Photo: Bryan Stokes

REPORTS, MAPS, AND DATA

SSRI Project Report Published as Spring 2021 RI Naturalist Special Issue 1

A report of SSRI research findings has been published as a special issue of the Rhode Island Naturalist. The paper is titled: Relationships of Nest-Site Selection and Nest Success of Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta) in Upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

A Developmental Guide to Aging Saltmarsh Sparrow Nestlings

Deirdre Robinson has prepared a photo guide to aid in determining the age of Saltmarsh Sparrow nestlings for our team to use in the field. We are making this available for download as a service to other researchers working with SALS.

Why is it helpful to determine the age of a SALS nestling?
The short answer is that it allows researchers to document the early development in the life history of this endangered species and correlate breeding success or failure with nestling age. Finding a nest with any combination of eggs and young allows us to retroactively determine when the nest was constructed and the first egg laid. This data informs us about potential changes in the breeding cycle over time as well as how the nesting cycle is impacted by flooding or depredation events.

2017/2018 Interim Results Report

This report provides a full review of our work through 2018 at Jacob's Pond Salt Marsh.