We are moving to the a new address:
Please update your bookmarks and click on this link to continue to our site!
Notes from Previous Field Seasons:
Support for Satellite Transmissions
We're grateful to a donor via the Great Bustard Group for financial support which allows us to continue receiving data from transmitters attached to wild Great Bustards. Fees are incurred as data passes through the satellite network.
Sharing Research Findings
Over the winter months we have been sharing our research findings with the conservation community, at such venues as The Wildlife Society annual meeting, Student Conference on Conservation Science, MTI's Avian and Marine Tracking Conference, and Rutgers' Mongolian Ecological Research Symposium.
Bustards in Winter
Master's student U. Tovshin is embarking on an adventure to determine how many Great Bustards tough out the Mongolian winter - where average low temperatures are -30C (-22F), sometimes reaching -50C (-58F). Wishing him safe travels!
Bosoo Bustard Poached near Mining Site
Bosoo, one of the bustards whome we monitor via satellite telemetry, died on her migration south towards her wintering grounds. An investigation revealed that she had been poached near a mining site in south Gobi desert. Her transmitter was discarded not far from a road.
Nergui reaches her wintering grounds
Nergui, a female bustard we have been tracking since 2007, is the first of our tagged bustards to reach her wintering grounds in Central China this year. Temperatures at her wintering ground are currently 17 to 41°F (-6 to 5°C). Meanwhile, temperatures at her breeding grounds are -6 to 21°F (-21 to -6°C).
Editing on bustard documentary is complete
Editing of our documentary has been completed and DVDs with a 30-minute, Mongolian-language narration have been printed. We are now fundraising for distribution of the film. We would like to donate copies to all public schools in Mongolia, as well as arranging for airing of the documentary on public television.
Two new bustards join our team
We've custom-fit backpack transmitters for two new female bustards: Bosoo and Mendee. We're looking forward to observing them on their fall migration.
Two empty leks
Leks are traditional areas Great Bustards visit each spring to display, mate, and nest. This summer we were unable to locate lekking bustards at 2 of our 6 study locations. We are unsure whether bustards did not arrive to those sites this spring due to inclement weather, or whether those small populations have permanently disappeared. We have found high rates of mortality due to poaching among our tagged bustards.
It's a Wrap!
The end of July brings the end of this year's bustard field work and the filming of our bustard documentary. Natsag and Mimi will travel to join Olaf Jensen's climate change research group before heading back to the city.
Team member B. Dashnyam defends master's thesis!
B. Dashnyam, a team member since 2007, successfully defended his master's thesis on Great Bustard diet and habitat preferences. Join us in congratulating Dashnyam! Dashnyam is now employed at the Ornithology Lab of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. His research and graduate study was sponsored by the Central Asian Great Bustard project.
Career counseling session for rural youth
Our career counseling session for rural high school students was a hit, with over 60 students in attendance. Our team's master's students explained the college admissions process and factors to consider in choosing a major. The transition from a communist economic system in which students were channeled into fields of study, to a free market economy in which students select their own course of study has been confusing for many.
Biodiversity Day and School Outreach
We've launched this summer's series of programs for rural schoolchildren with a lesson by U. Tuvshin in honor of International Day for Biological Diversity, followed by a birdwatching trip.
Action! Documentary Filming Begins
This year we are partnering with D. Sumkhuu, director of the Scientific and Environmental Cinematographic Society of Mongolia to create a short documentary on bustards for Mongolian audiences. We hope that this film will inform and inspire audiences with imagery of this hard-to-observe species.
Bustard lek confirmed
On the road to our field site this summer, we were able to confirm the existence of a bustard lek (breeding site) we had long suspected to exist. We were elated to observe displaying males and three nesting females. However, two weeks later we were dismayed to hear that pesticides had been sprayed in the fields preferred by the bustards. Pesticides decrease the protein-rich insect food base essential to rapid growth of chicks, and trucks spraying pesticides sometimes crush eggs and flush mothers, making eggs and young vulerable to predators.
Toson bustard Predated
En route to our field site we have investigated the death of one of the bustards we have been tracking. Feathers and bones were scattered about the site of death at a migratory stopover. Interviews with local families report an increased number of foxes following the previous winter's dzud (winter weather disaster). Dzud cause mass casualties of livestock, upon which predators then feed.
Snow storm delays field season
A snow storm has closed roads leading out of the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, and delayed the start of our field season for a couple of days.
Songuul' - a Victim of the Wild Meat trade
Songuul', a bustard we have tracked for three years, died on her wintering grounds. An investigation located her transmitter, which had been discarded alongside a bowl and empty chemical vials. Local people spoke of "professionals" who visit the area to poison wild birds and sell the meat to "wild meats" restaurants.
New Radio Interview on Gazar Tenger Program
Nationally acclaimed radio host Shagdarsuren interviewed A. Kessler for updates on Great Bustard research in Mongolia. The interview will air on November 1, 13:45 on Mongolian Radio #1.
Fall Surveys Indicate Poor Nesting Success
Great Bustard chicks remain with their mothers for approximately a year. In the fall, they move with their mothers to spots where Great Bustards gather for migration. This autumn, as in previous autumns, our surveys revealed single adult females, but few females accompanied by large chicks. Reproductive rates for these Central Asian Great Bustard populations appear to be low.
B. Dashnyam finishes Masters Research
B. Dashnyam, a masters student supported by our project , has finished sample collection for his research on Great Bustard habitat and diet characteristics. He plans to analyze his data and defend his thesis this winter!
New Wing-Tagged Bustards
Our team is attaching wing tags to additional great bustards. These numbered tags allow us to monitor the movement patterns and mortality rates of individual birds. If you spot one of these birds, be sure to contact us!
Nest Failures
This fall our team re-located Nergüi and Songuul, from whom we had received transmissions indicating nesting behavior this spring. Unfortunately, neither was accompanied by a chick. Investigations revealed that a field in which Songuul nested was plowed while she was incubating the eggs. After losing this nest, she attempted to lay another set of eggs which were also lost. Great Bustards in Europe have very low reproductive rates, due to losses of eggs and chicks to farm machinery, predators (foxes, crows), and insufficient food supplies. It appears as though these may also be problems for Central Asian Great Bustards.
Investigation of Ulaana's Death
A colleague in China has traveled to the site of death of one of our bustards with transmitters (Ulaana). Unfortunately, the cause of death could not be determined because the field in which she died had been ploughed before money was available for the investigation to be undertaken. Understanding the causes of mortality these populations of Great Bustard experience is crucial to their conservation. Your financial support can help us to respond more rapidly when these events occur.
meet Sachokchin
Our team has attached a transmitter to a new Great Bustard, named Sachokchin. This female Great Bustard has two large chicks and has begun her migration southbound into China.
Microsatellite Work Begins
Collaborators at Willamette College have begun screening microsatellite loci (highly variable genetic markers) which were originally developed for European Great Bustards and Houbara Bustards for variation within our Asian subspecies of Great Bustard. Differences in microsatellite variation within and between populations can help us understand patterns of gene flow and the degree of genetic diversity in rsity in Central Asia.
2010 Outreach Programs with EcoClubs
During the fall 2010 field season, our team is continuing our popular series of outreach programs with Mongolian schoolchildren, in collaboration with D. Enhtuyaa and L. Chuluunchimeg. Programs so far have included a bird-watching hike, a chance to view Great Bustards in the wild, and lessons on ecology and bird identification techniques.
Presentation on Outreach Activities at SCB meeting
We presented our team's approach to community involvement in conservation research at the annual Society for Conservation Biology meeting. The presentation, prepared in collaboration with colleagues from the Taimen Conservation Fund, was well-received!
Disney Contributes towards Satellite Transmission Fees
We have received a donation from the Disney Conservation Fund towards ongoing satellite transmissions fees from transmitters attached to wild Great Bustards. These transmitters relay high-quality data about the birds' locations and activities, which are used to determine habitat use patterns and migration routes.
Our Bustards are Nesting!
We have received transmissions from two of our bustards, Nergüi and Songuul, indicating that they are now nesting. Great Bustards generally have a low reproductive rate, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that these two will successfully raise chicks this year!
"The big Dybowskii" Online Shop Opening!
Our team is opening a shop at CafePress: The Big Dybowskii, named after the scientific name of the Asian subspecies of Great Bustard: Otis tarda dybowskii. 20-30% of the cost of merchandise at this shop, emblazoned with an image of a Great Bustard chick created by Jessica Tew, will go towards the research and outreach activities of our team. if you are interested in helping to design additional logos!
Team Presentations at Intl Symposium on Conservation of Asian Great Bustards
B. Dashnyam and A. Kessler presented their research and recommendations for conservation of Asian Great Bustards at the International Symposium on Conservation of Asian Great Bustards in Beijing. International cooperation between Mongolia, China and Russia is important in securing the future of these populations of Great Bustard.
New Donation Received from Celestron!
Celestron Optics has again generously donated spotting scopes and binoculars to be used in our team's research and outreach activities. An increased number of scopes means that more children will be able to observe wary Great Bustards on our field trips!
Tsengel Died Due to Collision with Power Line
P. Carr, of Mandarin Film, has investigated the cause of death of Tsengel on her wintering grounds in China. The death was due to a collision with power lines. Because bustards are heavy birds which are not highly maneuverable in flight, such collisions are a common cause of mortality in the European part of this species' range. Through our transmitter and survey research, our team is working to determine the significance of this and other threats to Great Bustards in Asia.