Jorge Mendoza, senior in biology, knows a thing or two about birds. He spent 10 weeks last summer studying the Upland Sandpiper and Common Nighthawk bird species on the Konza Prairie.
Mendoza was able to do his work through Research Experiences for Undergraduates, a program designed to fund projects for undergraduates interested in ecology and evolutionary biology. Mendoza said he has always been interested in nature for its diversity, but feels particularly drawn to bird species because of “their behavior, coloration, parenting and of course, their origin.”
The Upland Sandpiper, considered the “shorebird of the prairie,” is around eight inches in length with brown and white feathers. Though abundant in the Midwest, Mendoza said their numbers are threatened in the New England states. The birds spend the summer mating primarily in the eastern half of North America and migrate south for winter in South America.
Mendoza’s work included taking blood samples and attaching small tracking devices in order to monitor the dwindling species via radio telemetry.
“This tracking device emits a radio frequency that can be used to relocate a bird, which is vital to discovering nesting spots that would make it easier to find and track the rest of the population, as well as examine the nesting habits of the bird,” he said.
Upland Sandpipers are generally secretive birds, which Mendoza said makes telemetry an even more important practice in locating them on the prairie.
Mendoza didn’t work alone, though. Rebecca Lohnes, a graduate student from Cornell University, came to the Konza to study breeding habits of the Common Nighthawk. She said she wanted to learn their habits to get a better idea of how big of an area they need to thrive, or their home range.
“Common Nighthawks are declining across their range,” Lohnes said, “and so it’s important to have places like the Konza Prairie where they are still abundant and where we can study them relatively easily.”
Mendoza also worked with Brett Sandercock, associate professor of biology.
Sandercock described the Upland Sandpiper and Common Nighthawk as “charismatic birds” whose successful breeding indicate the health of the local ecosystem. Sandercock said his research with Mendoza and Lohnes will help biologists obtain a “better idea of predicting population dynamics” on the Konza. As insectivores, a large population of birds indicates a healthy population of insects.
The knowledge from this research can be used to further conservation efforts on the Konza and preserve the natural wildlife. Mendoza said he hopes the project continues, as it would increase the population of these birds on the Konza Prairie and be quite rewarding.
Mendoza is a part of the Developing Scholars Program, a program for historically underrepresented college students that fosters research projects with faculty advisers.
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