2022 Kendeigh Grant Awardees
Dickcissel. Photo by Jeff Bryant.
Every year, CCAS offers grants in honor of S. Charles Kendeigh for ornithology research in Illinois. Thanks to the generosity of our donors who make these grants possible, this year we were able to raise the amount of each award from $1,000 to $2,000!
Congratulations to this year’s awardees: Seunguk Shin, Sarah Stewart, and Nicole Suckow! Learn more about their projects below.
If you want to help support ornithology research in Illinois, our annual Kendeigh Grant fundraiser, the Spring Bird-a-Thon, is coming up May 8 – 14! You can also donate anytime to the Kendeigh Grant fund. Thank you for your support and congrats again to our awardees!
2022 Awardees
Seunguk Shin
Ph.D. candidate
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Project Title –– A bird in hand: Exploring children’s value development through mist-netting experiences
“Childhood experiences related to nature are important precursors of environmental attitudes and behavior expressed in adolescence and adulthood,” explains Seunguk. “Therefore, providing children with opportunities to directly interact with nature is essential for promoting conservation behavior in broader future society.” Seunguk’s research will investigate “how a hands-on mist-netting experience with birds impacts children’s environmental values.” Specifically, the project will involve teaching children aged 6 to 12 about birds and providing them opportunities to handle and release wild-caught songbirds during Nature Day Camps at the Anita Purves Nature Center in Urbana during Summer 2022. Seunguk will conduct surveys with the children and expects that “children who participate in the mist-netting sessions [will] show greater increases in their environmental values and connection to nature, compared to the control group who are not involved in the sessions.” The awarded Kendeigh Grant will cover the cost of four mist nets, banding supplies and learning materials, and conference registration and travel to present the results at the International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) conference.
Sarah Stewart
Master of Science student
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Project Title –– Almost-Empty Nesters: Investigating the Post-fledging Ecology of Eastern Whip-poor-wills
The period of time between when a young songbird leaves its nest (fledges) and leaves the territory where it was hatched (disperses) is very risky. “Mortality rates are greatest directly after leaving the nest,” Sarah explains, and so “fledglings often need to use different habitats than those used by adults [to benefit from] greater physical cover from predators and the elements.” Little is known about the post-fledging ecology of the Eastern Whip-poor-will, a species that lays its eggs directly on the ground and cares for its young for up to three weeks after they fledge. The species is declining, and so Sarah will radio-tag whip-poor-will fledglings to better understand their survival rates and habitat use, to inform habitat conservation efforts. The Kendeigh Grant she received will cover the cost of nine radio transmitters and associated supplies.
Nicole Suckow
Master of Science student
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Project Title –– Grassland bird stopover habitat use and migratory behavior in Illinois
“The vast majority of Illinois’ grassland birds are migratory,” Nicole explains, “and this project aims to better our understanding of what constitutes…quality habitat [during migration] for these species throughout the state.” Nicole will investigate grassland birds’ habitat preferences, use automated radio telemetry to estimate how long migrating birds linger on stopover sites, and analyze poop samples to determine what birds are eating while fueling up for their migratory flights. The project spans 24 grassland sites across Illinois, and will focus on the habitat preferences and stopover behavior of 12 species, 11 of which are listed as Species in Greatest Conservation Need. The Kendeigh Grant Nicole received will cover the cost of 10 radio transmitters.