The Wrack Line - January 2017 edition

Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance JANUARY 2017 Happy New Year!! In this issue Events & reminders FSA news FSD updates Ebb tidings Events & reminders Upcoming Events: December 14 - January 5: Audubon's 117th Christmas Bird Count. Join a count near you! January 5 @ 2 pm: "Birds on the edge: herons, egrets, and other wading birds of southwest Florida," presented by famed ornithologist, Dr. Jerry Jackson @ the Mound House (450 Connecticut St. Fort Myers). Cost is $5, free to Audubon members. Contact Alison@fortmyersbeachfl.gov for more information or questions. January 21: FWC's 75th Anniversary of the Wildlife Management Area System @ Babcock-Webb WMA. Free and open to the public. More info @ http://myfwc.com/WMA75. January 23: Science Café-The Florida Museum turns 100, @ Blue Gill Quality Foods (1310 SW 13th St. Gainesville). More info @ https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/calendar/grid/science-cafe-spring-1/. January 25 - 30: Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival @ Eastern Florida State College, Titusville Campus. More info @ http://www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org/.   January 30: Free Bird Rescue Training Workshop, 3 - 5 P.M. in Cedar Key. Please register @  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cedar-key-bird-rescue-workshop-tickets-28941680345 February 3 - 9: Florida's annual Winter Shorebird Survey (a.k.a. the First Friday in February Survey). More info in FSA news below. February 10-11: 2017 Southwest Florida Birding Seminar, @ Florida SouthWestern State College, Fort Myers. More info @ https://2017birdingseminar.eventbrite.com.  Visit our Field Notes for new announcements, updates, and opportunities… Back to top FSA news Florida Winter Shorebird Survey We need your help with the 2017 Florida's annual Winter Shorebird Survey (a.k.a. the First Friday in February Survey). The survey starts on Friday, February 3 and continues through Thursday, February 9. This week-long survey serves as the official statewide "snapshot" of coastal wintering shorebirds and seabirds in Florida. This survey is geared towards experienced birders who can identify multiple species wintering shorebirds and seabirds and are able to document banded bird codes. Instructions for submitting data online will be provided soon. Please contact Billy_Brooks@fws.gov for questions. Once the monitoring protocol for the 2017 Florida Winter Shorebird Survey is available, it will be posted to the 'Resources' page on the Florida Shorebird Alliance website. Back to top FSD updates 2015 Data Summary Report Available The report summarizing the 2015 data submitted to the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) is available on the FSA website: http://flshorebirdalliance.org/resources/reports.aspx . Participation in the statewide shorebird monitoring program continues to increase every year. In 2015, 258 people reported 5,349 visits to 1,570 solitary nests and 1,425 visits to 196 colonies. Partners also reported 2,407 visits to 385 rooftops. Over half (53%) of monitored routes were surveyed during all six count windows last year, a significant increase in efforts compared to previous years. We are very grateful for the contributions of our partners, and hope that this growth in coverage continues in the future. Some highlights from the 2015 season: - Sixty-one percent of solitary nest sites and 83% of colonial nest sites were posted with signs and symbolic fencing. This is a remarkable effort, considering the total number of monitored sites. - The main known causes of solitary nest failure were animals and overwash. Nineteen percent of nests that failed were due to unknown causes. - Over half (60%) of the reported colony loss statewide was attributed to animals. Overwash and other weather events were the second leading cause of known loss, impacting 21% of colonies statewide. - Of the 255 Least Tern colonies reported, more than half (52%) were on rooftops, the remaining 48% were ground colonies. These proportions have been relatively unchanged since 2011. Check out the report for more details, and thanks again to all our monitoring partners for their continuing efforts to survey and protect Florida’s beach-nesting birds! Back to top Ebb tidings End notes from the editor, partner photos, etc. We'll keep this short and sweet... Thanks so much to all the folks who helped with shorebird conservation and monitoring efforts in 2016, and thanks to all of those that will be participating in the new year. It takes a flock! We wish you and your families a very happy new year! (Photo of a wintering flock of black skimmers on Marco Island by Jean Hall) Back to top Love it? Love it knot? Share your thoughts with us: Email shorebird@MyFWC.com or join our Facebook group The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a partnership of agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to address research, management, education, outreach, and public policy needs. This email address is not being monitored so please do not reply. For questions on the Florida Shorebird Alliance, contact shorebird@myfwc.com or visit www.FLShorebirdAlliance.org. Back to top

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