florida shorebird presentation. 2/23/2009 janell brush - florida fish and wildlife conservation...
TRANSCRIPT
FLORIDA SHOREBIRD PRESENTATION
2/23/2009
Janell Brush - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Life History of Florida Shorebirds
With 217 species worldwide and approximately 50 species that breed in North America, shorebirds make up a small percentage of the world’s more
than 8,000 bird species
They can be found all year round on most Florida beaches.
Breeding Season
The Florida breeding season is March - July
14 Species of shorebirds and seabirds nest in Florida
The majority of shorebirds leave Florida to nest in the Arctic, Midwest
or the North Atlantic Coast
In Florida, shorebirds and seabirds nest on coastal beaches, barrier islands,
spoil islands, causeways, gravel roofs, coral rock islands
Nesting Birds
Colonial Nesting– ‘seabirds’ gulls, skimmers, terns
Enhanced protection and defense against predators
Improved foraging – follow successful hunters to food source
Solitary Nesting – shorebirds (oystercatchers, willets, plovers)
Use camouflage for protection from predators
Food resource remains more constant in area of territory
Colonial Nesting Birds
Nesting ‘Seabird’ Status – 10 Species
Threatened – Least Tern, Roseate Tern
Petitioned for listing – Gull-billed Tern
Species of Special Concern in Fl- Black Skimmer, Sooty Tern, Royal Tern, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern,
Brown Noddy
Common- Laughing Gull
Colonies on ground or rooftops
Loss of habitat on beach
Many coastal buildings are getting rid of gravel rooftops
Human disturbance on ground
Risk of chicks falling off roof
Least Tern – Only tern that will nest on rooftops in FL
Roofs support 75% of all colonies and 83% of all nests
Black Skimmer – Starting to nest more on rooftops in FL
10% of nests are on roofs
Solitary Nesting Birds
Four shorebird species nest in FL
Snowy Plover (threatened), American Oystercatcher (threatened), Willet
(common), Wilson’s Plover (species of special concern)
Advantages of solitary nesting
Use of camouflage for predator protection (instead of colony)
Food resource remains more constant
Snowy Plover Nest Monitoring
USFWS census and WEC Master’s student Raya Pruner
Information about population, nest success, nesting distribution and
relative survival
Occur on mainly the Gulf Coast
American Oystercatcher Nest Monitoring
Determine nest success, relative survival and distribution of Florida
birds
Provide information to managers
Occur throughout coastal Florida
Wintering Shorebirds
About 20 species of shorebirds winter in Florida annually
Most of the species are species that are in trouble
Piping Plover – Federally Endangered
Only 54% of them have been found on the wintering grounds
Many groups conducting research/monitoring
Report banded birds at [email protected]
American Oystercatcher – Threatened in Florida
Recent evidence of population declines, particularly in the
Southeastern U.S., has prompted research aimed at understanding
the bird's biology and conservation needs.
Large winter roosts (>2,000)
Gulf Coast Barge Canal to Horseshoe Beach and Jacksonville
The majority of birds are not part of the Florida breeding population
Large group of researchers throughout its range
Report bands at http://www.ncsu.edu/project/grsmg
is/AMOY/Research.htm
In recent years, coordinated, widespread banding and re-sighting
efforts along the Atlantic coast have revealed connections between breeding and wintering sites and a
glimpse into the complexity of patterns of movement and
dispersal.
Migrating Birds
More than 30 species of shorebirds and seabirds migrate through
Florida
Energetically costly to migrate long distances
Need ‘re-fueling’ stopover habitats consistent from year to year to gain
weight in a short amount of time
Alterations to food resources can have devastating effects on the
birds
Timing of migration related to prey availability. Classic example is the spawning events of horseshoe crabs
and migrating shorebirds in Delaware Bay
Red Knot – Species of Special Concern in Florida – Petitioned for
federal listing
Largest calidrine sandpiper in N. America (robin-sized). They can
live 10-15 years. Dietary generalist – mollusks, amphipods, horseshoe
crab eggs, insects
Heavily relies on Horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay
Unknown where the FL wintering population nests – Alaska?
Historically the most common shorebird – today 20,000
Winter largely along Gulf Coast, concentrations in SW and
Panhandle, migrate through Duval County
Although still rufa subspecies, some population genetic and
morphological differences from S. American birds
Threats
Altricial hatchling- (passerines) EX. Robin, Blue Jay, Sparrow.
Helpless at hatching. An altricial hatchling is naked or sparsely
downy, unable to leave the nest, and its eyes are closed
Semi-precocial hatchling - (seabirds, oystercatchers) Describes young that have characteristics of
precocial young at hatch (open eyes, down, capacity to leave the
nest) but that remain at the nest and are cared for by parents until close
to adult size.
Precocial hatchling - (shorebirds) Capable of a high degree of
independent activity from birth. A precocial hatchling has heavy
down, is quickly mobile, and often requires little direct parental care.
Human related disturbance
Disturbance - Activities that “upset” birds by causing them to fly, run walk away, or vocalize.
Managers try to decrease disturbance by posting nesting
areas
Enforce leash laws
Increase in mammalian predators
Habitat alteration – nourishment and raking
Increasing pressures in the Arctic
Climate Change
The population of the Florida coastal counties is predicted to
double from 12.3 million to more than 26 million by 2060
About 59% of Florida beaches are already experiencing erosion.
Some of this erosion is the result of natural forces; however the majority of the impact is a
consequence of human activities.
This situation will be exacerbated in the near future by the effects of
climate change.
Climate change can be expected to result in sea level rise, increasing storms, and changes to the pattern of ocean currents. These changes
will require an increase in management of coastal systems in the form of habitat modifications including raking, nourishment,
armoring, and dredge-spoil deposition, and these modifications
have the potential to impact shorebird and seabird communities.
Much uncertainty exists about the long and short-term ecological
impacts of these types of management activities
Arctic Tundra
The only major environment whose range is completely unable to shift
northward in response to global warming
Optimistic models predict that tundra habitat will be cut in half by the end of the twenty-first century due to northward shift of boreal
forest
Sea-level rise will affect shoreline habitats in the Arctic and farther
south
More frequent severe storms and flooding may heavily impact birds breeding in coastal lowlands such
as coastal tundra, salt marshes, and beaches
Timing of bug hatchings is not as predictable– no food for young
Conservation and Management
Complicated due to the large variety of habitats used
Require a series of interconnected areas of suitable habitat to
successfully complete their annual movements
Many variables have to be right in order to be suitable for shorebirds
at a given time
Communication by managers and researchers throughout range of the
species
US Shorebird Conservation Plan http://www.fws.gov/shorebirdplan
In 2000, partners from state and federal agencies pooled their
resources to develop a plan for migrating shorebirds and their
habitats
Goal is to ensure that adequate quantity and quality of shorebird habitat is maintained at the local level and to maintain or restore
shorebird populations at the continental and hemispheric levels
Outreach, education, research, monitoring, and habitat
conservation programs are being implemented,
Accomplishment of conservation objectives for all shorebird species
will require a coordinated effort among traditional and new partners
Research and Monitoring
FWC Shorebird Monitoring Website
http://myfwc.com/shorebirds
