Manomet Nature Report - January 2007

The Christmas Bird Count started out well this year. December 2006 was the warmest December ever recorded in Boston with less than one inch of snow on the ground all month. All water was open, which could be bad for a high count in that interior New England waterbirds may not have all arrived yet on our coast, but good in that many other waterbird species had not left. Good also because in past years, counters have fallen through the sea-ice in Plymouth Harbor, but there was no ice to be found anywhere this year.

The 16 team members enjoyed the traditional turkey stew and garlic bread meal at Manomet preceding the tally. The total of 104 species they observed was exactly average for the team's count history of 1974-2006 in Plymouth, Mass. But the 12,010 individual birds counted was the lowest number ever. The eternal hope every season is for an up-tick, but the drop is unfortunately consistent with the overall declines showing up in Manomet's spring and fall migration banding surveys. Overall, bird numbers are half what they were when that ongoing study began 40 years ago. The decline is a little more than 2% a year.

The team had the lowest-ever Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) for American Black Duck (514), Common Goldeneye (87) and Herring Gull (424) (they miss those festering open dumps!). Of the increasing species of the 1974-1990 period, two were back to the lows of the early years: Northern Mockingbird (15) and House Finch (90) were both lower than any year since 1980. Banding data also support this trend for both species, thus the decline is on.

Highest counts in the team's CBC history were recorded for Hooded Merganser (388), Turkey Vulture (2), Snow Bunting (120) and Rusty Blackbird (11). Two Orange-crowned Warblers appeared, a species you'd expect to find in Florida and the Caribbean at Christmastime. A Blue Goose, a less common morph of the normally white Snow Goose was also a first for the count.

Perhaps much colder weather would have concentrated more birds and other waterfowl in southern New England. It wasn't a great berry and acorn year, so perhaps robins and others moved on south. 2006 wasn't a good finch year either – Siskins, Evening Grosbeaks, Cedar Waxwings, and crossbills haven't come this year yet. But hope springs eternal.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the count of 12,010 birds of 104 species in our 15-mile diameter Plymouth circle. I hope we see you next Christmas.

Manomet CBC Numbers (by year)	1997	98	99	2000	01	02	03	04	05	2006
Individual Numbers	16,880	17,066	22,292	17,000	16,692	18,562	29,541	14,932	15,022	12,010
Number of Species	111	108	109	108	104	99	112	103	110	104

Photo Credit: Angus Wilson, www.OceanWanderers.com

Brian Harrington continues his detective work on Florida-wintering Red Knots. Technically, Florida's wintering knots are of the rufa subspecies, knots that normally winter in Tierra del Fuego at South America's southern tip. Harrington and others suspect that these might be something different, which explains the intense focus on this small population. Taking a line from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, "Who are these guys?"

Normally, Florida's knots are in a 200-mile stretch between Tarpon Springs and Marco Island - a piece of the Florida coast shared by a lot of humans. After 10 miles of beach hiking, Harrington discovered a flock of 500 knots on a beautiful pristine beach in Sanibel. On New Year's morning, Harrington, Larry Niles of New Jersey DNR? and their team caught 320 knots with cannon nets. "Normally when we catch 300 we're reluctant to process them because of the heat. But it was a cloudy day on the least-disturbed beach section, and they were comfortable and we were able to process them all," says Harrington.

"Processing" involves taking standard measurements of bill, wing, combined bill/head, tarsus (lower leg), and weight, and making observations of molt stage, especially of flight feathers (which are new, old, missing, or growing). That information tells the birds' age, and a lot about the condition of the bird and where it is in its annual cycle. Breast feathers tell its sex.

A wing covert feather from each bird will be lab-tested for isotope elements. Feathers contain isotopes absorbed from food and minerals, enabling scientists to match birds with specific habitats where that feather grew. For most of these knots, that will be a Florida beach. But for the juveniles, Harrington says, "It hopefully will tell where the bird hatched and grew its flight feathers."

"The captured knots also got a color band (see photo) to help see if they are mixing with South American birds, which they aren't, and about their migration routes. Most of knots go through the Delaware-New Jersey region to take advantage of the rich, seasonal abundance of horseshoe crab eggs there. The Florida birds have been observed there, but they use marshes of Cape May County to feed on mussel spat. For some reason they don't use the bay.

Photo Credit: Brian Harrington

The "LS Index" developed by Manomet's Forest Conservation program is being put to work on a regular basis in the field by Lyme Timber Company and Upland Forestry of New Hampshire. The index is a tool that helps foresters identify and maintain late-successional (i.e., old) values in timber stands during logging operations. The diversity and abundance of species unique to these old stands of trees make them ecologically valuable, but their important ecological features - moss, fungi, lichens, large snags used by wildlife - take a long time to regenerate once the stand is cut.

After attending a workshop on the use of the LS index, Lyme Timber developed a field guide that their foresters now use to identify late-successional forest remnants and exemplary or rare natural communities they encounter on their 146,000-acre property in northern New Hampshire. The land is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as being sustainably managed, and according to Sean Ross of Lyme Timber, "The index greatly helped satisfy a previous [certification issue] concerning the identification and appropriate management of late successional forest remnants."

Ross quoted Lyme Timber's FSC audit report as saying, "Appropriate conservation measures have been recently implemented to ensure the protection of their associated values. For example, in the Malvina III harvest area a large stand with late-successional forest values originally marked as an even-aged partial cut was re-marked after the workshop to protect those late-successional forest values - a single-tree selection cut was conducted this past winter."

The LS index is proving to be a practical and easy-to-use tool in forest management. As foresters learn and adopt the LS index in their timber cruises, valuable ecological features of the northern forest will be retained, benefiting landowners and the long-term health of the forest alike.

Photo Credit: www.EcoPhotography.com

The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences is hosting the 2007 Science & Society Series to inform the community about relevant environmental issues and promote awareness of Manomet's role in addressing our society's environmental challenges.

The series is structured to be informal and interactive, with participant questions and discussions encouraged. Presentations by scientists who are experts in their field will provide the starting point for discussion. Manomet scientists have been bringing together environmental stakeholders - communities, individuals, universities, government agencies, and businesses - to develop cooperative, science-based policies and management strategies for 37 years and are dedicated to conserving the natural world for the benefit of wildlife and human populations.

Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences has program areas in the conservation of forests, wetlands, and agricultural habitats, as well as birds and wildlife. Manomet is one of the nation's only independent, non-profit institutions dedicated exclusively to carrying out this kind of leading edge environmental research.

The lectures will take place at Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Manomet, Mass. and are free and open to all. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve your place and to get directions, please contact Marianna Mele at 508-224-6521, or mmele@manomet.org.

UPCOMING SCIENCE & SOCIETY PRESENTATIONS:

Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Sunday, February 4, 2007, 2:00-3:00 PM

Manomet Scientist Stephen Brown will discuss his book Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the context of his numerous research expeditions to Alaska's North Slope.

Arctic birds highlight the interconnectedness of the hemisphere as they complete epic migrations between the ends of the earth. Brown has an active research program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where his work helps to determine the impacts that oil development would have on nesting shorebirds. Shorebirds also highlight the urgency of halting global climate change before their fragile habitats are destroyed.

Bird lovers and advocates for the ANWR won't want to miss Brown's presentation which includes stunning photographs of elusive arctic birds on their breeding grounds and insights into new discoveries about their habitats and the conservation challenges facing them.

STEPHEN BROWN, Manomet's Director of Shorebird Research and Conservation, works in both the science and policy arenas to protect this imperiled group of birds that literally cover the globe during their annual migrations. He was the lead author of the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, which brought together wildlife managers and policy makers from all 50 states and several federal agencies, university researchers, and many other conservation groups to develop a coordinated strategy for restoring the declining populations of shorebirds.

Avian Flu

Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 10:30-11:30 AM

News headlines presage a potentially dangerous global avian flu pandemic. Is it for real? Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Director of Manomet's Bird Banding Program, will discuss the facts and myths associated with avian flu. Last summer he traveled to the Arctic to capture, band, and sample birds for avian influenza. Seven bird migration flyways converge in the Arctic, making this the ideal location for tracking possible routes for flu to spread.

Testing for background levels of avian flu is no simple matter even in the relative comfort and convenience of Manomet's home banding station. Even catching birds proved challenging in the 24 hour arctic daylight. Out on the barrier beaches and deltas of the arctic coastal plain, a day of catching birds can involve walking 12 kilometers and wading through rivers in hip boots. Field-testing is complex, as precautions must be taken to prevent transmission of disease between birds and humans. Come hear Lloyd-Evans' presentation about avian flu and what this research tells him, and participate in a follow-up discussion. You're certain to walk away more informed about avian flu.

TREVOR LLOYD-EVANS has worked as a bird scientist for 40 years and directs one of North America's oldest and most extensive landbird banding programs. This continuous database, which dates to Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences' founding in 1969, documents spring and fall bird migrations and their role as indicators of environmental change. It also signals significant declines in many formerly common woodland and field birds. Manomet is putting this information to work by informing habitat protection and land management programs throughout the Northeast. Each spring and fall Manomet holds classes that introduce children and adults to the key concepts of habitat protection, migratory species, and native plantings for wildlife.

Pesticides

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 7:00–8:00 PM

Are the pesticides that we use so prolifically on our lawns, gardens, and farms safe for humans and wildlife? Katharine Parsons' 10-year study has led to compelling conclusions, which she will share. Discussion will follow on what individuals can do to promote a healthier environment.

KATHARINE PARSONS studies the affects of pesticides on wildlife, focusing on long-term, chronic effects, which are not addressed through current regulations. Her research shows that commonly applied pesticides are causing disease and mortality in wildlife. Manomet works with partners to understand the human health effects of these chemicals and to apply our findings to shape agricultural practices and policies.

The Science and Society Series is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.