BCNWR: New Research into the Wintering Locations of the Golden-cheeked Warblers

Wildlife biologist Scott Rowin will give an overview of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (BCNWR) on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at the AgriLife Extension Service in Burnet. He will present the latest research findings about the migration and over-wintering locations of the golden-cheeked warbler.

How do scientists find out where bird species migrate? One important step is color-banding individual birds. Another is the use of tiny geolocators attached to the birds. The devices track and record the birds’ movements by latitude and longitude. Once the birds return to Central Texas the geolocators are retrieved by capturing the birds, and the data are analyzed. Third, bird sightings by citizen scientists and data on apps like eBird and iNaturalist play an important supplementary role in this research.

Mr. Rowin will talk about the importance of this research. Specifically, it is impossible to protect wintering grounds of these imperiled birds without knowing where they over-winter and whether they are returning to the same wintering locations each year. Efforts to protect breeding grounds and habitats are, of necessity, coordinated by agencies at the local, state and federal levels of government.

Mr. Rowan has over 20 years of experience as a wildlife biologist, and currently serves as the Refuge Biologist for the BCNWR.

Doors to the meeting will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time. A brief business meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. and Mr. Rowin’s presentation will follow immediately.