With more than 350 nesting pairs, Wilson’s plovers in Georgia are doing much better than 10 years ago, according to a survey led by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The survey in May and June found three times as many nesting pairs as in 2000. The increase for these shorebirds state-listed as rare in Georgia is credited mostly to improved habitat, according to wildlife biologist Tim Keyes of the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section.
Of 19 islands surveyed, Cumberland led with 106 nesting pairs, followed by St. Catherines and Ossabaw with 49 and 44 pairs, respectively. All accretional beach and dune areas considered potential nesting habitat, including terraced sand and wrack flats, embryonic and developed dune fields, and beach wash-over plumes not subjected to regular tidal flooding, were surveyed on foot.
“The high numbers of Wilson’s plover this year, coupled with observing many chicks at a number of locations, was an exciting find,” Keyes said. “Beach nesting birds face so many challenges, ranging from storms and high tides to avian and terrestrial predators and human and canine disturbances, it often seems remarkable that they ever successfully fledge young.”
Wilson’s plover is a medium-sized shorebird once numerous on south Atlantic and Gulf Coast beaches. Following declines, the species is now listed among high-priority animals in the Georgia Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides efforts statewide to conserve biological diversity.
Apart from counting nesting pairs of Wilson’s plovers, workers placed signs in areas of high nesting concentrations to warn beach-goers of the birds’ presence. When faced with close human approach, adult birds will flush off the nest and, using distraction displays, attempt to lure people away from the nest. If the birds are kept from the nest too long, the eggs may overheat or be eaten by gulls, crabs and other predators.
Keyes said survey participants included Jen Hilburn of the St. Catherines Island Foundation, Scott Coleman of Little St. Simons Island and several volunteers who also help monitor sea turtle nesting. The National Park Service on Cumberland and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also provided assistance.
Keyes thanked all who helped. “This survey would not have been possible without the full cooperation and at times participation of people working on all of Georgia’s barrier islands, and we are very grateful to them for their assistance.”
His goal is to repeat the survey every five years, depending on manpower.
This year’s census of Wilson’s plovers follows estimates of 107 nesting pairs in 2000, 360 in 1980 and 200-250 in 1986-1987.
The survey is an example of how buying a nongame license plate or donating to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund supports wildlife conservation. Contributions benefit the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in the state.
How can you help?
Donate online at www.georgiawildlife.com. Click “Donate to the Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund” and follow directions. The process is secure. Donations are tax-deductible.
Buy a license plate featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird, available for a $35 fee at tag offices, by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registrations and through online renewals (http://mvd.dor.ga.gov/tags).
Contribute through the Give Wildlife a Chance checkoff. Fill in an amount more than $1 on line 27 of the long state income tax form (Form 500) or line 10 of the short form (Form 500EZ). Contributions can be deducted from refunds or added to payments.
For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218). Call the Forsyth office or go to http://tern.homestead.com/ for details on The Environmental Resources Network. TERN is a nonprofit advocacy group for the Nongame Conservation Section.
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Showing posts with label shorebird. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shorebird. Show all posts
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, January 19, 2009
Project to Trap, Track Godwits Means Long Day at the Beach
Cannons firing, people running, adrenaline pumping: no, it is not war; it’s banding birds – marbled godwits, to be precise.
The marbled godwit is a large migratory shorebird that nests in the grasslands of the Plains states and central Canada, as well as in Alaska and, in small numbers, eastern Canada. Godwits winter on the West, Gulf and East coast, including in Georgia. The birds will stay here until late April or early May, with a few juveniles remaining throughout the summer.
The marbled godwit is in decline, at least in part due to habitat loss, and listed by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan as a high-priority species. Understanding the connections between winter habitats, nesting areas and migration stops for the various populations is vital to managing habitat for the species. The connections are also the focus of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project encompassing North America.
On this chilly December morning, a group headed by Brad Winn, coastal nongame program manager for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, has spent most of the last several hours setting a trap to capture and satellite-track these cinnamon-colored birds with the upturned bills.
As part of the continent-wide project, small transmitters attached to the godwits will help biologists determine where the birds migrate and nest, what their movements are throughout winter, and other general location data. The marbled godwit is listed as a high-priority species in the State Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy guiding Wildlife Resources and Georgia Department of Natural Resources efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The site is carefully chosen based on tide levels and bird sightings from the previous day. A trench is dug in the sand and the net laid. Two 4-by-6-inch blocks of wood with round metal pipes attached serve as cannons. They are filled with gunpowder and half buried in the sand after being attached to each side of the net with rebar. A wire attached to the fuses winds across the long stretch of beach to where the researchers are hiding … and waiting.
When it comes to catching birds, timing is everything.
After the trap is set, everyone sits back and waits. A variety of birds have begun to congregate in the target area, including American oystercatchers, long-billed curlews and, of course, marbled godwits. The hope is that as the tide comes in, the birds will move into the “net zone.”
Concentration and constant communication are crucial. Farther down the beach, Winn watches with a scope and radios. Chris Depkin, a wildlife biologist, is hiding in a different spot and holding the fuse.
“Not yet, just a little more,” says Winn, quietly urging the birds to move.
The window for capturing the birds is narrow. As the tide rises, they slowly move onto the sand bar and into the capture area. If the birds are not captured before the tide begins to recede, the chance will be lost, at least for today.
Sometimes they need a little help. Winn makes a call and two young men with a kayak soon come walking down the beach. Both have done this before and need little direction. Ben Morrison, a naturalist for Little St. Simons Island, pushes off and cautiously paddles towards the birds. The situation looks good, but anything can still go wrong.
If the birds become too wary, they will flush. If the kayak is too slow, the tide will come in and the birds will leave. Either outcome means everyone packs up and goes home for the day.
The kayak does its job. The birds scuttle almost imperceptibly to the right. Perfect.
What happens next seems like orchestrated chaos. Winn completes the countdown, the cannons are fired and then everyone is running toward the birds struggling in the net. Looks like a good catch.
Researchers work quickly to secure the trapped birds. Each is carefully removed and placed in plastic bins for carrying to the staging area where they will be measured, weighed, banded and examined. A few lucky birds will also receive the satellite transmitters.
When all have been sorted by species, the birds are secured under a large tarp, which shields them from the sun and helps them stay calm. Now the real work begins.
The team forms an assembly line of sorts to work faster. Winn and Depkin are in charge along with Scott Coleman, ecological manager from Little St. Simons Island. Starting with the godwits, they weigh each bird to determine if it is large enough to carry the 9.5-gram transmitter. They must weigh more than 300 grams to qualify. Two birds are selected.
The bird’s bills and a portion of their legs referred to as the tarsus are measured. Three feathers are plucked, two from the breast and one from the wing to be used for analysis. Tests that measure the ratio of stable isotopes can determine what the bird was feeding on when it grew the feather, giving researchers a more accurate picture of migration habits.
Wings are stretched to check for molting, which helps indicate the age of the bird, and then each leg receives both a metal band and a plastic band for identification. After a quick swab to test for avian influenza, volunteers photograph each bird and then finally it is released, its ordeal over.
The team works long into the evening, finishing as temperatures begin to drop into the 30s. The catch includes 11 marbled godwits and 44 American oystercatchers, a species listed as threatened in Georgia. Six of the oystercatchers and one godwit are re-captures, or birds previously banded. The re-captured oystercatchers include one from Virginia and one from North Carolina. The re-captured godwit had been banded in Georgia.
The Wildlife Resources Division has been banding marbled godwits and American oystercatchers since 2001. But researchers began the godwit transmitter project in Georgia last fall, thanks to a grant from The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, the nonprofit advocacy group for Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.
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The marbled godwit is a large migratory shorebird that nests in the grasslands of the Plains states and central Canada, as well as in Alaska and, in small numbers, eastern Canada. Godwits winter on the West, Gulf and East coast, including in Georgia. The birds will stay here until late April or early May, with a few juveniles remaining throughout the summer.
The marbled godwit is in decline, at least in part due to habitat loss, and listed by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan as a high-priority species. Understanding the connections between winter habitats, nesting areas and migration stops for the various populations is vital to managing habitat for the species. The connections are also the focus of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project encompassing North America.
On this chilly December morning, a group headed by Brad Winn, coastal nongame program manager for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, has spent most of the last several hours setting a trap to capture and satellite-track these cinnamon-colored birds with the upturned bills.
As part of the continent-wide project, small transmitters attached to the godwits will help biologists determine where the birds migrate and nest, what their movements are throughout winter, and other general location data. The marbled godwit is listed as a high-priority species in the State Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy guiding Wildlife Resources and Georgia Department of Natural Resources efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The site is carefully chosen based on tide levels and bird sightings from the previous day. A trench is dug in the sand and the net laid. Two 4-by-6-inch blocks of wood with round metal pipes attached serve as cannons. They are filled with gunpowder and half buried in the sand after being attached to each side of the net with rebar. A wire attached to the fuses winds across the long stretch of beach to where the researchers are hiding … and waiting.
When it comes to catching birds, timing is everything.
After the trap is set, everyone sits back and waits. A variety of birds have begun to congregate in the target area, including American oystercatchers, long-billed curlews and, of course, marbled godwits. The hope is that as the tide comes in, the birds will move into the “net zone.”
Concentration and constant communication are crucial. Farther down the beach, Winn watches with a scope and radios. Chris Depkin, a wildlife biologist, is hiding in a different spot and holding the fuse.
“Not yet, just a little more,” says Winn, quietly urging the birds to move.
The window for capturing the birds is narrow. As the tide rises, they slowly move onto the sand bar and into the capture area. If the birds are not captured before the tide begins to recede, the chance will be lost, at least for today.
Sometimes they need a little help. Winn makes a call and two young men with a kayak soon come walking down the beach. Both have done this before and need little direction. Ben Morrison, a naturalist for Little St. Simons Island, pushes off and cautiously paddles towards the birds. The situation looks good, but anything can still go wrong.
If the birds become too wary, they will flush. If the kayak is too slow, the tide will come in and the birds will leave. Either outcome means everyone packs up and goes home for the day.
The kayak does its job. The birds scuttle almost imperceptibly to the right. Perfect.
What happens next seems like orchestrated chaos. Winn completes the countdown, the cannons are fired and then everyone is running toward the birds struggling in the net. Looks like a good catch.
Researchers work quickly to secure the trapped birds. Each is carefully removed and placed in plastic bins for carrying to the staging area where they will be measured, weighed, banded and examined. A few lucky birds will also receive the satellite transmitters.
When all have been sorted by species, the birds are secured under a large tarp, which shields them from the sun and helps them stay calm. Now the real work begins.
The team forms an assembly line of sorts to work faster. Winn and Depkin are in charge along with Scott Coleman, ecological manager from Little St. Simons Island. Starting with the godwits, they weigh each bird to determine if it is large enough to carry the 9.5-gram transmitter. They must weigh more than 300 grams to qualify. Two birds are selected.
The bird’s bills and a portion of their legs referred to as the tarsus are measured. Three feathers are plucked, two from the breast and one from the wing to be used for analysis. Tests that measure the ratio of stable isotopes can determine what the bird was feeding on when it grew the feather, giving researchers a more accurate picture of migration habits.
Wings are stretched to check for molting, which helps indicate the age of the bird, and then each leg receives both a metal band and a plastic band for identification. After a quick swab to test for avian influenza, volunteers photograph each bird and then finally it is released, its ordeal over.
The team works long into the evening, finishing as temperatures begin to drop into the 30s. The catch includes 11 marbled godwits and 44 American oystercatchers, a species listed as threatened in Georgia. Six of the oystercatchers and one godwit are re-captures, or birds previously banded. The re-captured oystercatchers include one from Virginia and one from North Carolina. The re-captured godwit had been banded in Georgia.
The Wildlife Resources Division has been banding marbled godwits and American oystercatchers since 2001. But researchers began the godwit transmitter project in Georgia last fall, thanks to a grant from The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, the nonprofit advocacy group for Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.
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