What happens when research doesn’t go as planned?

That’s the question Biological Sciences PhD student Michelle Ross is navigating as she charts a new course for her urban wildlife research.

Earlier this spring, her team installed chickadee nest boxes at the Brock research farm and along Ontario Street in downtown St. Catharines, aiming to monitor the impact of both rural and urban environments on bird behaviour, specifically the black-capped chickadee.

Biological Sciences PhD student Michelle Ross (left) bands a black-capped chickadee at the Brock farm while Biological Sciences undergraduate students Ava Talarico (centre) and Natalie Bakker (right) observe and record data.

But while the Brock farm boxes welcomed their first residents at the end of June, the downtown boxes haven’t seen the same results.

“Chickadees and house wrens are not the best of the best urban adapters,” Ross says. “There is a chance that the house sparrows and European starlings, two urban-adapted species, have outcompeted our target birds in the downtown area.”

Despite the setback, Ross was pleasantly surprised at the public engagement during the downtown site installations.

“So many people stopped to thank us or ask questions. It was inspiring to see how much people cared,” she says.

With no nests in the urban boxes, Ross is shifting her research focus to investigate the urban stressor of noise pollution.

Taking advantage of the Brock farm’s location on Merrittville Highway, the team is now looking at how highway traffic noise affects bird communication.

As the project continues, she is eager to see how many birds may return next year.

“We’ve become a bit like proud mother geese,” she says. “So, we’re really looking forward to seeing our hard work pay off as the chicks grow and successfully leave the nest.”

Ross encourages the public to support local wildlife by planting native species and speaking up for conservation.

“Even small actions can have a big impact when it comes to protecting wildlife and making space for nature in our cities.”