Meet Dawn Romaine Houston, a Ph.D. candidate at Texas State University, whose research explores migrating birds as they rest and refuel during their epic journeys. By studying bird health and habitat quality, Dawn’s work helps inform conservation strategies that support bird populations far beyond our region.
What is your research about?
Central Texas lies squarely in the center of a major migration corridor and is an important area for migratory birds to rest and refuel during the journey to their breeding grounds. I am investigating which environmental factors and habitats provide the best resting areas with the most food resources for songbirds, which is reflected in the birds’ health. If a songbird is in good physiological condition, you can determine that the bird is in good habitat; if a bird is in poor health, the stopover site is probably not providing enough food.
Why did you choose Shield Ranch as your research site?
Shield Ranch is not only beautiful, but also an ecological gem with pristine landscapes and diverse ecosystems native to the Texas Hill Country. It encapsulates all the habitats this region has to offer. Therefore, it is the perfect study site to compare stopover habitat quality.
How does your research help us better understand or protect the natural world?
Migration is the most dangerous period for a songbird. By identifying high-quality stopover habitats, we can direct conservation efforts toward these areas and facilitate their journey northward in the spring. Stopover site quality can have far-reaching effects on reproductive success, survivability of individuals, and even population dynamics of songbird species.
What does a typical day in the field look like for you?
To assess the health of the birds I’m studying, I take morphological measurements while the bird is in hand. I erect mist nets every morning at sunrise and constantly monitor the nets to extract them quickly when captured. There is nothing more exciting and humbling to hold these magnificent birds in your hands knowing they will fly hundreds if not thousands of miles during their migration northward.
What’s one thing you’ve learned that surprised you?
Unlike areas in the Southwest, upland sites in Central Texas are just as important as riparian areas. Although our uplands don’t look as lush as the riversides and creeks, the woodlands and shrubs in the savannahs and hillsides provide enough food resources to serve as important stopover sites, particularly in dry years with low rainfall. For birds flying through Central Texas, it’s all important habitat!
From left to right: Mist nets are erected during the morning and constantly monitored to extract birds quickly; photo by Dawn Romaine Houston. Nashville Warbler; photo by Dawn Romaine Houston. Dawn takes morphological measurements to assess a bird’s health; photo by Madison Darwish.
