November On the Marsh
November, a chill in the air, the growing season has come to an end, so quickly it
seems. The summer has slipped away, many of the beautiful fall leaves are covering
the ground and life at Collins Marsh has shifted to a slower pace. Much of the fall
migration is complete and we await the arrival of migrants from the north that winter
here. Some of these include American tree sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, northern
shrikes and rough legged hawks. Every season has its own kind of beauty and we look
forward to the change with hope and anticipation of what will come next.
If you have ever been to Collins Marsh you have probably seen the tower behind
the nature center, maybe even climbed its many steps to have a broad view of the
marsh. It is an iconic structure, easily recognized from a distance because of its location
on a hill, high above the wetlands. The tower has been home to nesting osprey in
previous years and we hope to have them back in the future. Once again, the tower will
be put to good use but for a very different purpose.
Scientists across the world study the migration patterns of birds, bats and insects
including butterflies. But how do they get information on the movement of these
species? One of the ways that they can gather data is through the Motus system. The
tower at Collins Marsh is going to have a Motus receiver installed and become a part of
an international effort to track organisms throughout the world.
What is Motus? To clearly explain I am taking a quote from their website,
motus.org. “Motus is an international research community working together to study the
movement and behavior of birds, bats and insects. These animals carry miniaturized
tags that transmit information to stations placed across the landscape. This powerful
conservation tool transforms how we understand and protect biodiversity.”
Collins Marsh will be the site of a receiver that will pick up the signal from any
birds or animals that carry the specific kind of tag as they fly by or come near the tower.
This information will be relayed back to the scientists as part of the database that they
can use in their studies. While bird banding is also a useful tool, the nice thing about the
Motus research is that the live bird or animal “pings” it’s location as it flies past the
receptor enabling a very specific picture of its travels from station to station, across the
country or the world. It will be very interesting to see who passes by or stays near the
tower in every season.
Join us on Wednesday, November 19 th at 6:00 PM at the nature center for
a presentation about Birding at Collins Marsh by Bob Domagalski. He has a huge
knowledge base on the birds that occur here, patterns of the past and trends that seem
to be happening. He is also a local historian that continues to research the area. The
educational events held at Collins Marsh are free and everyone is welcome to attend.
Enjoy the vibrant landscape and the ever-changing beauty that each season brings.
CEI, the friends group of Collins Marsh welcomes new members any time of the year.
