APRIL 2016
Happy Earth Month!
Events & reminders
• Upcoming events:
March 31 (9 a.m. – noon): Steward/monitor training@ St. Johns River State College (see directions).
April 1 (6-9 p.m.): Welcoming the Shorebirds @ N.Straub Park (see ad below).
April 2 (8:30-10 a.m.): Steward training @ MarineDiscovery Center (New Smyrna Beach). RSVP:[email protected].
April 9: Audubon Society of the Everglades field trip@ Marco Island. Register: [email protected].
April 13-15: The Wildlife Society Spring Meeting @Gainesville. See http://www.fltws.org for details.
April 15-18: Chipola Feather Fest @ Jackson Co. Seewebsite for details.
April 16 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): International MigratoryBird Day @ Little Talbot Island State Park. Visitwww.nps.gov/timu for info.
April 16 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Earth Day celebration @Okeeheelee Park (Palm Beach). See website for info.
April 23 (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.): : Earth Day Festival @Oxbow Eco-Center. See website for info.
April 30: Audubon Society of the Everglades pelagictrip. Register: [email protected].
• Reminders:
April 15-21: Breeding Bird Protocol count window.
Visit our Field Notes at www.FLShorebirdAlliance.orgfor new announcements, updates, and opportunities…
In this issue
Events & reminders ………. 2
FSA news ……………….…….. 3
• Great Plains Piping Plover Recovery Plan available for comments
• Seabird entanglement prevention
• Raking permit exchange for posted beaches
• Rooftop survey volunteers needed
FSD updates ………………….. 7
• Florida Shorebird Database now open!
Ebb tidings ..….....………..… 8
The Wrack Line is the e-newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). It delivers shorebird and seabird news, and provides a vehicle for partners across the state to share experiences, information, and ideas.
Editor: Naomi Avissar
Cover design: Chris Burney
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FSA news
Great Plains Piping Plover RecoveryPlan available for comments
On January 10, 1986, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed thepiping plover as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.The original recovery plan for the Northern Great Plainspopulation of piping plovers was completed in 1988.
We wanted to notify you that we are now in the process ofrevising the original plan and request your input on the subjectdraft plan.
The 60-day comment period extends from March 16, 2016 toMay 14, 2016. Information received during the public commentperiod greatly helps the Service in revising the recovery plan.
The draft is available at:http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/pipingPlover.php.
In addition, please see the news release and FAQs, availableonline.
Announcement from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Photo by Steven Tucker, USFWS
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FSA newsSeabird entanglement prevention
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) hasrecently launched a new campaign to prevent seabirdentanglement in fishing line.
The campaign, called “Don’t Cut The Line! Reel. Remove.Release”, was initiated to raise awareness and reduce seabirdentanglement in Florida.
The campaign includes a new website, vinyl stickers for tackleboxes with the campaign logo (shown below), and new signsand outreach materials for distribution at piers and otherpopular fishing spots.
The new website provides step-by-step instructions forunhooking a seabird and tips to prevent seabird entanglement.We are excited to have this site available to our stakeholdersand hope that it will be useful to anglers and outdoorenthusiasts. You can view the site by visitingwww.MyFWC.com/unhook.
The agency’s Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program(MRRP) is also being revitalized as part of this initiative, andorganizers are asking Florida Shorebird Alliance partners tonotify FWC if they see any monofilament recycling bins thathave not been properly emptied for some time.
Thank you,
Kevin OxenriderFWC, Lake City
FWC has launched a new campaign to reduce bird entanglements.
Raking permit exchange for postedbeaches
The problem: When shorebird nesting areas are posted, theenclosed areas sometimes get overgrown with vegetation,thanks to extra “fertilizer” from the birds. This makes it moredifficult for communities and property owners who normallyrake their beaches to resume raking when the nesting seasonends. This can create a disincentive for them post nesting siteson their property.
The solution: Coastal Wildlife Conservation Initiative (CWCI) andFlorida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) staffworked together to ensure that property owners who postshorebird areas can do so without fear of repercussion. Propertyowners will now be able to rake after the nesting season endswithout additional costs or mitigation if vegetation has grown inthe posted area.
FDEP staff will send “Compliance letters” to permitted beachcleaners or property owners in affected areas which explainsthis option. Therefore, it is important that sites in raked areasare identified as soon as possible after posting to ensurecoordination among FDEP staff, beach cleaners, and monitors. Ifthis coordination does not take place soon after posting, wecannot ensure that vegetation removal later will be allowed.Some counties or municipalities may also have their own rulesrelated to removal of native beach vegetation.
We hope this arranegement will help to foster bettercooperation with posting and pre-posting efforts, as propertyowners won’t be penalized for their participation. If you know ofplaces where raking occurs and birds are nesting, please let usknow by contacting:
Fara Ilami, CWCI Coordinator
(386) 754-1668
FDEP can issue permits for raking vegetation that grows in posted shorebird areas, under certain conditions.
The photos above illustrate vegetation growth in a posted seabird colony early (top) and later (bottom) in the season.
FSA news
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Rooftop survey volunteers needed
Six species of shorebirds and seabirds have been documented tonest on flat, gravel roofs in Florida. The most common species tonest on rooftops is the Least Tern, but Black Skimmers, RoseateTerns, Gull-billed Terns, American Oystercatchers, and Killdeeralso use these rooftop habitats.
There are approximately 400 suitable rooftops reported aroundthe state. We have found partners to survey many of them, butwe still have many rooftops left unmonitored. Would you helpus check on these?
Please see the online List of Historic Rooftops for rooftops nearyou (scroll down to your county; the rooftops highlighted inyellow still need volunteers, though it doesn't hurt to havemultiple people checking the same roof). Please email us [email protected] if you can check on any ofthese.
Monitoring a rooftop entails the following:
1. Asking the building owner/manager if the roof is still gravel.If not, let us know. It will no longer need to be monitored.
2. If the rooftop is still gravel, we need volunteers to check onthe site once during each of the remaining count windows:April 15-21, May 13-19, June 10-16, July 8-14, and August 5-11.
3. Each rooftop survey only requires a 15-minute visit. Thesurvey consists of watching the rooftop from the ground,and counting the number of shorebirds or seabirds flyingabove, to, or from the roof. All visits should then bereported in the Florida Shorebird Database (even if no birdswere present).
No prior experience is necessary, and we have several onlineresources to help you learn more, including a detailedmonitoring protocol and training webinar on the RESOURCEStab of the Florida Shorebird Database. In some areas, additionaltraining is available (check out our Field Notes page forannouncements).
FSA news
Photos (top to bottom): Least Tern & Black Skimmer (Jack Rogers), Roseate Tern (Ricardo Zambrano), Gull-billed Tern (James Shadle), American Oystercatcher & Killdeer (Jack Rogers).
FSD updates
The Florida Shorebird Database is open for data entry for the 2016 breeding season. See the FSD website for data sheets and other important resources.
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Florida Shorebird Database now open!
The Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) is open and ready for your2016 monitoring data! If you have breeding bird data from thisseason, you can now enter it at www.FLShorebirdDatabase.org.
Please survey your routes and check your rooftops during thefive remaining count windows at a minimum (weekly monitoringis preferred in areas with active nests). If you’d like to help butdon’t have a route or rooftop assignment yet, please contact usat the email below.
Returning volunteers: Please log in using your username andpassword from last year. If you forgot your password, pleasereset it. Do NOT create a new account. Any routes or rooftopsyou surveyed in previous years will automatically appear in yourprofile.
If you would like to see recordings of our recent trainingwebinars, please go to the RESOURCES tab on the FSD website.This tab also has other training videos, the protocol, datasheets,and list of count windows. We are also available to assist youwith any questions you might have. Just email us [email protected].
Thanks, and have a great season!
– The FSD Team (Naomi Avissar, Janell Brush,Nancy Douglass, Kat Harris, Whitney Haskell,Alex Kropp, Kristin Rogers, and Jerry Zhu)
Shorebird flock at Second Chance Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) in Collier County, Florida’s newest CWA.
ebb tidings
Do you have news, ideas, or
photos to share? Write us at:
Photos by Jean Hall
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Love it? Love it knot?
Share your thoughts and photos with us – email [email protected] or join our Facebook group!
Pelicans in Collier County. Read about our latest protection efforts for these birds on page 4.
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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
