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MARCH 2016
2016 Breeding Season Guide
Events & reminders
• Upcoming events:
March 2 (8 am – noon): Wings Over Florida winterbirds hike @ Ft. Clinch State Park, led by FWC’s AndyWraithmell and Whitney Gray. Cost: $10 donation toWildlife Foundation of FL + park fee. Register here.
March 5 (9 am – 4 pm): Sea Turtle Day Festival @Gumbo Limbo Nature Center: http://gumbolimbo.org.
• Monitoring training & dates:
March 1: Data deadline for Winter Shorebird Survey.
March 8 (12–1 pm): FSD Webinar for new surveyors.Learn the basics of the Breeding Bird Protocol andhow to enter surveys in the database (see page 6).
March 9 (12–1 pm): FSD Webinar for returningsurveyors. This refresher includes 2016 updates to theprotocol and database (see page 6).
March 10 (12–1 pm): FSD Webinar for rooftopmonitors. Learn the basics of monitoring seabirds andshorebirds on rooftops (see page 6).
March 18–24: 1st count window of the Breeding BirdProtocol.
• FSA Partnership meetings:
Mar. 1 (1–4 p.m.): Volusia Partnership @ Beach SafetyHeadquarters, 515 S. Atlantic Ave. Daytona Beach (3rd
floor training room). Contact [email protected].
Mar. 3 (1–3 p.m.): Suncoast Partnership @ EckerdCollege, St. Pete. Contact: [email protected].
Visit our Field Notes at www.FLShorebirdAlliance.org fornew announcements, updates, and opportunities…
In this issue
Events & reminders ………. 2
FSA news ……………….…….. 3
• Pre-season planning checklist
• Posting nest sites
• Bird stewarding and outreach
• Breeding bird surveys and training
• Rooftop monitoring and outreach
FSD updates ………………….. 8
• Spring cleaning checklist
Ebb tidings ..….....………..… 9
Do you have news to share? Write us at: [email protected].
Editor: Naomi Avissar
Cover design: Chris Burney
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The Wrack Line is the e-newsletter of theFlorida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). It deliversshorebird and seabird news, and provides avehicle for partners across the state toshare experiences, information, and ideas.
Do you have news to share? Write us at: [email protected].
The Wrack Line is the e-newsletter of theFlorida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). It deliversshorebird and seabird news, and provides avehicle for partners across the state toshare experiences, information, and ideas.
Do you have news to share? Write us at: [email protected].
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Pre-season planning checklist
Below is a checklist to help prepare for shorebird conservationand monitoring this season. Your local partnership is organizingmany of these activities, so please coordinate with them. Thebest way to do that is to attend a partnership meeting (seeschedule online). If you can’t attend the meeting but would liketo get involved, please contact [email protected].
Be a mentor, or team up with one. Does your partnershiphave new members? If so, encourage them to join a localbird steward program or bring them along on a monitoringsurvey. If you’re a new member, check with your partnershipfor training or mentoring opportunities.
Get posting supplies. Do you have the posting supplies youneed to cover your areas? Let your FWC regional biologistsknow if you need signs (see our sign selection).
Get outreach materials. Ditto for posters, brochures, etc.(see selection). Your FWC region may have these in stock.
Prepare for route surveys. If you have an assigned route, willyou be able to survey it during all 6 count windows? If not,please find someone to fill in for you (or contact us for help).Remember to coordinate survey plans with your localpartnership and register for a webinar (see page 6).
Prepare for roof checks. Review our list of Historic Rooftops.Can you help monitor any of these? (No roof climbingnecessary). Coordinate with your partnership or contact us.Please let us know if any of these roofs is no longer suitablefor nesting (building was torn down or re-roofed).
Are you ready for another nesting season? Here is a checklist to help you prepare…
Right: A nesting American Oystercatcher (Photo by Jean Hall).
FSA guide
The FSA website has instructions for posting nest sites and a large selection of signs.
Right: Guidelines for posting nest sites (available online).
Posting nest sites
“Posting” means to install a symbolic fence of signs and twine orrope around a nest or colony. Posting is often the best tool todefend beach-nesting birds against human disturbance onpopular beaches and islands. “Pre-posting” a section of thebeach to give the birds an undisturbed place to initiate nestingis also a great tool, especially if you want to attract birds to aprotected spot before they establish nests.
If you find a shorebird nest or seabird colony that has not yetbeen posted, please notify the local land manager or your FWCregional biologists immediately so that it can be protected.Parks usually have their own preferred signs and postingmaterials, but if not (or if the nest is on private property),supplies and assistance can be requested by contacting yourFWC regional biologists. Check out our sign selection online –many can be printed off and laminated (just remember toobtain landowner’s permission to post on private property).
Posting instructions are also available on the FSA website:http://flshorebirdalliance.org/media/10046/FSAPostingGuidelines_Dec20121.pdf
FSA guide
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Above: Audubon’s BirdSteward manual is available online.
Right: Bird Stewards provide information to beachgoers on beach-nesting birds (Photo by Beth Forys).
Bird stewarding and outreach
Summer weekends and holidays can be disastrous for nestingshorebirds and seabirds since the level of disturbance frompeople, pets, and vehicles is often higher than usual. In thesesituations, signs posted around the nests may not be enough tofully protect the sites. This is where bird stewards come in.
Bird stewards carry out two important tasks while out on thebeaches: they minimize disturbance to the nests by guardingposted areas, and educate others about beach-nesting birds.
We never know exactly where and when bird stewards will beneeded until the birds have started nesting. After the nests andcolonies are located, bird stewards begin their watches.
To volunteer as a bird steward this season, please check thismap to see if there is a steward program near you. If so, pleasecall or email the program contact. If not, Audubon Florida’s BirdSteward Manual has guidelines on how to start a program. TheFSA website also has ideas for recruiting and retainingvolunteers and several reference materials for stewards.
In addition to stewards, land managers and private citizens canalso do a lot to educate others about beach-nesting birds. Wehave outreach materials to help you get the message out tobeach drivers, photographers, and pedestrians on the beach.Please see the FSA website for our selection of outreachmaterials.
FSA guide
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The FSD website has all the info you need to join our monitoring program.
Online training webinars are also scheduled this month (please register by March 7th).
Right: Survey protocol for monitoring breeding birds (available on FSD website).
Breeding bird surveys and training
Florida’s official shorebird monitoring program begins thismonth, with the first count window starting on March 18th.
Everything you need to know to participate in this monitoringprogram can be found on the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD)website: www.FLShorebirdDatabase.org.
The website’s INSTRUCTIONS tab details what the monitoringprogram involves. The RESOURCES page contains videos on dataentry and the updated Breeding Bird Protocol, which explainsthe monitoring process and includes data sheets.
All volunteers are encouraged to sign up for a training webinar.The March 8th webinar is for new volunteers who plan to surveya specific route (usually along the beach). The March 9th
webinar for returning volunteers is a brief refresher on how tosurvey routes and includes 2016 updates. The March 10th
webinar is for volunteers who plan to monitor rooftops. Toregister for a webinar, email [email protected] March 7th. All webinars will be from noon to 1 P.M. (Easterntime).
FSA guide
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Here is a complete list of resources available to help you with rooftop monitoring, outreach, and chick-checking.
Above: This sign can be printed from the FSA website and given to building owners who wish to post information on the birds at their locations.
Rooftop monitoring and outreach
Many seabirds and shorebirds nest on gravel rooftops in Florida,so rooftop monitoring and outreach are important componentsof our work. There are hundreds of rooftops throughout thestate where seabirds have historically nested, and we need yourhelp monitoring them. If you are willing to check on a rooftopnear you, we have resources designed to help you.
To get started, please see our list of Historic Rooftops. If therooftop is still suitable for nesting (the roof is still gravel), itshould be checked at least once during each count window thisseason. Full rooftop monitoring instructions and data sheets canbe found on pages 12-14 of the Breeding Bird Protocol.
If a historic rooftop is no longer suitable for nesting (the buildingwas torn down or re-roofed), please let us know [email protected].
If you see shorebirds or seabirds flying to or from a rooftop, thebirds are likely nesting on that roof. It is important to talk to theproperty owners or managers, to help make them aware of theprotected species nesting on their roof. The building’s residentsor employees can alert you if there are falling chicks or otherissues, so it’s important to talk to them early in the season andleave a phone number they can call. We have signs, letters,postcards, and other Rooftop Resources to help you with thisoutreach.
At rooftops where birds nest every year, there may be thingsyou can do to prepare for the upcoming season. First, pleaseremind the property owner to schedule rooftop repairs or airconditioning maintenance this month before the birds arrive.Some partnerships are also “chick-proofing” rooftops, so pleasecontact your local partnership to see if they need help.
If you see chicks falling off the roof, they should be returned tothe rooftop as soon as possible. Please consult the Chick-Checking Manual for further instructions.
FSA guide
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FSD updatesSome housekeeping tips for your Florida Shorebird Database account…
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Spring cleaning checklist
Before you enter your breeding data this season, you may want todo a little spring cleaning of your Florida Shorebird Database (FSD)account.
If you plan to monitor shorebirds and seabirds this season butyou don’t have an FSD account yet, please create one atwww.FLShorebirdDatabase.org (click on New User? Getregistered).
If you have an account, make sure that you can still log in. Ifyour password doesn’t work, you can reset it by clicking on the“Forgot Password” link. Please contact us if there’s anyproblem- DO NOT create a new account.
Once you are logged in, check your Account Info (top right ofscreen). Is your contact information up to date? Do you havethe correct Partnership selected? Select the partnershipnearest you (preferred) or you can select “Multiple” if youbelong to more than one partnership. Please update thissection then click Submit.
Next, go to your MY DATA page and review your routes and/orrooftops (imported into your profile from last year). Are youstill planning to survey those routes or rooftops this year? Ifnot, you may want to remove them from your profile to speedup page loading (go to View/Edit and then select “Removefrom My Data”). This won’t erase them from the system, butthey will no longer appear in your profile.
If a route or rooftop should be deleted from the database(there’s a better route for the area, or the rooftop is no longergravel), please notify [email protected].
The database will be open for new data entry soon. If you have anFSD account, you will be notified by email as soon as it opens. Youwill be able to add new routes, rooftops, and nest sites to yourprofile when the database opens. Thanks, and don’t forget to signup for a training webinar this month (see page 6 for details).
Nesting American Oystercatcher (Photo by Jean Hall)
ebb tidingsEnd notes from the Editor:
As I write this, the first shorebird nesting scrapes have been spotted in Florida. So it’s official: the 2016 shorebird nesting season has begun!
We present this issue of the Wrack Line as the annual “Breeding Season Guide” to help you get organized for the season ahead.
Throughout this guide, you will find the latest resources available to help post, steward, and monitor nest sites.
Thanks for your continued support of shorebird and seabird conservation efforts!
Best regards,
Naomi
Do you have news, ideas, or
photos to share? Write us at:
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Love it? Love it knot?
Share your thoughts and photos with us – email [email protected] or join our Facebook group!
Snowy scrape: This Snowy Plover scrape was found in the panhandle on February 18th, signaling the start of the breeding season (Photo by Kevin Christman).
Leucistic tern: This all-white Royal Tern was seen at Clam Pass in Collier County on February 6th (Photo by Adam DiNuovo).
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www.FLShorebirdAlliance.org
The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a statewide partnership of agencies, non-governmentorganizations, and individuals committed to advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida.FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to help identify and addressimportant research, management, education, outreach, and public policy needs.
www.FLShorebirdAlliance.org