored to the taxa and habitat. Options include point counts and transects, playback surveys, and bioacoustic surveys using Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs).

Tissue Sampling

Understand bird health, diet, and exposure to a range of contaminants through non-lethal blood and feather sampling.
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Banding

Understand demography, phenology, vital rates, and other metrics through bird capture, mark, and recapture. Options range from targeted species-specific efforts to passive community-level approaches.

Quantitative Analysis

Understand bird demography, phenology, vital rates, movements, and habitat use patterns through the Quantitative Wildlife Ecology Research Lab.

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Projects and Products

Sampling Birds for Mercury
BRI has over 25 years of experience sampling birds for contaminants across the US and abroad, with a focus on the potent neurotoxin mercury. In 2024-2025 alone, BRI undertook sampling expeditions to the rainforests of Equatorial Guinea in collaboration with Biodiversity Initiative, the wetlands of Colombia with Humboldt Institute, the forests of Java with Nexus3, and the savannas of both Kenya and Tanzania with Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. This work contributes to the global picture of mercury exposure facing ecosystems and the people that live there.

River Point Bird Observatory
BRI founded River Point Bird Observatory in 2011 in Falmouth, Maine. The longest-running migration banding station in the state, it not only collects valuable data on migratory patterns, phenology, and vital rates of migrant and breeding species, but also provides a valuable training and research hub. Current projects include sampling for chemicals such as PFAS, deployment of radio tags to monitor movement of birds throughout the eastern seaboard and beyond, and tick collection for disease studies. RPBO is also dedicated to training the next generation of researchers.

Bird Community Dynamics in Africa

BRI monitors bird abundance and distribution at sites in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia to support soil carbon sequestration projects. Working closely with local experts and using a combination of point counts, acoustic monitoring, and taxa-specific surveys, BRI is building a detailed picture of bird communities in African rangelands. Abundance and distribution of key indicator species are expected to be positively impacted by changing livestock and fire management.

Targeted Bird Monitoring
BRI conducts specialized surveys targeting species of conservation and/or management concern across New England and beyond. Ongoing projects include a collaboration with the Navy involving surveys for Threatened and Endangered species in Maine including Bicknell’s Thrush, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Sedge Wren. Other projects with the Navy include bird banding throughout the breeding season at multiple MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) stations.

Maine Bird Atlas

The Maine Bird Atlas was a collaborative effort directed and funded by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute. With data collection and analysis complete, the Atlas now stands as a long-term scientific resource that will inform wildlife management, conservation planning, research, and public education for decades to come.


Songbird Program Staff