August Wrack Line Newsletter - the Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance

Events:  August 12: Bird Chat - Shorebird Migration Through Central Florida hosted by Orange Audubon Society August 19: Breakfast with the Birds at Rookery Bay NERR Reminders: The final count window for the Breeding Bird Protocol ends on August 11th!  Read the FSD article below to learn more about the importance of late-season chick data. Happy counting! FSA News The 2021 FSA Monitoring Data at Work Annual Report is Here! The 2021 “Florida Shorebird Alliance Monitoring Data at Work” annual report is now available on the FSA website.  While each breeding season has its own unique obstacles to overcome, the 2020 season brought with it the unprecedented challenge of a global pandemic. FSA partners faced this challenge with increased collaboration and innovative solutions to continue to protect and monitor Florida’s beach-nesting birds while still prioritizing human health and safety. This year’s report highlights some of the conversation success stories from the 2020 breeding season and introduces the abundance estimates for American oystercatchers, snowy plovers, and Wilson’s plovers. The 2021 report features: Highlights of shorebird conservation efforts in the face of a global pandemic Abundance estimates for American oystercatchers, snowy plovers, and Wilson’s plovers Summaries of monitoring and posting efforts Rooftop-nesting habitat highlight Updated priority species fact sheets THANK YOU to all shorebird monitors, stewards, and FSA partners. This report is a reflection of your hard work, resilience, and dedication during an extra challenging season, and we are thankful to be your partner in shorebird conservation! Please email us with any questions. Report cover photo by Britt Brown New Animated Shorebird Videos Support Disturbance Reduction Outreach Efforts The Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI), Florida Shorebird Alliance, and BiodiversityWorks are thrilled to announce the availability of three animated videos to support partner-led disturbance reduction outreach efforts. Each video is in English and Spanish and follows a family demonstrating ways to be a good shorebird neighbor. The videos are available to all shorebird conservation partners to use in outreach efforts. Addressing general human disturbance, disturbance to migrants, and dog disturbance, the videos can be viewed on YouTube and the AFSI website. They will also soon be on the FSA website. To embed the videos on your website and social media, request the original files by emailing shorebird@myfwc.com or Debra_Reynolds@fws.gov. Watch and share the videos: Human Disturbance in English Human Disturbance in Spanish Disturbance to Migrants in English Disturbance to Migrants in Spanish Dog Disturbance in English Dog Disturbance in Spanish We hope the videos support your ongoing efforts to reduce threats to nesting, resting, and migrating shorebirds and seabirds. Please email us with any questions! Collaborators included Debra Reynolds, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Shea Armstrong, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida Shorebird Alliance; Luanne Johnson, BiodiversityWorks; and Joseph Marchionno, FWC, Florida Wildlife Research Institute. Special thanks to Danielle Belleny, BlackAFinSTEM Collective for cultural representation review and Vianey Ramirez, Manomet; and Miguel Garcia-Bermudez, USFWS for Spanish translation. FSD Updates Late Season Chick Data Even though the breeding season is winding down, there is still valuable data to collect! All late-season surveys capture important information about this year’s juveniles, especially fledglings. Remember to report which nest the chicks came from, if you have that information. Every time you record a chick during your surveys, we learn more about where young birds are spending time, how old they are, and how many adults are with them. This data is used to refine population and productivity estimates, and inform adaptive management. To help you prepare for your surveys, the FSA provides aging guides for identifying chick stages in many shorebird and seabird species. In addition, the monitoring report includes a timeline on p.15 that helps you know when you can expect to see chicks during your surveys. Keep up the great monitoring work, everyone! Wilson's plover chick photo by Mia McPherson Ebb Tidings       In Case You Missed It The Summer 2021 edition of the Audubon Florida Naturalist Magazine includes several articles that highlight successful shorebird and seabird conservation efforts. Read the magazine here! Cover photo by Nancy Elwood The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a statewide network of local partnerships committed to advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners collaborate to identify and address important needs regarding research, management, education, outreach, and public policy. The FSA accommodates a wide range of views on the best strategies to conserve shorebirds and seabirds. However, all partners share the same goal of establishing areas where seabird and shorebird populations are viable and managed in balance with human activities.

http://live.oysterradio.com/