Nowhere to go. How will our birds cope with Hurricane Irma?

In preparation for Hurricane Irma, we evacuated field sites in the Florida Keys and coastal south Florida, moved boats and field crew to northern latitudes, and fortified our homes. We know that many of our supporters and those who will read this blog have been affected by this massive storm and we hope that you stayed as safe as possible.

Of course, something we cannot personally protect from a hurricane are wild birds, including the ones we tag and study. Severe weather such as this presents us with interesting, unplanned opportunities.  With satellite, cell-phone, and old-fashioned radio tracking, ARCI is following 37 individual birds of seven species, a rare and valuable chance to learn how they weather this hurricane and respond to its profound impacts on the many habitats, special places, and landscapes that support their day-to-day lives. Some birds will perish in the extreme conditions. Some will lose resources essential in the near term, or suffer higher risks of mortality or impaired reproduction, long after the storm passes. Others may begin their seasonal migrations only to be forced to take up novel routes that prove threatening or take them to unsuitable wintering destinations.  Others may accomplish the impossible, against all odds, and survive in spite of the enormous scale of the damage, giving us some hope that wild birds will be resilient enough to cope with nature, and with all we do to jeopardize their continued existence.

The 37 birds telling us these stories are the ones we’ve carefully captured, tagged, and tracked with the support many of you have generously provided, including Swallow-tailed Kites, Snail Kites, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Reddish Egrets, Southeastern American Kestrels, White-crowned Pigeons, and a Short-tailed Hawk.

Most of our Swallow-tailed Kites are in Central and South America now, but there are some lingering in Florida, including “Apopka”, a cell phone/GPS-tracked bird that we featured in our last blog.  We hope Apopka was encouraged to begin migrating by the strong northern tailwinds on the leading edge of the advancing hurricane. We are watching closely and hope to have more for you soon.

Four of the seven species we are tracking in the Florida peninsula will not migrate: eight Snail Kites tagged in south-central Florida (satellite and VHF radio transmitters), a single Short-tailed Hawk fitted with a cell-phone/GPS device in St. Petersburg, six Reddish Egrets from coastal Lee and Dixie counties tracked with satellite/GPS technology, and four young Southeastern American Kestrels tagged with tiny VHF transmitters in Hillsborough County. We can only hope they will find a good perch and hang on, or take to the air and evade - or endure - the most extreme conditions. Although we do not know what strategies they employ, or which work best, we have learned from past experiences to expect some surprises when tracking birds that encounter exceptionally severe weather. For instance, we watched in 2016 as one of our tagged Magnificent Frigatebirds in the northern Gulf of Mexico off Citrus County, Florida, traveled very rapidly on winds generated by Hurricane Hermine to take refuge well inland in southern Georgia. We are eager to see how this same bird responded to Hurricane Irma.

Of all the birds we are presently tracking, we are most concerned about seven White-crowned Pigeons we tagged with satellite transmitters on their breeding ranges over the last three years for a range-wide study of this species of conservation concern. Two confronted Irma’s 180 mile per hour winds in Puerto Rico, two from Florida encountered the hurricane in northern Cuba, and two more had similar challenges in Jamaica and the Bahamas. The last remained in Florida. We will know soon how these birds have fared.

Just as Hurricane Irma began developing last week, we were in the process of placing small VHF transmitters (tracked by hand in real time) on 12 White-crowned Pigeons in South Florida and Keys. One purpose of this study is to link the most significant mangrove-island breeding colonies of these birds with their specific hardwood-hammock foraging destinations, thereby enabling wildlife managers to prioritize protection of the most important patches of this rapidly disappearing hardwood forest. Because these transmitters cannot be tracked remotely, the fates of these birds could remain a mystery for some time after Irma’s passage.

We hope you and yours safely endured Hurricane Irma, and that you will join us in hoping that as many birds as possible have done the same.

Finally, we are very grateful for all the generous support we have received from organizations, foundations, private individuals, and government agencies to make ARCI’s challenging and important telemetry research possible. They include: Sanibel-Captive Audubon Society; International Osprey Foundation; Felburn Foundation; St. Petersburg Audubon Society; Venice Audubon Society; The Florida Aquarium; West Volusia Audubon Society; Seminole County Audubon Society; Sarasota County Audubon Society; Bailey Wildlife Foundation; Quest Ecology, Inc., Tortuga Foundation; U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), including the Southeast Region’s Division of Migratory Birds, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge; Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex; Ding Darling Wildlife Society; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Microwave Telemetry, Inc.; Friends of the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy (South Carolina); Palmetto Bluff Conservancy; Friends of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge; Friends and Volunteers of the Florida Keys Refuges; U. S. Geological Survey; North Port Friends of Wildlife; Subaru of Gainesville; Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund; Avian Reconditioning Center; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; Gulf of Mexico Institute; City of Apopka; Halifax Audubon Society; Oklawaha Audubon Society; Clearwater Audubon Society; Orange Audubon Society; Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue;  and individuals including Judy Samelson, Bill Schwabel, Jim Griffith, Margo McKnight, David Hartgrove, Deborah Green, Janet Marks, Eileen Tramontana, Barbara Walker, Joni Ellis, Tom and Laura Hansen, Barbara Brown, Paula Powell, Bill Todman Jr., Bev and Al Hansen, Fred Lohrer, Gary and Susie Zimmerman, Kathryn Palmore, Joyce King, Gary and Joanne Grunau, Tom Staley, Lucille, Lane, Deb Levine, Tim Harrell, Sandy Selman, Rebecca Grimm, and Alyssa Karnitz.

Moonlit migration on the Gulf Coast of Florida

Our celebrated migratory Reddish Egret, Ding#1, has done it again.  She left the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Sanibel Island, Lee County, Florida, to spend the late summer months on the Nature Coast in Dixie County, Florida, from 2 June through 17 August 2016.  In 2015 she made a similar migration to the same location at the end of May, but only stayed a few weeks.

Comparison of  the 2015 (blue) and 2016 (pink) migration tracks of Ding#1, a satellite-tagged Reddish Egret from Sanibel, Florida that migrates to Dixie County in the late summer months.

Based on her breeding-season movements relative to wading bird nesting colonies in Lee County, we do not think this female nested in the spring of 2016, or at least not successfully. This could be why she spent more time on her Dixie County range in 2016. Her northbound migration was direct and punctuated by only one over-night stop, seaward of Homosassa in Citrus County.  Once at her “winter” destination, she used a single foraging area on the coast of the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Dixie County, from which she flew five miles offshore each evening to spend the night on a small island.  This pattern continued for 11 weeks.

GPS locations  of Ding#1, a satellite-tagged Reddish Egret from Sanibel, Florida that spent 11 weeks off the coast of Dixie County from early June to mid August, 2016.

On 18 August, just after midnight, Ding#1 started south by the light of the full moon.  This is the only time we’ve ever recorded a Reddish Egret embarking on a long flight at night.  We also were interested in offshore night locations, perhaps on a channel marker or stationary boat, where Ding#1 rested for at least two hours. After resuming her southbound night flight, she took one more rest just before dawn in a tree overhanging a house in a busy subdivision in Largo, Florida.  After sunrise, Ding#1 made a bee line to Pine Island and may have fished there for a few hours before returning to her favorite roost near the Wildlife Drive, on the Ding Darling NWR.  She completed her at least 230 mile southbound trip in less than 24 hours, including rest stops. Very impressive!

2016 migration track of Ding#1, a satellite-tagged Reddish Egret from Sanibel, Florida that spent 11 weeks in Dixie County.  Yellow pins highlight locations on her 24 hour southbound track back to Sanibel.

ARCI and our friends at Ding Darling NWR were not the only ones glad to know that she made it back safely.  Not even a day later, photographer Jim Bennight was on the Wildlife Drive and captured a wonderful greeting ritual between Ding#1 and her mate Ding#2.  It is worth noting that Ding#1 is the only migratory individual among the 14 Reddish Egrets we have tracked by satellite from the lower Florida Keys, Florida’s Big Bend, and on Ding Darling NWR.

Satellite-tagged Reddish Egrets Ding#1 (left) and Ding#2 (right) greeting one another at J.N "Ding" Darling NWR, Sanibel, FL, August, 2016.

Satellite-tagged Reddish Egrets Ding#1 (left) and Ding#2 (right) greeting one another at J.N "Ding" Darling NWR, Sanibel, FL, August, 2016.

Ding#1 and Ding#2 continue to grace the Refuge’s Wildlife Drive.  A few non-tagged birds also have been seen on the Refuge. We continue to track five Reddish Egrets in Lee County, plus the single bird tagged on Big Bend WMA in Dixie County. All of the tagged birds displayed their usual movement patterns during the red tide event that affected Sanibel and area waters in late November. We are monitoring them closely for any changes in behavior. You can keep up with the movements of these now-famous Reddish Egrets at: http://arcinst.org/arci-tracking-studies

Happy Tagging Anniversary for Ding #2!

October 17th 2015, marked the one-year tagging anniversary of Ding #2, a Reddish Egret on the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. Ding #2, tracked with a satellite/GPS transmitter, has spent the entire year within 4 miles of his capture location, and over half of the time within 0.5 miles.

One year of movement data for Ding #2 showing high site fidelity.

He has been seen by various photographers and birders along Wildlife Drive and continues to take advantage of the abundant fish prey in the impoundments near the observation tower. Ding #2 energetically defends his foraging area by chasing off other Reddish Egrets that come too close.

Ding #2 forages in the tidal shallows of J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Ding #2 can be identified by the white feathers in his tail and wings. He is banded on the right leg, whereas Ding #1 is banded on the left leg.  

The other Reddish Egret tagged on the Refuge, Ding #1, also is seen regularly feeding near Wildlife Drive, although not usually in the same place and at the same time as Ding #2. However, In March and April, it appeared that Ding #1 and Ding #2 were nesting as a pair on a small island in Tarpon Bay, 3.5 miles to the east. 

Although the transmitter on Ding #1 shows signs of salt encrustation, it continues to broadcast strongly.  

We are grateful to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Willdife Service’s Division of Migratory Birds (Region 4), the Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society, the International Osprey Foundation, and Tom and Laura Hansen for supporting this pilot study. 

An additional, substantial contribution from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society has made it possible to expand this project with three additional satellite-tracked birds and a concurrent study of the egrets’ fish prey. To begin, we are scouting new tagging locations in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties in Florida. You can assist in this project by submitting Reddish Egret sightings from these three counties.  

Sightings report page: http://arcinst.org/report-sightings

Ding #2 (left) and Ding #1 (right) engaging in a courting or territorial display.

Keep an eye out for Reddish Egrets next time you are on Sanibel Island. The Refuge is a particularly easy and enjoyable place to watch these beautiful, entertaining wading birds.

A special thank you to Jim Bennight, volunteer at the Refuge, who has provided us with all of the photos for today's blog. 

Happy Anniversary! The White-crowned Pigeon tracked the longest by satellite begins his third year.

At ARCI, we celebrate anniversaries, special anniversaries of the date when a bird was captured and fitted with a satellite transmitter. Today is one such momentous occasion for the White-crowned Pigeon that we have tracked the longest by satellite. If you haven’t already, meet West. He was captured on 4 September 2013 at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Gardens in the Florida Keys. He was the third bird of his kind to be tracked by satellite, using the smallest satellite-tracking technology available. Of the three Pigeons tagged in the Florida Keys in 2013, West is the only one still alive and transmitting.

West, fitted with a 5-gram satellite transmitter at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, has been transmitting since 2013.

What do two years in the life of an adult White-crowned Pigeon look like? This bird wintered both years in Everglades National Park. Three weeks after being tagged in 2013, West left Stock Island, close to Key West, and headed east-northeast to the Content Keys, staying just two days before flying on to Coot Bay in the southern Everglades. He returned to Stock Island at the beginning of the next nesting season, arriving there on 5 May 2014. We suspect that he nested that summer on Stock Island. 

Two years in the life of West, the longest satellite-tracked White-crowned Pigeon.

Beginning on 1 September, West spent six days in Marathon, on Vaca Key, then made a longer stopover on Plantation Key. But by 24 September, he was back in familiar territory in Everglades National Park, where he over-wintered. With spring’s arrival, West flew south on 26 March to Little Pine Key and spent two days there before returning to Stock Island on 28 March, 39 days earlier than the previous year.

Today, West is still roaming Stock Island, probably taking advantage of the many fruiting trees in the hardwood hammock that thrives on the grounds of the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden. 

During the nesting season, West's movements are centered around Stock Island, Florida.

We are very fortunate to have such enthusiastic and gracious partners at the Gardens, especially Misha McRae, Executive Director. The satellite transmitter on West and the others we deployed in 2013 were purchased with funding from the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This summer, we returned to the Florida Keys and the southern Everglades to deploy additional satellite transmitters on six adult White-crowned Pigeons, this time with financial support from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

In addition to the White-crowned Pigeons we are tracking in Florida, we are also tracking several birds from breeding populations in Jamaica, The Bahamas, The Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico as part of a coordinated, range-wide study of the conservation biology of this fascinating bird.

You can follow the movements of tracked White-crowned Pigeons here: White-crowned Pigeon Tracking Maps