[texbirds] fw: [LABIRD-L] Tracked Whimbrels complete 3rd leg of migration loop
- From: "John Arvin" <jarvin@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "New Texbirds" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:45:37 -0500
John C. Arvin
Research Associate
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
103 West Hwy 332
Lake Jackson, TX 77566
jarvin@xxxxxxxx
www.gcbo.org
Austin, Texas
----------------------------------------
From: "Wilson, Michael D" <mdwils@xxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 1:59 PM
To: LABIRD-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [LABIRD-L] Tracked Whimbrels complete 3rd leg of migration loop
Scientists at the Center for Conservation Biology have tracked 3 whimbrels
from wintering areas on the coast of Brazil on a nonstop, 4,000 mile (6,400
kilometer) flight to the Gulf of Mexico. This flight represents the third
leg of a previously unknown loop migration route and connects four widely
scattered locations in the conservation of this declining species.
The three birds named Mackenzie (for the river where they breed), Akpik
(named for the cloudberry that the birds feed on in the fall) and Pingo
(named for an arctic formation caused by permafrost) left their wintering
grounds near Sao Luis, Brazil between 9 and 13 April. The birds flew
nonstop for 95 to 100 hours averaging 40 miles per hour (67 kilometers per
hour) before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Originally captured and marked
on the breeding grounds along the Mackenzie River in far western Canada in
June of 2012, the birds took a bold fall migration route flying 2,800 miles
(4,500 kilometers) to the east coast of Canada in mid-July to stage for 2
weeks before embarking on a marathon 4,300-mile (6,900-kilometer) flight
out over the open ocean to the northern coast of South America. All three
birds have spent just over 7 months in the extensive tidal system of the
Gulf of Maranhao before initiating their migration north.
All three birds are currently staging in different locations. Akpik is
staging in Laguna Madre within the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico a site known
to be a critical wintering area for the closely related long-billed curlew.
Mackenzie is near the Demieres Isles in southern Louisiana. Pingo is in
and around Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge south of Houston, Texas the
site of a recently discovered spring staging area of hemispheric importance
to whimbrels. Understanding the connectivity of this site to breeding
areas has become a high priority for the research community. The bird
appears to be using farm fields that have been managed over the winter for
migrating shorebirds.
Mackenzie, Akpik and Pingo, all from the same breeding location, have now
linked sites in far-flung, unexpected regions in their orb of conservation.
Important in their own right, each of these sites must be considered
collectively for conservation efforts to be effective. Mackenzie, the bird
fitted with the recycled transmitter of Machi (a bird shot on Guadeloupe in
September of 2011) is now staging in the heart of the area impacted by the
Deep Horizon Oil Spill. The spill began on 20 April, during the time of
whimbrel staging in 2010. Such events highlight the fragility of
conservation networks and the importance of locations and cultures working
together toward common goals. Through these birds we now know that an oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico may impact a breeding population on the
Mackenzie River, or a staging area in Nova Scotia, or a wintering area
around the mouth of the Amazon. Understanding these linkages is a critical
step in protecting these networks and !
the species that depend on them.
The three whimbrels are part of a larger project that has included 20
additional birds that have been tracked to better understand migratory
pathways and locations that are critical for this declining species. The
study has tracked whimbrels for more than 200,000 miles (322,000
kilometers) since 2008. The broader tracking project is a collaborative
effort between The Center for Conservation Biology, The Canadian Wildlife
Service, The Nature Conservancy, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Virginia Coastal Zone
Management Program, and Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.
Links to tracking maps and photo here:
http://www.ccbbirds.org/2013/04/23/mackenzie-whimbrels-complete-third-leg-of
-unknown-loop-migration-route/
Michael Wilson
Center for Conservation Biology
College of William and Mary & Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
phone: 757-221-1649
fax: 757-221-1650
email: mdwils@xxxxxx
web: www.ccbbirds.org
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