PDF - International Wader Study Group

International Wader Study Group Annual Conference
Den Burg, Texel, the Netherlands, 18–21 September 2009
IWSG Conference Coordinator Jutta Leyrer
(left) presenting a token of thanks to Petra
de Goeij (right) for leading the organisation
of such a successful conference. Photo:
Pavel Tomkovich.
This was surely a
conference of superlatives:
record
number of delegates
(192); record number
of countries
represented (32); record
number of talks
(70); superb venue,
superb weather and
superb organisation!
Perhaps the key
reason why this conference
was such a
success is that the
organisation was led
by Petra de Goeij.
Having for many
years filled the role
of IWSG Conference
Coordinator,
Petra must be the world’s leading expert on how to organise
a successful wader conference. The fact that she had mustered
a team of 25 from five nationalities (Dutch, British, German,
French and Chinese) suggests that the key to success is careful
delegation.
Jutta Leyrer, the current IWSG Conference Coordinator,
helped Petra with the overall team organisation and supervision.
Simon Gillings set up and maintained the conference
webpage which for the first time allowed delegates to book
and pay for the conference via the IWSG website. Mark Collier,
Humphrey Sitters and Yvonne Verkuil worked on acceptance
of talks and posters, as well as the editing of abstracts
in preparation for the conference programme. Lucie Schmaltz
and Hongyan Yang (Nicky) looked after programme books,
the registration package, and all sorts of last minute matters.
Jos Hooijmeijer, Bob Loos, Bernard Spaans organised the
Sunday afternoon excursions to three of the most wonderful
wader sites on Texel. Jenny Cremer and Piet van den Hout
manned the registration desk. Maurine Dietz and Niko Groen
looked after the finances. Roos Kentie and Romke Kleefstra
organised a high octane social evening. Anja Cervencl and
Anita Koolhaas helped out in all sorts of ways and a team
of seven looked after the lecture-halls, projectors, screens,
microphones and poster-boards: Geert Aarts, Allert Bijleveld,
Maarten Brugge, Anne Dekinga, Sjoerd Duijns, Sander
Holthuijsen, and Job ten Horn.
A vital contribution to all IWSG conferences is sponsorship,
without it their viability and broad appeal would be
far less. This year we are most grateful to have received
this invaluable support from the African Eurasian Waterbird
Agreement, Boere Conservation Consultancy, BIONADE,
Natuurmonumenten, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea
Research, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Triodos
Foundation, and Vogelbescherming Nederland.
The conference was held in the modern and comfortable
Stayokay Hostel at Den Burg, the main town on Texel. The
weather was so good that for much of the weekend we held
discussion groups or gathered for coffee or beer outdoors;
but the outdoor highlight was the poster session when each
presenter took it in turns to speak about their work.
The main conference kicked off with the IWSG Annual
General Meeting when we were pleased to elect past Chairman
Hermann Hötker and past Vice Chairman Theunis
Piersma as Honorary Members. It was also agreed to raise
Theunis Piersma and Piet van den Hout liven up the social evening.
Photo: Pavel Tomkovich.
210
Photo: André Duiven

Annual Conference
211
the annual subscription from £22 to £30. The minutes of
the AGM are available on www.waderstudygroup.org, the
IWSG’s website.
Three workshops on popular and thought-provoking
subjects must have contributed to the attraction of the conference
for many of the delegates. The first, which took all
day Friday, was on “Connecting conservation and research”.
It was the brain-child of Jutta Leyrer and was backed with
plenty of encouragement and input from Theunis Piersma. It
sought to address the apparent mismatch and disconnection
between scientific results and advice on the one hand and
conservation and political action on the other. Then on the
Monday there were parallel workshops on “Monitoring waders
in the Siberian arctic” and “The Slender-billed Curlew”.
The first focussed on the problems for wader conservation
of a decline in arctic-based research and its ever-increasing
cost; the second sought to agree plans for a last-ditch attempt
to save what is probably the world’s most endangered wader
from extinction.
The Texel conference of 2009 was one of the best!
Delegates
The Netherlands 60 Poland 4 Norway 2 Kazakhstan 1
United Kingdom 25 Russia 4 Ghana 2 Sweden 1
Germany 25 Spain 3 South Africa 2 Kosovo 1
United States 13 Denmark 3 Italy 2 Mauritania 1
France 9 Estonia 2 Argentina 1 Turkey 1
Portugal 9 Ireland 2 New Zealand 1 Finland 1
Canada 5 Belarus 2 China 1 Iran 1
Australia 4 Czech Republic 2 Ukraine 1 Belgium 1
Abstracts of Conference Talks
Migration and stopover ecology
Why have Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones and
Sanderlings reacted differently to the decline in the
availability of horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay
Humphrey Sitters 1 , Larry Niles 2 , Amanda Dey 3 ,
Kevin Kalasz 4 , Allan Baker 5 , Kathy Clark 3 , Nigel Clark 6 ,
Dick Veitch 7 & Clive Minton 8
1 Limosa, Old Ebford Lane, Ebford, Exeter, UK
hsitters@aol.com
2 Conserve Wildlife New Jersey, 516 Farnsworth Avenue,
Bordentown, New Jersey, USA
3 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey, USA
4 Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, Delaware, USA
5 Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada
6 British Trust for Ornithology, UK
7 Papakura, New Zealand
8 Australasian Wader Studies Group, Australia
Red Knots Calidris canutus, Ruddy Turnstones Arenaria
interpres and Sanderlings Calidris alba all feed on horseshoe
crab eggs in Delaware Bay, but the reaction of each species
to the decline in egg availability has been different. Over
1998–2008, numbers of Knots and Turnstones using Delaware
Bay declined by 60–70% though Sanderlings showed
no clear trend. The flyway population of Knots has declined,
but (on the basis of rather sparse data) those of Turnstones and
Sanderlings have not. The decline in crab eggs has affected
these species in different ways, because of differences in
feeding ecology and migratory strategy. All three take eggs
from the sand surface and Knots and Sanderlings take buried
eggs by probing, but Turnstones use their stout bills to dig
pits to gain access to buried egg-clusters. Sanderlings are
less dependent on eggs in Delaware Bay and commonly take
other prey. Knots have shown a strong year-on-year trend
to lower weights at the end of the stopover, turnstones have
been less affected and Sanderlings not at all. Turnstones may
be less dependent on eggs than Knots because they are relatively
short-distance migrants. Many Knots winter in Tierra
del Fuego and, as such, are subject to greater physiological
constraints.
Global climate change and the migration of
Hudsonian Godwits Limosa haemastica
Nathan R. Senner
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
Cornell University, USA. nrs57@cornell.edu
Much recent work has attempted to determine the events
that most influence the duration, speed, and timing of longdistance
bird migration in the context of global climate
change. The majority of these studies have identified largescale
processes, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, or
regional-scale correlates of phenology and productivity,
such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, as the
primary variables explaining ongoing changes in the timing
of bird migration, but they have largely ignored the role of
local-scale weather patterns as potential drivers of change.
Using historical arrival data and both large and small-scale
weather and climatic variables from throughout the ranges
of two breeding populations of Hudsonian Godwits, Limosa
haemastica in Hudson Bay and Alaska, we built a model to
formulate a set of testable hypotheses explaining the yearto-year
variation and long-term trends in arrival times in
these two populations. We tested this model using spatial
and temporal location data for the Hudson Bay breeding

212 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
population, acquired from a cohort of adults carrying British
Antarctic Survey data-loggers. Our preliminary analysis
suggests that despite using a similar migration corridor,
significantly different climactic and weather factors impact
the migrations of these two populations. These differences
may suggest that these two populations will have differing
capabilities to respond to future changes in global climatic
regimes and to continue to accurately time their migrations
with shifts in insect phenology at their Arctic and sub-arctic
breeding grounds. Our future work will focus on expanding
our analysis to include similar location data from the Alaskan
breeding population as well.
New insights from stable isotopes:
do Red Knots Calidris canutus islandica
pass Iceland by during southward migration
Maurine Dietz 1 , Bernard Spaans 2 , Anne Dekinga 2 ,
Marcel Klaassen 3 , Harry Korthals 3 ,
Casper van Leeuwen 3 & Theunis Piersma 1,2
1 Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 14,
9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands; m.w.dietz@rug.nl
2 Department of Marine Ecology, Royal Netherlands Institute
for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 59,
1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, the Netherlands.
3 Department of Plant–Animal Interactions, Centre for
Limnology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO–KNAW),
PO Box 1299, 3600 BG Maarssen, the Netherlands
The Red Knot subspecies Calidris canutus islandica breeds
on the Arctic tundras in NE Canada and N Greenland and
winters along the coasts in NW Europe. Islandica Knots
stopover during northward migration in Iceland or N Norway
and during southward migration in Iceland, though some
birds (mainly juveniles) are found in Norway and Denmark.
At about 4,800 km, this migration route is the shortest of
all six knot subspecies. Islandica Knots may be able to fly
this distance in one flight because migration flights of the
other subspecies can be as long as 6,900 km. Using stable
carbon isotopes ratios (δ 13 C) in blood (cells) and plasma, we
investigated evidence for a stopover in Iceland en route to
the Dutch Wadden Sea. Considering the expected duration
of stopover at Iceland (12–15 d, max 17 d) and the turnover
rates of blood (cells; 15.07 d) and plasma (6.03 d), Red Knots
should arrive after a stopover in Iceland with δ 13 C ratios in
plasma approaching the marine diet and blood (cells) ratios
midway between the tundra and marine signal. Many adults
had δ 13 C ratios in blood (cells) and plasma below this expectation
and some Knots even had tundra signals in their
blood (cells); a strong indication that adults pass Iceland
by. Remarkably, also juveniles arrived with tundra signals
in blood (cells), indicating that they also pass Iceland by en
route to the wintering grounds. This contradicts the general
idea that juvenile shorebirds have more stopovers than adults.
The δ 13 C signature of second-year birds confirmed that they
had oversummered in the Wadden Sea. Because islandica
Knots arrive with tundra δ 13 C signatures in the Wadden Sea,
δ 13 C ratios can be used to estimate time since arrival, making
it possible for the first time to construct a detailed arrival
schedule for knots in their wintering areas. We can now look
at, for example, the variation in body and gizzard mass, and
body mass change with time since arrival.
Habitat choice of Afro-Siberian Red Knots
Calidris canutus canutus in the Schleswig-Holstein
Wadden Sea during northward migration
Anne Schrimpf, Jutta Leyrer, Maarten Brugge,
Anne Dekinga & Theunis Piersma
Royal NIOZ, PO Box 59, 1790AB Den Burg,
Texel, the Netherlands; Anneffm@web.de
The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea, Germany, is an important
stop-over site for migrating waders and waterbirds. During
northward migration birds have a tight schedule in order
to arrive at their breeding ground at the optimal time. Arriving
too early increases the risks of lack of snowfree ground and
food upon arrival on the tundra, whereas arriving too late may
compromise breeding success. Conditions at the last stop-over
sites in particular, will influence survival and reproductive
chances later on. Afro–Siberian Red Knots Calidris canutus
canutus winter in W Africa and breed in northernmost Taymyr
peninsula, Siberia. They cover this distance in two 4,500 km
long non-stop flights, with the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden
Sea as the main stop-over site. During the 2–3 weeks spent
there, the birds have to double their mass in order to have
enough surplus energy stores to ensure their survival after
arrival on the breeding grounds. Outside the breeding season,
Red Knots feed on molluscs ingested whole, with thin-shelled
prey such as Macoma baltica being preferred. From 2006 to
2009, we studied Red Knot diet and prey abundance in the
Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea during northward migration
comparing an area in Nordfriesland (where prey were
dominated by cockles Cerastoderma edule and mud snails
Hydrobia ulvae, which are of rather low quality for Red
Knots), and one in Dithmarschen (where Macoma was more
common). Afro–Siberian Red Knots seem to converge into
the Dithmarschen area before departure, probably on account
of the better prey quality. Nevertheless, their food there is
not secure, because the density and quality of Macoma has
decreased over the last four years. The decline in quality is
caused by an increased shell length and a lack of small individuals.
We also found high annual variability in the density
and quality of Cerastoderma and Hydrobia.
Stopover ecology of first-year Wood Sandpipers
on their autumn migration
Piotr Minias 1 , Radosław Włodarczyk 1 ,
Krzysztof Kaczmarek 2 & Tomasz Janiszewski 1
1 Department of Teacher Training and Biodiversity
Studies, University of Łódź, 1/3 Banacha, 90-237 Łódź,
Poland; pminias@op.pl
2 Medical University of Łódź, 4 Kosciuszki, Łódź, Poland
Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareola were trapped at Jeziorsko
reservoir, central Poland during Jul–Sep, 1997–2007. About
4,400 first-year Wood Sandpipers were caught and 264 were
retrapped within the year of ringing, allowing calculation
of fat accumulation rates. These decreased as the season
progressed; however, length of stay was constant throughout
the whole migration period. The value of fat loads already
accumulated by individual birds was negatively correlated
with both the rate of subsequent fat accumulation and the
period between capture and recapture. There was considerable
inter-seasonal variation in the mean length of the staging
period, which was related to differences in feeding conditions

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between years. The results indicate that first-year Wood Sandpipers
follow a time-minimization migration strategy only
when feeding conditions at the stopover site are favourable.
In the seasons when feeding conditions were unfavourable,
the birds modified their migration strategy, as they probably
could not attain optimal fuel stores in a sufficiently short
period of time.
Stopover vs. staging sites:
a difference between a hop and a jump
Nils Warnock
Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine,
University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
ndwarnock@ucdavis.edu
In the past decade, more sophisticated methods to track
birds combined with calls for understanding the connectivity
between breeding and non-breeding areas have generated
detailed studies describing the migration routes of birds with
additional focus on intermediary sites that birds use during
their migrations. Sites that birds stop at during migration
have been described in various ways, but increasingly these
areas are described as stopover and/or staging sites. These
terms are often used interchangeably to mean a place where
birds stop during their migration. Attempts have been made
to distinguish between the two terms, but consistency in use
and definition still varies significantly. Given the diversity
of use of these two terms, I present ideas on how stopover
and staging sites might differ in ecological function from the
perspective of migrating birds and suggest conservation implications
for distinguishing between these two types of sites.
I argue that while all sites where birds rest and feed during
migration qualify as stopover sites, not all stopover sites
qualify as staging sites. In fact, there are probably relatively
few true staging sites in the world, and given the conservation
importance of identifying these important migratory sites,
understanding the function of staging sites is important.
Habitat selection and prey quality of Red Knots
during spring stopover in Virginia, USA
Jonathan B. Cohen 1 , Sarah M. Karpanty 1 ,
James D. Fraser 1 & Barry R. Truitt 2
1 Dept. Fisheries and Wildlife, Virginia Tech. Virginia, USA
jocohen1@vt.edu
2 The Nature Conservancy, Virginia, USA
Although Delaware Bay is the most renowned spring stopover
site for Red Knots in the United States, 6,000–10,000 knots
have been counted on the Virginia Coast. Unlike in Delaware
Bay, Red Knots in Virginia do not have horseshoe crab eggs
on which to forage. We examined the relationship between the
distribution of Red Knots and potential prey items in Virginia,
2006–2008. Red Knots foraging in the sandy intertidal zone
selected patches with more crustaceans than random plots,
and flock-size was positively correlated with abundance and
size of coquina clams Donax variabilis. However, the quality
of coquina clams was low, as measured by the ratio of energetic
content to shell mass. Red Knots foraging on peat banks
were associated with patches of blue mussels Mytilus edulis
and false angel wings Petricola pholadiformis. These bivalves
were of somewhat higher quality than coquina clams, but still
of low quality. Concurrent research has indicated that very
few Red Knots using Virginia as a stopover site continue to
the Delaware Bay. To better understand the value of Virginia
to Red Knots, future studies should focus on determining the
wintering ground origins of Red Knots stopping in Virginia,
and their survival and reproductive success.
Foraging ecology
Basal metabolic rate increases with salinity
in a long-distance migratory shorebird
Jorge S. Gutiérrez, José A. Masero,
José M. Abad-Gómez, Auxiliadora Villegas &
Juan M. Sánchez-Guzmán
Conservation Biology Research Group, Zoology,
University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06071
Badajoz, Spain; jorgesgutierrez@unex.es
Avian basal metabolic rate (BMR) may be viewed as a highly
flexible physiological trait influenced by environmental factors.
Many long-distance migratory shorebirds switch from a
diet of terrestrial invertebrates during the breeding season to a
diet of intertidal invertebrates during winter, and phenotypic
flexibility in BMR may represent an important component
of short-term acclimation to saline environments. In this
study we tested experimentally the effects of water salinity
on BMR of captive Dunlins Calidris alpina caged in outdoor
aviaries. We measured the oxygen consumption of Dunlins
under three different salt water regimes: fresh water (FW;
0.3±0.0‰), brackish water (BW; 10.4±0.5‰) and saline
water (SW; 30.1±2.1‰). We found that both whole-organism
and mass-specific BMR increased by 8% and 17% from FW
to SW, respectively. These changes were quickly reversed by
returning the birds to fresh water. Our findings showed that a
small-sized shorebird, like Dunlin, is able to modify its BMR
in response to an increase in salinity adjusting its “osmoregulatory
machinery” to maintain osmotic equilibrium. The
significant increase in BMR associated with salinity could
be explained by an increase in organs such as the salt gland.
Cryptic competition for safe foraging sites
in a gregarious shorebird
Piet van den Hout 1 , Tamar Lok 1 , Bernard Spaans 1 &
Theunis Piersma 1,2
1 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel,
the Netherlands; hout@nioz.nl
2
Center for Ecological and Evolutionairy Studies,
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Many species benefit from flocking as one of the measures
to manage predation danger. Although all individuals may
attempt to gain optimal benefits from such flocks, not all
birds manage to do so as they may lack sufficient competitive
abilities. Contrary to some contexts, such as territoriality,

214 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
klepto-parasitism, and foraging at high densities, which are
characterized by visible interactions, patterns of competition
are often elusive to direct observation. In this study we show
that during their lifetime individual Red Knots Calidris c. canutus
gradually shift to safer foraging conditions. We provide
evidence that competition for safety is a life-long issue for
Red Knots. We argue that such cryptic competition patterns
may govern animal densities and distributions at a wide
range of spatial scales, possibly even affecting geographical
gradients in sex and age-ratios.
Stable isotope approach to studying the feeding
strategy of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa
islandica wintering along the French Atlantic coast
Frédéric Robin 1 , Philippe Delaporte 2 , Francis Meunier 3 ,
Camille Fontaine 1 & Pierrick Bocher 1
1 Laboratory of Coastal Environnement and Societies UMR
LIENSs 6250 CNRS, Universisity of La Rochelle, 17000,
France; frobin02@univ-lr.fr
2
Nature Reserve of Moëze-Oléron, Ligue pour la protection
des oiseaux LPO, Ferme de Plaisance, Saint-Froult 17780,
France
3
Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux LPO,
La corderie Royale, Rochefort 17305, France
For coastal waders, an adequate food resource is essential in
the choice of wintering habitats and sites. Those studies of
wintering strategies that deal with the dietary aspect use several
approaches, including fecal analysis and prey sampling
in feeding areas, to assess their quality. The stable isotope
ratio δ 15 N:δ 13 C is a complementary method for comparing
diet between wintering sites and for measuring variation
throughout the winter period. This qualitative approach also
has the potential to determine the origin of birds over a short
time-scale. We used this method to describe the wintering
strategy of Black-tailed Godwits on the central Atlantic
coast of France. During fieldwork carried out between July
2008 and April 2009, >300 samples of godwit blood and
feather were collected at four sites in the South Vendée and
Charente-maritime: the Ré island, and the bays of Aiguillon,
Yves, and Marennes-Oléron. Feathers and blood were collected
each month when godwits were caught at high tide
roost and prey species were sampled from the feeding areas
to connect the food resources to the birds’ diets. The results
show that juvenile feather signatures have a terrestrial origin
while adult feathers have a saline origin. Over the wintering
period, blood samples show an estuarine signature but
variability in the isotope ratio from prey species between
sites shows that some godwits might shift sites more or less
frequently over the course of the winter. Temporal analysis
of these data allows us to describe the phenology of the use
of the different feeding habitats.
The macrozoobentos of the Sivash
is the main feeding base for tundra waders in the
south of the Ukraine during migration
Tatyana Kirikova
Azov–Black Sea Ornithological Station, Lenin Str., 20,
Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, 72312 Ukraine
azov.black.station@gmail.com
This study, covering 1994–2002, provides the first estimation
of the food reserves available to migrant arctic waders in the
eastern and central parts of the Sivash wetlands of southern
Ukraine.
Forty species of the macrozoobenthos were recorded in
the shallow waters of the Sivash; of these 39% have been
recorded as taken by waders. Long-term average annual biomass
of marcozoobenthos wader food in the Eastern Sivash
was 12.14 g/m 2 in spring and 14.57 g/m 2 in autumn; in the
Central Sivash, it was 6.03 g/m 2 in spring and 5.30 g/m 2 in
autumn. These are relatively low values compared with other
wader stopover sites in the south of the Ukraine.
In the Eastern Sivash, most of the biomass of wader food
consisted of polychaetes. Generally, the autumn biomass of
polychaetes was higher than in spring. Insect larvae and Gastropods
also made substantial contributions to the biomass.
In spring the largest contribution to the energetic value of
macrozoobenthic food in the Eastern Sivash was Gastropods;
in autumn it was polychaetes. Over the study period, we
noted a tendency for the biomass and energetic contribution
of polychaetes to decrease and for that of Chironomid larvae
to increase.
The main biomass and energetic content of food resources
in the Central Sivash consisted of Chironomid larvae and
brine shrimps (Artemia). Generally the density of wader food
resources was higher in the Eastern Sivash than in the Central
Sivash, but the reverse occurred in 1997.
In the Eastern Sivash, food reserves available to waders
in autumn doubled during the study period because of
an increasing trend for lower water levels due to wind and
evaporation. In the Central Sivash under the same conditions
food reserves increased on 17 occasions.
The total energy requirements of waders staging in the
Eastern Sivash during autumn migration were greater than
in spring. The total energy requirements of waders staging
in the Central Sivash were generally lower than those staging
in the Eastern Sivash.
The estimated food resources available for waders in the
Eastern Sivash in spring were over 20 times greater than
the waders’ requirements when water levels were at their
maximum, but over 30 times greater when water levels were
at a minimum. In autumn, resources exceeded wader energy
requirements by factors of 6.2 and 10.9 respectively. During
spring migration, the Central Sivash is estimated to provide
waders with only 5–15% of the energy they need when water
level are at a maximum, but when water levels are low food
reserves are 1.1–3.7 times greater than their requirements.
A wader food deficit was also found during autumn migration
in the Central Sivash when water levels were at a
maximum. Only 35.4 % of their needs could be met from the
energy of available benthic biomass. This problem is partly
solved when water fall and the food reserves become on average
5.7 times greater than wader requirements.
Unfavorable food conditions in the Central Sivash were
a reason for the movement of waders to the Eastern Sivash
where generally more food is available.
In view of the high total energy reserves of macrozoobenthic
wader food in the Eastern Sivash (and the ability of
waders to fly), it can be concluded that the Sivash can provide
enough stopover food resources in any season of the year. The
lagoon system of the Sivash therefore plays a vital role in
supporting important populations of arctic migratory waders.

Wader hotspots and monitoring
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The AWSG and its relevance
in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway
Ken Gosbell, Clive Minton & Danny Rogers
Australasian Wader Studies Group, Australia;
ken@gosbell.id.au
Australia and New Zealand are important non-breeding areas
for migratory wader populations that utilize the East Asian
– Australasian Flyway (EAAF) to reach breeding areas in
Siberia and Alaska. Thirty-three wader species spend the
non breeding period in Australasia. These have been studied
by the Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG) and other
regional groups in Australia for >30 years. Studies have
included banding and leg flagging programs, population
monitoring and extensive training activities for both local
and Asian participants. Being at the end of the flyway affords
opportunities to study many aspects of the populations of
Arctic breeding waders. Banding studies initially focused
on biometrics and moult as well as on migration routes and
destinations. With the introduction of coloured leg-flags in
1990, knowledge of migration routes and stopover locations
increased enormously. A comprehensive leg-flag sighting
database was developed and this currently has >17,000
records from throughout the flyway.
With the increased need to understand the demographic
factors influencing wader populations, more recent studies
have focussed on the assessment of breeding success, as
measured by the proportion of juveniles, and collection of
data to measure survival rates. The AWSG have collected
population data from a number of important sites from around
Australia for the last 29 years; this provides the only comprehensive
long term dataset on wader numbers available to
planners and government agencies. The increased need for the
early identification of trends has led to the development of a
more comprehensive and robust monitoring program entitled
Shorebirds 2020. Again, a comprehensive database has been
developed incorporating historical AWSG data. Preliminary
analyses have shown that several migratory species such as
Curlew Sandpiper and Red Knot have suffered extensive
declines over the last decade. Over the same period, studies
have shown that the Yellow Sea, bounded by China and the
Korean Peninsula, is the single most important stopover site
for migratory shorebirds; an estimated 2 million (40% of the
flyway total) are critically dependant on this region during
northward migration.
Many shorebird populations are declining globally and in
the EAAF five species are classified as threatened and nine
populations are in decline. Unfortunately this area continues
to suffer extensive habitat loss due to ever-increasing development
and reclamation. Almost half the total intertidal areas
of the Chinese and South Korean coast have been destroyed.
A monitoring program in Australia, MYSMA (Monitoring
Yellow Sea Migrants in Australia) is now demonstrating
marked reductions in populations of some species as a consequence
of this destruction. The AWSG has undertaken
monitoring and training programs in this region in collaboration
with local governments and NGOs. Future studies will
include the use of recently-developed technologies to help
study movements while the Shorebirds 2020 program will
enable a more rigorous assessment of population trends for
key species. As a partner in the EAAF Partnership, the AWSG
collaborates with key countries such as China and Korea to
achieve a more sustainable development ethic within the
Yellow Sea region.
Estimating eastern Pacific coast populations of
Whimbrels and Hudsonian Godwits,
with an emphasis on Chiloé Island, Chile
Brad A. Andres, James A. Johnson, Jorge Valenzuela,
R.I. Guy Morrison, Luis A. Espinosa & R. Ken Ross
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird
Management, PO Box 25486, DFC-Parfet, Denver, CO,
80225-0486, USA; Brad_Andres@fws.gov
A large proportion of the Hudsonian Godwits Limosa haemastica
spending the boreal winter along the eastern Pacific
Ocean coast are known to occur in the vicinity of Chiloé
Island, Chile, but the importance of the region to Whimbrels
Numenius phaeopus is less known. Ground counts conducted
in 2007 and 2008 increased published estimates, at a
minimum, of Pacific coast populations by 27% for Whimbrels
(33,150 individuals) and 51% for Hudsonian Godwits (21,161
individuals). Bays and shorelines in the Chiloé Island region
supported 99% of Hudsonian Godwits and, perhaps, 61% of
Whimbrels estimated to occur along the Pacific coast during
the boreal winter. Whereas Hudsonian Godwits aggregated
in shallow bays on the eastern and northern coast of Chiloé
Island, Whimbrels were more dispersed along the island’s
coastline and reached a density of 7.5 birds/km along sheltered
gravel shorelines. Bays in the vicinity of Chiloé’s capital,
Castro, provided important foraging and roosting habitat
for non-breeding birds; these sites supported 52% the of the
Pacific coast population of Hudsonian Godwits and >4,000
Whimbrels. Low human disturbance in Pullao and Putemün
bays make these sites particularly attractive to non-breeding
Hudsonian Godwits, and their permanent protection is urged.
Searching for a needle in a haystack:
surveying wintering Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the
Gulf of Martaban (Myanmar)
Nigel A. Clark 1 , Nathan Hentze, Vladimir Morozov,
U Thet Zaw Naing, Daw Nilar Pwint & Christoph Zockler
1 British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU,
UK; nigel.clark@bto.org
During January 2009 a team of ornithologists spent two
weeks surveying the extensive intertidal flats of the Gulf of
Martaban, Mynamar, for Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other
waterbirds. It was only possible to move around the estuary
in relatively slow-moving boats settling on the flats at low
tide and surveying on foot. It was not possible to move along
the saltmarshes from the land and in most places it was not
possible to approach from a boat as the water was too shallow
and the substrate too soft. As a result, estimating the numbers
of Spoon-billed Sandpipers had to be done through low-tide
surveys which only covered part of the estuary. A range of
analytical methods were investigated to predict the number
of Spoon-billed Sandpipers wintering on the site. It is hoped
that the results will aid future surveys in other parts of the
potential wintering range.
215

216 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
Distribution, breeding and wintering abundances,
and seasonal occurrences of waders
in the Gediz Delta, Western Turkey
Ortaç Onmuş 1 & Mehmet Siki 2
1
Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology,
Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; ortac.onmus@ege.edu.tr
2
Natural History Museum, Research and Application Centre
The Gediz Delta is a Ramsar site in the Aegean coast of
Turkey with about 35 km of sea-coast. The aim of this study
was to describe the distributions, breeding and wintering
abundances, and seasonal occurrences of waders in the Gediz
Delta. Data on breeding waders were obtained from two
atlas mapping studies conducted in 2002 and 2006. The atlas
study area included 305 1×1 km square UTM grids. Three
10-minute point-counts were carried out within each of these
squares sampling for breeding activity and relative abundance
of birds, as well as habitats and threats. Standard EBCC
breeding codes were used to describe breeding activities. The
minimum and maximum number of apparently occupied nests
was also counted during the atlas studies. Data on wintering
abundances were obtained from nine different waterbird
censuses (IWC) carried out between 1990 and 2007. Seasonal
occurrence was determined using data from 314 visits covering
all weeks of the year and carried out between 1994 and
2007. Breeding evidence was obtained for nine species in
2002 and eight in 2006. These were Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus
himantopus, Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Eurasian
Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Collared Pratincole
Glareola pratincola, Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius,
Kentish Plover Ch. alexandrinus, Spur-winged Plover Vanellus
spinosus, and Redshank, Tringa totanus. The total number
of wintering species was 28; among these, 13 were classified
as regular, 7 as occasional and 8 as rare. During 314 visits
between 1994 and 2007, the total number of species identified
was 39. The Gediz Delta is one of the most important
wetlands for breeding and wintering waders in Turkey and
supports a good representation of the wader species occurring
in the country.
Population dynamics – habitat selection
Population dynamics of Piping Plovers
Charadrius melodus using engineered and natural
sandbars on the Missouri River
Daniel H. Catlin, Joy H. Felio, Jonathan B. Cohen &
James D. Fraser
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; dcatlin@vt.edu
In 2004, the US Army Corps of Engineers began engineering
sandbar habitat in response to habitat limitation for the
threatened Piping Plover Charadrius melodus. Beginning
in 2005, we compared the fates of nests, broods, and adults
on natural sandbars with those on engineered sandbars. We
monitored 623 nests from which we banded 357 adults and
694 chicks to investigate the factors affecting nest survival,
juvenile and adult survival, and movement. Nesting adult
plovers selected for engineered habitats; there were more
nests initiated on engineered habitat than would be expected
based on area, nesting birds were more likely to move to
engineered sandbars than to natural sandbars, and nesting
densities on engineered sandbars were approximately seven
times as high as on natural sandbars. Furthermore, nesting
success was higher on engineered habitat than on natural
habitat. Prefledging survival was similar, on average, between
natural and engineered sandbars, but chick survival
on engineered sandbars was highly variable. Postfledgling
survival also was similar on the two sandbar types, but
fidelity to study area was lower for birds hatched on natural
habitat. In general, engineered habitat was more productive
than the natural habitat, but the productivity on these sandbars
decreased with age. Management for population growth
should include considerations of habitat availability, nesting
densities, amount of foraging habitat, and the effects of water
management on these factors. It appears that appropriately
timed and controlled addition of engineered habitat could
contribute to recovery efforts, but continued investigation of
the longevity of engineered habitat is required.
Local changes cause global shifts:
eastward relocation of migration routes and
breeding sites in Ruff Philomachus pugnax
Eldar N. Rakhimberdiev 1 , Yvonne I. Verkuil 2,3 ,
Anatoly A. Saveliev 4 , Pavel S. Tomkovich 5 &
Theunis Piersma 1,6
1 Department of Vertebtate Zoology, Biological Faculty,
Moscow State University, 119991, 1 Leninskiye gory,
Moscow, Russia; eldarrak@gmail.com
2 Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 14,
9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands
3 Dept. of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum,
100 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, M5S 2C6, Canada
4 Geography and Ecology Faculty, Kazan State University,
420008, 18 Kremlevskaja Street, Kazan,
The Russian Federation
5 Zoological Museum, Moscow State University,
Bolshaya Nikitskaya Str., 6, Moscow, Russia
6 Department of Marine Ecology, Royal Netherlands Institute
for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg,
Texel, the Netherlands
In W Europe, there has been a steep decline in the number
of migrating Ruff over the last two decades. This raises
questions about probable recent changes in the breeding
population. We have analyzed recent monitoring data from
the Arctic, where over 90% of the global Ruff population
breeds (online database www.arcticbirds.net, maintained
by Mikhail Soloviev and Pavel Tomkovich). Generalized
Additive Modeling and Generalized Estimations Equations
methods detect changes in the population dynamics of breeding
Ruffs. While in the European Arctic Ruffs have been
decreasing during the last 18 years, in W Siberia Ruffs have
increased. Our results corroborate the increasing numbers of
Ruffs migrating through Eastern Europe (Belarus), which
suggests a growing preference for the E Europe migration
corridor, with its terminal point in W Siberia. We assume that

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local changes in agricultural activity at stopover sites in the
Netherlands have led to a reduction in the number of Ruffs
migrating through W Europe in favour of the E European
route. Numbers on the West African wintering grounds have
been stable; we therefore hypothesize that the European Ruff
is becoming an Asian species.
Prediction of suitable wader habitat in the
British uplands using multiple spatial scales
and aerial images
Ute Bradter, Tim J. Thom, John D. Altringham,
William E. Kunin & Tim G. Benton
University of Leeds, UK; bsub@leeds.ac.uk
Species-habitat models can predict suitable habitat for species
and are thus an important tool in the conservation of
vulnerable and declining species. Mobile species may select
and use habitat at multiple spatial scales and bird-habitat
relationships have frequently been found to depend on the
scale of the investigation. Advances in geographic information
systems (GIS) and in computer processor capacity make
it increasingly possible to compute habitat variables at different
spatial scales and to include larger scales. However, a
major restriction of large-scale species-habitat models is the
limited availability of landscape-scale habitat variables. We
predicted 25 vegetation community classes for 1,939 km 2 of
the Yorkshire Dales, UK, from reflectance values of colour
aerial images and from environmental variables with an ensemble
classifier. The selection of appropriate scales for this
and other variables for inclusion in species-habitat models
will be discussed. We will use the Eurasian Curlew Numenius
arquata as an example.
Energetic trade-offs of wintering
at different locations in a migratory shorebird
José A. Alves 1 , Tomas G. Gunnarsson 2,3 ,
Daniel Hayhow 1 , Peter M. Potts 4 ,
William J. Sutherland 5 & Jennifer A. Gill 1
1 School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia,
Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK; j.alves@uea.ac.uk
2 University of Iceland, South Iceland Research Centre,
Tryggvagata 36, IS-800 Selfoss, Iceland
3 Gunnarsholt, IS-851 Hella, Iceland
4 Solent Court Cottage, Chilling Lane, Warsash,
Southampton SO31 9HF, UK
5 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge,
Downing St., Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
Migratory bird species often winter over large geographic
and latitudinal ranges across which individuals encounter
very different environmental conditions. If sites in different
parts of the range vary in the quality of food resources and/
or in weather conditions, the choice of winter location may
strongly influence individual fitness. However, variation in
the benefits associated with different winter sites may be
traded-off with costs of migration and the timing of arrival
on the breeding grounds. Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits
Limosa limosa islandica, breed almost exclusively in Iceland,
but their winter distribution ranges from Britain and Ireland
to the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore individuals at different
ends of the range are likely to experience very different
environmental conditions. As godwits are highly site-faithful,
the variation in conditions experienced at different winter
sites may be a key driver of individual fitness. In this study,
we calculate the net energetic benefits for Icelandic godwits
wintering in three distinct parts of the range (England, Ireland
and Portugal), by combining detailed measures of intake
rates and time-budgets. We then estimate the energetic thermoregulatory
costs (maintenance metabolism) for Icelandic
godwits wintering in each site by adapting an energetic model
developed for waders based on local weather variables. The
potential trade-offs involved in winter site-choice are then
explored by comparing the energetic benefits of each wintering
site with migration distance, timing of arrival and annual
survival of individually marked birds from each site.
The relationship between social waders
and their resource
Eelke Folmer
University of Groningen, CEES, Animal Ecology,
the Netherlands; E.O.Folmer@rug.nl
The ideal free distribution represents an equilibrium that
emerges when all animals choose a location such that their
fitness is maximized. When applied to foraging waders, it is
typically assumed that suitability of a patch merely depends
on food density and the level of interference. However, waders
may also benefir from the co-occurence of conspecifics
due to, for example, information sharing and to avoid predation.
Thus, spatial aggregations of foraging waders are driven
by a combination of attractive and repellent forces that are
mediated by the environment. Due to the conspecific attraction,
non-linear wader–benthos relationships emerge. The empirical
challenge is to obtain statistical estimates that reflect
the true impact of resource and to quantify the effect of social
attraction. I will demonstrate by means of simulation what the
consequences of social attraction may be. For this purpose,
Beddington’s functional response model was generalized so
that it allows for distant dependent conspecific facilitation.
In this context I will also show how a population as a whole
may benefit from individuals that are indifferent to conspecifics
(i.e. leaders). Besides demonstrating the consequences
of social attraction, I will show that spatial autoregressive
(SAR) models are able to capture this effect. This provides
opportunities for empirical investigations. Mudflats with
foraging shorebirds provide a very good system to estimate
the relationships between shorebirds and their benthic food
while taking into account conspecific attraction. We mapped
resource and wader densities across the Dutch Wadden Sea
and applied SAR models to the relationships from which I
will present and discuss the outcome.

218 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (1) 2009
Conservation
Two sides of the same story: threats to wader
conservation and potential risks for air traffic due to
the current plan for the new airport of Lisboa
Pedro M. Lourenço 1 & José A. Alves 2
1 Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen,
PO Box 14, 9750AA Haren, the Netherlands
p.m.g.lourenco@gmail.com
2 Centre for Ecology Evolution and Conservation,
School of Biological Sciences,
University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Most wader populations have very specific habitat requirements.
During part of the year they are limited to a few
relatively small areas of favourable habitat, making them
extremely sensitive to human-induced habitat change. Continental
Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa limosa use rice
fields as their main foraging habitat in Portugal during the
non-breeding season. In Jan and Feb, the rice fields near the
Tejo estuary support as much as a third of the population
during a long migration stopover. Currently, the Portuguese
goverment is planning the construction of a new international
airport for Lisboa which, when fully operational, will account
for the majority of air traffic flying in and out of Portugal.
The annouced location for this infrastructure is the Campo
de Tiro de Alcochete, an old military base located on the
south bank of the Tejo estuary. In this study, we evaluate two
complementary aspects of the impact of the new airport. First,
we consider the proximity of the airport site to important
foraging and roosting sites used by Black-tailed Godwits and
other waders, in an attempt to understand how such a large
development might impact the local bird commmunity both
in the rice fields and on the estuary. Second, we investigate
how known flight patterns of Black-tailed Godwits between
different rice fields and between estuarine roosts and ricefields
might pose a serious threat for future air traffic.
Building a user-friendly model
to advise shorebird policy and management
R.A. Stillman & A.D. West
Bournemouth University, UK
rstillman@bournemouth.ac.uk
To assess the impact of future environmental change on
shorebirds, conservationists, policy makers and developers
require accurate predictions for new environmental conditions.
The difficulty with this is that there will often be no
historical data on which to base predictions, yet such data
are usually required by traditional methods of prediction,
such as regression or demographic models. In recent years,
individual-based models (IBMs) have been developed to
make such predictions of the effects of environmental change
on shorebirds. These models predict the responses of populations
to environmental change from the behavioural responses
of the individual animals that comprise these populations.
The decision making of model animals mimics that of real
animals (e.g. model animals feed in the locations in which
they can feed at a maximum rate), and so model animals
are expected to respond to change in the same way that real
animals would. These IBMs have been shown to accurately
predict the responses of shorebird populations to change, and
have been used in several estuaries to advise the management
of shellfishing, disturbance, habitat loss and response to sea
level rise. However, they have had the drawback that their use
has been restricted to specialist modellers, whereas, ideally,
they should be accessible to non-specialists with a direct interest
in coastal management and policy. In this talk, we give a
brief overview of these models and their application, and then
describe a new user-friendly model that is being developed
to allow coastal interest groups to use these models directly
to assist their site management and policy. The new model
allows a user to parameterise and run a model in a series of
simple steps, and hides technical details (e.g. equations to
predict energy requirements or feeding rate) from the user.
We describe how the model is being tested in the UK by eight
coastal interest groups, and how it will be made available in
the future.
Waders of the Tagus rice fields
N. Cidraes-Vieira
Rua das Acácias 109, Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
ncvieira@sapo.pt
Rice fields are man-made wetlands of great importance for
bird conservation. Although Portuguese rice fields are among
the major rice growing regions of Europe, little is known
about their use by birds. To study the bird communities of this
habitat throughout the whole rice-cultivation cycle, counts
were carried out at least once a month for three years. The
area sampled includes the majority of the rice fields of the
left bank of Tagus River and its tributaries, from Alcochete
to Paul de Magos. The rice fields were observed from a car
and scanned for birds using binoculars and telescopes. The
phenology of the 22 wader species identified, their distribution
and the importance of these rice fields to their conservation
are analysed and discussed. The Tagus rice fields are
used by >30,000 birds, mostly Black-tailed Godwits Limosa
limosa, and should therefore be considered as an Important
Bird Area, although most of them have no legal protection
at the present time.
Colonisation rates of waders in a
newly created intertidal area:
influence of biological and physical factors
Lucas Mander, Krysia Mazik, Daryl Burdon & Nick Cutts
Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies,
University of Hull, Hull,UK; l.mander@hull.ac.uk
The process of coastal squeeze, coupled with the long-term
effects of climate change, has generated the need to create
or restore intertidal habitats in estuaries. In the Humber
Estuary (UK), 80 ha of mudflat was created in 2003 by
breaching existing flood defences to allow tidal inundation,
accretion and subsequent colonisation of the new intertidal
habitat by foraging waders. To assess colonisation patterns
and determine rates of change, monthly counts of waders
have been undertaken since 2003 at the Paull Holme Strays
managed realignment site. In parallel, benthic invertebrate
and accretion monitoring have been undertaken since 2003
218

Annual Conference
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to determine the influence of biological and physical factors
on the colonisation rates of several wader species. Six years
after the initial breach of the sea-wall, the increase in foraging
waders is attributed largely to the build-up of estuarine mud in
the realignment site and associated development of the intertidal
invertebrate community. Rates of colonisation however
differed greatly between wader species and were found to be
strongly linked to accretion rates, sediment types and benthic
communities present within the realignment site. Although
the ecological development of managed realignment sites
has been well documented across the world, little has been
presented on the colonisation process of wader species and
their interactions with biological and physical factors. This
has important implications for assessing the design and success
of habitat creation for wader populations.
Assignment of subspecies in wintering and
migrating flocks of Black-tailed Godwits
Limosa limosa
Ricardo J. Lopes 1 , José A. Alves 2 , Jennifer A. Gill 2 ,
Tómas G. Gunnarsson 3,4 , Jos C.E.W. Hooijmeijer 6 ,
Pedro M. Lourenço 6 , Jose A. Masero 8 ,
Theunis Piersma 6,7 , Peter M. Potts 5 &
Francisco Santiago-Quesada 8
1 CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e
Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão,
4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; ricardolopes@mail.icav.up.pt
2 Centre for Ecology Evolution and Conservation,
School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia,
Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
3 University of Iceland, South Iceland Research Centre,
Tryggvagata 36, IS-800 Selfoss, Iceland
4 Gunnarsholt, IS-851 Hella, Iceland
5 Solent Court Cottage, Chilling Lane, Warsash,
Southampton SO31 9HF, UK
6 Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies (CEES), University of Groningen,
PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands
7 Department of Marine Ecology, Royal Netherlands
Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 59,
1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, the Netherlands
8 Conservation Biology Research Group, Zoology,
University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n,
06071 Badajoz, Spain
The location of wintering and migrating grounds of the different
Black-tailed Godwit subspecies is crucial for an understanding
of their dynamics. However, in sites where both subspecies
occur, the relative importance of each can be difficult
to estimate. Recent findings, analysing the control region of
Mitochondrial DNA, show that there is geographic structure
in the phylogeography of Black-tailed Godwits. L. l. limosa
and L. l. islandica show clear discrimination of haplotypes,
which are private for each subspecies. These results show
that we can assign the subspecies of individuals caught on
non-breeding grounds and clearly estimate the proportion of
each subspecies in wintering and migrating flocks. We tested
the previous findings and the accuracy of assignment before
testing samples from wintering flocks. In the last decade, a
large sample of birds from the two different subspecies that
occur in W Europe were colour-ringed for individual identification.
This was carried out at selected locations across their
range, from breeding areas to wintering grounds and blood
samples were taken from many of these birds. We selected
all samples from Iberia during winter or pre-nuptial migration
that allowed us to pinpoint the breeding location. All
birds analysed were assigned correctly to each subspecies,
confirming the accuracy of this approach. Then we tested
>100 samples from birds caught in ricefields in SE Spain
during winter and migration. Consistent with color-rings and
morphological data, we discriminated several individuals of
the islandica subspecies, but the proportion was

220 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
Social system and breeding biology of the
Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata
Marie-Helene Burle 1 , David B. Lank 1 & Richard Lanctot 2
1 Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Dept. of Biological Sciences,
Simon Fraser University. 8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
B.C. Canada V5A 1S6; msb2@sfu.ca
2 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management,
Alaska, USA
The Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata is the last
extant species of a poorly known radiation of tropical nonmigratory
shorebirds of the South Pacific Ocean. Once
widespread throughout the Tuamotu Archipelago (French
Polynesia) and possibly beyond, the species is now restricted
to four uninhabited atolls and is classified by the IUCN as
endangered (www.iucnredlist.org). Reasons for the decline
are introduced mammalian predators – primarily rats – and
possibly habitat transformation through coconut plantations.
Previous knowledge on distribution, abundance and presumed
diet was summarized in 2004 by Pierce & Blanvillain (WSGB
105: 93–100), but the social behaviour, communication
system and breeding biology of this very peculiar species remained
unstudied. Last winter we conducted a 5-month field
season on the atoll of Tahanea, colour-banded and followed
110 individuals and monitored 17 nests which produced 8
chicks, the first to be described. Distribution among islets
within Tahanea was very patchy – presumably reflecting the
distribution of rats and suitable habitat – with most islets totally
unoccupied, others holding a handful of birds and only
five holding small but surprisingly dense breeding populations.
On those, birds lived in pairs at very high densities
in totally saturated habitat, on highly defended territories.
Territories covered the entire area and non-territorial birds
were chased away from one territory to another as soon as
they were detected. Territorial birds also commonly engaged
in sneaky foraging trips on other territories and were also
chased when detected. The breeding season appeared to start
in late December and continued beyond our departure in late
March. Hatching success was low, apparently due to predation
from unknown sources. Chicks had an unusually slow growth
rate and fledging success was extremely low. We suggest that
negative density-dependent reproductive success due to food
competition may occur.
Mating strategies of “faeder” male Ruffs
Philomachus pugnax and inheritance of
three male morph-types
David B. Lank 1 , Susan B. McRae 2 & Lindsay L. Farrell 1
1 Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Research Group,
Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive,
Burnaby BC V5A 1S6 Canada; dlank@sfu.ca
2 Department of Biology, East Carolina University,
Greensboro, NC, 27858, USA
Jukema & Piersma (2006, Biology Letters 2: 161–164)
discovered a rare “female mimic” morph of male Ruff, a
lekking sandpiper previously known to have two genetically
differentiated alternative male behavioural and morphological
morphs, termed satellites and independents. The female-like
“faeders” are smaller than ornamented males, lack ornamental
plumage, and have large testes. We studied mimic behavior
and inheritance patterns in a captive breeding colony. Two
faeder males, sent by Piersma in 2006, produced 11 faeders
out of 15 male offspring, and a faeder’s son produced 1 faeder
of 2 sons. Most faeders do not perform recognizable male
courtship displays, however two of 14 have done so. One
briefly courted actively crouching females when a satellite
male, but no independent was present. The second faeder
essentially joined a lek, behaving somewhat like a satellite.
Typically, however, faeders simply stand close to displaying
males at leks, and may be courted by them. Faeders obtain
copulations by responding quickly to crouching females,
often inserting themselves between a crouching female and
the attendant ornamented male. This does not suggest female
choice for mating with the faeder. However, some females
approached and spontaneously crouched to solicit matings
from faeders, even when an ornamented male was available
to them, suggesting both recognition of them as males and
choice of them as mates. Faeders also crouch to distract or
decoy other males away from mating with soliciting females.
Pedigree data support a model of a simple Mendelian onelocus
two-allele mode of inheritance, with a dominant allele
producing a faeder. Epistatis is suggested, in that having a
“faeder allele” overrides expression at the previously described
“satellite-independent” locus determining development
into the two types of ornamented males (Lank et al.
1995, Nature 378: 59–62).
Sexual differences in parental care of
Upland Sandpipers
Brett Sandercock
Kansas State University, Division of Biology, 116 Ackhert
Hall, 66506-4901 Manhattan, USA; bsanderc@ksi.edu
The Upland Sandpipers is a poorly known species of shorebird
that nests in the native grasslands of N America. As part
of a long-term population study at Konza Prairie in NE Kansas,
we investigated sexual differences in parental care of 51
broods from successful nests in a 7-year period (2002–2008).
Sandpipers were trapped at night using spot-lighting, individually
marked with coloured leg bands, and a subset of birds
was marked with radio-transmitters to locate nests. Birds
were sexed with molecular methods applied to blood samples.
Male and female Upland Sandpipers shared incubation but
parental care of broods was primarily by males. A total of 24
of 34 males (73%) but only 3 of 18 females (17%) attended
broods after hatching of young. Parental sandpipers either
abandoned broods shortly after hatching or attended broods
for 2–4 weeks. Duration of parental care by males declined
seasonally and was explained by date of hatching (r 2 = 0.2).
Parental attendance of late-hatched broods was short, possibly
because young were abandoned at earlier stages or because of
seasonal increases in rates of brood failure. Overall, parental
care in Upland Sandpipers was comparable to other socially
monogamous shorebirds, suggesting that ecological factors
determining sexual differences in brood attendance and timing
of departure may be similar among temperate and arcticbreeding
species.

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Differing moult strategies of waders using
freshwater habitats and coastal habitats
of southern Africa
Magdalena Remisiewicz 1,2 , Anthony J. Tree 3 ,
Les G. Underhill 1 & P. Barry Taylor 4
1 Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology,
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701,
South Africa; biomr@ug.edu.pl
2 Avian Ecophysiology Unit, Dept. of Vertebrate Ecology
and Zoology, University of Gdańsk, al. Legionów 9,
80-441 Gdańsk, Poland
3 Zoology Dept., Nelson Mandela Metropole University,
PO Box 1600, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa
4 School of Biological and Conservation Sciences,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01,
Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
According to hypotheses suggested by Prater (1981), the
duration of moult in adult Palearctic migrant waders of
northern temperate zones is correlated with their wing-length
and with latitude, but these relationships break down in the
southern hemisphere. We present an additional hypothesis:
that moult strategy differs between waders using freshwater
and coastal habitats, and verify the relationships suggested
by Prater for waders moulting in sub-tropical Africa. We
compared attributes of primary moult at similar latitudes in
southern Africa for adults of nine Palearctic migrant waders:
Wood Sandpipers, which exclusively use freshwater habitats;
Common Sandpipers, Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers and
female Ruffs, which use freshwater or coastal habitats; and
Red Knots, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones and Grey Plovers,
which use mostly coastal habitats. The moult parameters were
estimated using the Underhill–Zucchini model (1988). We
analysed 1,496 moult cards for Wood Sandpipers and 2,406
moult cards for Little Stints; for the remaining species we
used data from the literature. The correlation between winglength
and the duration of primary moult was significant
when we split these species into two groups: waders using
coastal habitats and those using inland habitats, allocating
Curlew Sandpiper to the inland group. The model, with two
parallel lines fitted for the inland and coastal groups, showed
that for each additional millimetre of wing length, the duration
of primary moult was extended by half a day. Moult for
inland waders lasted on average 25.9 days longer than for
coastal waders. We consider the extended moult of waders
using freshwater habitats to be an adaptation to their use of
irregular wetlands that provide unpredictable food resources
and to their need to move between ephemeral wetlands during
the moulting period, in contrast to waders relying on the
abundant and predictable food supplies of coastal habitats.
Prolonged and flexible primary moult overlaps
extensively with breeding in the Hooded Plover,
a beach-nesting specialist
Ken G. Rogers 1 , Michael A. Weston 2 & Danny I. Rogers 3
1 340, Ninks Road, St Andrews, Victoria, 3761, Australia
kenrogers@hotkey.net.au
2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Science and Technology, Deakin University,
221 Burwood Hwy, Victoria, 3125, Australia
3 Arthur Rylah Institute, PO Box 137, Heidelberg,
Victoria 3084, Australia
In general, the primary moult of birds is somewhat compressed
in time, lasting less than about 5 months, and occurs
after breeding. Very protracted moults, lasting longer than
half a year, are traditionally considered to be restricted to
very large species, or to some species living in unpredictable
arid environments. In this study we demonstrate that none of
these generalizations apply to the Hooded Plover Thinornis
rubricollis, a resident of oceanic beaches of SE Australia.
The relationship between breeding and adult primary feather
moult was examined using data from a colour-banded population
in which the breeding activity of all indivuals was
known. Breeding and population moult cover long periods
(approximately six and at least nine months respectively).
Modelled durations of primary moult were long (sexes combined,
203.3±9.05 [SE] days), and predictable that moult was
centred on the austral summer and did not occur in winter.
The population moult period entirely encompassed the breeding
period, and many breeding birds were in active moult.
All moult formulae fell on one of two moult sequences, one
more rapid than the other. The slow sequence has fewer feathers
growing concurrently and also has formulae indicating
suspended moults. Switching between sequences can and
does happen at many points in the moult cycle. A prolonged
moult with the flexibility to move between sequences of
“slower”and “faster” moult may facilitate high levels of
replacement clutches associated with a high-risk nesting
environment. Suspended moults may arise for several reasons
including coping with extremes of temperature heat or
disturbance in mid-summer, or perhaps the energetic demands
of breeding or parental care.
The effect of breeding success on the
migration phenology and onset of moult
of the Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Yahkat Barshep & Les G. Underhill
Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology,
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Yahkat.Barshep@uct.ac.za
Fluctuations of breeding success in the Curlew Sandpiper
results, primarily, from changes in predation pressure upon
birds’ clutches (Summers et al. 1987), but sometimes temperature
can contribute to the outcome of breeding as well
(Schekkerman et al. 1998). The link between breeding success
and the phenology of migration and moult in the Curlew
Sandpiper was investigated using ringing data spanning 60
years from Sweden and moult data from Australia. Results
show that adults migrated earlier in years of poor breeding
success (median date: 25 Jul) compared with years of good
breeding success (median date: 5 Aug). There was also a link
between the timing of migration and average June temperature
in the arctic: birds migrated earlier in years when the
average June temperature was cooler. The mean start date
of moult in Australia was 15 Sep in poor breeding years and
25 Sep in good breeding years. This study demonstrates the
carry-over effect of events happening on the breeding ground
on the schedule of migration and, subsequently, moult.
221

222 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
Are Pacific Golden Plovers Pluvialis fulva
distinguished in two subspecies
Joop Jukema 1 , Jeroen Reneerkens 2 & Wally Johnson 3
1 Haerdawei 62, 8854 AC Oosterbierum, Fryslân,
the Netherlands; jukema42@hetnet.nl
2
Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen,
PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands;
J.W.H.Reneerkens@rug.nl
3
Department of Ecology, Montana State University,
Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
owjohnson2105@aol.com
Pacific Golden Plovers breed on the Arctic tundra. In N
Siberia, the breeding area ranges from the Yamal Peninsula
in the west to the Chukotskiy Peninsula in the east. Pacific
Golden Plovers also breed in W Alaska. To date, no intraspecific
population structuring within the Pacific Golden Plover
has been reported. However, there are some indications that
breeding birds in Siberia are shorter-winged than birds from
W Alaska. This hints at population segregation, but the data
set was limited and measurements were done by several
different observers. The two putative breeding populations
are geographically separated by the Bering Strait. This
geographical barrier might have resulted in segregation in
respect of other morphological and life-history characters. To
further explore possible differences between the two putative
populations, an analysis of the following characters will be
presented based on museum skins and live birds: biometric
measures, moult schedules and migratory connectivity with
wintering areas.
Population dynamics – Monitoring
Breeding waders in the
Middle Pripyat floodplain, S Belarus
Pavel Pinchuk, Natalia Karlionova & Dmitriy Zhuravlev
Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus, 27 Academichnaya Str.,
Minsk 220072, Belarus; ppinchuk@mail.ru
The Pripyat floodplain contains the largest areas of natural
meadows not only in Belarus, but in Europe. Large river floodplains
are especially important for the conservation of breeding
waders. During 2000–2008, we carried out counts of breeding
waders on areas of the right bank of the floodplain from
Stachovo village to Turov, and around the Stviga mouth near
Pogost village and to the Pererovski Mlynok (total area about
1,000 km 2 ). This study area includes both natural lowland
and floodplain meadows. Part of the latter comprises unique
floodplain, steppe-like meadows, with no analogous habitats
in the rest of Belarus. Such steppe-like meadows support high
breeding numbers of Eurasian Oystercatchers (25–40 pairs),
Little Ringed Plover (10–30 pairs), Ringed Plover (200–250
pairs – 80% of the Belarus breeding population), Northern
Lapwing (550–800 pairs), Ruff (50–120 females), Common
Snipe (100–250 pairs), Great Snipe (120–170 females), Blacktailed
Godwit (300–500 pairs), Redshank (900–1250 pairs)
Marsh Sandpiper (20–50 pairs) and Terek Sanpiper (100–150
pairs – 60% of the Belarus breeding population). Data on the
distribution, breeding density and breeding biology of waders
were collected during Mar–Jun 2005–2008 on multiple plots
of the meadow near Turov town (52.04°N, 27.44°E). The
breeding density of waders varies across the breeding season
and under a normal hydrological regime reaches a maximum
(20–50 pairs/ha) at the end of April or beginning of May. But
in very wet years (e.g. in spring 2008 when water levels rose to
a high level, leading to a sharp decrease in the area of islands),
breeding density can reach a maximum of 1,000 pairs/ha (60
nests were found in 0.06 ha). Overall during 2005–2008, nest
success of all studied species was 69.0–85.5%. Nest destruction
might be explained by the grazing of horses and cows,
predation by Corvids and Red Fox and inundation of nests in
the 2008 flood. The main threats to breeding waders in this
area are: changes in the hydrological regime, overgrowing of
floodplain meadows by willow shrubs, managed burning the
vegetation (affects early breeding species), high density of
Corvids in the floodplain, uncontrolled cattle pasture, agricultural
use of breeding habitats, spring hunting, disturbance by
humans, destruction of nests by dogs and foxes, destruction of
nests by local people. However, in spite of all these threats, the
Pripyat floodplain remains an important breeding area for several
wader species. If this status is to be maintained, it requires
special protection and careful management.
Results of ten years retrapping: Adults for Survival
(RAS) project on breeding Redshanks
Tringa totanus at Wieringen, the Netherlands
Wim Tijsen 1 & Hans Schekkerman 2
1 De Dolven 39, 1778 JP Westerland, the Netherlands
wimtijsen@planet.nl
2 Pernestraat 37, 1901 AV Castricum, the Netherlands
hans.schekkerman@sovon.nl
Between 2000 and 2009, we colour-ringed 203 breeding
adult Redshank and 77 near-fledged juveniles in meadows
along the Dutch Wadden Sea coast of North-Holland, and
systematically resighted these birds to determine survival,
pair bonds and breeding success. The study is conducted
in two areas to determine if there is a difference in survival
and reproductive success between nature reserve areas and
farmland under agri-environment schemes. Catching methods
used were a landing net and walk-in-traps. We used program
MARK to estimate apparent survival and resighting rates.
The best supported model included sex and age effects for
resighting rate: p was 0.16 (95% CL 0.04–0.49) for 1st year
birds, 0.86 (0.81–0.90) for adult females and 0.95 (0.91–0.98)
for adult males. Apparent survival rate varied with age and
year, with no discernible effect of transients. Average apparent
survival rate was 0.24 (0.13–0.41) for first-year birds and 0.83
(0.80–0.86) for adults, with annual values ranging from 0.74
to 0.96. Adult Redshanks were highly faithful to their breeding
territories. The average dispersal distance of recruiting
juveniles was 2,123 m (range 82–9,660 m, n = 32); for young
males this was 1,746 m (n = 19) and for females 2,713 m (n
= 9). Mean duration of pair bonds was 3.24 years (n = 329
years from 118 different pairs). Annually, 20% of all pairs
dissolved because one partner did not return, 3% because
both partners disappeared, and 10% through divorce, while
67% reunited. 60% of divorces occurred after a year with
hatching succes, while the mean overall hatching succes was

Annual Conference
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43%, varying between years from 25.5% to 58.5% (n = 43–64
nests). Experienced pairs raised their young more successfully.
Chick survival can be improved by sympathetic mowing
schedules and by creating wet-grassland-features. This study
will be continued for the next ten years.
Natal origin of breeding individuals affects
estimates of local population growth rates
Veli-Matti Pakanen, Kari Koivula, Antti Rönkä,
Eduardo J. Belda, Aappo Luukkonen & Laura Kvist
Department of Biology, University of Oulu, Finland
veli-matti.pakanen@oulu.fi
Vital rates of immigrants and philopatrics may differ due
to different costs and benefits associated with dispersal and
philopatry. Despite the apparent effects on population dynamics,
immigration status is only rarely considered in analyses of
population dynamics. We investigated whether immigration
status causes variation in vital rates of an endangered Temminck’s
Stint Calidris temminckii population breeding by the
Baltic Sea. We also examined the impact of immigration and
immigrant status on the population growth rate with a population
matrix model in which immigrants and philopatrics represent
their own states. Philopatric individuals survived better
than immigrants. In reproductive parameters, variation due to
immigrant status was not clear. Nest survival of philopatric’s
nests was better than those of immigrants, but this did not show
up in chick production per breeding attempt. Models described
a sink population in which the inclusion of both immigration
rate and the immigrant status of individuals into the model
increased estimates of the population growth rate. When the
better success of philopatrics was considered, the population
appeared stable. If this was not taken into account, population
growth was strongly negative. The results support the hypothesis
that immigrants exhibit lower components of lifetime
reproductive success and therefore contribute less to population
growth and the gene pool than local recruits. While we cannot
distinguish whether this difference reflects higher mortality or
permanent emigration, the latter explanation seems more plausible.
Our results demonstrate the importance of considering
immigration and immigration status in population modelling.
The results imply that management directed to improve local
recruitment would be a profitable option.
Barr al Hikman (Oman): a hotspot for migratory birds
within the Middle East/East African flyway
Jim de Fouw 1,2 & Raymond Klaassen 3
1
Bureau Waardenburg Ltd. Consultants for
environment & ecology; Jimdefouw@gmail.com
2
Netherlands Institute of Ecology, P.O. Box 1299,
3600 BG Maarssen, the Netherlands
3
Department of Ecology, Lund University,
Ecology Building, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
Barr al Hikman, a pristine coastal wetland in Oman (Middle
East), is probably one of the world’s least-disturbed, tropical,
intertidal ecosystems. The site is an important wintering area
for migratory waders within the Middle East/East African Flyway
(MEEAF). In winter, Barr al Hikman hosts long- distance
migrants from Scandinavia (Broad-billed Sand piper), Siberia
(Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin) and E Siberia (Great Knot), medium/short-distance
migrants from central Asia (Redshank,
Lesser Sandplover), as well as regional breeders (Crab Plover,
Kentish Plover). We have studied the ecology of migratory
waders wintering at Barr al Hikman during three consecutive
winter seasons (2006/2007–2008/2009) . Our studies confirm
that it is an important wintering area for an astonishing variety
of wader species. In total, about 310,000 waders winter there.
Internationally important numbers were recorded for 18 species
(wintering population >1% of flyway population, Delany
et al. 2009). This diversity is unmatched for any other area in
Africa and W Eurasia.
An extensive benthic sampling program revealed that the
site is very rich in small molluscs, dominated by the Lucinid
bivalve Pillucina fischeriana. The densities of polychaetes
were rather low, but small crustaceans (amphipods) were
abundant. Also noteworthy was the high diversity and abundance
of crabs, and many wader species were feeding on
crabs. Crabs thus seem to be a key component of the Barr al
Hikman ecosystem. Observations of foraging birds revealed
that not many feed on the most abundant prey (molluscs), but
that most take small prey with low energy values.
Barr al Hikman should be considered one of the key sites
within the MEEAF. Our studies are beginning to establish
connectivity for various species between Barr al Hikman
and breeding, stopover, and other wintering sites. This is
especially valuable as very little is known about connections
within the MEEAF. One key record was the observation of
a Dunlin that had been colour-ringed on its breeding site in
Taimyr; the first recovery from the wintering area for the
centralis subspecies. Another was the capture of a Bar-tailed
Godwit ringed 20 years before at Langebaan lagoon, South
Africa. Our ringing studies have also revealed that most
species are faithful to Barr al Hikman as their wintering site.
The nearby island of Masirah, which can be considered as
a part of the Barr al Hikman ecosystem, is not particularly
important for wintering waders, as confirmed by a survey we
have recently carried out. This is in contrast to the situation
in autumn when the island hosts as many as 26,500 waders
(Pomeroy 1980). The large seasonal differences in numbers at
Barr al Hikman and Masirah makes us wonder how close the
sites come to carrying capacity during migration and winter.
And where do these birds come from Future expeditions
and information from other winter and stopover sites in the
MEEAF might unravel these questions.
Population monitoring of subarctic waders on their
breeding grounds in N Sweden
Åke Lindström, M. Green & R. Ottvall
Department of Ecology, Lund University, Ecology Building,
S-223 62 Lund, Sweden; Ake.Lindstrom@zooekol.lu.se
Generally, the population sizes, trends, and the geographical
distribution of wader species breeding in northern tundra
and taiga regions are poorly known. For N Sweden, which
harbours large populations of several northern wader species,
data on abundance have been scant. In 1996, a census scheme
was launched that uses fixed routes, systematically distributed
over the whole of Sweden. About 400 routes are situated in
the northern taiga and tundra regions, many of them in rather
inaccesible areas. We give an overview of wader monitoring
in Sweden in general, and specifically what has been achieved
so far by the fixed route scheme, including data on trends
and distribution of several species, such as Eurasian Golden
Plover, Whimbrel, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Spotted
Redshank and Ruff. We also discuss methodological aspects
of monitoring breeding waders in the north.

224 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (1) 2009
Abstracts of Conference Posters
During the conference the Conference Coordinator, Jutta Leyrer, organised the usual poster competition and delegates voted
for the one they preferred. The prizes were sponsored by CSIRO Publishing, Australia. The results were:
First prize
Black- tailed Godwits in Friesland: hatching success and agricultural land use by Elhacen Mohamed, Rosemarie Kentie,
Pedro Lourenço & Theunis Piersma
Second prize
Crossbow-netting: a new method of catching waders by Ricardo C. Martins, Teresa Catry
& José P. Granadeiro
Third prize
When will we encounter the first silent spring Predicting the fall of the Dutch Blacktailed
Godwits by Julia Schroeder, Jos Hooijmeijer, Martin Hinsch & Theunis Piersma
Fourth prize
Analysis of Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus chick vocalizations by Chiara
Caccamo, Dimitri Giunchi, Enrica Pollonara & Marco Dragonetti
Elhacen Mohamed presenting the
poster on “Black- tailed Godwits in
Friesland: hatching success and
agricultural land use” that won the
poster competition. (Photo: Roos
Kentie.)
Right: The outdoor poster
session. (Photo: Roos Kentie.)
Predicting waterbird numbers at an estuary scale
Aonghais Cook, Chris Thaxter,
Graham Austin & Niall Burton
Wetland and Marine Research Team, British Trust for
Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
aonghais.cook@bto.org
Estuarine waterbird densities are dependent on the abundance
of their invertebrate prey, and thus in turn the nature of estuarine
sediments, and so estuary morphology. Using data from
the UK Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), we developed models
to predict waterbird densities from readily measured aspects
of estuary morphology and climate.
Analysis of Eurasian Stone-curlew
Burhinus oedicnemus chick vocalizations
Chiara Caccamo 1 , Dimitri Giunchi 1 ,
Enrica Pollonara 1 & Marco Dragonetti 2
1
Department of Biology, Ethology Units, Pisa University,
Via Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy; ccaccamo@biologia.unipi.it
2
Loc. Poderone, 58051 Magliano in Toscana (GR), Italy
Vocal signals play a central role in all aspects of birds’
social behaviour from cohesiveness within flocks to parent–
offspring recognition. The latter is particularly important
when the likelihood is high that parents and chicks might lose
contact with one another or chicks might become attached to
the wrong adults (e.g. in colonial species, and those that produce
precocial chicks) and/or when the use of other signals,
such as visual ones, is problematic (e.g. at night). Individual
offspring vocal recognition requires (1) that the candidate
signal is highly variable among individuals and (2) that parents
can make use of that variability to recognize their own
chicks. In this study we present the first analysis of Eurasian
Stone-curlew chick vocalizations. Data were collected in the
Taro River Regional Park (Parma, Italy). We hypothesized
that in this population parent–offspring recognition could
be particularly important because in this area breeding territories
are densely packed (

Annual Conference
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analysis. The resulting spectrograms showed at least four different
call types: (1) a brief strangled sound with a broadband
spectrogram, uttered mainly by younger chicks; (2) a short
whistle preceded and/or followed by a strangled sound with
a broadband spectrogram; (3) a drawn-out hissing sound followed
or preceded by a yelping loud whistle (this last call was
recorded by a chick in a distressed condition); (4) a loud short
whistle with a complex morphology often uttered by older
chicks, characterized by harmonic components and frequency
modulation. This last call could be individually distinctive,
but quantitative analysis of spectrograms and playback experiments
are needed to assess whether it is actually used for
individual recognition.
Variation in growth rates of Piping Plover
Charadrius melodus chicks on the Missouri River
Daniel H. Catlin, Joy H. Felio,
Jonathan B. Cohen & James D. Fraser
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; dcatlin@vt.edu
Avian growth rates may be positively correlated with survival,
but growth rate can be affected by individual, territory,
or habitat quality. We studied the variation of growth
rates at several hierarchical levels to determine where the
greatest amount of variation was present in the growth of
Piping Plover chicks on natural and engineered sandbars on
the Missouri River. We captured, banded, and measured the
mass (0.1 g), wing-chord (1 mm), and culmen (1 mm) of
newly hatched piping plover chicks using sandbar habitat
from 2005 to 2007. We continued to recapture and measure
chicks until they were fledged or dead. We also evaluated
the effect of habitat-type (natural vs. engineered sandbars),
timing of hatch, and availability of foraging habitat (ha of
moist habitat). We used a multi-level random effects model
with sandbar, nest, and individual as levels of random variation.
We modeled these effects for each of the morphometric
measurements. Variation was greatest at the sandbar level,
intermediate at the nest level, and least at the individual level.
Birds that hatched earlier in the season and that had more
foraging habitat available to them grew more quickly than
others. Our results indicate that habitat recovery programs
should not only focus on creating the appropriate amount of
nesting habitat, but also on the amount of foraging habitat
that is available and that this type of management should be
directed at the sandbar level to take advantage of the greatest
amount of variation in growth.
Distribution and habitat use patterns of several
waterbird species on tidal flats
in the German Wadden Sea
Pauline Dierichsweiler, Franziska Güpner,
Philipp Schwemmer & Stefan Garthe
Research and Technology Centre, University of Kiel,
Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany
dierichsweiler@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de
The Wadden Sea is of great importance for breeding and
migratory waterbirds. During low tide, the tidal flats provide
important feeding grounds. In recent years, monitoring of
birds at high tide roosts has revealed population declines
in several (breeding and non-breeding) wader species (e.g.
Haematopus ostralegus and Calidris canutus) in at least some
parts of the International Wadden Sea. Currently, the reasons
for these population declines are poorly known. However,
changing conditions in the foraging habitats is a potentially
important factor; therefore it is desirable to carry out analyses
of habitat use. Although Wadden Sea birds are already well
monitored by high tide roost counts and in their breeding
habitats, knowledge of the foraging habitat use and their
distribution on the mudflats is poor. In order to assess distribution
patterns of various waterbird species on the tidal flats, we
used low-tide, ship-based surveys to count foraging and resting
waders, gulls and other non-foraging (resting) waterbirds.
Habitat use patterns of species of dominant abundance were
our main interest. Particularly, we focused on the distribution
of the most abundant waders in comparison to gulls sharing
the same habitat. Correlations between bird distribution and
environmental data for the area (such as topography and sediment)
were studied. Ship-based surveys started in selected
parts of the German Wadden Sea of Schleswig-Holstein in
2008 and are planned to be conducted regularly in the future.
The poster will present preliminary results.
Red Knot spring stopover in Virginia
James D. Fraser 1 , Jonathan B. Cohen 1 ,
Sarah M. Karpanty 1 , Barry R. Truitt 2 & Bryan D. Watts 3
1
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; fraser@vt.edu
2
Virginia Coast Reserve, The Nature Conservancy,
Virginia, USA
3
Center for Conservation Biology,
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Delaware Bay has received much attention as a stopover for
northward migrating West Atlantic Flyway Red Knots Calidris
canutus rufa and food shortage in the Delaware Bay has
been blamed for a Red Knot population decline. Alternative
stopover sites have received little study. Historical literature
suggests a substantial stopover in Virginia, less than 200 km
south of the Delaware Bay, as well as on Long Island, New
York (200 km northeast of Delaware Bay), and Cape Cod,
Massachusetts (500 km northeast of Delaware Bay). In
2006–2008, we examined Red Knot numbers and turnover
during the spring stopover in Virginia. Estimated stopover
population, accounting for turnover, was 7,224, 8,332, and
12,167 in 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively. Fewer than 5%
of radio-tagged birds were relocated in the Delaware Bay
region in the tagging year, and those only at the end of the
stopover season, suggesting that most birds in Virginia by 20
May did most of their premigratory fattening there. The coast
of Virginia consists of barrier islands backed by extensive
marshes, similar to habitats used in the 19th century.
Functional morphology of the
feeding apparatus of snipes
Kyrill B. Gerasimov
Moscow Lomonosov State University, Biological faculty,
Vertebrate zoology department, 119991, Vorobievy Gory,
Moscow, Russia; gerasimov.kyrill@gmail.com
This study investigated the feeding apparatus (including the
form of the bill, the papillae on the palatal surface, the bill-tip

226 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
organ and the salivary gland) of Limnodromus scolopaceus,
Lymnocryptes minimus, Gallinago gallinago, G. stenura,
G. hardwickii, G. megala, G. solitaria, G. media, Scolopax
rusticola and S. minor. If we orientate a skull of Scolopacinae
in a natural position, with the jugal bars in a horizontal plane
and the bill inclined downwards, it appears likely that the
eye would have been pressed back (along the bill axis) and
upwards by the base of the upper mandible. Besides of the
ability to open the bill within a substrate (as widely discussed
in the literature), an ability to withdraw an object (food) from
the substrate is characteristic of the jaw apparatus of snipes.
This is made possible by: (1) the separated muscular control
of the jaws achieved by reduction of an external jugomandibular
ligament, (2) the inclination of the bill downwards
(clinorhynchy) (3) the increase in the length of the upper jaw,
maintaining the length of the lower jaw, (4) distal rhynchokinesis,
(5) a notable hypertrophy of the premaxillar process of
nasale (which fastens the basal 2/3rds of the bill ridge). The
snipes (and others probing waders) have no ability to lower
the end of the lower jaw. Specializations of the species are
interpreted on the basis of morphological data as follows:
G. gallinago and especially Limnodromus scolopaceus and
Lymnocryptes minimus are specialized for obtaining small
prey from benthic mud; the first two species (G. gallinago
and L. scolopaceus) do this from a considerable depth, but the
latter two L. scolopaceus and L. minimus are partly specialized
for feeding on surface-dwelling invertebrates (including
flying insects). G. media, G. megala and S. rusticola
are specialized for feeding on large prey taken from dense
substrates, and S. rusticola also feeds in drier habitats. The
imago of insects which are extracted exclusively by touch
during probing of leaf litter probably play a significant role in
the diet of Scolopax. S. minor is primarily specialized for this
type of feeding. G. hardwickii and G. solitaria are probably
specialized for extracting prey from rather dense substrates as
well as from deep benthic mud. Five specimens of G. stenura
that have been studied show significant differences in the relative
ridge length of the upper mandible and in the orientation
of the palatal papillae. Apparently, this species is similar in
its specialization to G. media and G. megala. Yamal populations
of G. stenura appear to be in the process of specializing
almost exclusively on large underground prey, often taken
from tussocks of cereals or sedges.
New explanation of distal rhynchokinesis
Kyrill B. Gerasimov
Moscow Lomonosov State University, Biological faculty,
Vertebrate zoology department, 119991, Vorobievy Gory,
Moscow, Russia; gerasimov.kyrill@gmail.com
We studied feeding apparatus in species of the genus Tringa
(T. ochropus, T. glareola, T. totanus, T. erythropus, T. stagnatilis,
T. nebularia), Heteroscelus (H. incanus, H. brevipes),
Actitis hypoleucos and Xenus cinereus. In Spotted Redshank,
the flexible zones in the upper mandible are situated at its
base; in Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, and Terek
Sandpiper near the end and in the rest they occupy different
intermediate positions. It is repeatedly pointed out in the
literature that birds with a rhynchokinetic upper mandible
can take and squeeze prey using the flexibility of the end
of the upper mandible alone, without having to use the jaw.
This is why localization of the flexible zones nearer to base
of the bill allow the taking of prey by the larger part of the
bill rather than just the tip. This is probably useful for catching
prey from water. On the other hand, if the flexible zones
are near the tip, this would enhance the ability to open that
part of the bill while probing. However, the tringini sandpipers
with distal rhynchokinesis have moderately developed
musculature for opening the bill. Therefore it is a means of
overcoming an inability to open the bill. If retraction force
is constant then the shift of flexible zones to the tip of the
upper mandible increases the grip between the prey and
the adductional components of the dorsal adductors. This is
one of the reasons that the dorsal adductors of Scolopacinae
have a large adductional component. Common and Terek
Sandpiper do not have an external jugomandibular ligament,
therefore their m. pterygoideus is capable of squeezing the
upper jaw independently from the retraction component of
the dorsal adductors. The flexible zones are situated nearer to
the base of the upper mandible in the larger, stronger tringini
sandpipers which have more forceful jaws. In the smaller,
weaker species the flexible zones are situated near to the tip
of the upper mandible. The Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
is the single exception to this rule, but it may be close
in adaptation to Limosa species. The conclusion that distal
rhynchokinesis in Scolopacidae appears to be for “feeding
on small prey items suspended in water” (since Calidrinae do
successfully feed this way (Estrella, Masero 2007)), is akin
to the conclusion that the hand of a human appears to write
with a pen. Moreover Phalaropinae, which are mostly adapted
for feeding from water, has flexible zones in the middle of
the upper mandible, while their ancestors seem to have distal
rhynchokinesis (Gerasimov 2007, Kozlova 1961).
Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus of
Red Knot Calidris canutus,
Great Knot C. tenuirostris and
Surfbird Aphriza virgata
Kyrill B. Gerasimov
Moscow Lomonosov State University, Biological faculty,
Vertebrate zoology department, 119991, Vorobievy Gory,
Moscow, Russia; gerasimov.kyrill@gmail.com
The Red Knot, Great Knot and Surfbird probably form a
monophyletic group of birds, which is assumed to have
separated from the Calidrinae during the initial evolution of
this subfamily (Jehl 1968, Tomkovich 1985). Calidrinae’s key
feeding adaptations are: detecting prey in substrate, pulling
out food items from soft substrate, and feeding on surfacedwelling
invertebrates (including flying insects) (Bolze 1968,
Kozlova 1961, Taldenkov, Gerasimov 2006). To describe the
specialization of these three species, we dissected their feeding
apparatus. Unlike other Calidrinae species, Surfbird has a
relatively more robust bill and strengthened adductory effect
of the external adductor muscle (by an increase in the typical
part of m.adductor mandibulae externus profundus rostralis).
The bill of this species is relatively high and short. Also (for
Calidrinae) it has a thick rhamphotheca and connective tissue
underneath. The pits of the bill-tip organ are relatively large,
with thick walls, but the number of pits is less than in the other
two species. As a result, the bill-tip organ is less capable of
locating sources of vibration than those of other Calidrinae.
All these features are probably a result of adaptation of the
Surfbird to collecting openly-lying, attached food-items on
rocky shores (such as mussels, etc.) and to feeding on prey
that has to be opened by pecking (such as barnacles). Knots

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have a more typical Calidrinae feeding apparatus structure.
The Great Knot’s m. depressor mandibulae is increased, and
its bill-tip organ has a thick rhamphotheca, as in Surfbird.
Among these three species, the Great Knot’s bill-tip organ
is the smallest in height and width. Great Knot seems to
be adapted for collecting prey from relatively deep in soft
substrates. The Great Knot searches by sensing vibrations
made by its prey (mollusks, worms, tipulid larvae, etc.).
The bill-tip organ of the Red Knot is the largest among the
three species. The number of pits is the same or fewer than
in typical Calidris but more than in Great Knot and Surfbird.
The rhamphotheca is thin. The bill of the Red Knot is shorter
than in Calidris of the same size, and the jaw musculature is
the weakest among the three species. Red Knots probably
collect most food items only from a shallow depth, including
tiny and slow-moving creatures. Perhaps these facts are
related to the fact that the Red Knot is able to feed in shallow
thawed sod in the High Arctic at times when insects are rare
and slow moving in low temperature conditions. As a result,
Red Knot can only spend winter in locations with numerous
and not-so-deep prey. The relatively large size of all three
species reflects their initial adaptation to feeding on shellfish.
Bivalves in muddy tidal flats at Meldorfer Bucht –
a prey worthwhile for waders
Franziska Güpner, Philipp Schwemmer & Stefan Garthe
Research and Technology Centre, University of Kiel,
Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany;
guepner@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de
The Wadden Sea is an important staging and moulting area for
numerous waterbirds. Many migrant species use the Wadden
Sea to refuel their energy stores before continuing their flight
to Arctic breeding or southern wintering sites. Despite the
well-established high conservation status of the Wadden Sea,
the populations of many species have been declining at an
alarming rate during recent years. Climate change, economic
pressure in Arctic or African habitats, disturbance of water
birds and changes in food resources are possible reasons for
negative trends.
The present study investigates the food resources (with
a focus on bivalves) in particularly muddy tidal flats adjacent
to the sea-dike in the sheltered bay of Meldorfer Bucht
in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea. Common Cockle
Cerastoderma edule and Baltic Tellin Macoma balthica, two
important prey species for waders, were studied in detail:
The density of the bivalves were determined by taking cores
from 120 sampling stations during low tide from Oct to Dec
2007. The size, biomass and quality of the bivalves was
analysed and compared with the results of previous studies
in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea. Finally, the results of
the benthic studies were related to the presence and foraging
behaviour of waders in the study area.
The study shows the importance of muddy sediments
adjacent to the coast with high abundance of benthic invertebrates
as foraging sites for several waterbird species.
Sea-level rise is expected to affect such sites in many parts
of the Wadden Sea.
Fluctuations in numbers of
young Ruffs Philomachus pugnax during
spring migration in the Pripyat Valley, Belarus
Natalia Karlionova & Pavel Pinchuk
Institute of Zoology, NAS Belarus, 27 Academichnaya Str.,
Minsk 220072, Belarus; Karlionova@tut.by
Studies of the spring migration of Ruffs through the floodplain
meadows of the Pripyat Valley near Turov town, Belarus
(Gomel Region, 52.04°N, 27.44°E) were carried out from
2002 to 2009. This area is an important stopover site for
waders during spring and autumn migration. Ruff is the most
numerous wader species with the highest spring concentrations
reached 10,000–14,000 birds around the end of April
and beginning of May. Ruffs were captured in walk-in traps
and mist-nets. 5,956 Ruffs were ringed during 2002–2009
(3,384 males and 2,572 females). The proportion of young
males varied between years from 8.4% to 19.0% and females
from 4.7% to 11.9%. The mean proportion of young males
(11.1%) was significantly higher than young females (7.2%)
(Mann–Whitney U-test: Z = 2.20, p = 0.02). However, the
yearly proportions of young birds of each sex were highly
correlated (R-sq = 0.79; p = 0.003). We propose two hypotheses
for such correlation: (1) the proportion of second-year
birds depends on the breeding conditions during the previous
nesting season and (2) the proportion of second-year birds
depends on the conditions on the wintering grounds.
Assessing the value of a newly-created mudflat on
the Humber estuary, UK, through the study of
foraging behaviour of Redshank Tringa totanus
L. Marie-Orléach & L. Mander
Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies.University of Hull,
Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; lucas.marie-orleach@wanadoo.fr
Rapid loss of intertidal habitat has resulted in the need to create
new mudflats and sandflats in order to preserve waterbird
populations. Although several studies have assessed the success
of new intertidal habitats for waterbirds, a few studies
have focused on the behaviour of waterbirds, in particular the
foraging behaviour of benthivorous species. In order to assess
the value of a newly created mudflat on the Humber Estuary,
UK, counts of benthivorous species and focal observations
of Redshank were undertaken on a newly-created mudflat
(realignment site) and on an adjacent natural mudflat in
April 2008. The abundance of benthivorous species in the
realignment site was found to vary with the tides. Redshanks
showed no significant differences in pecking and probing
rates between the newly created mudflat and the natural
mudflat. However, Redshank prey intake and success rate
were lower in the managed realignment site: mean success
rate of 25%±3 and 38%±7 were observed respectively in the
newly-created mudflat and in the natural mudflat. Success
rates were found to fluctuate according to the tidal cycle.
Pace-rate was higher on the newly-created mudflat than on
the natural mudflat. The discrepancy in foraging behaviour
between the two areas might reflect the lower abundance and
biomass of the invertebrate community in the realignment
site. Furthermore, it could indicate that the newly created
mudflat has not yet reached maturity.

228 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
Crossbow-netting: a new method of catching waders
Ricardo C. Martins, Teresa Catry & José P. Granadeiro
Centro de Biologia Ambiental,
Museu Nacional de História Natural, Universidade de
Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58.1269-102 Lisboa,
Portugal; ricjmartins@hotmail.com
Catching birds is very often an essential component in wader
research, for instance for colour-ringing, radio-tracking, or to
collect individual physiological and biometric data. Cannonnetting
provides a solution for catching large number of
waders, traditionally when they are concentrated at roosts.
However, in many countries the use of cannon-nets can be
quite difficult, because handling and transporting gunpowder
requires rather strict police permissions, which can be difficult
to obtain. We describe the use of a crossbow as a way
of pulling a modified mist-net to capture waders in high-tide
roosts. This system is similar to cannon-netting, differing only
in the means by which the net is pulled. The main advantages
in relation to cannon-netting include simpler logistics and setting
up procedures and the lack of explosive materials, while
the major limitation is a comparatively smaller catching area.
A highly-trained and fine-tuned team is obviously of utmost
importance. In this new method, a crossbow is used as the
propulsion tool that shoots a heavy arrow attached to an edge
of a net. The net opens quickly over the roosting flock. The
net should be set during low-tide, when birds are dispersed
in foraging areas. Camouflage of the apparatus is crucial to
ensure that birds do not avoid the catching area. Wind speed
and direction is much more important than in cannon-netting,
because the net is very light and the power of the crossbow
is much less than that provided by cannons. To avoid disturbing
the birds, the crossbow can be triggered at distance
(>100 m) using a customized remote control setup. Despite
the relatively small size of the net used to date (38 m 2 ) and
its shape (trapezium), the method has proved to be effective
for catching small waders, with peak catches of about 100
Dunlins in a single shot. It might be possible to achieve larger
catches using a larger net and two synchronised crossbows.
Overwintering ecology of White-rumped Sandpiper
calidris fuscicollis at the southern limit of its range
J.A. Masero 1 , J.M. Sanchez-Guzman 1 , A. Villegas 1 ,
G. Escudero 2 , M. Castro 3 , A. Barbosa 4 , C.G. Suazo 5 ,
R. Morán 1 , C. Corbacho 1 & J.S. Gutierrez 1
1
Grupo de Investigación en Biología de la Conservación,
Área de Zoología, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz,
Spain; jamasero@unex.es
2
Centro Nacional Patagónico, Puerto Madryn,
Chubut, Argentina
3
Departamento Evaluación y Conservación de la
Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación de Ecosistemas
de la Patagonia, Coyhaique, Chile
4
Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva,
Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas,
CSIC, Almería, Spain
5
Programa de Educación e Investigación Biológica y
Ambiental (Programa IBAM), Universidad de Los Lagos,
Osorno, Chile
Despite the obvious importance of information on overwintering
ecology to understand the life histories of many
Nearctic shorebird species, there have been few formal
studies at the southern limit of their ranges. An international
research project started in 2008 with the aim of studying
several aspects of the overwintering ecology of these Nearctic
shorebird species in Tierra del Fuego, South America. Here,
we show preliminary results on sex-ratio and the health and
body condition of overwintering White-rumped Sandpipers
at Bahía Lomas, Chile, (BL) and Bahía San Sebastián,
Argentina, (BSS). Both bays are located at the southern range
limit of this small-sized shorebird, supporting about 22% of
the total population. Overall, sex-ratio was female-biased in
both bays (BSS 69.4% females, BL 66.7% females). Whiterumped
Sandpipers showed a very low ectoparasite load, and
ectoparasite prevalence did not differ between sites or sexes.
Molecular methods did not detect avian influenza or Newcastle
disease in any of the birds sampled. Birds at BSS had
higher size-corrected body mass and total white cell counts
than BL birds, both variables being higher for females than
males. Plasma levels of tryglicerides were higher in BSS and
plasma glycerol levels were higher in BL. Our results suggest
that habitat quality in Bahía San Sebastián may be better for
small-sized migratory shorebirds than in Bahía Lomas.
Some aspects of the bird fauna of Kosovo
Qenan Maxhuni
Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning,
Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency,
Str. Bill Clinton No. 18, 10090 Pristine, Kosovo
qmaxhuni@yahoo.com
Kosovo has central geographical position in the Balkan Peninsula.
It covers an area of 10,887 km 2 . Climate conditions,
hydrological and geological factors etc, have led to a diversity
of habitats and ecosystems and the development of a rich flora
and fauna. Due to this richness, Kosovo is recognised as an
area of great biodiversity, not only in Balkans but also in the
wider world. The parts of Kosovo with the richest fauna are
the mountainous massifs, the Sharr Mountains and Bjeshket
e Nemuna, as well as river valleys and lakes.
The fauna of Kosovo in general and the avifauna in particular
are not well researched, but available information,
indicates that the country supports over 200 bird species.
Among the most important bird populations are those of
Aquila chrysaetos, Falco naummani, Tetrao urogallus,
Ardeola raloides, Ciconia ciconia, Ardea cinerea, Ixobrychus
minutes and Tringa nebularia.
Effects of farm management
on breeding wader food resources
Heather M. McCallum 1 , Jeremy Wilson 1,2 ,
Robert D. Sheldon 2 , Mark O’Brien 2 , David Beaumont 2 ,
Dave Gouslon 1 & Kirsty J. Park 1
1
University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
h.m.mccallum@stir.ac.uk
2
RSPB Scotland, UK
Many changes in farming practices associated with agricultural
intensification have been linked to declines in farmland
breeding wader populations. This project investigates land
management techniques currently employed at an upland
livestock farm in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which appear to be
associated with unusually high densities of breeding waders,
in particular Northern Lapwing. Management involves cultivation
of a forage brassica (tyfon), which is rotated round the

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farm. At the time of tyfon cultivation, the ground is enriched
with lime and fertiliser. In order to assess the effect of land
management (tillage, crop-type, lime and fertiliser) on factors
important for breeding waders (food supply, vegetation
structure) an agricultural field trial has been established with
five different treatment types. Preliminary results indicate a
higher proportion of bare ground and more penetrable soil
within the tyfon treatment than in the non-tilled treatments,
both of which are likely to be of benefit to breeding waders.
However, during the first year of the trial the number of soil
invertebrates within the tyfon treatment was found to be
lower than with alternative management. Future work at the
Stirling site, and at additional sites in Cumbria and on Islay
will investigate habitat use by breeding waders and link this
to food supply and vegetation structure.
Black- tailed Godwits in Friesland:
hatching success and agricultural land use
Elhacen Mohamed 1 , Rosemarie Kentie 1 ,
Pedro Lourenço 1 & Theunis Piersma 1,2
1 Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and
Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen,
PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands
2 Department of Marine Ecology, Royal Netherlands Institute
for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg,
Texel, the Netherlands
Although the Netherlands is a stronghold of the breeding
population of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa limosa,
numbers have declined severely over recent decades. Low
reproductive success due to intensified agricultural management
is the main reason. We compared the hatching success
of godwit nests on extensively managed agricultural land with
that of nests in intensively managed land, and between nests
with various amounts of nest protection. This study shows
that hatching success in intensively managed areas is very low
(~24 %); almost half that recorded in the extensively managed
areas (50 %). Hatching success on ‘grass islands’, areas of
unmown grass left by farmers around occupied nests when
the meadow is mown, is relatively low: 34% on large grass
islands and 13% on small grass islands. This is of concern,
because mowing intensively managed land invariably takes
place before godwit nests hatch.
Dramatic declines in shorebirds in
Suriname and French Guiana
R.I. Guy Morrison 1 , R.K. Ross 1 , Otte Ottema,
Nyls de Pracontal, Thomas Pagnon & David Mizrahi
1
Environment Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre,
Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive (Raven Road),
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0H3
Guy.Morrison@ec.gc.ca
The Canadian Wildlife Service “Atlas” studies of shorebird
distribution around South America in the 1980s indicated that
the coasts of Suriname and French Guiana were of exceptional
importance as a wintering area for shorebirds, supporting
almost two million, mainly small sandpipers, during surveys
in early Feb 1982. Aerial surveys were again carried out in
early Dec 2008, using the same methods and same principal
observers, to determine changes in shorebird numbers. The
surveys revealed dramatic declines, with a total of 403,959 in
Dec 2008, only 20.6% of the total of 1,957,163 in Feb 1982.
Declines were seen across all size-classes of shorebirds and
across a wide variety of species, and proportional declines
were generally greater in Suriname than French Guiana.
Although some habitat changes were observed, and no information
is available on food resources or possible redistribution
to other areas, the declines are thought likely to reflect
the widespread declines in shorebird populations that have
been observed in many parts of the world.
National action plan for the declining breeding
population of Ruff Philomachus pugnax in Estonia
Hannes Pehlak 1 & Eve Mägi 2
1
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Hannes.pehlak@eesti.ee
2
Estonian Environmental Board
Ruff is one of the most numerous waders in the world, but
its population breeding in wet grasslands in Europe has declined
approximately ten times since the 1950s. The reasons
for the decline surely include breeding habitat loss, probably
accompanied by predation, climate change, and degradation
of wintering grounds. The breeding population of Estonia has
followed the regional collapse dropping from at least 2,000
to just 10–30 breeding females over the last fifty years. The
meadows of the Matsalu wetland complex have been the most
important breeding area for Ruff in the country, supporting
half the national population in the 1950s and the only regular
breeding site known today. The first national action plan for
the breeding population in Estonia was prepared in 2008. This
prescribes management for 18 potential Ruff breeding sites
(28 km 2 ) comprising coastal and alluvial grasslands in W
Estonia. The habitat needs of other endangered species were
considered when drawing up management guidelines. Estonian
coastal meadows are valuable e.g. as breeding sites for
Southern Dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii and Natterjack Toad
Bufo calamita, and as stopover sites for Lesser White-fronted
Goose Anser erythropus. In managing grassland habitats for
Ruff, mowing, combined with grazing where possible, should
be preferred to grazing alone. In the sites where the existing
management was suitable for achieving conservation targets,
no change was suggested. Current plans include monitoring
recently-used breeding sites, inventories of potential breeding
sites, and research on the reasons for the decline. The action
plan stresses the importance of continuous international cooperation
for the success of Ruff conservation.
When will we encounter the first silent spring
Predicting the fall of the Dutch Black-tailed Godwits
Julia Schroeder 1,2 , Jos Hooijmeijer 1 ,
Martin Hinsch 3 & Theunis Piersma 1
1
Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary
Studies, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
2
Current address: Animal and Plant Sciences, University of
Sheffield, UK; julia.schroeder@gmail.com
3
Theoretical Biology Group,
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies,
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
To improve the bleak situation of breeding Black-tailed godwits
in the Netherlands, we can either aim to improve survival
or productivity. A more detailed knowledge of how much
we have to improve either one can equip us with knowledge
on where to place the levers that might enable us to stop the

230 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
population decline. We make use of empirically gathered
demographic estimates to predict the future of Black-tailed
godwits in the Netherlands with the help of an analytical
population model. Under the best conditions (high adult
survival and high reproductive output) the Dutch breeding
population of Black-tailed godwits will drop under 15,000
breeding pairs as early as 2060, while when we assume
more realistic starting values, we predict fewer than 10,000
breeding pairs by 2030. Survival is hard to modify, given the
already very high annual survival of godwits. Therefore we
aim at predicting how much reproduction has to improve to
stabilize the population decline. Under the very best scenario,
which is rather optimistic, reproductive success must reach
values of at the very least 0.85 fledged young per pair and year
for every godwit pair breeding in the Netherlands for every
year. The realization of this will be difficult, as it has to be
negotiated with respect to economical expectations of grassland
owners. We conclude that the goal to stop the population
decline of Black-tailed godwits breeding in the Netherlands
is a very ambitious and heartening goal, but not a realistic
one under the current conditions. In the light of the demands
of agricultural politics and economics, it is questionable if
we will be able to take the measures necessary to stop or at
the very least slow the decline of the Black-tailed godwit in
the Netherlands.
Assessing the health status of Wadden Sea birds
Philipp Schwemmer 1 , Nils Guse 1 , Ursula Siebert 1 ,
Stefan Garthe 1 , Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff 2 ,
Reinhard Weiss 2 & Peter Wohlsein 3
1
Research and Technology Centre, University of Kiel,
Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany
schwemmer@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de
2
University of Gießen, Frankfurter Straße 94,
35392 Gießen, Germany
3
University of Vetinerary Medicine Hannover,
Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
For several years, various shorebird species have shown
strong population declines in the Wadden Sea. The reasons
for these declines are still poorly understood. We set up a
pilot study to investigate possible relationships between the
declines and the health status of Wadden Sea birds. Dead
birds were collected along the German North Sea coast by
a network of members of the National Park Service and different
NGOs. Besides recording body condition, a detailed
autopsy was performed. All organs were investigated macroscopically
and nutritional status was assessed based on fat
reserves and condition of the pectoral muscle. Samples for
further histological, microbiological, virological, serological,
parasitological and toxicological investigations were taken.
Overall body condition was poor in all species investigated
(i.e. emaciation). The condition of birds found dead on the
beach and those that had been killed by flying into a lighthouse
did not differ, indicating a bad overall nutritional
status. The condition index of immatures was significantly
lower than that of adults, while there were no differences
between the sexes. Preliminary results of the pathological
investigations showed individuals with numerous lesions:
Eurasian Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus and Eurasian
Curlews Numenius arquata were among the species with most
frequent pathological abnormalities. Histological findings
revealed pneumonia, hepatitis and splenitis with bacterial
and parasitic etiology most likely. We found peritonitis in all
Shelducks Tadorna tadorna investigated as well as three cases
of tuberculosis. A long-term assessment of the health status
of Wadden Sea birds is strongly recommended in order to (1)
discover diseases in bird populations at an early stage, (2)
provide data that allow comparison of health status between
years and (3) provide data that might eventually unravel the
reasons for the population declines of Wadden Sea birds.
White blood cells composition in the Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago during autumn migration
R. Włodarczyk 1 , P. Minias 1 , K. Kaczmarek 2 ,
T. Janiszewski 1 & A. Włodarczyk 3
1
Department of Teacher Training and Biodiversity
Studies, University of Łódź, Banacha 1/3,
90-237 Łódź, Poland; wradek@biol.uni.lodz.pl
2
Medical University, Kosciuszki 4, 90-419, Poland
3
Department of Clinical Physiology, Medical University,
Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215, Łódź, Poland
Common Snipes migrate in large numbers through inland
water bodies in central Europe. They move slowly toward
their wintering grounds in small steps. As a result, to some
extent there is a temporal overlap between autumn migration
and body- and wing-feather moult. This creates an
opportunity to study the impact of both processes on the
birds’ physiological state. In autumn 2008, >350 Common
Snipes were caught at Jeziorsko reservoir, central Poland.
Each bird was aged, measured, weighed and its moult stage
was noted. For 87 individuals (64 juveniles and 23 adults)
blood samples were taken in order to prepare blood smears.
The smears were used for examination of white blood cell
composition. The smears were stained by the May Grunwald
and Giemsa technique. A proportion of each white cell fraction
was analyzed using standard counts of 100 cells under a
microscope at a magnification of 100× with oil immersion.
The cells were identified using avian haematology guides.
The heterophil:lymphocyte ratio was used as an indicator
of physiological state. The most common were two types
of cells: heterophils and lymphocytes. Three other groups
(eosinophils, basophils and monocytes) did not exceed 20 %
of all white cells. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio varied significantly
between individuals (range 0.12–11.2). There was
no difference in H:L ratio between adult and juvenile snipes.
This factor was negatively correlated with the weight of the
bird (r = –0.30, df = 1, p = 0.005). Heavy individuals tended
to have a low H:L. Other indicators of body condition such
as wing-length and fat score were not correlated with white
blood cell composition. Similarly sampling date and moult
stage were not correlated with the H:L ratio.
The status of Slender-billed Curlew and
survey of potential sites in Iran
Sadegh Sadeghi Zadegan
National Manager, UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetlands
Project, Hemmat Highway, Pardisan Eco-Park,
Dept. of Environment, PO Box 14155-7383 Tehran, Iran
sadegh64@hotmail.com
Observations along the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea indicate
that in the vast coastal wetlands of Iran a few Slender-billed
Curlews may still winter. There is virtually no wader hunting

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in Iran, at least for food (because the meat is not considered
Halal) and therefore, usually hunters are not interested in
shooting waders. Also, current hunting laws prevent any
illegal shooting of waders and the Slender-billed Curlew is
classified as an endangered bird.
Waterbird counts have been conducted in most areas for
several years. During 1963–1998 there are 42 records of
Slender-billed Curlew (including 19 confirmed and 23 unconfirmed
records). Two expeditions in early 2000 and one in
2002 failed to locate birds although large areas of apparently
suitable habitats still exist. A massive and specific survey for
Slender-billed Curlew is being planned by the Department of
Environment for winter 2010.
Counts of the intertidal zones should ideally be executed
at high tide, when birds are often concentrated at high water
roosts. During low tide, sample or spot counts could be made
in order to determine foraging densities of waders, permitting
extrapolation to larger areas. Special attention should
be paid to concentrations of Eurasian Curlews Numenius
arquata, Whimbrel N. phaeopus and Black-tailed Godwits
Limosa limosa since Slender-billed Curlews might mix with
these species. At several locations attempts will be made to
determine flight movements at dawn of these species to find
night roosts.
Capacity building needs include: training for observers;
developing a wader monitoring and estimation method for
the Gulf coast of Iran; exchange of knowledge, especially
on Slender-billed Curlews between professional international
experts and Iranian ornithologists.
Workshops
Workshop: Connecting conservation & research:
Combining the forces of science and conservation
to turn round the fortunes of shorebirds
JUTTA LEYRER 1,2 , PIET VAN DEN HOUT 1 & THEUNIS PIERSMA 1,2
1
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 14, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel
2
Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen,
PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, the Netherlands
At the start of the 21st century the majority of migratory wader (shorebird) populations are faced with serious
threats. This commonly results from the continuous destruction of wetlands, their key habitat. Healthy wetlands
are highly biodiverse and extremely vulnerable, and as functioning ecosystems particularly important for us
humans for a sustained livelihood (artisanal fisheries, small-scale farming) and our well-being (effective water
filtering and cleaning systems). In many parts of the world, wetlands have been seen as wastelands, or even as a
source of threat (malaria). Many freshwater wetlands have been drained for agricultural use and mudflats have
been reclaimed for settlement and urbanization. Wetlands are continuously squeezed by economic development
and increasingly used for recreational activities, and their resources are, in general, notoriously overexploited.
Clearly, wetlands are in dire need of better protection. That is why numerous non-governmental organizations
have taken on the task of convincing politicians and decision makers about the importance of safeguarding
nature in general and wetlands in particular. To protect wetland habitats successfully, we need some level of
understanding of the functioning of these ecosystems and the needs (or even the status) of the (wader) species
occurring there, especially if they connect wetlands in different parts of the world by their migrations.
Migrant waders seasonally use sequences of habitats on a global scale. This yields complications for both
research and conservation. The performance of waders in one habitat will be influenced by the conditions in
another, even if that “other” habitat is found half a world away. In addition, the actual ecological functioning
of a habitat may depend on these migrants. Thus, events leading to a population decline in one wetland can
change the ecology of a connected, if remote, wetland (Fig. 1).
That we are now in the process of establishing such global ecological links is due to ecological and biological
research worldwide. In the science world, knowledge is distributed by publications in peer-reviewed journals. In
this way research results are opened to public access and criticism; it provides a system for public feedback and
correction. Yet, it is clear that scientific publications do not always find their way into the political conservation
and public arenas as much as they should. Why is that so And what needs to be done to open up this way
In this workshop, we focused on the conservation importance of basic research on the one hand, and problems
with the use of this research by the globally active conservation organizations on the other. We wanted to bridge
what often seems to be a communication gap between “active researchers” and “operational conservationists”.
Both conservation and research necessarily need to be long-term, and in the face of a wetland biodiversity
crisis and an increasing trend for short-term funding, a closer connection between these two branches is needed
more than ever.

232 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
THE DAY’S PROGRAMME – PRESENTATIONS
The day started off with a presentation by Han Olff, University
of Groningen, the Netherlands, on Ecosystem science
and conservation in the soft-bottom intertidal. Using the
Wadden Sea as a case study, he demonstrated that a profound
knowledge of key ecological processes and disruptions in
these processes, have severe implications for conservation.
The international Wadden Sea provides a key area for migrating,
wintering and breeding shorebirds within the East
Atlantic Flyway. It also forms a part of an intercontinental
meta-ecosystem connected e.g. by migrating shorebirds
with wintering areas in coastal Western Africa and breeding
areas in the Arctic tundra (Fig. 1). Yet, the Wadden Sea, but
also coastal West Africa, are connected with their respective
neighbouring ecosystems by nutrient and material flows as
well as commuting animals. Events in one of these areas
will have knock-on effects to any of the other areas, making
conservation a truly international responsibility but also an
inter-ecosystem problem.
Barend van Gemerden of BirdLife Netherlands introduced
us to the mechanics of conservation with his talk on
Dealing with Conservationists. He focused on the many levels
of possible co-operations between conservation and research
by highlighting the needs of the conservation world that could
be addressed by researchers: comprehensive overviews on
the status of flyways, species, sites, threats and opportunities,
early warnings of e.g. population crashes, expertise in
impact assessments, authoritative (and passionate) spokesmen,
engaging supporters. In turn, conservation could provide
(seeking) financial support for research projects, publicizing
and popularizing of research topics, lobbying, and above all
conservation action. He stressed the need not to work separately,
but to join forces and connect.
One example of a research project that collected evidence
on fatal effects of nature destruction came from Danny
Rogers and co-author Ken Gosbell, Australasian Wader
Studies Group, Australia. The answer to the title of their talk
Are tidal flat reclamations reducing shorebird numbers in
the East Asian–Australasian Flyway is a clear firm “yes”.
One of the most important shorebird sites in the Yellow Sea,
Seamangeum, Republic of Korea, has been destroyed by reclamation
of an area whose future use is still uncertain. A joint
initiative by Birds Korea and the Australasian Wader Studies
Group has documented the local and wider-scale effects
of the Seamangeum reclamation on shorebirds. This work
clearly showed that, despite the assurances and predictions
by proponents of the reclamation project, displaced shorebirds
did not simply move elsewhere but population sizes
decreased dramatically after the closing of the Seamangeum
seawall. Population decreases were exceptionally dramatic in
Spoon-billed Sandpipers Eurynorhynchus pygmeus, and Great
Knots Calidris tenuirostris. Counts of Great Knots in their
NW Australian wintering areas have shown that the c.20% of
Great Knots previously staging at Seamangeum have indeed
gone “missing”. Although these birds have been lost, the
evidence for the dramatic effects of Yellow Sea reclamations
on shorebird populations should now empower conservation
organizations to try harder and halt any further schemes.
Red Knots Calidris canutus of the rufa subspecies have
gained notoriety because of the dramatic population decline
due to the tremendously deteriorating food resources (Horseshoe
Crab eggs) in their main staging site during northward
migration, Delaware Bay, USA. Yet, Delaware Bay is not
the only site in trouble that is visited by these Red Knots
within the annual cycle. Patricia M. González, Fundación
Inalafquen and Global Flyway Network, Argentina, spoke
about Conservation & Science – Red Knot Case in Patagonia
Argentina. San Antonio Bay Natural Protected Area
has been a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
(WHSRN) International Site since 1993 and an Important
Bird Area (IBA) since 2005, not least due to a combination
of research projects studying demography, foraging ecology,
migratory strategies, and habitat use of wintering Red
Knots in the area and a series of successful projects on public
awareness and education. It is a success story about what
can be achieved when conservation and research go side by
side, although the way to this point was long and arduous.
Recent plans by the local government show that the work is
far from over.
Allan J. Baker, Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, Canada,
gave an inspiring talk on how research and conservation bodies
should take concerted action immediately. He pointed out
that shorebird populations are plummeting worldwide and
their habitats are highly endangered because of destructive
exploitation by humans. He stressed that there is a much
greater need for immediate conservation action than for early
warning systems. Knowledge gained from research has to be
the backbone of conservation action. This knowledge is sufficiently
available to be implemented in conservation actions.
Mike Pienkowski, UK Oversees Territories Conservation
Forum, United Kingdom, and his co-authors David Stroud,
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, United Kingdom, and
Nick Davidson, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Switzerland,
gave tips and tricks on how we should go about Communicating
conservation research to policy-makers. He pointed out
that science and conservation operate in an immensely competitive
information market where quality is but one criterion
for survival. He therefore recommended that when “selling a
story”, people should be aware of to whom they want to sell,
and consequently should select the appropriate format (“one
size doesn’t fit all”). There are some general rules though, and
these are: present “the big picture”, keep it short and simple,
and repeat your message again and again. He emphasized the
importance of gaining an understanding about who one wants
to influence and how they work. He emphasized that decision
makers hardly ever come to researchers or conservationists;
almost invariably it will be the other way round. Thus, lobbying
is important, as well as to keep repeating the message
again and again.
THE DAY’S PROGRAMME – DISCUSSIONS
Discussions in groups formed a central part of the workshop.
We focused on the question whether there is indeed
a communication gap between research and conservation.
Each group presented their results and all confirmed the existence
of such a communication gap. Although researchers
and conservationists may share the passion to protect what
they see and study, the “culture” of discussion and communication
is different. While conservationists strive to find a
“common base”of knowledge and perception, scientists are
used to critical, challenging and often controversial discussions.
Competition for money was named as another reason
for a communication gap, especially between applied and
basic research. Since conservation is in need of “fast” and
“applicable” results, applied research has, very often, an
advantage in the fight for monetary support. Yet, every group

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emphasized the importance of deep long-term studies that try
and achieve an understanding of key ecological processes to
develop sound nature conservation strategies.
Interestingly, it was pointed out that in countries where
well developed research and conservation is missing, there
is no communication gap, as the same few people must take
care of everything. Thus, ironically, where there are communication
gaps, the worlds of both science and conservation
are rather well developed!
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CLOSE THE GAP
If we want to close the communication gap – and who doesn’t
– we need to build bridges. And bridges are always best built
from both sides of the divide. The prime responsibility of
scientists is to do excellent science. Yet, they need to make
an effort to communicate their findings to outsiders, including
the relative outsiders and otherwise specialized workers in
conservation organizations. They should try harder to publish
in journals like Bird Conservation International, the science
journal of BirdLife International, and the Journal of Applied
Ecology, the applied journal of the British Ecological Society.
Scientists may also become more involved in activities such
as “horizon scanning” (see W.J. Sutherland et al. (2009) in
Trends in Ecology and Evolution 24: 523–527), which in our
specific case would mean the search for ecological factors that
may have implications for shorebird populations and their
habitats; to look out for “early warnings”.
At the same time the conservation organizations should
take a much greater responsibility in guiding communicating
scientists, and perhaps even more importantly, realize (and act
upon this realization) that they represent the most important
societal voice for high quality ecological science. They can
plead before national governments and international agencies
to support excellence in ecological research, rather than take
such science for granted. Conservation organizations can
make excellent advocates for good ecology thus supporting
ecologists to develop and realize the best possible ecological
science including the maintenance of long-term research and
monitoring efforts.
By bridging the gaps we can achieve positive feedback:
science will critically inform conservation, and conservation
will critically help science to achieve the best possible
understanding. We need to make research activities more
relevant to the needs of conservation and unite in stopping
those hell-bent on regardless exploitation.
Temperate intertidal flats:
part of a global meta-ecosystem
Temperature rise
Arctic tundra
Acidification
Temperature rise
Northern
Atlantic
Acidification
Temperature rise
North Sea
Sea level rise
Temperature rise
Wadden Sea
gullies
foredelta
sublittoral
banks
Intertidal
flats
NW European
lowlands
Fisheries
Fisheries
Eutrophication
Tropical Atlantic
coastal zone
Fisheries
W African
inter-tidal
areas
e.g. Banc d’Arguin
Sahara,
Sahel
Overgrazing
Desertification
Exchange of sediments, detritus, nutrients, energy through tidal currents
Daily and seasonal migration of birds, fish, mammals, invertebrates
Fig. 1. The Wadden Sea, a key area for shorebirds within the East Atlantic Flyway, forms part of an intercontinental meta-ecosystem. It is connected
to the Arctic breeding grounds and the West African wintering areas by migrating birds. Additionally, each of the habitats is connected
to neighbouring ecosystems by both commuting animals and nutrient flows. Yet, the Wadden Sea, and also its connected ecosystems are
threatened by exploitation and intensive usage by humans, as well as climate change (graphic courtesy of Han Olff, University of Groningen).

234 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (1) 2009
Workshop: Monitoring waders in the Siberian Arctic
BRUNO ENS 1 & HANS VERDAAT 2
1
SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology. bruno.ens@sovon.nl
2
Wageningen IMARES. hans.verdaat@wur.nl
Large numbers of waders migrating along the East Atlantic and other flyways depend on the Siberian Arctic
as a breeding area. In recent years, the monitoring effort of waders in the Siberian Arctic has declined. Yet,
monitoring effort should have increased, because it is almost certain that global climate change will increasingly
impact these waders in the years to come. This observation was the starting point for this workshop. We
hoped to cover the following topics and questions:
• The causes for the declining monitoring effort.
• What have we learnt from monitoring efforts in the Siberian Arctic to date
• How is monitoring organized in other parts of the arctic and what can we learn from those efforts
• Which phenomena can probably only be explained by arctic breeding conditions
• For which types of measurements do we really need to visit the Siberian Arctic
• What are the most important topics that monitoring should address
• What is the most efficient way to organize arctic monitoring Visit many different places in one season, or
stay an entire season in one place
• What can we do to reverse the declining effort
ABSTRACTS OF WORKSHOP TALKS
Monitoring of waders in the Siberian Arctic
Mikhail Soloviev
Dept. of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University,
Moscow, 119991, Russia; mikhail-soloviev@yandex.ru
According to the official position, nature monitoring in the
Russian Arctic should primarily be based on studies conducted
in nature reserves, occupying considerable areas in
different parts of Siberia. In practice, arctic nature reserves
do not have sufficient human resources for intensive ornithological
monitoring so this has been conducted during the
last 20 years in a variety of expeditions. Information from
these expeditions is accumulated in the on-line database of
the Arctic Birds Breeding Conditions Survey (http://www.
arcticbirds.net/); however, the total number of sites visited
dropped from 39–60 in 2000–2007 to 35 in 2008.
The number of sites where intensive wader monitoring has
been conducted has never exceeded five in the whole Russian
Arctic, but according to preliminary information this was
reduced to only two programs in 2009: the Wader monitoring
project on Taimyr (WMP) and the Monitoring of the Spoonbilled
Sandpiper project on southern Chukotka. This decline
is primarily explained by financial and logistical difficulties,
including very high costs of local transportation. WMP has
proved to be the most durable wader monitoring program in
the Russian Arctic, and was carried out during 1994–2003
and 2008–2009 in the south-eastern part of Taimyr and in
2004–2007 in central Taimyr. The particular features of WMP
are: consistency of principal monitoring protocols and core
research teams over the whole period, double-sampling, surveys
on plots in different habitats. The considerable duration
of WMP allows us to discuss trends in numbers of breeding
waders and to show statistically that nesting success of waders
depends on numbers and activity of predators, and not on
the abundance of alternative prey (lemmings). Evaluation of
fledging success in arctic-breeding waders remains a difficult
challenge that needs to be addressed in future monitoring
activities.
Results of monitoring waders in Medusa Bay
Bas van den Boogaard 1 & Bruno Ens
Working Group on International Waterbird and Wetland
Research, the Netherlands; bvandenboogaard@gmail.com
Between 1997 and 2007, a standardized monitoring program
was carried out at Medusa Bay, Taimyr, Russia. The program
had a focus on the number of breeding waders and related
biotic and abiotic variables affecting breeding success. A key
feature of this program is that it was carried out by volunteers
from the Working Group on International Waterbird and Wetland
Research (WIWO), combined with input from Russian
researchers. To illustrate the value of this program, we present
data of the number of breeding waders in fixed sample plots,
and the corresponding lemming cycle, snowcover/weather
phenology and breeding predators between 1997 and 2007.
Besides six wader species and two species of bird of prey, we
also present data on four songbird species.
The advantage of WIWO expeditions is that costs are relatively
low. However, because volunteers collect the data, they
often become scattered among people, and this makes data
analysis problematic, not least because volunteers suffer from
a chronic shortage of time once the expedition has ended. We
will discuss issues related to data analysis within programs
based on volunteers, and future prospects for research at
Medusa Bay or elsewhere on Taimyr.
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Wader monitoring in high-arctic NE Greenland –
low densities in a vast landscape
Hans Meltofte 1 & Jannik Hansen
1
National Environmental Research Institute, University of
Aarhus, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Reokilde, Denmark
mel@dmu.dk
Location of nests e.g. by rope-dragging is often considered
the most reliable method for arctic wader censusing, but on
thinly-populated high-arctic tundra, where surveys need to
cover extensive areas, this is not realistic. Furthermore, even
intensive nest search may miss up to 40% of the pairs due
to predation, missed nests etc. Therefore, territory mapping
must be considered as a time-efficient alternative. To obtain
reliable population figures, territory mapping should ideally
take place in the short interval between dispersal of the last
birds on territories and initiation of incubation when birds
become hard to record. In practice, the timing needs to be a
compromise, which in the high Arctic is best obtained in mid
June, when the birds are most active with song and other territorial
behaviour. Population censusing in July only records
successful pairs and hence, produce highly underestimated
densities. In this presentation, the methods of 14 years of
wader censuses at Zackenberg Research Station in central
NE Greenland are discussed and compared to results from
rope dragging and nest search.
Fluctuations in breeding populations of waders at
Zackenberg, NE Greenland, 1996–2009
Jannik Hansen 1 & Hans Meltofte
1
Korsgade 11, st. Mf., 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
jannikh@jannikh.dk
We present data on breeding populations collected according
to the early territory mapping method developed for the
BioBasis monitoring programme at Zackenberg Research
Station in central NE Greenland. Results are presented on the
importance of early season snow cover, food availability and
predation. NE Greenland is generally quite favourable to waders
with sunny weather in most years, and only few inclement
weather events occurred during the study years. Timing of
egg-laying and most likely even population densities are
determined by early season food availability, overruled in
snow-rich years by extensive early season snow cover. Also
food availability for chicks in July seems to influence recruitment
in some species. Predation levels do not follow the
lemming population fluctuations to the extent seen in other
parts of the Arctic. Consequences of possible future climate
changes are discussed.
What do we need to monitor in the Siberian arctic
in the face of global climate change
Hans Schekkerman
SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology,
Rijksstraatweg 178, 6573 DG Beek-Ubbergen,
the Netherlands; hans.schekkerman@sovon.nl
Global climate change is affecting ecosystems worldwide, but
the pace, magnitude and impact of changes to be expected are
relatively large in the Arctic. As most arctic breeding birds are
migratory, changes there may affect bird populations throughout
the world. In this talk I will outline the most important
environmental factors influencing shorebirds during their
sojourn in the Arctic and from this derive a set of parameters
that can be monitored to enable us to interpret changes in
population size and demography that can be observed in other
parts of these species’ migratory ranges.
Remote sensing of conditions in the Arctic
Valentijn Venus 1 , Andrew Skidmore et al.
1
International Institute for Geo-Information Science and
Earth Observation (ITC), PO Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede,
The Netherlands
Remote sensing offers the hope of accurately monitoring
conditions in inaccessible areas at a high spatial and temporal
resolution covering vast areas. In theory historical conditions
may be inferred from stored satellite images. Ideally,
we would like to have information on snow coverage and
how it changes in the course of the season, changes in the
area of perma frost, weather conditions, vegetation types and
phenology of the vegetation. As is often the case, theory is
much better than practice. It turns out that remote sensing
of conditions in the Arctic offers some special difficulties.
For instance, since the sun is never high above the horizon,
light hits the ground at a low angle. The talk will discuss the
possibilities and limitations of remote sensing the conditions
in the arctic.
The Arctic Species Trend Index and wader trends
Christoph Zöckler 1 on behalf of the Circumpolar
Biodiversity Monitoring Programme
UNEP-WCMC 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL,
UK; christoph.zockler@unep-wcmc.org
For the first time, an index providing a circumpolar perspective
on trends in the Arctic’s living resources has been
developed. The Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI), like the
global Living Planet Index (LPI), illustrates overall vertebrate
population trends by integrating vertebrate population trend
data from across the Arctic and over the last 40 years (1970
as the baseline). This index not only allows for a composite
measure of the overall trajectory of Arctic vertebrate populations,
but can be disaggregated, e.g. by species, biomes or
Arctic layers, as highlighted in this report.
A total of 965 populations of 306 species (representing
35% of all Arctic vertebrate species) were used to generate the
ASTI in 2009. In contrast to the global LPI (Loh et al. 2008),
whose overall decline is largely driven by declines in tropical
vertebrate populations, the ASTI indicates an overall increasing
trend (+21%) in arctic vertebrate populations between
1970 and 2005. However, very few wader populations have
been included in the present ASTI. At present only seven
sites across the Arctic provide trend data for waders from the
breeding grounds. Long-term monitoring of Arctic migrants
takes place across the globe at wintering and staging sites
and although the migratory index contains 216 species and
599 populations, many wader data from monitoring stations
outside the Arctic have not yet been included.
Many waders or shorebirds are in decline but the reasons
are not fully understood and although changes in the Arctic
such as snow-cover, humidity and increasing shrub-cover are
recognized to have already impacted shorebirds, there are

236 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
many other factors outside the Arctic to consider in explaining
the trends. Trend data of Arctic waders monitored on the
non-breeding grounds are much more abundant, but difficult
to integrate into the ASTI as they are measured outside the
Arctic. From a few selected species the ASTI will be disaggregated
by wader trends measured within and outside the
Arctic illustrating the differences and gaps in the analyses.
CHASM as part of the Arctic Council Circumpolar Biodiversity
Monitoring Programme (CBMP) network already aimed
to integrate circumpolar monitoring activities, but needs to be
strengthened and re-activated to make full use of the many
monitoring initiatives within the IWSG. Appropriate steps
to develop methods that allow the full integration of trend
information collected outside the Arctic into the ASTI will
be discussed and a much stronger collaboration (CBMP) is
proposed.
Workshop: Recovering the Slender-billed Curlew
NICOLA CROCKFORD, GRAEME BUCHANAN & ROB SHELDON
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds. SG19 2DL, UK
Nicola.crockford@rspb.org.uk
The Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris is the rarest bird in the Western Palearctic, following major
declines from the second half of the 19th century onwards, apparently due to over-hunting and habitat-loss.
There has been no verified record of this critically endangered species for about a decade. A “last push” to
find and save the species before it is too late was launched in Dec 2008 by the Slender-billed Curlew Working
Group (see www.slenderbilledcurlew.net).
The priority is a comprehensive survey of the non-breeding range (from Morocco to Japan), especially historical
wintering and potential moulting sites, during 2009/2010, and beyond as necessary, with a view to satellite
tagging to identify key sites, especially the breeding grounds. If research, e.g. using stable isotopes, can sufficiently
narrow the search for the breeding grounds, then the survey may be extended to that area e.g. in 2010.
The main objectives of the workshop were to discuss and improve several protocols drafted to guide the
search and subsequent conservation action for the Slender-billed Curlew.
Following an overview of the project from Nicola Crockford, Tom van der Have presented the protocol on
search methods and Simon Delany spoke of plans to ensure maximum survey coverage including by encouraging
international volunteers expert in bird identification and using the International Waterbird Census as the main
framework for the search. Rob Sheldon highlighted lessons to be learned from the Sociable Lapwing project
and Sadegh Sadeghi Zadegan outlined plans for surveying Slender-billed Curlews in Iran.
Graeme Buchanan and Tom van der Have summarised research approaches being used to narrow the search
for the bird, including use of stable isotopes to try to pinpoint the breeding grounds and using patterns of rainfall
and orthoptera distribution to give clues to remaining suitable habitat. Bob Gill summarised lessons to be
learned from the Eskimo curlew of North America.
There followed discussions of various protocols on action to be taken once the species is relocated. Nigel
Clark led the one on catching, handling and satellite tagging, with invaluable input from Bob Gill, Nils Warnock
and Lee Tibbetts, Graeme Buchanan on ecological observations to make of the bird and Geoff Hilton on captive
breeding. In addition Simon Delany led a discussion on using the Slender-billed Curlew search also to gather
information on threatened steppe-breeding subspecies of Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel.
There seemed to be broad agreement among the participants as to the way forward. It is an abnegation of
responsibility to do nothing, and if action is to be taken, it must be undertaken properly, with determination.
Even if the search is unsuccessful in terms of finding the Slender-billed Curlew, it looks set to provide a number
of other long term conservation benefits.
ABSTRACTS OF WORKSHOP TALKS
Searching for the Slender-billed Curlew:
when, where and how
Simon Delany 1 & Tom van der Have 2
1
Wetlands International; simon.delany@wetlands.org
2
Foundation WIWO
The International Waterbird Census is an excellent framework
for the extra effort needed to find the Slender-billed Curlew. A
protocol is proposed listing which actions should be taken to
maximise the chance of observing the species, including during
the planned waterbirds counts and wetlands surveys in the
range states. Emphasis is on good preparations, accurate identification,
awareness of confusing species and rapid response
if a Slender-billed Curlew is found. Teamwork is needed if
a bird is located to keep track of its whereabouts to facilitate
possible catching efforts and conservation measures. Several
suggestions are given about timing (winter period preferred),

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location (for example, former range states), habitat (look for
wetland roosts and dryer foraging habitats like grasslands,
steppe and saltmarsh) and field skills (make mental image of
preferred habitat and SBC jizz and calls, become familiar with
confusing species, check roosts and so on). The Slender-billed
quest is seriously hampered by the fact our current knowledge
of foraging habitat is based on only the three adult males that
wintered in Merja Zerga, Morocco. We do not really know its
preferred food and foraging habitat, and there is still a chance
that the remaining individuals are overlooked in areas not
visited by birdwatchers.
Plans for maximizing survey coverage and
participation by observers
Simon Delany
Wetlands International; simon.delany@wetlands.org
The International Waterbird Census coordinated by Wetlands
International provides a good framework for the forthcoming
search for Slender-billed Curlews. The Census includes most
of the sites where the species has been recorded, and over
10,000 observers, mostly volunteers, will be in the field in
January 2010 counting waterbirds within the former wintering
range of the species. Waterbird counters are often not,
however, well-placed to find and identify rarities because
the need to separate and count the numerous species at a site
is usually a full-time job. An approach already adopted in
Italy is proposed, where observers accompany counters in
the field and concentrate on finding less numerous species,
especially unusual curlews. This approach has already been
promoted in a July 2009 Newsletter to national coordinators
of waterbird monitoring schemes, and to a large number of
visitors to the UK Birdfair. There is now a need to recruit
more birders, to accompany counters in the field, through web
fora and discussion groups. We will also extend the approach
to sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, but the top priority remains
the known former range of Slender-billed Curlew.
The status of Slender-billed Curlew and survey of
potential sites in Iran
Sadegh Sadeghi Zadegan
National Manager of UNEP/GEF SCWP,
Department of Environment, Iran
Observations along the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea indicate
that in the vast coastal wetlands of Iran a few Slender-billed
Curlews may still winter. There is virtually no wader hunting
in Iran, at least for food (because the meat is not considered
Halal) and therefore, usually hunters are not interested in
shooting waders. Also, current hunting laws prevent any
illegal shooting of waders and the Slender-billed Curlew is
classified as an endangered bird.
Waterbird counts have been conducted in most areas for
several years. During 1963–1998 there are 42 records of
Slender-billed Curlew (including 19 confirmed and 23 unconfirmed
records). Two expeditions in early 2000 and one in
2002 failed to locate birds although large areas of apparently
suitable habitats still exist. A massive and specific survey for
the species is being planned by the Department of Environment
for winter 2010.
Counts of the intertidal zones should ideally be executed
at high tide, when birds are often concentrated at high water
roosts. During low tide, sample or spot counts could be made
in order to determine foraging densities of waders, permitting
extrapolation to larger areas. Special attention should
be paid to concentrations of Eurasian Curlews Numenius
arquata, Whimbrel N. phaeopus and Black-tailed Godwits
Limosa limosa since Slender-billed Curlews might mix with
these species. At several locations attempts will be made to
determine flight movements at dawn of these species to find
night roosts.
Capacity building needs include: training for observers;
developing a wader monitoring and estimation method for
the Gulf coast of Iran; exchange of knowledge, especially
on Slender-billed Curlews between professional international
experts and Iranian ornithologists.
Stable isotopes
Graeme Buchanan
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge,
Sandy, Beds. SG19 2DL, UK
graeme.buchanan@rspb.org.uk
The ratios of different isotopes of elements (e.g. 13 C and
12 C) display geographic variation. Combinations of multiple
elements can be used to identify where samples with specific
ratios may have come from. This applies to bird feathers,
since the isotopes pass up the food chain, and are assimilated
into body tissues. We are fortunate in having some 100
feather samples from Slender-billed Curlew specimens, for
which we are grateful to various museums and collections.
Analysis of these samples is being used to determine potential
breeding areas, and potentially moult sites. Early results suggest
Slender-billed Curlews could have bred in a band across
southern Russia, and include the area where the few known
breeding records come from. Additional analysis of further
elements should refine the maps, enabling targeted searches
of potential breeding areas.
Slender-billed Curlew decline:
loss of habitat, food and mates
Tom van der Have
Foundation WIWO; tom.vanderhave@wur.nl
Knowing the factors that contributed to the near-extinction
of the Slender-billed Curlew may help to narrow down the
search to specific areas and habitats. The decline probably
started in the last two decades of the 19th century. By the time
the first and only nests were found in the second decade of the
20th century it was already a rare bird. The steady decrease in
numbers of specimens and observations continued until the
last accepted record in 2001.
A quantitative analysis of museum specimens showed that
habitat loss and droughts in the breeding areas were probably
the main cause of the decline. An increasing male-biased sex
ratio exacerbated the difficulty of finding mates at dwindling
densities. In addition, increasing hunting pressure in migration
and wintering areas probably lowered survival rates far
beyond sustainability.
A long neglected aspect in its ecology is food choice.
Orthoptera deserve further study as a potential resource
during most of the year in breeding, stopover and wintering
ranges. The extinction of the Rocky Mountain Grasshopper,
an (if not the) important resource at the prairie spring staging

238 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (3) 2009
areas, most likely was one of the main factors leading to the
demise of the Eskimo Curlew. The observation that orthoptera
are an important element of the diet of curlews east of the
Urals (G. Buchanan, pers. comm.) gets more significance in
this context. Orthoptera are highly dependent on permanent,
grazed or ungrazed grasslands which seem to fit the supposed,
year-round habitat preference of Slender-billed Curlew. Several
grasshopper species are discussed as serious suspects.
Presentation of draft protocol on trapping,
handling and satellite tracking
Nicola Crockford 1 & Nigel Clark 2
1
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge,
Sandy, Beds. SG19 2DL, UK
Nicola.crockford@rspb.org.uk
2
British Trust for Ornithology. nigel.clark@bto.org
It is proposed that a key objective of finding Slender-billed
Curlews is to satellite track them to identify the sites they use
and thus facilitate their conservation. In advance of finding
Slender-billed Curlews, it is desirable to have a widely agreed
protocol which outlines the justification and methods for
catching, collecting information from and tagging this critically
endangered species. Such a protocol will be outlined,
including itemising the steps needed to prepare for rapid
reaction in the event of a sighting of a probable slender-billed
curlew, deployment of a catching/tagging team, and manage
publicity. Discussions following the presentation of the protocol
will be used to improve the draft document.
Presentation of draft observation protocol
Graeme Buchanan
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge,
Sandy, Beds. SG19 2DL, UK
graeme.buchanan@rspb.org.uk
The ecology of Slender-billed Curlew is very poorly known.
Any information on the feeding ecology and diet will increase
our knowledge, and potentially understanding of the needs
of the species. To this end, a revised protocol has been produced,
based on an earlier LIFE funded version, to ensure
data are collected in an objective and comparable manner.
It covers foraging habitats, energy budgets and diet. Discussions
following the presentation of the protocol will be used
to improve the draft document.
Draft captive breeding protocol
Geoff Hilton
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, the Netherlands
geoff.hilton@wwt.org.uk
The premise of the ‘last push’ for conservation of the Slenderbilled
Curlew is that, even though the rediscovery of the
species might seem improbable, we should do all that we
can to ensure that, if and when rediscovery does happen,
we are adequately prepared to react decisively, rapidly and
effectively to avert extinction. Allowing for the option of
captive breeding is part of this preparation. Serious consideration
should be given to the objectives, benefits and risks
of establishing a captive population for arking, augmentation
of the wild population, or reintroduction to new sites. It is
important that clear thinking on this takes place in advance of
the decision being made urgent by a rediscovery. In assessing
whether establishing a captive population would be a useful
conservation intervention, we need to know whether there
is a high probability of success in captive breeding. We thus
need to know how this would be achieved and what the implications
would be for the remaining wild population. The
prescription for a successful captive population would need
to be tested and demonstrated so that practitioners have a
“recipe” available to them at the point of need. To meet these
needs, a trial programme with “proxy species”of wader would
be sensible. We discuss how this might be achieved, the issues
to be resolved, and the lessons that would be learned.
Using the search for the Slender-billed Curlew
to find rare and poorly known forms of
Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel
Simon Delany
Wetlands International; simon.delany@wetlands.org
The search for the Slender-billed Curlew provides an opportunity
to find individuals of other rare and poorly-known
curlews. Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris is extremely rare
and probably winters mainly on coasts of the western Indian
Ocean. Numenius arquata suschkini is known from only a
few specimens and is usually ignored, but it is possibly or
probably a valid and highly threatened sub-species. The rarity
of these two small and pale forms, as well as the possibility
of confusion with Slender-billed Curlew, make them very
interesting subjects for study. Numenius arquata orientalis is
relatively common, but less numerous than nominate arquata
and also apparently declining. The Slender-billed Curlew
search offers an opportunity to find out more about numbers
and distribution of this sub-species.
A recording form where observers can provide details of
all curlews observed during surveys will be made available to
download from the internet, and will be provided as electronic
or hardcopy to anybody requesting it. The completed forms
will provide valuable information on numbers and distribution
of all sub-species of curlew in the winter of 2009–2010.
The Slender-billed Curlew recovery effort: applicable
insights from studies of New World Numeniini
Robert Gill 1 , Nils Warnock 2 & Lee Tibbitts 1
1 U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center,
4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
robert_gill@usgs.gov
2 Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine,
Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
The New World hosts 8 of 13 members of the tribe Numeniini
(curlews and godwits). One, the Eskimo Curlew, went from
being widespread and abundant to likely extinct in the span
of a century.Populations of most of the other species are experiencing
population declines. A better understanding of the
causes of these declines is the underpinning of a major effort
(Pacific Shorebird Migration Project, PSMP) launched in
2005 that uses remote sensing technology, primarily satellite
telemetry, to discern the movement ecology and conservation
biology of Pacific Basin Numeniini.
Through our studies we have gained some insights into
the population dynamics of godwits and other curlew species

Annual Conference
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that may be applicable to the current effort with the critically
endangered Slender-billed Curlew. The story of the demise
of the Eskimo Curlews offers a sobering reality check to the
task at hand. In short, major human-caused perturbations over
a 50-year period (suppression of fire, rapid and widespread
fragmentation and conversion of habitats, extinction of a
principal food source, and hunting of unprecedented scope)
created a situation in which the Eskimo Curlew population
fell below the minimum level of viability. This level appears
to have been set by the species’ reliance on specialized and
patchy habitat, its conservative life history, and its highly
social behaviour – sadly all traits inherent to most Numeniini,
including the Slender-billed Curlew. But, ignoring the
disheartening similarities between the plights of Eskimo and
Slender-billed Curlews and, given that much of society expects
intervention with endangered wildlife, there are things
learned from PSMP work and its use of satellite telemetry
that may be applicable to the Slender-billed Curlew effort.
From work with five species of Numeniini (n = 142
transmitters to date, including 49 solar-powered units) and
based on what we know about the biology of Slender-billed
Curlews, we think satellite telemetry is a compatible tool to
discern areas used and migratory routes taken during various
phases of the species’ annual cycle. (Caveat lector – the following
have worked for us, but this does not preclude use of
other modifications.) Specifically, we recommend: 1) use of
external-mounted, solar-powered models (e.g., Microwave
12.5 g units), 2) attachment using a leg-loop harness (we
strongly advise against wing or breast–abdomen harnesses on
Numeniini), 3) modification of antennas to follow the dorsal
contour of the bird and reduce costs of drag, 4) activation
of a transmitter(s) as soon as possible within the suspected
range of the curlew so that users can become familiar with
the data system, 5) deployment of a transmitter on a similar
migratory species within the suspected range of the curlew so
that tracking can be tested in the region, and 6) establishment
of a protocol prior to capture that details data collection and
dissemination.
Welcome to Lisbon!
International Wader Study Group
Conference 2010
The IWSG Annual Conference 2010 will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, hosted by the National Natural History
Museum (NNHM) of Lisbon University. The NNHM has a very rich history both within its collections and
also as an historical building lying at the heart of Lisbon, and also includes a magnificent Botanical Garden.
The Conference Programme is still to be finalized, but the main sessions will take place on Saturday 2nd
and Sunday 3rd October 2010. Unfortunately, the number of participants will be limited to approximately
120 people so early registration is strongly recommended.
However, we will be able to organize one or two thematic workshops. We therefore ask for all potential
workshop organizers to send a short workshop proposal to the organizers to José Pedro Granadeiro
(jpgranadeiro@fc.ul.pt) by 1st March 2010. Depending on the number of proposals, the organizing committee
will select one or two workshops to be held at IWSGC 2010.
Please check the IWSG website regularly to receive further information on registration and critical
deadlines.