In this issue. Events & reminders. Events & Reminders FSA News 3. FSD Updates Ebb tidings. 9

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1 JUNE

2 In this issue Events & Reminders... 2 FSA News 3 Patagonian Red Knots make landfall in NE Florida Nesting enhancement for Brown Pelicans Practice safe birding FSD Updates Managing your routes These chicks are made for walking Ebb tidings. 9 The Wrack Line is the official e-newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). In addition to providing news and updates, the Wrack Line is a vehicle for partners across the state to share experiences, information, and ideas. Events & reminders Upcoming events: June 6 & 20 (2 p.m.): Presentation on Snowy Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation s Nature Center auditorium (3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, FL 33957). $5 per adult, kids & members free. June 14 15: Titusville Sea Turtle Festival. See for schedule and details. St. John s County: If you need shorebird monitoring experience, you are invited to accompany an FWC biologist on a field survey this June (Thursdays or Fridays, weekly). Contact Alex.Kropp@myfwc.com. Bird stewards needed statewide, especially in St. Johns and Lee counties. On-site training provided. See Bird Steward Programs for coordinator contact info. Reminders: June 10 16: Count window (Breeding Bird Protocol) Visit the Field Notes on the FSA website for newest events, updates, and opportunities to get involved. Do you have news to share? Submit content to: shorebird@myfwc.com Content editor: Naomi Avissar Cover design: Chris Burney Red Knots stop over in northeast Florida (Photo by Pat Leary) 2

3 FSA News Report and photos by Pat Leary, Fernandina Beach Patagonian Red Knots make landfall in NE Florida Spring is a critical nesting season for Florida s coastal birds, but it also the period when shorebirds wintering in South America return to North American breeding grounds. The champion migrants of this group are Red Knots, small shorebirds that depart from Tierra del Fuego and cross the entire Western Hemisphere to their high arctic breeding grounds. The first North American landfall for some knots is Ft. George Inlet in Duval County, FL. Since monitoring began in 2000, dozens of South American banded knots have been recorded in Ft. George Inlet and nearby Nassau Sound. Upon arrival, most migrants are emaciated, following 8 10 days of non-stop flight from Patagonia. Consequently, the NE Florida inlets provide critical forage as the knots recover and build reserves for their next jump north to Delaware Bay or straight through to the arctic. On May 5 th, a knot arrived here that was banded in winter of 2008 in Tierra Del Fuego, Chile, resighted in Ft. George Inlet in May 2009 and later at Mispillion Harbor, DE. A knot banded in San Antonio Oeste, Argentina on March 22, 2007 and recorded there on April 18 th of this year arrived on May 9 th. Another knot banded in Tierra del Fuego on January 28, 2007 and resighted there again on December 3, 2008 arrived on May 11 th. Yet another knot banded at Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego on November 16, 2005 arrived on May 15 th and remains in the region. Some unmarked knots are presumed to be South American migrants due to their appearance and close association with the banded birds. If you see a leg-banded or flagged Red Knot, please report to 3 These birds resight dates and locations offer insight into the species incredible journey across the hemisphere. Furthermore, they demonstrate the species critical dependence on widely separated rest stops across two continents. Knots that arrive in NE Florida immediately start foraging on Donax mollusk in the inlet shallows. During periods when Donax are scarce, the knots must push on until they find sufficient food to recover and continue their prodigious migration. In past years, some South American migrants have stopped in the same NE Florida inlets on their return south in mid- to late summer. Not all knots migrate to distant Tierra del Fuego, and one population winters on Florida s SW coast where they also depend on Donax to sustain them through the winter.

4 FSA News Story by Amy Raybuck and John Himes, FWC Northwest Region Nesting enhancement for Brown Pelicans Brown pelican populations suffered severe declines during the mid-1900s due to the detrimental effects of the insecticide DDT on their eggs. However, populations have rebounded since DDT was banned in Today, the main threats to brown pelicans are habitat degradation of coastal wetlands and beaches, sea level rise, and pollution. Currently, the brown pelican is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) lists it as a Species of Special Concern. Since 1982, dozens of brown pelicans have been nesting on Audubon Island, a small spoil island in St. Andrews Bay near the Panama City Port Authority. In fact, Audubon Island is one of only four nesting sites for brown pelicans in the Florida Panhandle, and the westernmost nesting site in Florida. Pelican nests consist of a shallow depression on the ground built from grass, reeds, and sticks. They typically contain 2-3 eggs. A few pictures of this project are shown on the next page (courtesy of Amy Raybuck and Neil Lamb). For more photos, check out FWC s Flickr page. Over the past two decades, various storms have removed much of the vegetation on Audubon Island, thereby reducing available nesting material. In response, the FWC began supplementing nesting material for brown pelicans on the island in the early 1990s. Each year, a team of volunteers haul hardwood tree limbs and branches to the island early in the nesting season (March-April). The pelicans use the material to build nests on the island and surrounding areas. In previous years, the pelicans have even been observed grabbing the branches as they were being unloaded from the boat! FWC s northwest regional staff has been leading this effort, with assistance from FWC Law Enforcement and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Special thanks to Gulf Coast Tree Specialists for providing the nesting material and for the volunteers who so willingly gave their time. 4

5 Story on previous page 5

6 FSA News Always remember: SAFETY FIRST when you monitor, post, steward, and chickcheck. Practice safe birding When participating in Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) activities such as monitoring, posting, and stewarding, be sure to keep the following safety tips in mind: Stay hydrated: Sun and heat exposure can be dangerous if you don t drink enough water. Bring enough water (and snacks) with you to last the entire time you plan to be outside. Wear sun protection: To prevent sunburn, sunscreen is always a good idea, as are wide-brimmed hats, UV-blocking sunglasses, and long-sleeved (lightweight) clothing. Check out the EPA s sun safety tips at: Post safely: When using augers or post-hole diggers to stake off a shorebird nesting area, familiarize yourself with the operation of those tools, be sure to wear close-toed shoes, and never lift heavy objects using your back. When surveying by vehicle or boat: Follow all rules of the road or the water, and be careful while you drive. If you re out on the water, wear your PFD and always have a float plan (let someone know where you re going and when you should be back), and carry a cell phone with you for emergencies. Avoid going out in adverse weather conditions. At rooftop sites: Unless you are part of a special project, do NOT go up on roofs to check for nesting birds. Flush counts can easily be conducted from the ground. Please be especially careful in parking lots make sure you are visible to drivers and that you are aware of your surroundings as you count birds overhead. It s always good protocol to introduce yourself to the property owners or managers, so they know why you are there. Avoid jerks: This is a biggie for bird stewards. Most people are simply unaware of shorebird conservation issues and respond well to outreach. However, if someone becomes confrontational or hostile, don t engage. Step back and call law enforcement for assistance. 6 We value your safety and hope to retain your help for many happy seasons! So if you have any concerns about your safety while participating in FSA activities, please go to your affiliated organization or contact shorebird@myfwc.com.

7 FSD Updates For more tips, check out the FAQs on the HELP tab at Managing your routes The Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) is finally up and running! You may notice that your routes from last year were automatically loaded to your MyData page. Along with those, any nest sites (solitary or colonial) near those routes will also be imported into your profile, even if you did not collect the data (this will be automated soon, but in the meantime, we load them each month before the count windows). You can easily clear sites and routes you are no longer monitoring from your profile. Here s how: From the MyData tab, click to View/Edit the route. On the View My Route page, click the Remove from My Data button (circled below). An Alert message pops up asking you why you want to remove the route. Select your reason (e.g., Not Visiting Route). If the route is wrong or outdated and should be deleted from the database, check Yes to alert administrator. Then click Yes, Remove Route and you re done! 7

8 FSD Updates More interesting results from the FSD data report (coming soon)... These chicks are made for walking And that s just what they ll do, we found, when looking at the data from the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD). Young shorebirds will often follow their parents to foraging areas away from the nests, and we wanted to know how far these flightless chicks have traveled in the past two years. So for every roving chick observation reported in the database where the natal nest was known, we calculated the distance between the chick s location and the original nest location. What we found was that these solitary shorebird chicks can move far, sometimes in short periods of time! The table below shows that American Oystercatcher, Snowy Plover, and Wilson s Plover chicks were found an average of 0.04, 0.37, and 0.12 miles away from their nests, respectively. One Snowy Plover chick walked 3.5 miles away from where it hatched! Flight-capable chicks moved even farther than that. These findings support earlier research which found that Snowy Plover young often cover distances over 3 miles (Pruner and Johnson 2010). Pruner, R. A., and S. A. Johnson Ecology and conservation of snowy plovers in the Florida panhandle. Final report to the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Work Order Table by Jeanne Baker, FWC Observers listed a natal nest when the chicks or parents were banded, or they were otherwise confident that the chicks came from a particular nest (due to chicks age, isolation of the nest, etc.). It is important for land managers to be aware that chicks may roam far from the nest after they hatch. Monitoring the chicks closely allows managers to know which areas should be protected during the weeks between hatching and fledging. Species Statistic Distance (miles) American Average 0.04 Oystercatcher Max 0.41 (n=73) Median 0.02 Snowy Plover (n=357) Wilson's Plover (n=199) Average 0.37 Max 3.5 Median 0.14 Average 0.12 Max 1.64 Median 0.04

9 Love it? Love it knot? Share your thoughts and photos with us or join our Facebook group! ebb tidings End notes from the editor: ~ ~ ~ This is an exciting time of year! Shorebird chicks are hatching, and our partners are busy protecting them by posting sites and volunteering as Bird Stewards. These folks make the difference between life and death for these chicks, especially when crowds flock to the beaches on holiday weekends like Memorial Day. We can t thank them enough! Just hatched! One of nine freshly hatched Snowy Plover St. Joseph State Park (Photo by Raya Pruner) This is also a great time of year to see migrating shorebirds, as Florida hosts huge numbers of migrants on the way to their breeding grounds (see story on page 3). In monitoring news, the Florida Shorebird Database is finally up and running for the 2013 breeding season! We apologize for the late start, and hope that the updates and new features were worth the wait. Have a great summer! Naomi Ghost plover! A rare, all-white (leucistic) Piping Plover was seen Cumberland Island, GA (Photo by Pat Leary) 9

10 g The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a statewide partnership of entities, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to help identify and address 10 important research, management, education, outreach, and public policy needs.