Nightjar Monitoring

About the Motus antenna fundraiser

Maine’s Eastern Whip-poor-wills and Common Nighthawks have undergone significant declines in recent years and MNHO is partnering with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Biodiversity Research Institute to try to figure out why and what can be done.

One important part of this project is tagging Whip-poor-wills with lightweight radio tags that are then detected by Motus antennas (an international wildlife tracking network) all along the eastern seaboard.

In ideal conditions, our tagged Whip-poor-wills need to be within 12 miles of a Motus antenna to be detected, which makes it imperative that antennas are installed strategically to cover our study sites.

Your gift will make it possible to install this antenna before the return of our tagged Whip-poor-wills this spring so we can accurately track their migration movements.

The materials needed for this antenna cost $6,000, but once it is installed, it will remain active for many years and collect data not just on Maine nightjars, but on any radio-tagged species that comes through the area adding to the global knowledge base about the migration paths of nightjars, owls, bats, dragonflies, and many more.

Please send a gift by the end of November to help purchase the equipment needed to install this Motus antenna!

This Motus antenna will:

• Gather vital information on the arrival and departure timings of our nightjars.
• Gather information that will be used by MDIFW and other land managers to inform management actions in areas where nightjars breed.
• Be a valuable addition to the Motus network as a whole, benefiting all projects using the network within the region. Learn more at www.motus.org
• Minimize impact on species and habitats by running on solar energy.
• Generate data that MNHO will use to develop resources for landowners seeking to manage or enhance their properties to support Maine’s nightjars.

About the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project

The Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project was launched in 2017 to monitor Maine’s two Nightjar species: the Eastern Whip-poor-will and the Common Nighthawk. Both of these species are experiencing significant declines throughout their breeding ranges and anecdotal reports have also indicated declines here in Maine.

Each year, volunteers conduct surveys along routes through nightjar habitat. Surveys are conducted at dusk and again on moonlit nights. In addition to nightjars, volunteers collect observations of owls, thrushes, and other crepuscular (twilight) and nocturnal birds.  The data from this project will be used to inform the management of these species here in Maine.

Tracking the Migration Route of Maine Whip-poor-wills

Maine’s aerial insectivores (swallows, whip-poor-wills, nighthawks, and more) are in trouble. Although many of us grew up hearing Eastern Whip-poor-wills calling in meadows and blueberry barrens, their population has declined 69% in Eastern North America since 1970. Very little is known about the ecology of whip-poor-wills in Maine and the factors causing their decline. As Maine adjusts to a changing climate, it is vitally important that biologists and policymakers have access to baseline data on Maine whip-poor-wills so they know how to protect them in the future.

To address this need, the Observatory is expanding its Maine Nightjar Monitoring project to:

1. Identify threats to the breeding success of whip-poor-wills and assess changes in habitat.
2. Conduct DNA barcoding of fecal samples to see what Maine whip-poor-wills are eating.
3. Track the migratory path of Maine whip-poor-wills using state-of-the-art, solar-powered NanoTags attached to the bird like a backpack.

Check out the project’s Motus site to see which antennas
have detected our whip-poor-wills so far

Why Eastern Whip-poor-wills?

The rate of decline in Maine whip-poor-wills is currently unknown although anecdotal evidence suggests that their decline is significant. The cause of this decline is also unknown although predation on breeding grounds, declining insect populations, and challenges in migration are all suspected.