third Meeting - International Wader Study Group

94 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009Left to right: Rick Lanctot, overall coordinator of the Third WesternHemisphere Shorebird Group meeting, and plenary speakers PavelTomkovich, Nils Warnock, Eduardo Palacios Castro, and David(Dov) Lank.the middle of the meeting), and we hope to replicate thisexperience in subsequent meetings.On day four of the meeting, we heard from Nils Warnockas he described the ecology of shorebird migration around thePacific Basin. His talk entitled Wings over borders – migrationof shorebirds around the Pacific Basin discussed researchfindings from the ground breaking conventional and satellitetelemetry studies he and his colleagues have conducted overthe past 15 years. Highlights included their documentationof some of the longest nonstop flapping flights known amongbirds – courtesy of the Bristle-thighed Curlew and Bar-tailedGodwits that breed in Alaska.On the last day of the meeting, the audience was treatedto a humorous and very interesting talk by David (Dov)Lank entitled Why are ruffs the most interesting birds in theworld? Dov presented results from a 25-year study in whichhe investigated the ruff’s unique plumage polymorphism,the three genetically-distinct behavioural and plumage typesof males and female mimics, multiple paternity, and otheraspects of their behaviour. His fascinating video footages andhis narration were enjoyed by all.During each day of the meeting, there were one or twosymposia focused on particular species/genera or broaderissues. The three species- or genera-based symposia focusedon the (1) Red Knot – a newly declared candidate specieson the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Specieslist, (2) Western Sandpiper research program in the Americas,and (3) a variety of plover species that are also declining dueto increased human disturbance along beaches in the WesternHemisphere. Like prior meetings, there were symposiafocused on South American endemics, migration ecologyand techniques, education and outreach, and the WesternHemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The remainingsymposium was on human mediated landscape change in theArctic and the impacts of this on shorebirds (see summariesand abstracts below). It was refreshing to hear that many ofthe ideas and results of these talks were due to newly formedcollaborations that began during the first meeting in Boulder.Students presented more than a third of the talks and overhalf the posters, so winning one of the student awards wasno mean achievement. Congratulations to Paul Smith forbest paper, Laura McKinnon for second best paper, MedardoCruz-López for best poster and Jean-François Lamarre forsecond best poster.Despite the busy schedule, we managed to have twobreakout gatherings where we discussed the future role of theWestern Hemisphere Shorebird Group. Most people agreedthat a stand-alone meeting comparable to this one was valuableand badly needed at least once every two years if notmore frequently. They also expressed a desire for the meetingsto be bilingual (a new feature for this meeting) and to holdthe meetings in locations where field trips were possible (i.e.warm locations, preferably with a beach!). We also revisitedwhether we should continue to hold every other meeting inconjunction with the Neotropical Ornithology Congress,and most agreed that this was not necessary but that LatinAmericans should continue using this venue to hold regionalmeetings on shorebirds. We bantered around several possiblevenues for the next meeting but decided it would be betterto allow the entire shorebird community to vote on this subject.This process will take place through the newly createdinternet forum (see next item) during the upcoming Nearcticwinter (Neotropical summer).I want to thank the leaders of the symposia, the manypresenters, and the people behind the scenes that allowedthe science to take place, and the participants to attend.I also want to thank Xicotencátl “Xico” Vega and GuillermoJ. Fernández Aceves for co-chairing the Local Organizingcommittee, Stephen Brown for chairing the Scientific Programcommittee, Jim Johnson for chairing the Travel Awardcommittee, Lewis Oring for chairing the Student PresentationAward committee, Andrea Pomeroy for chairing theSilent Auction Committee (which raised over $1,700 USDfor the next meeting), and Caleb Spiegel for developingthe program booklet. Thanks to these people and the manymembers of their committees that made the meeting possible.I also appreciate Brett Sandercock’s extra efforts to put ona very informative demographics course, and Sue Haig forworking behind the scenes to coordinate this meeting withthe MIGRATE course.Left: Committee Chairs for the Third Western Hemisphere ShorebirdGroup Meeting (left to right): Guillermo J. Fernández Aceves (LocalOrganizer), Jim Johnson (Travel Awards), Xicotencátl “Xico” Vega(Local Organizer), Stephen Brown (Scientific Program), Caleb Spiegel(Program Booklet), and Lewis Oring (Student Presentation Awardcommittee). Missing from the photo is Andrea Pomeroy who chairedthe Silent Auction Committee which raised over $1,700 USD for thenext meeting.

96 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009And while market gunners shot them down, their carcasses littered the groundWhile wagon-loads went off to town, the day the curlews died.So, bye-bye to Numeniini . . .Helter-skelter in a tropic swelter; the curlews had no fall-out shelterRadiation falling fastThe air was filled with noxious gas; some atolls vanished in the blast,And the damage to surviving reefs was vast.The curlews breathed the deadly fumes that drifted from the toxic plumes.On the poisoned coral sands, they never had a chance,Because the Yanks and French had learned to wield nukes of devastating yield.To the blind, nothing was revealed the day the curlews died.So, bye-bye to Numeniini . . .I held her and felt her in a summer swelter, and mourned the hand that we had dealt her.I banded her, then set her free.She needn’t fear the owls and hawks, just the predator who walks and talksAnd into whose bloody hands fell her destiny.While the bristle-thighed defends its crèche, the thin-billed flies to MarrakeshTo drink from the same chalice that doomed poor borealis.And all the best data suggest, I think, this population’s in a sinkAnd all too soon will be extinct, the day the curlew dies.So, bye-bye to Numeniini . . .To follow birds from place to place, we use satellites up in spaceTo bounce their signals back again.So, come on, track the whimbrel, track him quick, track him through the thin and thickBecause we may be a whimbrel’s only friends.And as I watched him try to stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage.His home had gone to hell, destroyed by Satan’s spell.And as I watched him fly into the night, I knew that we just had no rightTo let him die without a fight, the day the curlew died.So, bye-bye to Numeniini . . .I met a girl who worked the sloughs, and I asked her for some happy news.She just wept and turned away.So I went down to the sacred shore where I’d heard curlews years before,But the man there said, “No curlews here today.”Now while I sleep it surely seems that curlews thrive within my dreams,But when I have awoken, the flyways all are broken.And the curlew I desired most became nothing more than a ghostThat haunts the zephyrs down the coast, the day the curlew died.So, bye-bye to NumeniiniNone too heavy by the levee ‘cause the levee was dryAnd long-billeds wander fields of barley and ryeSinging, “Will this be the day that I die?”I am a sincere man from where the tundra grows.I am a sincere man from where the tundra grows,And before I die, I want to share the verses of my soul.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?The sea is light green and it is flaming crimson.The sea is light green and it is flaming crimson.There is a wounded plover that seeks refuge on the shore.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?I dream a lovely dream; I see a curlew.Then, near the estuary, I observe an oystercatcher.The birds follow the waves, and are followed by the waves.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Las Aves PlayerasThe vision continues; I see a godwit.He is the sentinel, ready to shout whenThe hawk dives from the sky.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Through the fog, I hear the yellowlegs.And at the rocky coast, I see the turnstone.Thunder on the shore gently calms my soul.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?With all the shorebirds, I want to share my fate.With all the shorebirds, I want to share my fate,And if they disappear, I want to die in the sea.Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?Shorebirds! When will we save the shorebirds?

98 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009Ruff Philomachus pugnax, which breeds across the Eurasianlow arctic, and at one site in Canada, stands out with respectto the complexity of its breeding system. I will present resultsfrom my 34-year study of this species and other literature.Starting with a lekking system with exclusive female parentalcare, the ruff adds: (1) a unique plumage polymorphism, inwhich 98% of breeding males have individually distinctiveelaborate breeding plumages; (2) three genetically distinctbehavioral and plumage types of males, including darkplumagedlek territorial, white-plumaged non-territorial“satellites-cooperators”, and “female mimics”, which lackelaborate plumage and male display behavior; (3) the highestrates of multiple paternity (genetic polyandry) amongshorebird females, and longest sperm in males; (4) sexratio allocation strategies by breeding females; (5) possiblesperm selection with respect to mate relatedness; and (6)unexplained changes in winter plumages with age amongthe non-territorial morph. I will focus on trying to explain (a)what maintains the extreme plumage polymorphism, (b) whythere is an evolutionarily stable equilibrium among competingtypes of males, and (c) how female mimics obtain matings.symposiaTracking Large-bodied Shorebirds SymposiumOrganizers: C. Alex Hartman (calexhartman@gmail.com),Suzanne D. Fellows (suzanne_fellows@fws.gov) &William H. Howe (Bill_Howe@fws.gov)Technological advancements have greatly increased thecapacity to study shorebird movements and natural historyover the past few years. The Tracking Large-bodied ShorebirdsSymposium was organized to share information andpresent results on studies of Numeniini shorebirds. Therewere seven presented papers and a poster.Lee Tibbitts began the symposium with a comparativeanalysis of the efficiency, accuracy and longevity of implantableversus external solar-powered satellite transmitterson five Numeniini species. Two presentations on MarbledGodwit migration using satellite telemetry followed. BridgetOlson examined movements and biogeography of MarbledGodwits captured at Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA, AkimiskiIsland, Nunavet, Canada, San Blas, Nayarit, Mexicoand along the Atlantic Coast of Georgia, USA. Robert Gilldetailed the effects of atmospheric teleconnections on thesouthward migration of Marbled Godwits breeding in southwestAlaska. These studies have given a clearer picture ofthe mechanics of Marbled Godwit migration and describedmigratory paths between the different breeding subpopulationsfound at overlapping wintering sites. Information fromthese studies will be used to further conservation goals outlinedin the Marbled Godwit Conservation Plan.The symposium then switched to studies concerningmovements, abundance and habitat associations of LongbilledCurlews on the breeding and non-breeding grounds.Alex Hartman compared results of Long-billed Curlew migratoryconnectivity and winter site fidelity obtained using colorband sighting reports versus satellite telemetry. Kristin Sesserused satellite telemetry to investigate habitat use, space use,movement and site fidelity of Long-billed Curlews winteringin California’s Central Valley. Cory Gregory providedestimates of chick survival and described local movementpatterns of Long-billed Curlew broods in Nebraska, USA.using radio telemetry. Alina Olalla presented information onseasonal abundances, diet and satellite telemetry-based movementsof Long-billed Curlews wintering in the ChihuahuanDesert, Mexico. Kyle Stone presented a poster on the use ofdigital video recorders and bullet cameras to examine incubationbehavior of Long-billed Curlews at Great Salt Lake.These five studies address current action items identified inthe Long-billed Curlew Status Assessment and ConservationPlan and will lay the ground work for further conservationand management activities for this species.The Tracking Large-bodied Shorebirds Symposium provideda great forum for the presentation and discussion of theuse of technology in the study of shorebirds. Satellite telemetryallows for the direct tracking of large shorebirds betweenbreeding and non-breeding areas in fine detail. Coupled withland cover data, satellite telemetry can be a useful tool forremotely studying habitat associations of non-breeding birdsfor conservation planning. Moreover, using satellite telemetry,researchers can delineate migratory pathways, identifystaging and stopover sites, measure the speed and durationof migration legs and examine breeding and non-breedingsite fidelity more accurately than with traditional methods.Performance of satellite transmitters in trackinglarge-bodied shorebirdsLee Tibbitts 1 , Robert Gill 1 , David Douglas 1 ,Daniel Mulcahy 1 & Nils Warnock 21USGS Alaska Science Center, USA; ltibbitts@usgs.gov2School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California,Davis, USARecent studies utilizing satellite tracking with the Argossystem have yielded unprecedented insights into shorebirdmigration. Since 2005, we have gained experience with thistechnology while investigating the local and migratory movementsof shorebirds in the Pacific Basin. Here, we report onthe technical performance of 104 satellite transmitters (PTTs)deployed on 5 species of large-bodied (250–760 g) shorebirds.Birds were tagged with either a battery-powered PTT(26 g) surgically implanted into the coelomic cavity (n = 67)or with a solar-powered PTT (9.5 or 18 g) attached as a back-

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico99pack using a leg-loop harness (n = 37). Mortality possiblyattributable to capture and tagging (i.e., bird died within 4weeks of tagging) occurred at a low rate (

100 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009during two non-breeding seasons. Individual curlews differedgreatly in their use of space with home ranges varying from1,200 to 14,000 ha; one curlew moved about 500 km aftersettling initially in the southern San Joaquin Valley. We usedmultiple core use areas (50% probability) to examine habitatuse and analyze second order habitat selection by comparingthese areas to random locations. Curlews occupied a varietyof agricultural habitats, including flooded alfalfa, rice, pastures,and some semi-natural wetlands. They tended to occurin areas of low road densities, suggesting that road-sidemonitoring might inadequately represent both habitat use andpopulation estimates.Movements and survival of Long-billed Curlewchicks Numenius americanus in NebraskaCory J. Gregory 1 , Stephen J. Dinsmore 1 ,Larkin A. Powell 2 & Joel G. Jorgensen 31Dept of Natural Resource Ecology and Management,Iowa State University, USA; cgregory@iastate.edu2School of Natural Resources, Uni. of Nebraska, USA;3Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, USAThe Long-billed Curlew is listed as highly imperiled orvulnerable throughout most of its range. Despite being consideredan at-risk species in Nebraska, Long-billed Curlewsremain little studied and are therefore poorly understood.Many aspects of their breeding biology, including the movementsof chicks, remain completely unknown in the state.During our 2008 field season, we studied movements andsurvival of Long-billed Curlew chicks using radio-telemetry.Our research took place at Crescent Lake National WildlifeRefuge and surrounding private lands in W Nebraska. Usinga mark–recapture analysis, our preliminary data show anestimated daily survival of 0.988 (SE = 0.012) with no evidencefor variation in daily survival across the chick-rearingperiod. In addition, chick movements were analyzed usingArcGIS and we found that chicks traveled an average of883 m per day (n = 8, range 86 to 2,611 m). The direction,overall distance, and pattern of travel varied among individuals.One chick stayed within a 498 m radius whereas anotherchick traveled up to 12,352 m from where it was banded. Wefound no correlation (R 2 = 0.02) between age of chick anddistance traveled per day. This work will continue in the 2009and 2010 nesting seasons and will ultimately provide a betterunderstanding of the movements and survival of Long-billedCurlew chicks at an important breeding site. We hope thisinformation will help guide future management and assessmentof curlews in Nebraska.Winter ecology of the Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus in two sites of theChihuahuan Desert, MexicoAlina Olalla, Gabriel Ruiz & J. Ignacio GonzálezFacultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma deNuevo León, Mexico; alinaolalla@gmail.comGrasslands in our country have deteriorated because of agricultureand cattle-raising causing habitat loss for many species,including the Long-billed Curlew. The two study areas(Janos, Chihuahua, and El Tokio, Nuevo León) are amongthe few remaining well preserved grasslands in Mexico. Theysupport a large number of wintering Long-billed Curlews, butthe lack of knowledge of their migratory routes and the fewMexican studies on this species, do not allow us to establisheffective conservation measures. Therefore, the purpose ofthe present study is to complete the following objectives:winter census, winter diet, molecular sexing, color banding,and satellite telemetry. Monthly simultaneous surveys werecarried out during the months of October through March(2007–2008 and 2008–2009), during which it was determinedthat the largest concentrations of wintering Long-BilledCurlews occurred in the Nuevo León grasslands, up to 3,500individuals in a single sighting. To date we have collected 750pellets in both regions, 317 of which have been measured andweighed, and 59 have been analyzed. The pellets collectedin Chihuahua were, on average, larger, and in both areas wehave identified 3 insect families, 4 non-identified insects,the scorpion order, seeds and small rocks. Up to December2008, we have captured five curlews in Nuevo Leon, whichwere measured and banded, and blood samples were takenfor molecular sexing, and one curlew was selected to carry asatellite transmitter so we can follow its local and migratorymovements.

102 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009will be balanced by habitat gained as new areas become theBeaufort Sea coastline.Potential effects of climate change onarctic nesting shorebirds via direct and indirecttrophic interactionsLaura McKinnon, Elise Bolduc & Joël BêtyDépartement de Biologie, Université du Québec àRimouski, Canada; laura.mckinnon3@gmail.comOn the breeding grounds, shorebirds are highly susceptibleto climate change, due to their dependence on temperatureaffectedarthropod resources and their vulnerability to changesin predator composition. Here we take an ecosystem approachto examine how trophic interactions affect breeding parametersin arctic-nesting shorebirds and how these interactionsmay be affected by future climate changes. Breeding shorebirdswere monitored on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, from2005 to 2008. Data on breeding parameters (phenology andsuccess), predation pressure (estimated using artificial nests),alternative prey availability (lemming and goose abundance),resource availability (seasonal abundance of insects), andlocal weather variables were collected. From 1996 to 2008,similar data were also available from up to seven additionalsites throughout the Canadian arctic permitting the study oftrophic interactions on both local and regional scales. At thelocal scale (Bylot Island), predation risk (based on real andartificial nest survival) was negatively related to lemmingabundance. The timing of chick hatch coincided with peakinsect abundance in 2 out of 3 years. On a regional scale,predation risk decreased with latitude, and peaks in insectabundance varied spatially. These trophic interactions willinevitably be affected by climate changes (e.g. northwardexpansion of predator communities, dampening of cyclesin lemming populations, changes in insect phenology). It isimportant to understand these interactions to better anticipatethe impact of global warming on shorebird populations.Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus nesting habitatassociations, shifted nesting distributionand habitat changeKate Ballantyne & Erica NolEnvironmental & Life Sciences, Trent University Canada;kate.ballantyne@gmail.comWe studied Whimbrel nesting habitat near Churchill, Manitoba,Canada. Whimbrel occupied two main habitat typescharacterized either by high percent cover of 1) lichen andDryas heath, or 2) standing water and graminoids. Whimbrelavoided shrubby and treed habitats. Hatching success usingthe logistic-exposure model was 26% in 2007 and 14% in2008, corresponding to daily nest survival rates of 0.947and 0.924, respectively. These success rates are lower thanpreviously reported. Current nesting distribution contrastswith that reported in the 1930s (Taverner & Sutton 1934) and1970s (Skeel 1976), in the same study area, but resembles thedistribution reported in the 1990s (Lin 1997), with greater useof sedge-meadow, fen and coastal tundra habitat, and muchlower use of hummock-bog habitat adjacent to tree lines. Toexamine the hypothesis that Whimbrels have abandoned anarea of historic nesting importance due to habitat change, wecompared aerial photography from 1973, 1986, and highresolutionsatellite imagery from 2006 of a 2.55 km 2 areaof hummock-bog habitat just north of a functional tree-line.Comparison of imagery from the three time periods showsthat shrubs and trees have increased by 12.6% and 6.9%respectively, and that water cover and other vegetation hasdecreased by 4.4% and 16.7% respectively. These localizedresults add to the growing documentation of shrub and treeexpansion and wetland drying occurring across the sub-Arcticand Arctic. Change in vegetation structure has implicationsfor Whimbrels and other shorebirds, and is probably resultingin a decrease of Whimbrel nesting habitat in the Churchillarea.Shorebirds in the Mackenzie Delta, North-westTerritories: current and future impacts of oiland gas developmentJennie Rausch & Vicky JohnstonCanadian Wildlife Service, Canada;jennie.rausch@ec.gc.caIntensive surveys of shorebirds in the Mackenzie Delta commencedin 2004 in response to the 2002 announcement thata consortium of gas producers were applying for regulatoryapproval for the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) inthe Mackenzie Delta region of the North-west Territories,Canada. The MGP sparked one of the largest environmentalimpact reviews in Canadian history and has required biologistsand scientists from many different fields to begin newresearch projects and conduct baseline monitoring so wecan examine the impacts that large scale gas developmentwill have on this region. Complicating the environmentalassessment process is that two of the three proposed productionfacilities (and several existing Significant DiscoveryLicenses) are located within a Federal Migratory BirdSanctuary, the Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary. Impacts toshorebirds include direct loss of habitat at the productionfacilities and along the pipeline corridor, potential habitatloss due to ground subsidence, increased noise disturbance,and increased predator presence around man-made structures.Our shorebird surveys have provided a baseline populationestimate for cumulative effects monitoring, the data for ArcticPRISM Region 12 (which spans from the Yukon North Slope,Yukon to the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, North-west Territories),and we are in the process of identifying potential habitat lossoff-set areas adjacent to the Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary.All species of birds are being recorded. However, the mainshorebird species being monitored are Whimbrel, Red-neckedPhalarope, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper andPectoral Sandpiper.

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico103Influence of human development andpredators on nest survival of tundra birds,Arctic Coastal Plain, AlaskaJoe Liebezeit 1 , Steve Kendall 2 , Stephen Brown 3 ,Rick Johnson 4 , Philip Martin 5 , Trent McDonald 6 ,David Payer 2 , Caryn Rea 7 , Ann Wildman 4 & Steve Zack 11Wildlife Conservation Society, Pacific West Office, Alaska,USA; jliebezeit@wcs.org2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, Alaska, USA;3Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, USA;4ABR, Inc.-Environmental Research & Services;5U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Field Office, USA;6West, Inc., USA;7ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., USANest predation may influence population dynamics of birdson the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska. Anthropogenicdevelopment on the ACP is increasing, which may attract nestpredators by providing artificial sources of food, perches, densites, and nest sites. Enhanced populations or concentrationsof human-subsidized predators may reduce nest survival fortundra-nesting birds.We tested the hypothesis that nest survival decreases inproximity to human infrastructure. We monitored 1,257 nestsof 13 shorebird species and 619 nests of four passerine speciesat seven sites from 2002–05. Study sites were chosen torepresent a range of distances to infrastructure. We used Coxproportional hazards regression models to evaluate the effectsof background (i.e., natural) factors and infrastructure on nestsurvival. We documented high spatial and temporal variabilityin nest survival, and site and year were both included in thebest background model. We did not detect an overall effectof human infrastructure on nest survival for shorebirds, butfound evidence of increased risk of predation for passerinenests. This finding provides quantitative evidence of a relationshipbetween infrastructure and nest survival for breedingpasserines on the ACP. High variability in environmentalconditions, nest survival, and predator numbers betweensites and years may have contributed to inconsistent results.We recommend targeted management actions to minimizeanthropogenic effects and suggest new research. In particular,we recommend research on demography of key predatorsand their importance with respect to nest survival, andexperimental studies that better address challenges posed byhigh natural variability.Impacts from enhanced predator numbers neararctic communities on shorebird productivity:results from an experimental fox removal studyRichard LanctotU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USA;Richard_lanctot@fws.govMonitoring the status and population trends of breedingshorebirds relies primarily on monitoring nesting densitiesand success. Factors that affect shorebird nesting may includepredators, prey, weather, natural fluctuations, and other factorsoperating indirectly (e.g., lemming numbers). Understandingthe relative influence of these factors is difficult,but experimental modifications provide one avenue of study.I investigated the relative role that fox predation may play onshorebird nest density and success. In the Arctic, where shorebirdsnest in high numbers, human development can lead toenhance fox numbers through provisioning of anthropogenicfood (via landfills, dumpsters, etc.) and increased availabilityof artificial denning sites (e.g., culverts). To evaluate howArctic Fox Alopex lagopus may affect nesting shorebirds,I compared nest density and hatching success at Barrow,Alaska, between 2003 and 2004, when no fox control was inplace, and 2005–2008 when foxes were removed to benefitnesting eiders. Nest density increased from an average of 59.3to an average of 102.5 nests/km 2 when foxes were removed.Similarly, hatching success increased from an average of 32 to79% when foxes were removed. This increase in nest successoccurred despite two of the four years with fox control havingvery high avian predator numbers. These results indicate thatcurrent increases in the number and size of Arctic settlementsand natural resource developments (e.g., oil and gas) mayseverely impair local shorebird numbers unless efforts aremade to control factors that subsidize predators.The impacts of climate change on the breedingsuccess and migration strategy ofHudsonian Godwits Limosa haemasticaNathan R. SennerDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,Cornell University, USA; nrs57@cornell.eduGlobal climate change is rapidly altering the nature of interactionsbetween trophic levels around the world. The NorthernHemisphere, and particularly the Arctic and subarctic, arechanging more rapidly than other latitudes. Long-distancemigratory birds that nest in these regions are hypothesizedto be especially vulnerable to these changes. Already, as aresult of climatic changes, long-distance migratory birds insome areas have suffered declines in annual fecundity andundergone range shifts and altered migratory patterns. Littlework, however, has been done in the Nearctic to documentwhether or not similar changes have occurred in that region.During the boreal summer of 2008, we documented the dailyand weekly fluctuations in insect biomass and local climateand their relationship to the breeding success of a populationof Hudsonian Godwits Limosa haemastica near Churchill,Manitoba. We then used these data and historical climaterecords to back-calculate the dates of insect immergenceand peak abundance and compared these to historic springgodwit arrival dates from the region. The combination ofthese analyses allow us to make a preliminary assessment ofthe impacts of climate change on the Hudson Bay populationof Hudsonian Godwits, which is estimated to be the species’largest breeding population. Future steps in the projectinclude the attachment of geolocation tracking-devices to acohort of godwits from this and the other two breeding populations.These devices will potentially allow us to quantify theresponses of these three populations to climate change overthe course of a three-year period.

WHSRN Species Conservation Plans:Next Steps and Implementation – SymposiumOrganizer: Meredith Gutowski (mgutowski@manomet.org)The Canadian and U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plans identify27 shorebird species or subspecies that occur regularlyin North America and are either “Highly Imperiled” or a“Species of High Concern.” The Executive Office of theWestern Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN),with generous support from the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation, is working with shorebird experts and otherconservation partners to develop range-wide, action-orientedSpecies Conservation Plans for the most at-risk of these species(excluding those federally listed). To date, nine speciesplans have been completed and several more are near-finalor significantly underway (www.whsrn.org). The goals ofthe “WHSRN Species Conservation Plans: Next Steps andImplementation” symposium were to:m Gain perspectives and lessons learned from a variety ofshorebird conservation implementers and funders;m Identify avenues and strategies for implementing actionitems, and gaps or impediments to implementation,throughout the hemisphere;m Identify opportunities for more efficient implementationof action items by considering species with action itemsand/or important sites in common.Charles Duncan, Executive Director, WHSRN ExecutiveOffice, opened the symposium with an overview of theSpecies Conservation Plan initiative and progress to date,followed by presentations by:m Bernd Cordes, Director of Marine Birds Program,Packard FoundationThe development of Packard’s strategy for funding migratorybird conservation, its current “shorebird portfolio” inparticular, and its approach to site-based strategies.m Brad Winn, Georgia Department of Natural ResourcesThe National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s approachto funding shorebird conservation, the species-specific“Conservation Business Plan” model, and its applicationto the American Oystercatcher recovery project.m Joaquín Aldabe, Aves Uruguay, Southern ConeGrasslands AllianceThe Alliance’s formation, members, and mission. Successesand challenges of working on geographicallyfocused, habitat-scale conservation, addressing multiplespecies’ needs. The Alliance’s role, approach, and experiencein conserving grassland-dependent shorebirds.m Brad Andres, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, BlackOystercatcher Working GroupThe Working Group’s formation, members, and mission.Perspective on the successes and challenges of workingon range-wide, species-specific conservation. Overviewof the plan’s conservation action items, progress made,and lessons learned.In the second half of the symposium, participants fromNorth, Central, and South America (approx. 60 total) had anengaging, open discussion identifying avenues and strategiesfor implementing the species plans, as well as challenges orimpediments. They also considered opportunities to moreefficiently address the needs of species with action items orimportant sites in common, guided by preliminary compilationsof information by WHSRN.Species Plans (in order by date)Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus (2005) • MarbledGodwit Limosa fedoa (2006) • Western SandpiperCalidris mauri (2006) • American Oystercatcher [U.S.Atlantic & Gulf Coasts] Haematopus palliatus (2006) •Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani (2007) • RedKnot Calidris canutus (2007) • Hudsonian Godwit Limosahaemastica (2007) • Dunlin Calidris alpina (2008) • UplandSandpiper Bartramia longicauda (2008) • Buff-breastedSandpiper Tryngites subruficollis (final draft) • MountainPlover Charadrius montanus (final draft) • Long-billedCurlew Numenius americanus (final draft) • Wilson’s PloverCharardrius wilsonia (underway) • Snowy Plover Charadriusalexandrinus (underway) • Whimbrel Numeniusphaeopus (underway) • Sanderling Calidris alba (underway)• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica (underway)• American Oystercatcher [Hemispheric] Haematopuspalliatus (underway) • Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidrispusilla (underway).104

Western Sandpiper SymposiumOrganizers: Guillermo Fernandez (gfernandez@ola.icmyl.unam.mx)& David Lank (dlank@sfu.ca)The Western Sandpiper Symposium included contributionsfrom the Simon Fraser and Mexican Baja Groups. Dov Lankpresented an overview of the collaborative Western Sandpipermigratory connectivity project, which includes samplecollection throughout the species’ range, and involves mostof the long term, and some new cooperators in the WesternSandpiper Research Network. Birgit Schwarz discussed plansfor the genetic analysis side of this project, and GuillermoFernández took time out from his extensive pre-meetingorganization to summarize morphological and other patternsof data collected from sites around the Gulf of Californiaa month earlier, in cooperation with the larger migratoryconnectivity study, as well as for shorebird planning goals.Roberto Carmona’s group from La Paz was well represented,having moved on from their studies at La Paz to new projectsat Guerrero Negro, in western Baja California. NallelyArce Villavicencio discussed seasonal and habitat specificpopulation structure and body masses. Carmona presentedRosalba Vázquez’s talk on inter-annual site-fidelity at LaPaz, as she was unable to attend due to an impending birth.Andrea Pomeroy discussed her attempt to experimentallyalter anti-predator behaviour of migrant Westerns throughwing-clipping experiments. In a related poster, Dave Hopepresented a poster on his M.Sc. study of age differences inanti-predator strategies of Western Sandpipers at stopoverson southward migration. Finally, Samantha Franks contrastedmoult patterns of Western, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpiperswithin the context of their migration ranges.Western Sandpiper issues were also presented outside thesymposium papers, including three of the four plenary talks:Pavel Tomkovitch showed that Western Sandpipers appear tobe undergoing a range expansion on the Chukotka Peninsula,Nils Warnock discussed several aspects of Western Sandpipernorthward migration during his excellent plenary overviewof radio-tracking studies, and the species is considered in theNorth-west Mexico Shorebird Conservation plan discussed byEduardo Palacios. Habitat usage at Guerrero Negro also wasconsidered in Victor Ayala-Perez’s talk and an additional talkby Carmona, and patterns at Laguna San Ignacio were discussedby Luis Mendoza. Jorge Correa-Sandoval stressed theimportance of coastal wetland sites in the Northern YucatanPeninsula for migrant Westerns and other shorebird species.Information on Westerns as also presented in Sandra Giner’stalk on the use of wetlands in Falcon State, Venezuela, andCarlos Ruiz-Guerra’s talk on abundances of shorebird specieson the Caribbean coast of Colombia.A major outcome of the symposium and the meeting iscloser integration of northern and southern researchers. Thehigh representation of Latin American participants combinedwith the simultaneous translation, which worked remarkablywell throughout the meetings, facilitated scientific communicationmore strongly than ever before. We hope that this willlead to even closer integration of our work together.Western Sandpiper connectivity project: preliminaryresults from the north-western Mexico campaignGuillermo Fernández 1 , Samantha E. Franks 2 &David B. Lank 21Unidad Académica Mazatlán, ICML–UNAM, Mexico;gfernandez@ola.icmyl.unam.mx2Simon Fraser University, CanadaThe Western Sandpiper Connectivity Project will developmethods to track movements of migratory shorebirds throughoutthe annual cycle. We sampled north-western Mexico, oneof the key wintering regions, to develop a ground base map.Western Sandpipers were studied at seven sites, ranging fromthe Colorado River Delta in Baja California to Huizache-Caimanero in Sinaloa, separated by over 1,600 km. Previouswork has established that Western Sandpipers are differentialmigrants by sex, age, and body size. We used this effort to testthe consistency of these latitudinal patterns, including otherpotential factors such as site size.As expected, males predominated at northern winteringsites in the Baja, and females at the southern wintering sitesin Sinaloa. Contrary to our expectations the distribution ofage classes did not vary with latitude. Sex and age ratiosdid not vary with site size. For the morphological data, billand wing length, but not tarsus, increased in both males andfemales from north to south. Body mass for both sexes did notvary with latitude, but it differed among sites. There was aninverse relationship between bill and wing length and sitesize; however, this pattern did not hold for tarsus lengthwhich was independent of site size. Interestingly, femaleswere heavier at large sites and males were lighter at smallsites. Even though these analyses are preliminary, they suggestthat latitudinal variation may interact directly with localecological conditions to define the Western Sandpiper populationstructure and morphology.Migratory and winter use of natural and artificialwetlands on Guerrero Negro, B.C.S.,by the Western SandpiperNallely Arce Villavicencio & Roberto CarmonaDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; nallely_arce@hotmail.comDuring the migration and wintering periods the Western SandpiperCalidris mauri is the most abundant shorebird along theBaja California peninsula. The Ojo de Liebre Lagoon and thecontiguous Guerrero Negro saltworks are located in the midwesternportion of the peninsula, and the Western Sandpiperis also the most abundant species in this complex. During the2005–2006 season, we evaluated and compared the species’abundance in and use of two sites, natural site AN, and artificialsite S1-A. We observed the greatest abundances in winter105

106 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009for both sites, although in autumn the Western Sandpiperused S1-A more (alternate feeding site), possibly in responseto the energetic demands of this time. The sex ratio in favorof males (3:1) was expected given the latitudinal pattern ofmales predominating in the northern part of the range. Thegreater abundance of males in AN, and females in S1-A isapparently related to their different feeding methods, peckingand probing, respectively. The adult-to-juvenile age ratio (1:1)was different from the bias toward juveniles expected at thislatitude, which suggests that the peninsula is a suboptimal sitein comparison to the continental coasts. The adults were moreabundant in S1-A, the site where we detected fewer attacksby predators. In general, weights of birds were heaviest inspring, in preparation for migration and reproduction. Theheaviest males were in AN, and the heaviest females in S1-A.Adults weighed more than juveniles, reflecting their greaterforaging success.Fidelity to Ensenada de La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico,among wintering Western Sandpipers Calidris mauriRosalba Vázquez & Roberto CarmonaDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; ros0027@gmail.comFrom observations of Western Sandpipers Calidris mauribanded during the 2001–2002 season, we determined thespecies’ site fidelity and temporary use of the Chametla wetlandsat Ensenada de La Paz as a wintering site (2002–2003season). During 57 field visits (1 Nov 2002 to 8 Apr 2003)we made 1,385 sightings of 479 individuals; the return rate,based on a total of 856 birds banded (2001–2002 season),was 56%. This observed high fidelity is presumably a resultof the fact that Chametla is the only wetland available forshorebirds in the south-east portion of the peninsula of BajaCalifornia. Males showed higher return rates (61%) andsighting frequencies (41%) than females which reflects thelatitudinal distribution pattern of the species. First-year adultmales were sighted more frequently than adult males overtwo years old, which may relate to the nomadic behaviorof the latter. The return rate varied with month of capture;lower rates were observed for birds banded in fall (7%) andhigher rates for birds banded in winter (78%), reflecting thehigher proportion of birds using the area as a stopover site infall. The median departure date of banded birds was 28 Feb.There was no difference in departure dates according to sexand age-class. This indicates that there is no separation of thesexes on the wintering ground, at least in this area.Increased wing loading influencesstopover site usage by Western SandpipersAndrea Pomeroy 1 , Rob Butler 2 & Ron Ydenberg 31University of Northern British Colombia, Canada &Jacques Whitford AXYS, Canada;apomeroy@jacqueswhitford.com2Bird Studies Canada;3Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University,CanadaMigrants make feeding decisions on stopover based on siteattributes (e.g. distribution of food and predation danger)and individual attributes (e.g. fuel load, escape performanceetc.). As migrants gain fuel at stopover sites their wingloadincreases (mass/wing area) and their ability to escapepredators declines. We clipped the tips (2–4 mm) of migrantWestern Sandpipers flight feathers, experimentally reducingtheir escape performance, to test the hypothesis that migrantswith a lower ability to escape avian predators feed in saferhabitats (with less food) than unclipped birds. We applied30 small transmitters to clipped (treatment) and unclipped(control) male sandpipers and used radio telemetry to measuretheir habitat usage during northward migration in 2005at Boundary Bay, British Columbia. Of the 30 birds tagged,eight were not detected again; six of those birds had clippedwings. Clipped birds were detected on fewer days after capture(P = 0.009) and had fewer detections overall (P = 0.004).On average, heavier birds fed further from the shoreline (bothtreatment groups, P = 0.06), and clipped birds fed in saferlowfood habitats (e.g. far from shore) than unclipped birds(P = 0.09). Both results are consistent with our hypothesis.However, although we predicted that birds would feed in saferhabitats (with less food) with increasing date after capture(i.e. as they fattened), birds in both treatment groups wererecorded feeding closer to shore (P = 0.015). This preliminarystudy indicates that a slight increase in wing load, on a verysmall sample size of individuals, affects stopover site usageby migrating Western Sandpipers.Variability in the timing of annual cycle events inthree long-distance migrant sandpiper speciesSamantha E. Franks & David B. LankSimon Fraser University, Canada; sfranks@sfu.caReproduction, migration and moult are the three most importantevents in the annual cycle of migratory birds. Theirrelative timing is especially critical for long-distance migrantsthat experience extreme variability in their environment.Migration and moult represent a forum for conflict and tradeoffsin the evolution of avian life-history strategies becausethey both occur during the same period of the annual cycle.A range of factors can influence the timing of moult andmigration both among species and within species. Decisionsabout migration and moult can subsequently influence otheraspects of stopover ecology. We investigated migration andmoult strategies and stopover duration in southward migrantLeast, Semipalmated, and Western Sandpipers at a mid-continentstopover site. Most Least Sandpipers and many WesternSandpipers used a stopover moult-migration strategy, whilefew to no Semipalmated Sandpipers used this strategy. LeastSandpipers began moulting earlier than Western Sandpipers.Neither intra-specific nor inter-specific differences in moultstrategy could be explained by differences in the degree offlight feather wear. Moulting birds had longer stopover durationsthan non-moulting birds. These data suggest that moultand migration strategies are highly variable both within andbetween species and that individuals have different considerationswhen making decisions about the timing of annualcycle events and migration stopover ecology. This variabilityin critical annual cycle events should be an important considerationwhen formulating conservation management plansthat are species- or population-specific.

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico107Using intrinsic markers to develop managementtools for migratory shorebirdsDavid B. Lank 1 , D. Ryan Norris 2 , T. Kurt Kyser 3 ,Guillermo Fernández 4 , Darren Irwin 5 , Samantha E. Franks 1 ,Birgit Schwarz 1 & Caz Taylor 11Simon Fraser University, Canada; dlank@sfu.ca2University of Guelph, Canada;3Queen’s University, Canada;4Unidad Académica Mazátlan, Mexico;5University of British Columbia, CanadaManagement of migratory populations requires knowledgeof the connectivity between breeding, migration, and nonbreedingareas. Using Western Sandpiper as a model species,we will develop novel methods for determining movementpatterns of individual migratory birds between areas, usingintrinsic biological, physical, and biochemical markers. Wewill collect feather and blood samples, and test the potentialof (1) stable isotope ratios from feathers, (2) trace elementprofiles in feathers, (3) AFLP and other genetic markers, and(4) morphometrics, separately and in combination, to determineprobable connectivity among sites. We will use geneticinformation to describe population structure on the breedinggrounds, and stable isotope and trace element analyses to createa base map of wintering sites. We will develop statisticalmethodology for determining the probabilities that individualbirds moved from one area to another, taking regional populationestimates into account. Preliminary results from stablehydrogen isotope analysis of feathers indicate a latitudinalgradient in wintering ground hydrogen isotope signatures,and trace element analysis of feathers appears to provide amore local site-level basis for assignment to wintering sites(Norris et al. 2007, Can. J. Zool.). We will determine whichapproaches will be most useful for determining patterns ofmigratory connectivity in species of shorebirds of more immediateconservation concern.Who travels where? Unraveling population structure,migratory connectivity, and life history patterns inwestern sandpipersBirgit Schwarz 1 , David Lank 1 & Darren Irwin 21Simon Fraser University, Canada; bschwarz@sfu.ca2University of British Columbia, CanadaWestern Sandpipers Calidris mauri are long-distance migrantsthat breed in Western Alaska and Eastern Siberia. Inthe winter they migrate south to sites along the west coastof southern North America, Central America and northernSouth America. A small part of the population winters on theeast coast and in the Caribbean. Western Sandpipers show“differential migration” across this range with respect to sex,size, age, and life history strategy. Juveniles that spend theirfirst winter closer to the breeding grounds (e.g. Mexico) travelback to the breeding grounds in their first spring, whereasthose wintering further south (e.g. Panama) delay reproductionand do not migrate to the breeding grounds until theirsecond spring. This difference in life history strategies anddifferences in morphology may reflect population differentiationin this species. Using the genetic fingerprinting techniqueAFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) wewill investigate the genetic population structure of WesternSandpipers. Using existing blood samples from the breedinggrounds we will determine the degree of genetic variationbetween the different breeding sites and develop suitablemarkers for each site with this technique. We will use thesemarkers to determine the breeding origin of birds on thewintering grounds and at migratory stopover sites to detectpossible patterns of migratory connectivity and to determinehow these connectivity patterns relate to the observed patternsof differential migration and life history strategies inthis species.Plover SymposiumOrganizers: Brad Andres (brad_andres@fws.gov)& Sue Thomas (sue_thomas@fws.gov)Eleven species of “ringed” plovers (Charadrius spp.) breedregularly in the Western Hemisphere, and two additionalspecies (Little Ringed Plover, C. dubius; Eurasian Dotterel,C. morinellus) have bred sparingly in Alaska. Charadriusplovers generally prefer patches of unvegetated substrates fornesting, and at least half of the species nest on shorelines ofrivers, lakes, or the ocean. Papers for this symposium wereloosely organized into a session that addressed three species:Piping C. melodus, Snowy C. alexandrinus, and Wilson’sC. wilsonia Plovers.Sue Thomas (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) started thesession with an overview of a breeding survey for Snowy Ploversin the U.S. and Mexico. Although the Pacific coast breedingpopulation, which is listed under the USA EndangeredSpecies Act, has been well-monitored in recent years, thissurvey was the first attempt to estimate the population sizeof the interior-breeding population; coastal sites in Mexicowere also surveyed. Although data are still being analyzed,the survey uncovered some new, important nesting sites andwill update breeding numbers for previously known sites.Somewhat disturbing was the decline of coastal-breedingSnowy Plovers in Baja California, Mexico.Four other papers were presented on Snowy Plovers thataddressed their biology and conservation at a more localscale. Mark Colwell (Humboldt State University) and hisstudents (Kevin Brindock and Noah Burrell) have been studyingSnowy Plovers along the northern California coast. Kevinfocused on assessing factors that influence habitat selectionduring the non-breeding season. Using home range analysis,he found that non-breeding plovers occurred most often onwide beaches that had few raptors and low levels of disturbanceby dogs. Another interesting habitat component was thepresence of large amounts of brown algae, which the ploverswere using as an invertebrate food source. Noah evaluatedhabitat quality and productivity to determine limiting factorsat breeding sites. His analysis, albeit with relatively small

108 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009sample sizes, suggested that predation by corvids was themost important ecological factor limiting Snowy Plover populationgrowth. The suggestion of possible predator controlstimulated a lively discussion. Mark presented information onthe demographics, based on seven years of study, for SnowyPlovers breeding in Humboldt County. Breeding sites haveshifted dramatically among years in their study area (wheresome birds nest on riparian gravel bars), and estimates ofsurvival indicate that the local population cannot sustain itselfwithout immigration. Mark suggested that habitat qualityand individual movements drive the source-sink dynamicsof disjunct populations of Snowy Plovers along the Pacificcoast. Xico Vega (Western Hemisphere Shorebird ReserveNetwork) presented information on Snowy Plovers breedingnear Elota, Sinaloa, Mexico. Prior to Xico’s work, thisbreeding site in an old salt works was unknown. In a typicalyear, 43 pairs were nesting in the salina; the greatest sourcesof nest loss were predation and flooding.Turning to Piping Plovers, Elise Elliot-Smith (U.S. GeologicalSurvey) presented the recent update (2006) of theInternational Piping Plover Census. Numbers from the recentsurvey are encouraging, with increases in all three populations(Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Atlantic Coast). Increasesin survey effort lead to the discovery of a relatively largenumber of plovers wintering in the Bahamas (11% of thewintering population). A detectability study was initiated in2006, which will be used to adjust population estimates inthe future. Daniel Catlin and Joy Felio (Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University) gave presentations on the useof engineered sandbars by Piping Plovers nesting on theMissouri River. Dan found that nest density was seven timeshigher on engineered sandbars than on natural sandbars andthat nest success was also higher on engineered sandbars.Chick survival was similar among these two habitat types, andproductivity of engineered sandbars decreased as they aged.Expanding on Dan’s work, Joy found a similar pattern withrecruitment. She suggested that newly engineered sandbarsprovide adequate breeding habitat but may require periodicmaintenance to retain high Piping Plover use and productivity.Future work will examine density-dependent effects on nestsite selection and productivity.Margo Zdravkovic (Coastal Bird Conservation Program)provided new information on Wilson’s Plover that she uncoveredwhile developing a species conservation plan forthe Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Recentsurveys in Laguna Madre (Texas and Tamaulipas) indicatethat the population of the nominate subspecies (C. w. wilsonia)may be about 10,000 individuals. Little is known aboutthe cinnamonius or beldingi subspecies of Wilson’s Plover.Because of their dependence on coastal habitats, diligenceis required to monitor the conservation status of Wilson’sPlovers throughout their range.These studies indicate the need to continue to monitor theconservation status of Charadrius plovers in North Americaand throughout the Western Hemisphere. Hopefully at futuremeetings, we will have presentations on those species orpopulations breeding in South America.Results of a range-wide breeding season surveyof Snowy PloversSue ThomasUSFWS, Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs, USA;sue_thomas@fws.govI will present preliminary results from a range-wide breedingseason survey of Snowy Plovers conducted during the springof 2007 and 2008. The goal of the project was to assess thedistribution and abundance of plovers in the interior and GulfCoast of the U.S and the Pacific and Gulf coast of Mexico andinterior Mexico. Objectives include: 1) Estimate the NorthAmerican breeding population 2) Provide information forevaluation under Mexico’s Federal Species Program; 3) Provideinformation for a species conservation action plan underdevelopment by the USFWS with partners; and 4) Providestates with current site-specific information for implementationof State Wildlife Action Plans. In 2007, 236 discrete sitesknown to support breeding plovers in the U.S. were surveyedcompletely. In addition, 8 large-scale sites (e.g. the Great SaltLake) for which surveys could not be completed in a singleday were sampled. In 2008, two of the largest sample siteswere resurveyed with similar intensity to expand on samplesize and increase precision of the estimate. In Mexico, 230sites were surveyed along the Pacific and Gulf coasts in 2007and 21 sites in the interior were surveyed in 2008.Habitat selection of Western Snowy PloversCharadrius alexandrinus nivosus duringthe nonbreeding season in northern CaliforniaKevin Brindock & Mark ColwellWildlife Department, Humboldt State University, California,USA; kmb108@humboldt.eduThe Western Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus nivosusis a threatened subspecies that breeds and winters alongthe west coast of North America, from Baja, Mexico toWashington, USA. Conservation efforts to manage this speciesrequire knowledge of the factors that influence habitatselection during both the breeding and non-breeding season.While previous studies have examined habitat selection duringthe breeding season, little is understood of the variablesthat influence habitat use during the non-breeding season.We examined the influence of habitat characteristics on thedistribution of non-breeding Snowy Plovers in northernCalifornia. Data collected in two winters (2007/2008 and2008/2009) were used to explore the relationship betweenbeach width, slope of beach, ground cover, disturbance, preyabundance, and presence of predators on habitat selectionof Snowy Plover. The locations of marked plovers (n = 42)were used to determine home-range size to examine habitatselection for the establishment of a home range. A set of apriori models were examined with logistic regression analysisand models evaluated using Akaike’s Information Criterion.Results indicate that plovers occurred on wider beaches,with more brown algae and associated invertebrates, fewerraptors, and at locations with lower disturbance from dogs.We recommend that these factors be considered in managinghabitat for Snowy Plovers.

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico109Breeding patch dynamics ofthe Western Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinusnivosus in Humboldt County, CaliforniaNoah S. Burrell & Mark ColwellWildlife Department, Humboldt State University;nsb4580@gmail.comEffective management of threatened bird populations relieson identifying factors contributing to population limitationand ameliorating those factors. The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService identified three factors acting to limit productivityof the Western Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinusnivosus: predation of chicks and eggs, loss and degradationof breeding habitat owing to exotic species, and humandisturbance. Using direct and indirect measures of habitatquality, we examined the dynamics of plover occupancy,density, and productivity at 20 historic breeding locations inHumboldt County, California, from 2001–08, and comparedthese measures to indices of limiting factors. To evaluate therelationships of habitat quality and productivity across thebreeding sites, we conducted a multiple linear regressiona priori parsimonious model selection strategy using eightcandidate models. With daily survival rate as the responsevariable, the most competitive model accounted for 25% ofAkaike weight and consisted of only one covariate: corvids.The estimate for the most competitive model suggests thatplover average daily nest survival rate is negatively associatedwith corvid abundance (–0.054±0.026). Additionally,we found that there was considerable variability in direct andindirect measures of habitat quality among breeding sites.Based on these results, and other evidence collected overthe 8-year study, we consider predation by corvids to be themost important ecological factor limiting the Snowy Ploverpopulation in Humboldt County. We recommend that managementactions designed to increase the productivity of SnowyPlovers in Humboldt County be directed at ameliorating theeffects of predation by corvids.Apparent survival and population growth of SnowyPlovers in coastal northern CaliforniaMark A. Colwell 1 , Steve M. Mullin 1 , Sean E. McAllister 2 &Stephen J. Dinsmore 31Wildlife Department, Humboldt State University, USA;mac3@humboldt.edu2Mad River Biologists, California, USA;3Department of Natural Resource Ecology andManagement, Iowa State University, USAAccurate survival estimates and an understanding of howsurvival is related to a population’s growth are required toeffect conservation for threatened and endangered species.Consequently, estimates of adult and juvenile survival werequantified for a population of the threatened Western SnowyPlover Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus in coastal northernCalifornia over seven years (2001–2007). Additionally,population structure and growth were evaluated to determinethe relative importance of immigration and local recruitment.Apparent survival for adult males (φ = 0.61±0.08)was greater than that of adult females (φ = 0.53±0.08), andsurvival of adults was greater than juveniles (φ = 0.29±0.04).An algebraic assessment of population growth (λ) revealedthat fecundity and survival were insufficient to maintain thepopulation (λ= 0.74) whereas an estimate based on a Pradelmodel showed the population was stable (λ = 0.98±0.10).These results, combined with annual variation in the numberof immigrants, indicate that the local population is maintainedby immigration. Source/sink dynamics probably occur in thespatially disjunct populations of Snowy Plovers along thePacific coast due to differences in habitat quality and widerangingmovements of individuals.The 2006 International Piping Plover census:reflections on the population status of anendangered species over 15 yearsElise Elliott-Smith 1 , Susan M. Haig 1 & James Lyons 21U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland ScienceCenter, USA; eelliott-smith@usgs.gov2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory BirdManagement, USAIn 2006, for the fourth time in 15 years, a comprehensiveinventory of Piping Plovers Charadrius melodus was conductedacross their winter and breeding range in the U.S.,Canada, France (islands near Canada), Mexico, and theCaribbean. The Census is coordinated every five years toassess population status, distribution, and progress made towardrecovery goals for this species which is listed in the U.S.and Canada as threatened or endangered across it’s range.Surveys were conducted on over 12,250 km of coastal, bay,river, lake, and other shorelines (and flats) at 2,475 sites, byover 1,300 observers. A total of 3,884 Piping Plovers weredetected across their winter range on a variety of habitats inthe southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. and northernMexico. Increased coverage in the Bahamas and northernCaribbean led to the discovery of a relatively large populationin the Bahamas (417 birds, or 10.7% of the winter total).During the Breeding Census, 8,065 adult Piping Plovers werecounted using many different habitat types on the AtlanticCoast, Great Lakes, Northern Great Plains and Prairies ofthe U.S. and Canada. This number was higher than for anyprior Census, both overall, and for each of the three breedingpopulations. Preliminary analyses suggest that detectabilityis relatively high for this species on its breeding grounds.Since this is the first year we assessed detectability, we cannotconclusively determine population trends. However, insome regions Piping Plovers are very likely increasing andapproaching recovery goals.Breeding biology of the Snowy PloverCharadrius alexandrinus in Ceuta Bay, Sinaloa,Mexico: factors affecting its reproduction andproblems for its conservationXicoténcatl Vega Picos 1 & Antonio Muñoz del Viejo 21Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, USA;xicovega@manomet.org2Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, SpainFrom 2000 to 2004 we studied factors affecting the reproductiveperformance of Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinusin an area known as the “old salina of Ceuta”, Elota, Sinaloa,Mexico. We made weekly visits from March to July. TheMayfield method was utilized to determine the reproductivesuccess of the colony. Median colony size was 43 nests froma total of 217 nests. Median nest density per hectare wasestimated at 0.87 nests, highest nest density was 1.80 nest/hain 2004 and lowest nest density was in 2002 with 0.42 nest/ha. The median laying-date was 10 May. A steady decrease

110 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009was observed at the end of May. Median modal clutch sizewas three with a nesting success of 0.50%. Six causes of nestfailure were found: in 36% of nest failures the reason couldnot be determined, 22.6% were depredated, 19.4% wereflooded, abandoned nests accounted for 15%, infertility for4.3%; nests lost to vehicles were 2.1%.Piping Plover colonization of engineered breedinghabitat on the Missouri River, South DakotaJoy Felio, James Fraser & Daniel CatlinDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,Virginia Tech, USA; jfelio@vt.eduTo increase the Piping Plover population nesting on the MissouriRiver, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begunbuilding open sand habitat by depositing dredged materialin the river. Sandbars were built along a stretch of river currentlyused by more than 300 nesting adults. We have bandedmost of the Piping Plovers in the study area with color bandcombinations for individual identification. We identifiedthe individuals colonizing newly engineered sandbars anddocumented their nesting success and fledgling production.Nesting was initiated slightly later on the newly engineeredsandbars than on natural sandbars or sandbars engineeredthree years prior to the study. Of the 125 marked birds thatnested on newly engineered sandbars, 9% were known yearlingsthat had recruited from the study site. On older sandbars,4.5% of the 197 marked birds were yearling recruits. Newlyengineered sandbars appear to provide adequate nestinghabitat for Piping Plovers and encourage recruitment fromwithin the population. Further investigation of Piping Plovernesting on engineered habitat will examine the role nestingdensity and intraspecific aggression play in nest site selectionand productivity. In describing the colonization and use ofengineered sandbar habitat by breeding Piping Plovers, wehope to enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluatethe effectiveness of this intensive and costly managementstrategy.Population dynamics of Piping PloversChardrius melodus using engineered and naturalsandbars on the Missouri RiverDaniel H. Catlin, Joy H. Felio, Jonathan B. Cohen &James D. FraserDept of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University, USA; dcatlin@vt.eduIn 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began engineeringsandbar habitat in response to habitat limitation for thethreatened Piping Plover Charadrius melodus. Beginningin 2005, we compared the fates of nests, broods, and adultson natural sandbars with those on engineered sandbars. Wemonitored 623 nests from which we banded 357 adults and694 chicks to investigate the factors affecting nest survival,juvenile and adult survival, and movement. Nesting adultplovers selected for engineered habitats; there were morenests initiated on engineered habitat than would be expectedbased on area, nesting birds were more likely to move toengineered sandbars than to natural sandbars, and nestingdensities on engineered sandbars were approximatelyseven times as high as on natural sandbars. Furthermore,nesting success was higher on engineered habitat than onnatural habitat. Pre-fledging survival was similar, on average,between natural and engineered sandbars, but chick survivalon engineered sandbars was highly variable. Post-fledglingsurvival also was similar on the two sandbar types, but fidelityto study area was lower for birds hatched on natural habitat.In general, engineered habitat was more productive thanthe natural habitat, but the productivity on these sandbarsdecreased with age. Management for population growthshould include considerations of habitat availability, nestingdensities, amount of foraging habitat, and the effects of watermanagement on these factors. It appears that appropriatelytimed and controlled addition of engineered habitat couldcontribute to recovery efforts, but continued investigation ofthe longevity of engineered habitat is required.Wilson’s Plover Charadrius wilsonia range-widespecies conservation plan highlights: a presentationof new data including subspecies population estimates,important sites, distribution and abundance,and recommendations for species stabilizationMargo G. ZdravkovicCoastal Bird Conservation Program, USAMargogz1@aol.comThe Wilson’s Plover Charadrius wilsonia breeding adultpopulation estimate is approximately 6,000 individualsaccording to the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan (Brownet al. 2001). The species’ breeding range is contracting atthe northern limits, with birds no longer nesting north ofVirginia (Corbat & Bergstrom 2000). Limited trend dataavailable indicate that Wilson’s Plover populations are indecline due to human-caused disturbance and loss of habitat.Recent comprehensive surveys estimate the U.S. populationat approximately 5,980 breeding adults. The populationestimate for subspecies C. w. wilsonia is 9,830–10,130breeding adults, with the Laguna Madre Region of Texasand Mexico supporting the highest breeding populationsin North America. No comprehensive population data existfor subspecies C. w. cinnamonius or C.w. beldingi. Populationestimates based on breeding densities for known areaswere used to extrapolate estimates of 5,500–7,500 breedingadults for C. w. cinnamonius as well as for C. w. beldingi.The combined subspecies’ estimates produce a range-widespecies total of 20,830–25,130 breeding adults. The Wilson’sPlover warrants immediate conservation action due to: lowand declining population and contracting species range; ongoingrange-wide loss of habitat; lack of range-wide monitoringdata to determine population status; and high vulnerabilityto climate change. The Wilson’s Plover Conservation Plan(Zdravkovic in prep) recommends: U.S. federally listed statusfor subspecies C. w. wilsonia; aggressive action to preservekey remaining coastal habitat throughout the species range;monitoring of population status and trends through standardized,range-wide surveys; and prioritizing research thatdirectly relates to preservation and increase of the Wilson’sPlover and its habitat.

Second Neotropical Endemics SymposiumOrganizers: Richard Johnston (johnstongonzalez@gmail.com) &Germán Garcia (garciagerman@argentina.com)Gaps in knowledge of Neotropical shorebirds have become aconcern across the Western Hemisphere and the globe. Thesespecies are among the least studied shorebirds in the worldand several are suspected to be under immediate threat. Fourspecies are Near Threatened but habitat loss in the wetlandsof the High Andes, coastal estuaries, river banks and grasslandssuggests that others could soon be affected. The lack ofkey information on many Neotropical shorebirds precludesaccurate estimation of population size, characterization ofhabitat and diet, delineation of flyways and formulation ofsite-based conservation priorities, all of which are essentialaspects of science-based conservation in Neartic species.The Second Neotropical Endemics Symposium (2ndNES) continues an initiative that started in 2006 with theNeotropical Priorities Workshop during the 1st WesternHemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting at Boulder, USA, andcontinued with the 1st NES at Maturín, Venezuela in May2007. The goal was to gather together experts from acrossthe Neotropics who could provide a broad perspective oncurrent approaches to Neotropical shorebird research andshare knowledge of those species. Distributional patterns,breeding and demography were the focus of the 2nd NES,which included papers from five countries (Argentina, Chile,Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela) addressing issues relatedwith species, country-level analysis and initiatives for thewhole region, such as the Neotropical Waterbird Counts(NWC). New data on nesting, demography, diet, habitat-use,population size and distribution were presented on a varietyof species including Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis,Diademed Sandpiper-Plover Phegornis mitchelli, BlackneckedStilt Himantopus mexicanus and Collared PloverCharadrius collaris.Issues emerging from the 2nd NES were diverse: 1) Theneed for practical definitions of geographic and taxonomicparameters in relation to Neotropical endemic species, involvingboth biogeographic and conservation criteria, 2) Theneed for criteria to identify important sites for species thatdo not aggregate together similar to those used for WesternHemisphere Shorebird Reserves Network, 3) The opportunityto improve knowledge of Neotropical endemic species bysupporting current initiatives for censuses and banding at anational scale and coordinating them through regional projects,such as NWC and cooperative studies of species with awide distribution like Collared Plover and Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis, 4) Funding opportunities are greater whenpriorities for Neotropical Endemics overlap geographicallywith those for Neartic species; and finally 5) A priority of thegroup is to maintain and improve communication betweenresearchers through the publication of scientific papers andthe use of listserv (avesplayerasdelneotropico@yahoo.com.ar) and social networks.Distribution and abundance of neotropical shorebirdsbased on the neotropical waterbird censusArne J. Lesterhuis & Daniel E. BlancoWetlands International, Buenos Aires, Argentina;arne@wamani.apc.orgThe Neotropical Waterbird Census (NWC) is a regionalwaterbird monitoring program in South America initiatedin 1990 and coordinated by Wetland International’s LatinAmerican & Caribbean Program. The main objectives of theNWC are to identify key sites for waterbirds, provide a basisfor waterbird population estimates, and monitor changes inwaterbird numbers throughout the region. The program isa site-based counting scheme that carries out standardizedcounts at the same sites every year, once in February andonce in July, by more than 500 volunteers. Data are gatheredon all waterbird species and include all shorebird speciesthat occur in South America, either as migrants or residents.Here we present an overview on distribution and abundanceof Neotropical shorebirds based on NWC data for the period1990–2006. Data on 27 species endemic to the region (theSouth American continent) were analyzed, excluding specieswith populations also occurring elsewhere (e.g. AmericanOystercatcher Haematopus palliatus). The NWC currentlycontains nearly 10,000 records for the selected species andeleven species have data coverage for almost the entire period,providing a good basis for a variety of analyses on distribution,abundance, and trends. We choose four of these elevenspecies, Magellanic Oystercatcher Haematopus leucopodus,Two-banded Plover Charadrius falklandicus, Rufous-chestedDotterel Charadrius modestus and South American SnipeGallinago paraguaiae, to carry out analyses in more detail,including trend examination and maps showing distributionand abundance. The overall goal of this presentation is toshow the value of the NWC program and promote increasedparticipation in the region.Identifying important areas forneotropical shorebirds in ColombiaDiana Eusse & Richard Johnston-GonzálezAsociación Calidris, Colombia; deusse@calidris.org.coSetting priorities for site-conservation for shorebirds classicallyinvolves the location of sites where shorebirds occurin large numbers or which support a substantial proportion(>1%) of a biogeographic population. Use of such criteria tolocate important sites for Neotropical breeding shorebirdshas at least two limitations: (1) Some Neotropical shorebirdsdo not occur in aggregations and (2) lack of informationon shorebird abundance constrains the capacity to propose111

112 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009population thresholds and consequently the possibility ofidentifying sites supporting them. We use historic and recentshorebird records and data on distribution of suitable habitatto locate potentially important shorebird sites in Colombia.Areas for Neartic and Neotropical shorebird conservation inColombia only overlap in the inter-Andean valleys, the highAndean lagoons and the Llanos. Important sites for Nearticshorebirds are often small (

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico113Current status of Black-necked Stilt andCollared Plover, neotropical shorebirdsoverlooked in ColombiaYanira Cifuentes-Sarmiento & Carlos Ruiz-GuerraCalidris Association, Colombia;yaniracifuentes@yahoo.comThe Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus and CollaredPlover Charadrius collaris are among the most commonNeotropical shorebirds in Colombia, and although they occurthroughout the country, they have hardly ever been studied.Between 2007 and 2008 we collected information abouttheir location, habitat, and some aspects of their breedingin Colombia. Our results show that the Important Bird AreaCiénaga Grande de Santa Marta is the most important habitatfor Black-necked Stilt since it is a major nesting site and thelargest concentration of individuals occurs there. Likewise,two IBAs located in the Amazon basin and Sinú delta (a riverin the Caribbean region), were identified as the sites with thelargest concentration of Collared Plovers (and most likelynesting areas). The habitats used most frequently by thesespecies are inland and coastal wetlands and pastures, butother habitats such as rice fields, saltworks, and aquacultureinstallations have become important alternative sites becauseof loss and degradation of natural habitats, which is the mainthreat to both species. Lack of information is also a matterof concern because several aspects of the biology of theseshorebirds are still unknown, especially the breeding biologyof the Collared Plover and reliable population estimates ofthe Black-necked Stilt. Conducting breeding censuses andsurveys in the Eastern region (Amazon and Orinoco basins)of Colombia is strongly recommended in order to obtain morekey data about these species.Habitat model for Phegornis mitchelli:local and landscape restrictionsAndrea Contreras-Sepúlveda & Cristián F. EstadesLaboratorio de Ecología de Vida Silvestre, Universidad deChile, Chile; andreapcontreras@yahoo.esThe Diademed Sandpiper-Plover Phegornis mitchelli isa specialist bird inhabiting Andean mires. In the CentralAndes, during the breeding season (summer) it occupies areasbetween 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The patchy and discretestructure of mires at the landscape level may be limitingmovement of individuals between habitat patches. We studiedthe relationship between the physical and biological attributesof mires and their use by the species. Among the variablesthat seem to influence habitat use is the amount of runningwater. Additionally, we analyzed the spatial configuration ofthe mire system in the Central Andes of Chile and Argentina,and assessed how connectivity for the species is affected bysuch spatial patterns. Cost of movement for birds amongmires was calculated using a cost-distance model. The greatestconnectivity index (calculated as the number of accessiblemires from a given mire) was located on the south-east sectorof the study area, corresponding to the Argentinean Andes.Additionally, eight mire groups (number of mires within20 km) for the species were identified. This work is a firstapproach to the study of habitat use of Phegornis mitchelliin the Central Andes.Education and Outreach SymposiumOrganizers: Tamara Zeller (Tamara_Zeller@fws.gov) &Suzanne D. Fellows (Suzanne_Fellows@fws.gov)Seven representatives from across the Western Hemispherediscussed aspects of integrating education, outreach, andresearch to develop sustainable shorebird conservation. Theoverall goal for the symposium was to present examples ofhow several outreach and education programs have brokenthe barriers between research and community-driven shorebirdconservation. Six oral presentations and a poster wereincluded in the symposium.Suzanne Fellows explained how shorebirds became therallying point when researchers in Homer, Alaska were ableto effectively conserve vital habitat through community outreachand education. Next, Brian McCaffery demonstratedhow broad scale dissemination of information is not alwaysthe most successful outreach strategy. By targeting a smaller,select audience, shared conservation visions were developedand community members have become an integral elementto shorebird conservation solutions in Alaska.John Cavitt described the Linking Communities Partnershipbetween three WHSRN sites: Chaplin Lakes, Saskatchewan,Canada, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA, and the MarismasNacionales, Nayarit, Mexico. Shorebirds are used to bridgecultural, economic, and political divides and deliver effectiveeducation, ecotourism, research, and habitat conservationto local communities. Carlos Villar (no abstract available)then described some of the challenges of delivering theseconservation partnerships in Nayarit. Concepts of land andwildlife ownership, the historic lack of wildlife managementuniversity programs, and a lack of political support must allbe overcome. Strategic plans, monitoring programs, communityliaisons, and wildlife scientist training programs havebeen developed and are being implemented. Enforcement ofwildlife and habitat regulations remains a challenge. However,by using ecotourism as “environmental education” localcommunities see the value of habitat conservation and howit can serve as a sustainable use for them.Luis Bala described the three primary objectives of thewetland laboratory in Chubut, Argentina to develop wetlandconservation. Research projects on shorebirds, the benthiccommunity, and the effects of agricultural practices on theentire watershed are conducted. Undergraduate- and graduatelevelinterns and projects are supported. Information is thendisseminated through training programs for park rangers,conservation agents, teachers, tourism guides and professionalsworking with the public at important shorebird sites alongthe coast of Patagonia, through school programs, through avariety of scientific publications, and a website.

114 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009Carlos Albrieu then described how community ownershipwas developed for the protection of shorebird habitat throughseveral outreach strategies in Bahía de San Julián, Río Gallegos,Argentina. By delivering conservation messages to thelocal community using radio and television programs, books,brochures, school programs, discussions and public meetings,the area’s importance for shorebirds has been communicatedboth locally and internationally.The final presentation in the symposium was a poster byPatricia Falk-Fernández describing her work at the SanquiangaNational Park, along the Pacific Coast of Columbia.Ornithologists were trained, several annual festivals arecelebrated, and programs are provided for young children.By increasing community involvement through training andleadership development, further research projects and sustainableconservation can be achieved.The Education and Outreach Symposium concluded with alively conversation which further emphasized how educationand outreach products come in many forms and can involvemany diverse partners. They give communities ownership intheir wildlife resources and will create sustainable conservationwhen based on, and coupled with, scientific research.Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival –a grassroots effort for shorebird conservationSusanne Fellows & Tamara ZellerMigratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,USA; Suzanne_Fellows@fws.govCombining science and outreach can be a very powerful andeffective means of achieving habitat and wildlife conservationand is illustrated by the success of the Kachemak Bay ShorebirdFestival in Homer, Alaska. In 1992, the city of Homerproposed filling Mariner Park Lagoon along the shores ofKachemak Bay to make way for an recreation vehicle park.In response, a collection of scientists and concerned citizenswrote a paper about the ecological value of the lagoon andcreated the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. The goal wasto raise awareness about shorebirds in Homer and to makeadditional allies for habitat protection. Not only has the festivalgenerated enough public pressure to prevent the fillingof the lagoon, but also has been an economic success for thissmall Alaska town. In addition, an education program calledShorebird Sister Schools was formed and has informed peoplethroughout the United States and abroad about the needsof shorebirds and the importance of conserving wetlands.Kachemak Bay is now designated as a WHSRN site of internationalimportance with thousands of visitors gatheringevery May to witness the spectacular arrival of the shorebirds.Narrowing the field: are outreach scale andeffectiveness inversely correlated?Brian J. McCafferyYukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and WildlifeService, Alaska, USA; brian_mccaffery@fws.govOutreach is a critical component of many conservationefforts. Outreach specialists frequently adhere to a promiscuousparadigm whereby information is disseminated on abroad scale, particularly in programs for younger citizens.The persistence of some conservation challenges, even inareas with extensive environmental education, suggests thatthis approach has limitations. For example, in the Yukon DeltaNational Wildlife Refuge in western Alaska, information andeducation programs about waterbird conservation over thelast quarter-century have had decidedly mixed results.In search of more effective approaches, we have recentlyaugmented our traditional programs with more focused effortsthat target much smaller audiences. Via science camps, internships,and community-level conservation projects, weare introducing conservation science to high school andcollege-aged Yup’ik Eskimo students by encouraging theirparticipation in a variety of research projects. By making agreater investment in fewer students, we hope to a) provideopportunities for educational advancement in the biologicalscience field by native students from our region, b) evaluatethe effectiveness of our efforts on an individual or communitybasis, so as to better implement adaptive changes to ouroutreach approach, c) develop long-lasting partnerships withthe students, their families, and their communities, and d)create a stronger sense of shared values between rural communitiesdependent on natural resources and the governmentagencies responsible for safe-guarding those resources. Alongthe way, we hope to more effectively inculcate a broader anddeeper conservation ethic that is informed and inspired byscientific research.Linking communities, wetlands, and migratory birds:a partnership for shorebirdsJohn F. CavittDepartment of Zoology, Weber State University, USA;jcavitt@weber.eduOne of the central questions in bird conservation is how tobuild and plan for range-wide conservation efforts. Beginningin 1998, biologists from Canada, the United States andMexico began a long-term collaboration to develop a comprehensiveinitiative for the conservation of migratory birdsthroughout their geographic range. Three critical sites; theChaplin Lake area of Saskatchewan, the Great Salt Lake ofUtah and the Marismas Nacionales complex of Nayarit were“linked” as part of this conservation initiative. Each of thesesites has been identified as part of the Western HemisphereShorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). With funding fromthe North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation,the “Linking Communities, Wetlands, and Migratory BirdsInitiative” (Linking) was established. Since its inceptionLinking has worked through local partnerships in the threecountries to carry out conservation activities. The primaryemphases have been on shared formal and informal education,developing ecotourism partnerships and collective scienceand habitat conservation. As important as the projects to thesuccess of Linking are, it is the working relationships andshared vision of the partners that powers the success of thiscollaboration. A broader conservation perspective has developedwith new partnerships, but migratory bird conservationremains the primary emphasis. These initiatives and projectswill be discussed to illustrate how outreach, education, researchand conservation can be applied across political andcultural divides.

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico115From the generation to the transference ofknowledge: the experience of the CENPAT-CONICETShorebirds Wetlands LaboratoryBala, Luis Oscar, Maria de los Angeles Hernandez &Luciana Raquel MusmeciCentro Nacional Patagónico, CONICET, Argentina;luis@cenpat.edu.arIn the shorebirds wetlands laboratory at the National PatagonianCenter CONICET, Chubut, Argentina, three programshave been developed: Investigation, Education, and Conservation.For five years, we have been giving the latter majorsignificance. The project “Importance of the coastal Patagonianwetlands as critical sites for the survival of shorebirds:Towards a strong environmental education action directed tothe community and governmental and intermediate entities”has the general aim of emphasizing the value of the wetlandsused by shorebirds in order to achieve their conservation andresponsible management. We are working closely with thecommunities in key sites along the Patagonian coast associatedwith wetlands of importance for shorebirds, includingspecific courses for different types of people: park rangers,agents of conservation, tourism guides, and teachers. Wealso coordinate activities in schools for children of differentages and the public in general, and have made presentationsto more than 3,500 people to let them know about the lifehistories of shorebirds. Since 1994, we have conducted investigationsinto Neotropical and Nearctic migrant shorebirds,generating a strong base of information to inform planningefforts and to help avoid direct or indirect impacts on the populationsof shorebirds. We believe that communities shouldbe informed about the natural resources of their regions toenable them to plan responsible management.Strengthening capacities for shorebird conservationand mangroves in the Colombian PacificPatricia Falk-Fernández & Vianey Ramírez-De-los-RíosAsociación Calidris, Colombia; pfalk@calidris.org.coIn efforts to strengthen a social base that participates in theconservation of shorebirds and marine birds along the ColombianPacific coast we have initiated and developed an educationproject in Sanquianga National Park, a protected area ofthe Colombian Pacific. Applying the program’s experiencein education, we trained four young community investigatorswho carry out research focusing on ancestral knowledgeand censuses investigating avian population concentrations.Additionally, we have helped organize and execute MigratorySpecies Festivals which have been celebrated annually since1999. These festivals have empowered communities withinSanquianga National Park and neighboring areas. Every oneof the seven towns in which the festival takes place organizesresources, plans, and develops activities for the festivals.We have found that training and strengthening leaders alsosupports research development and the sustainability of ourconservation initiatives. Generally, the education projectshave been directed at young school children. However, somelessons are directed towards adolescents and teachers encouragingeducation extending to students and the communityas a whole. We have found that strengthening communityinvolvement is a key component to achieve the conservationdesignation of national conservation areas and acceptance onthe part of the community and local authorities. Such sociallybased projects have integrally linked conservation initiativesto the culture and have promoted an exchange of knowledgein the process.From research to conservation at Río Gallegosestuary, southern Patagonia, ArgentinaCarlos Albrieu 1 , Silvia Ferrari 1 , Santiago Imberti 2 ,Martina McNamara 2 & Germán Montero 31Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral,Unidad Académica Río Gallegos, Argentina;albrieuc@infovia.com.ar2Asociación Ambiente Sur, Argentina;3Agencia Ambiental Municipal de Río Gallegos, ArgentinaSince 1998, we have been conducting studies at Río Gallegosestuary; such studies became the basis for determining thesite’s importance to shorebirds as well as for identifying keysites and threats to their conservation, the most pressing onebeing habitat loss by land claim for urban development. Thissituation made us aware of the urgent need to transform theresults of our investigations into conservation action with theaim of minimizing the accelerated degradation of the wetland.We developed four interrelated areas of work: investigation,training, conservation measures, and communication/environmental education, through inter-institutional jointwork with municipal and provincial governmental agencies,education agencies and local, regional, and internationalNGOs. We conduct programs to disseminate knowledge andraise awareness, in an attempt to induce environmentallyfriendly practices (Training for Conservation Agents, PermanentEnvironmental Education activities offered by the Municipality,Birds for Children, and The Reserve Comes to theNeighbourhoods). Among the most important results are thecreation of two protected areas, the designation of a WHSRNSite of International Importance and an IBA site, the design ofa management plan for one of the reserves, and a restrictionon reclaiming salt marshes. A strategy applied to strengthenconservation actions in the long term is the participation ofuniversity students and professionals graduated from theuniversity in the different activities which, along with thecreation of a local non-government organisation (AmbienteSur), consolidated the programs devoted to transfer knowledgeto local people. The links established through theselines of action have contributed to the immediate knowledgetransfer to the environmental agency, thus producing a multipliereffect that facilitates access to the different stakeholders.

Red Knot SymposiumOrganizers: Larry Niles (nilesl@comcast.net) & Humphrey Sitters (hsitters@aol.com)Of the six subspecies of the Red Knot Calidris canutus worldwide,the two that now have the smallest populations are thoseof the Western Hemisphere, rufa and roselaari. As recentlyas 2001, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan (Brown et al.2001) estimated the rufa population at 170,000 and that ofroselaari at 150,000. Undoubtedly both estimates were fartoo high at the time they were made; now it seems unlikelythat either numbers more than about 30,000.Intensive studies on rufa, which occurs mainly in the WestAtlantic Flyway, started in 1997 and have covered all majoruseareas from breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic,stopover sites in Canada, the US, Brazil and Argentina,to wintering sites in Florida, Brazil and Tierra del Fuego.Studies of roselaari, which breeds on Wrangel Island andin Alaska and appears to be confined to the Pacific coast ofAmerica in winter, have increased over the past five yearsand have focused on the main known wintering site in BajaCalifornia, and stopover sites in Washington and Alaska,and have included one expedition to the breeding areas onWrangel Island.After such a long, sustained effort, which has resulted inmany publications, it is time to take stock of what has beenachieved and to formulate a coherent strategy for future studies.That is the reason for this symposium, which started withan overview of the status of both subspecies and the key roleof Delaware Bay for rufa by Amanda Dey. This was followedby six talks on rufa followed by four on roselaari.Brian Harrington showed that studies of fall migration ofrufa in Massachusetts indicate that most are from the Tierradel Fuego wintering population but a rapidly increasing proportionare from northern wintering sites, such as Florida.James Fraser reported on the spring stopover in Virginia,showing that total numbers were in the range 7,000–12,000over 2006–2008 and that most do all of their pre-migratoryfattening there rather than in Delaware Bay. Studies of foragingecology showed that the birds fed either on sandy beachesor on peat banks and that the main prey items taken wereclams, mussels, crustaceans and false angel wings.Amy Schwarzer focused on the wintering populationof south-west Florida where numbers have dropped from7,000–10,000 in the 1990s to 500–2,000 in 2005–2009. Shedescribed a variety of research initiatives aimed at reachingan understanding of the ecology and problems of the knotsthat winter in Florida.Conor McGowan described a new modeling project usingthe structured decision making procedure to develop prescriptionsfor managing Red Knot and horseshoe crab populationsin Delaware Bay.Using staple isotope analysis to determine winteringorigin, Philip Atkinson showed that survival rates of knotsfrom northern and southern wintering populations stoppingover in Delaware Bay were not significantly different over2004–2008. At 93–94%, the average survival rates shownby this study were improbably high and this is a matter forfurther investigation.The final rufa talk was by Verónica D’Amico who hadstudied the impact of parasites on migration strategy. Knotswintering in tropical Brazil were heavily infected by ectoparasitesbut those wintering in Tierra del Fuego had relativelyfew. However, birds from each population stopping over inDelaware Bay in spring had similar infection rates suggestingthat southern birds become parasitized during migration.Thus there seems to be little advantage in the long flight to aparasite-free wintering site in Tierra del Fuego as it is offsetby a high risk of infection during migration.Pavel Tomkovich kicked off the roselaari talks with awide-ranging account of the taxonomy of the various knotpopulations of Beringia. Originally roselaari was describedon the basis of museum skins and was thought to breed onWrangel Island and in Alaska and winter along the AmericanPacific coast. This connectivity had only recently been confirmedwhen a knot marked on Wrangel Island in the summerof 2007 was seen in Baja California later the same year. A keypriority is to learn more about the identity, size and distributionof the Alaskan breeding population.Brian McCaffery discussed trends over 30 years in thenumbers and phenology of knots stopping over in Alaskain May. Apart from an anomalous very high count of about100,000 in 1980, there was no evidence of any change instopover numbers and there was little indication of an alterationin phenology.In separate talks, Roberto Carmona and Nalley Arce presentedthe results of monthly counts of knots during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 at Guerrero Negro, Baja California,the only known major wintering site on the American Pacificcoast. Peak yearly counts were 6,458 and 5,536 respectively.Especially in the second winter period, numbers were consistentfrom autumn through winter to spring, suggesting littleor no onward migration.Finally, Humphrey Sitters listed some of the most importantgaps in our knowledge of American knot populations,a session that developed into a wide-ranging discussion ofcurrent issues and how to take them forward.Update on the status of the Red Knot in the AmericasAmanda Dey 1 , Larry Niles 2 & Humphrey Sitters 31NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife USA;amanda.dey@dep.state.nj.us2Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, USA;3International Wader Study Group, UK.The rufa subspecies comprises the winter populations inTierra del Fuego, Maranhão and the south-east U.S. androselaari is largely confined to the Pacific coast. Dependingon the subspecific status of knots in Alaska, roselaari numberabout 10,000 with no indications of trend. All three winterpopulations of rufa are smaller than reported in 2006 whenthe USFWS designated it as a candidate species for listingunder the U.S. federal Endangered Species Act: Tierra delFuego by 15%, South-west Florida by 40% and Maranhaoby 48%. New analyses show that all but the earliest arrivingknots in Delaware Bay in spring have suffered reducedrates of mass gain. The percentage of birds achieving 180 gin catches during 26–28 May remains low (

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico117although offshore trawl surveys show some increase. In May2008, 27,375 knots were counted on the Atlantic Coast, about7,000 more than indicated by winter surveys, suggesting alarger population than currently known. A Texas coast surveyfound up to 4,000 knots in fall 2008. In NE Florida and SWGeorgia 1,400 knots were counted in early 2009. USFWShas recently increased the listing priority of Red Knot. Therehas been no moratorium on horseshoe crab harvest (exceptin New Jersey) despite pressure from conservation groups.Harvests are lower than in recent years, but similar to thoseof the early 1990s.Current and historical use of theMassachusetts coast by Red KnotsBrian Harrington 1 & Stephanie Koch 21Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, USA;Bharrington@manomet.org2U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USAThey (formerly) collected in immense numbers and rose in“clouds” before the hunters’ guns. E.H. Forbush, 1925.Historically the Massachusetts coast was a major stopoverlocation for Red Knots Calidris canutus during their migrations.This paper reviews knots’ occurrence and numbers onthe Massachusetts coast over the last half century, and examinesmore recent observations during southward migration,the principal season of knots’ occurrence in Massachusetts.The evaluation further explores knots’ migration phenologyand habitat-use during July–November 2007/2008 and earlier.Based on molt patterns and resightings of color bands, thiswork suggests that the majority of knots found in Massachusettsduring autumn are from the Patagonian-wintering group,but that some, and probably a rapidly increasing fraction, arefrom a northern-wintering group that includes knots that visitFlorida coasts during winter.Red Knot spring stopover ecology in VirginiaJames D. Fraser 1 , Jonathan B. Cohen 1 ,Sarah M. Karpanty 1 , Barry R. Truitt 2 & Bryan D. Watts 31Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,Virginia Tech, USA; fraser@vt.edu2Virginia Coast Reserve, The Nature Conservancy, USA;3Center for Conservation Biology,College of William and Mary, Virginia, USAWe examined Red Knot numbers, turnover, and habitat selectionduring the spring stopover in Virginia, in 2006–2008.Estimated stopover population, accounting for turnover, was7,224, 8,332, and 12,167 in 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively.Few radio tagged birds were relocated in the DelawareBay region in the tagging year, and those only at the end ofthe stopover season, suggesting that most birds in Virginia by20 May did most of their premigratory fattening there. Themost commonly available prey items in the sandy intertidalzone were coquina clams Donax variabilis and crustaceans.On peat banks, the most common prey items were blue musselsMytilis edulis, false angel wings Petricolaria pholadiformisand crustaceans. Foraging sites had more clams andcrustaceans than unused sites. Coquina and crustacean abundanceand coquina size increased during the 2007 and 2008stopover. Mean flock size in 2007 increased with mean clamlength and decreased with distance from night use locations.The larger clams selected by Red Knots were not depletedduring the 2007 and 2008 stopovers, suggesting that preyabundance was not likely to be a population-limiting factor.Our data suggest that Virginia may be able to support an increasingRed Knot population, at least in some years, and thatVirginia should be included in Red Knot recovery planning.Florida’s winter population of Red Knots:a summary of on-going workAmy Schwarzer 1 , Larry Niles 2 , Jannell Brush 3 ,Nancy Douglas 3 , Amanda Dey 4 & Jaime Callazo 51University of Florida, USA; schwarze@ufl.edu2Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, New Jersey, USA;3Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, USA;4New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, USA;5North Carolina State University, USASince the winter of 2005–2006 researchers from Florida andNew Jersey have been attempting to assess the body condition,distribution and movement patterns of wintering RedKnots in Florida. Aerial surveys and banding efforts havefocused largely on the south-western portion of the state,where the bulk of Florida knots have traditionally occurred.Average body weights over four years are consistent with arelatively healthy population (127.4 g, SD = 10.4, n = 925),but the low average counts (1,455, min = 515 in 2007, max= 2,061 in 2005) suggests that this population has drasticallydecreased from the estimated 7,000–10,000 birds in the1990’s. Resightings have highlighted the importance of thenorth-eastern part of the State as a migratory stopover for bothFlorida and South American birds and the Panhandle as animportant secondary wintering site. Current work includes:a) the use of plasma metabolites to examine the condition ofbirds during the wintering and migratory periods, b) coverageof a larger geographic area during aerial surveys, and c)expanded trapping efforts both temporally (November–Mayinstead of January only) and spatially (Cedar Key and northeastFlorida). The diet of wintering knots has also been documented.Preliminary results suggest that horseshoe crab eggsmay constitute an important part of the pre-migratory diet forknots (e.g., Cedar Key). The conceptual framework guidingthese efforts will be presented.Using structured decision makingto manage for both Red Knots and horseshoe crabsin the Delaware BayConor P. McGowan 1 , David R. Smith 2 , James D. Nichols 1 ,Julien Martin 1 , John Sweka 3 , James E. Lyons 4 ,Lawrence J. Niles 5 , Kevin Kalasz 6 , Richard Wong 6 ,Jeffery Brust 7 & Michelle Davis 81USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USA;cmcgowan@usgs.gov2USGS-Leetown Science Center, USA;3U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Northeast Fishery Center, USA;4U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Division of Migratory Birds, USA;5Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, USA;6Delaware Department of Natural Resources andEnvironmental Control, USA;7New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,USA;

118 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 20098Virginia Tech University, Department of Fisheries andWildlife Science, USAStructured Decision Making (SDM) is a formal and transparentapproach to decision making that incorporates allstakeholders and utilizes predictive modeling to assess thepotential consequences of alternative actions. Used as a partof SDM, optimization modeling, specifically stochastic dynamicprogramming, enables managers to maximize gain orminimize risk in the face of uncertainty about the managedsystem. We are applying these decision-making and modelingtools to the Delaware Bay system where it is believedpast over-harvest of breeding horseshoe crabs has negativelyaffected the migrating shorebirds using the Delaware Bayas a stopover site during their epic northward migration.We are developing models that link Red Knot populationdynamics to horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay throughweight gain and differential survival and/or reproductivesuccess for heavyweight versus lightweight birds. We areusing modified versions of published population models forboth species that rely on empirical data for parameterization.Initial simulations indicate that Red Knot population viabilitymay be linked to horseshoe crab dynamics and crab harvestrates. The magnitude of the effect depends on many factorsincluding the strength and shape of the Red Knot weight gainfunction, the difference in survival between fat and skinnybirds, and the size of the permitted Horseshoe crab harvests.This is continuing work that will proceed over the next 6–12months leading to recommendations about crab harvests thatare optimal with respect to objectives that include both thered knot population and crab fishery interests.Estimating survival of mixed populations of RedKnot at a major staging area using stable isotopesand individually marked birdsPhilip W. Atkinson 1 , Allan J. Baker 2 , Karen A. Bennett 3 ,Nigel A. Clark 1 , Jacquie A. Clark 1 , Amanda Dey 4 ,Simon Gillings 1 , Patricia M. González 5 , Kevin Kalasz 3 ,Clive D.T. Minton 6 , Jason Newton 7 , Larry, J. Niles 8 ,Robert A. Robinson 1 & Humphrey P. Sitters 91British Trust for Ornithology, UK; phil.atkinson@bto.org2Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology,Royal Ontario Museum, Canada;3Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, USA;4New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, USA;5Fundación Inalafquen, Argentina;6Victoria Wader Study Group, Australia;7NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility,Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, UK;8Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, USA;9International Wader Study Group, UKThe rufa population of Red Knot has experienced a rapid andsustained decline in numbers. An understanding the survivaland recruitment is essential to the conservation of this subspecies.However, with wintering areas ranging from thesouth-eastern part of the USA to the tip of Tierra del Fuego,it is difficult to determine whether there have been similarchanges in demographic parameters across the populationsor whether survival and recruitment varies between winteringpopulations. Rather than use data from individual winteringareas we used birds caught in Delaware Bay, their mainspring staging area. Using stable isotopes in flight feathers,we classified individuals into different wintering areas andused resightings of flagged individuals in subsequent years toestimate survival and rates into the adult population.Role of parasite pressure in the migratory strategiesof Red Knots Calidris canutus rufawintering populations in South AmericaVerónica L. D’Amico 1 , Marcelo N. Bertellotti 1 ,Allan J. Baker 2 & Patricia M. González 31Centro Nacional Patagónico Puerto Madryn, Chubut andUniversidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina;damico@cenpat.edu.ar2Royal Ontario Museum and Department of Ecology andEvolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada;3Fundación Inalafquen, ArgentinaWe test whether migratory strategies in Red Knots Calidriscanutus rufa are a response to spatial variation in parasitepressure at different sites: Río Grande (RG), Tierra delFuego, Maranhão (MA), Brazil, and Delaware Bay (DB),USA along the same migratory cycle. A “parasite” hypothesispredicts that birds should evolve migrations to low-parasitemarine wintering sites to reduce the fitness consequences ofhigh parasite load in tropical MA, but there is likely to be atradeoff with increased mortality for long-distance migrationto cold–temperate RG. Ectoparasites were scored visuallyand blood parasites were searched for with molecularassays and observations of smears. Birds refueling in DBwere assigned to either northern (MA) or southern winteringsites (RG) using stable isotopes in feathers. All ectoparasitesfound were feather lice Mallophaga. In RG 4.4 % of birdshad ectoparasites whereas all birds in MA were parasitized.In DB the proportion of parasitized birds from northern andsouthern sites was not significantly different, indicating thatmany southern birds had been infected during a short stopoveron the northward migration or by direct contact in DB.Blood parasite assays were negative, consistent with the lowincidence of vectors in marine shores. Observations in eachwintering site support the “parasite hypothesis” in Red Knots.However, studies in birds at DB have to be extended sinceresults could suggest that southern populations would havedetrimental effects of longer migration and ectoparasites,whereas northern populations only would suffer the negativeeffects of the ectoparasites.Subspecies and connectivity of Beringia Red KnotsPavel TomkovichZoological Museum, Moscow State University, Russia;pst@zmmu.msu.ruKnowledge of a species’ population structure, migrationroutes and connectivity between specific breeding and nonbreedinggrounds are some of the key characteristics necessaryfor the development of effective population-based conservationstrategies. Considerable progress has been achievedon these issues in relation to Beringia Red Knot populationsover recent decades. Breeding ranges have been establishedfor the different populations. Two new subspecies (Calidriscanutus roselaari, which breeds on Wrangel Island andAlaska, and C. c. piersmai, which breeds on the New SiberianIslands) have been described (based on external morphology)along with suggestions as to which flyways they belong.Recently several band recoveries and sight-records of colormarkedbirds have fully confirmed the former speculations

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico119based on morphology. Red Knots of the subspecies piersmaiand rogersi follow the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, whileroselaari birds migrate along the Pacific coast of America. Abreeding density survey of roselaari Red Knots on WrangelIsland in 2007 indicated that there had probably been a majorpopulation decline. Population trends in the other Beringiasubspecies, rogersi and piersmae, are not known, though reportsof numbers in the Australasian wintering areas indicatethat neither population is threatened. Key priorities are toestablish population monitoring programs for each subspeciesand to learn more about the identity, size and distribution ofthe Alaskan breeding population.The status of Red Knots during spring migration onthe central Yukon-Kuskokwim DeltaBrian J. McCaffery 1 , Robert E. Gill, Jr. 2 ,Colleen M. Handel 2 & Craig E. Ely 21Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, USA; brian_mccaffery@fws.gov2U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, USAWe have summarized 74 site-years of Red Knot springmigration data from the central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.From 1978 through 2008, we worked at the Tutakoke Rivermouth on the Bering Sea coast, as well as at Old Chevakand Kanaryaraq, 20 and 25 km, respectively, from the coast.Knots occurred annually on the central YKD, being foundalong ≥100 km of shoreline adjacent to nearly 200 km 2 ofintertidal mudflats. Including inland habitats, migrant knotson the central Delta may occupy an area exceeding 600 km 2 .The mean and median arrival dates were 14 and 13 May, respectively(range 3–30 May). Mean first arrival dates did notvary among sites. The mean and median dates of annual peakcounts were 19 and 20 May, respectively, and the last northboundknots departed from the Delta during the first week ofJune. Over the three decades, we detected no temporal trendsin first arrival dates or the timing of peak counts, either overallor at individual sites. Annual peak daily counts at Tutakoke,Old Chevak,and Kanaryaraq averaged 1744, 1362, and 18,respectively. In fact, with the exception of 19–23 May 1980,when up to 100,000 knots were detected at Tutakoke, peakdaily counts never exceeded 6,000 birds at any site in anyyear. Although the source of the extraordinary total in 1980remains a mystery, there is no compelling evidence for along-term decline in the number of knots regularly using thecentral Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta during spring migration.Seasonal abundance of Red Knots in the GuerreroNegro–Ojo De Liebre coastal lagoon complex,Baja California Sur, MexicoRoberto Carmona 1 , Nallely Arce 1 , Víctor Ayala-Pérez 1 &Gustavo D. Danemann 21Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; beauty@uabcs.mx2Bird Conservation Program, Pronatura Noroeste A.C.,MexicoTo determine the spatial and temporal distribution of the RedKnot Calidris canutus roselaari in the Guerrero Negro–Ojode Liebre coastal lagoon complex, including the GuerreroNegro Saltworks, we carried out a monthly census from July2006 to June 2007. The aggregate total of the 12 monthlycounts was 32,059, and the maximum count of 6,458 wasmade in September 2006. Red Knots arrived in July (400birds) and August (4,600) and their numbers were highuntil October (5,800), decreased in November (2,600), andincreased again in December (to 4,600), but then declinedconstantly until March (126); in April there was a notableincrease (4,600). 77% of all knots counted occurred in 11 ofthe 45 zones into which we divided the study area. We classifiedthe 11 zones into four sections according to their seasonaluse by the knots: Los Medanitos was important in autumn,Estero Norte in spring; Guererro Negro was consistent andwith regular abundance throughout the year, and Salitralesshowed large fluctuations. We conclude that the abundance ofknots in these four sections can be used to estimate the totalnumber in the entire lagoon/saltworks complex (R 2 = 0.94).We propose that at least 4,000 Red Knots winter in the region.Guerrero Negro, stopover site or wintering area forRed Knots Calidris canutus roselaari?Nallely Arce Villavicencio, Roberto Carmona &Víctor Ayala-PérezDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; nallely_arce@hotmail.comWe determined the abundance of Red Knots Calidris canutusroselaari in the Guerrero Negro and Ojo de Liebre lagoons(natural area) and in Exportadora de Sal (artificial area),Baja California Peninsula, from July 2007 to June 2008. Werecorded a total of 38,470 observations (maximum = 5,536birds in November). The birds arrived from July (320 individuals)to September (5,200). We observed similar abundancesbetween late autumn (mean 5,280 birds) and winter (4,300),and a decrease until the end of April (2,500). We captured 239birds (213 adults and 26 juveniles). Inside the complex thebirds exhibit strong site fidelity: 100% of the birds markedin the natural area and 80% in the artificial zone were seen intheir original sites. The age ratio (9:1 in favor of the adults)suggests three hypotheses: (1) low reproductive success,(2) the juveniles migrate through other regions, and (3) thejuveniles are in other sites of the region that we have not yetdiscovered. The weights were low when the birds arrived inautumn (mean 128 g) and increased slightly by winter (133 g).Additionally, between September and October 98% of theadults were molting or had already completed the molt ofthe primary feathers. The observed trends in abundance andweight, and the stage of molt suggest that most of the RedKnots were wintering in the region. In addition, one of ourbirds was observed in California, ten in Washington, and threein Alaska, thus confirming the migratory route.Red Knots in the Americas: the unknowns thatremain and where do we go from here?Humphrey P. Sitters 1 , Larry Niles 2 & Amanda Dey 31International Wader Study Group, UK; hsitters@aol.com2Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, USA;3New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, USADespite twelve years of intensive studies throughout the WestAtlantic Flyway and four years of studies in the East PacificFlyway, many gaps remain in our knowledge of AmericanRed Knot populations. We will identify those that we considerto be the most important to our understanding of populationprocesses and the needs of conservation. Among these are:

120 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009• Uncertainty concerning the relative subspecific and populationstatus of the knots that winter in the SE US, Braziland Tierra del Fuego,• Inconsistency between larger counts during northwardmigration on the U.S. east coast and smaller known winteringpopulations,• The need for greater certainty as to the size of the horseshoecrab population needed to sustain the May stopoverin Delaware Bay,• The implications of what appears to be a poor quality foodsupply in Tierra del Fuego,• The need to define more fully and accurately the breedingand wintering ranges of both subspecies,• The need to extend the monitoring of demographic ratesto include survival and reproduction of each winteringpopulation,• The need to more fully understand the migratory strategyof the roselaari population, especially whether any partof it migrates further south of Baja California,• The need to determine the reasons why the roselaaripopulation appears to have undergone a major decline,• The long term discrepancy between greater numbers ofroselaari in Alaska in May than can be accounted forfurther south along the Pacific coast on passage and inwinter.We will suggest ways in which these questions might beaddressed. We will also propose practical arrangements forfacilitating better communication between fieldworkers includingthe formation of an American Red Knot Study Groupand the setting up and maintenance of communal datasets ofbanding and resighting data.General PapersARCTIC BREEDING SHOREBIRDSShorebird distribution and abundance at coastalstaging sites in the Arctic National Wildlife RefugeSteve Kendall 1 , Stephen Brown 2 , Audrey Taylor 3 ,Joel Reynolds 4 & Roy Churchwell 31U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, USA; steve_kendall@fws.gov2Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, USA;3Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska,Fairbanks, USA;4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,Division of Natural Resources, USABefore southbound migration, several species of shorebirdsaggregate in coastal habitats of the Arctic National WildlifeRefuge (Arctic Refuge). Coastal areas are vulnerable topotential effects of oil development and altered sea conditionsassociated with climate change. Staging in these habitats isbelieved to be critical for building energy reserves necessaryfor migration, but the relative importance of staging sitesalong the Arctic Refuge coast and mechanisms determininghabitat quality are largely unknown. Our objectives were to1) assess the abundance, distribution, timing, species composition,and habitat use of shorebirds staging on coastalareas; and 2) determine how environmental conditions suchas food availability, wind, weather, and water levels affectuse of coastal habitats by post-breeding shorebirds. We surveyedevery major river delta on the Arctic Refuge coastlinefor staging shorebirds in Jul and Aug of 2006–2008 usingdistance sampling along transects in mudflat habitats. Shorebirdabundance differed significantly across years and sites:in 2006 the highest densities were at the Sadlerochit andKatakturuk deltas, in 2007 at the Kongakut and Jago deltas,and in 2008 at the Canning, Hulahula/Okpilak and Jago riverdeltas. We also established field camps at several deltas forassessments of abundance, phenology, habitat use, and movements.Most shorebirds remained at a single staging area for

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico121account for interannual variation in shorebird nest survival,but that the relationship may be influenced by the behaviourof both the predators and the shorebirds.Arcticola Dunlin Calidris alpina arcticolarenesting response to experimental clutch removalon Alaska’s north slopeH. River Gates 1 , Richard B. Lanctot 2 & Abby N. Powell 31Department of Biology and Wildlife,University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA; fthkg@uaf.edu2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Migratory Bird Management, USA;3U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish andWildlife Research Unit, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USAIn 2007 and 2008, we conducted a study to evaluate howarctic-breeding Dunlin respond to experimental clutchremoval. We measured re-nesting propensity, mate fidelity,territorial fidelity, and the interval between clutch removaland the laying of a replacement-clutch. We captured, colormarked,and radio-equipped adult Dunlin pairs and removedtheir clutches during early incubation (2007 and 2008) andlate incubation (2008 only). Most Dunlin (85–91%) laidreplacement clutches after clutches were removed duringearly incubation (mean = 5.9 days (d) into incubation,range 3–10 d, n = 42). Only 35% replaced clutches thatwere removed later (mean = 13.0 d into incubation, range12–16 d, n = 19). Mate fidelity between initial and replacementclutches was high with only one pair per year divorcing.In both cases, males remained on their territory and femalesmoved large distances to re-nest with a new mate. The averagetime between collection of the first clutch and initiationof the replacement clutch was 5.7 days and 6.5 days forearly and late treatments, respectively. Our study revealedan unexpectedly high rate of clutch replacement, suggestingthat a female’s propensity to lay a replacement clutch is notlikely to be constrained physiologically, but may be stronglyrelated to timing of nest loss. Studies focusing on arcticshorebird breeding ecology would benefit from investigatingfrequency and proportion of replacement clutches in differentmating systems as the presence of such nests leads to an overestimateof nest density and potentially to an under-estimateof productivity.Factors affecting brood survival from initialand replacement clutches of Dunlin Calidris alpinanear Barrow, Alaska, USABrooke Hill 1 , Richard Lanctot 2 & Christine Hunter 11Department of Biology and Wildlife,University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA; b.hill@uaf.edu2Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, Alaska, USAChick survival is an important demographic component thatis generally unavailable but desperately needed to developpopulation models and thereby project population trends. Inthis study, we determined survival rates of Dunlin chicks nearBarrow, Alaska, by following individual broods wherein theadult male and two chicks were equipped with radio transmitters.We investigated survival of chicks from initial nests aswell as chicks from replacement nests that had been re-laidafter a pair’s first nest was experimentally removed. Nestswere experimentally removed during early (3–8 days) andlate (12–16 days) incubation, and adults were followed to findtheir replacement nests. Arctic fox were also experimentallyremoved from the study area, allowing us the unique opportunityto evaluate the relative importance of other predatorsand environmental conditions on arctic chick survival. Intotal, we monitored 39 broods, including 20 from initial nests,and 13 and 6 from early and late replacement nests, respectively.In addition, we monitored other variables, includingweather, weight at hatch, and insect, lemming, and predatorabundances. Across all treatment groups, 26% of broods hadat least one chick survive to fledge. Forty-five percent ofthe initial broods appear to have fledged at least one young,followed by 8% of the early replacement broods and 0% oflate replacement broods. Causes of chick mortality includedpoor environmental conditions, and avian and mammalianpredators. We plan to continue this study for at least one moreseason to further investigate how the various factors interactto affect chick survival.Shorebird incubation behaviour andits influence on the risk of nest predationPaul A. Smith 1 , Ingrid Tulp 2 , Hans Schekkerman 3 ,H. Grant Gilchrist 4 & Mark R. Forbes 51Biology Dept., Carleton University, Canada;paulallen.smith@ec.gc.ca2Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies,The Netherlands;3Dutch Centre for Avian Migration & Demography,The Netherlands;4Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada;5Biology Dept., Carleton University, CanadaBoth nest survival and incubation behaviour are highly variableamong shorebirds, and we tested whether more conspicuousincubation behaviour increased the risk of nest predation.From 2000–2006, we monitored 901 shorebird nests at threestudy sites across the circumpolar arctic. Using miniaturevideo recorders and nest temperature sensors, we obtained782 days of behavioural data for 161 nests of 11 species. Werelated nest fate to the rate and duration of nest absences orrestless movements on the nest, as well as the total proportionof each day engaged in these activities. We found that nestpredation was positively related to the proportion of time eachspecies left the nest unattended. After controlling for specieseffects, the likelihood of a successful nesting attempt waslower for individuals that spent more time off the nest, butamong failed nests, the number of days that a nest survivedprior to depredation was not significantly predicted by ourmeasures of incubation behaviour. To control for weather orseasonal effects, we paired observations from nests that wereultimately depredated with observations from successful nestsof the same species on the same day. In this paired sample,both incubation recesses and restless movements were morenumerous among failed versus successful nests. Our resultssuggest that more conspicuous incubation behaviour is indeedrelated to a higher risk of nest predation, and that this relationshipmay underlie patterns of nest survival within and amongshorebird species.

SHOREBIRD MONITORINGThe Program for Regional and InternationalShorebird Monitoring (PRISM) – an updateSusan K. Skagen 1 & Garry Donaldson 21Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, USA;skagens@usgs.gov2Canadian Wildlife Service, CanadaThe objectives of the Program for Regional and InternationalShorebird Monitoring (PRISM) are to (1) estimate the sizeof breeding populations of shorebirds, (2) describe shorebirddistribution, abundance, and habitat relationships, (3) monitortrends in shorebird population size, and (4) monitor numbersat stopover and non-breeding locations. PRISM objectivescontribute to our assessment of birds in general and are beingincorporated into efforts in Canada and the U.S. to identifyhow well birds are monitored in each country. At its inceptionin 2000, PRISM primarily focused on shorebirds in NorthAmerica, but is committed to extending cooperation towardsshorebird monitoring across the Western Hemisphere. Overthe past several years, substantial progress has been madeacross the broad spectrum of arctic and boreal breeding surveys,temperate breeding surveys, temperate non-breedingsurveys, and neotropical surveys. The most comprehensiveprograms include migration monitoring, including the InternationalShorebird Survey and Maritime Shorebird Survey,and a broad-scale arctic monitoring effort. Single speciesefforts for temperate breeders include American Oystercatcher,Long-billed Curlew, and Snowy Plover. We alsopresent a compilation of nearly 100 projects conducted since2000 that inform shorebird monitoring, and we highlightsome of the recent success stories.National shorebird counts in El Salvadorfrom February and April 2007 and 2008Ricardo Enrique Ibarra Portillo 1 & Luis Pineda 21Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales,El Salvador; ribarra@marn.gob.sv2Fundación para la Protección del Arrecife de Los Cbanos,FUNDARRECIFE, El SalvadorShorebird counts (family Charadriidae and Scolopacidae) incoastal and continental wetlands were carried out in El Salvador.The methodology was direct observation, from left toright with an emphasis in areas of higher concentrations. Weorganized working groups by departments and we coveredthe most important wetlands in order to register the highestnumbers of shorebird species. Data were analyzed by recordedspecies and species richness at each site. In February,comparing both years, there were some species with fewernumbers (Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus47%, Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus 54%,and Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius 11%) and otherswith increases (Sanderling Calidris alba 68%, Stilt SandpiperC. himantopus 99% and Least Sandpiper C. minutilla 79%).In April, species with smaller numbers were Sanderling(29%) and Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa (89%), while thespecies with increases were Least Sandpiper (90%), LesserYellowlegs Tringa flavipes (97%) and Stilt Sandpiper (81%).In both years in February, Bahía de Jiquilisco reported highernumbers (1,161 and 1,146) and in April the Cerro Grande sitehad higher numbers (1,023 and 3,553). Through this informationwe have been able to document the most important sitefor these birds and the occurrence of rare or less documentedspecies such as Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus,Surfbird Aphriza virgata, Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropustricolor, Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata, Red Knot C. canutusand Wandering Tattler Tringa incana. We recommendcontinuing the monitoring efforts for three or more years togenerate information to protect and conserve shorebirds inEl Salvador.Estimating Whimbrel and Hudsonian Godwitpopulations on Chiloé Island, ChileBrad A. Andres 1 , Jim A. Johnson 1 , Jorge Valenzuela 2 ,R.I. Guy Morrison 3 , Luis A. Espinosa 4 & R. Ken Ross 51U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Migratory Bird Management, USA; brad_andres@fws.gov2Centro de Estudios y Conservacióndel Patrimonio Natural, Chile;3Environment Canada;4Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile,Sociedad Ornitológica Neotropical, Chile;5Canadian Wildlife ServiceA large proportion of the Hudsonian Godwits Limosa haemasticaspending the boreal winter along the eastern Pacific coastare known to occur in the vicinity of Chiloé Island, Chile, butthe importance of the region to Whimbrels Numenius phaeopusis less well known. Ground counts conducted in 2007 and2008 increased published estimates for eastern Pacific coastpopulations by 27% for Whimbrels (33,150 individuals) and51% for godwits (21,160). Bays and shorelines in the ChiloéIsland region supported 99% of Hudsonian Godwits and 65%of Whimbrels estimated to occur along the eastern Pacificcoast during the boreal winter. Whereas godwits aggregatedin shallow bays on the northern and eastern sides of ChiloéIsland, Whimbrels were more dispersed along the island’sshorelines, reaching a density of 7.5 birds/km along shelteredgravel shorelines. Bays in the vicinity of Chiloé’s capital,Castro, provided important foraging and roosting habitat fornon-breeding birds; these sites supported 52% and 12% ofeastern Pacific coast populations of Hudsonian Godwits andWhimbrels, respectively. Low human disturbance in Pullaoand Putemún bays make these sites particularly attractiveto non-breeding godwits and their permanent protection isurged.A method for estimating survival ofunmarked pre-fledged shorebird chicksConor P. McGowan 1 , Joshua J. Millspaugh 1 , Mark R Ryan 1 ,Casey D. Kruse 2 , Gregory Pavelka 2 & Beth Gargner 31Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Science,University of Missouri, USA; cmcgowan@usgs.gov2U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USA;3USGS – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USAEstimating reproductive success for shorebirds can be difficultbecause the precocial chicks leave nests soon after hatchingand individuals or broods can be difficult to track. Instead,researchers estimate survival during the pre-fledging periodand, though effective, mark–recapture based approaches122

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico123are not always feasible due to cost, time and animal welfareconcerns. We present a new method for estimating survivalof precocial chicks during the pre-fledging period using amodified catch curve approach that does not require individualfield marks. The approach has several ecological andstatistical assumptions and our analyses were designed tominimize the probability of violating the assumptions. Weapplied the method using data from the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Piping Plover monitoring efforts in which fieldcrews conducted weekly counts and ageing of chicks. Annualdaily survival estimates ranged from 0.825 (SD = 0.03)to 0.931 (0.02) depending on year and sampling period. Theprobability of survival to fledging ranged from 0.126 to 0.188.Our results are similar to other published estimates for thisspecies in similar habitats. We further evaluated the approachusing simulated data created in program R. In the simulationswe intentionally violated some assumptions of the method(such as non independence of individuals) to see if resultingestimates were still accurate. This method of estimating chicksurvival may be useful for reproductive success research ina variety of shorebird species when mark recapture is notfeasible and only count-based age class data are available.Shorebirds of dispersed wetland landscapes:research and conservation challengesSusan K. Skagen 1 & Joel Jorgensen 21Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, USA;skagens@usgs.gov2Wildlife Division, Nebraska Game andParks Commission, USAMany shorebird species that traverse the interior prairiestates and provinces of North America refuel at broadlydispersed inland stopover sites, including “geographicallyisolated” wetlands and agricultural fields. Interior breedingshorebirds are also widely distributed across grassland andtundra landscapes. Many of these important interior habitatshave been replaced by human-dominated land uses or are nowthreatened by agricultural practices and climate change. Populationestimation of several breeding and migrant shorebirdshas been approached using randomly selected survey siteswithin predetermined landscape strata and extrapolation ofthe counts to the strata. In these studies, the resulting populationestimates of many species exceeded prior estimates. Toaddress the importance of the extensive landscapes of dispersedwetlands, The Western Hemisphere Shorebird ReserveNetwork recently created a new designation of “Landscapeof Hemispheric Importance” for landscapes that host morethan 500,000 shorebirds annually or more than 30% of thebiogeographic population of a shorebird species. The RainwaterBasin of Nebraska, USA, has been nominated to bethe first such designated landscape based on its importanceto migrating Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Within the RainwaterBasin in spring, northbound Buff-breasted Sandpipers primarilyoccupy agricultural fields, which constitute >85% of allland area in the region. Over many areas, agriculture forms acontinuous mosaic of human-dominated habitats that are usedby the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Research and conservationof dispersed shorebird populations can be highly challengingand require nontraditional techniques.Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus breeding habitat inthe Mackenzie Delta, North-west Territories, CanadaLisa Pirie, Vicky Johnston, Jennie Rausch &Charles M. FrancisCanadian Wildlife Service, Department of Biology,Carleton University, Canada; lisa.pirie@ec.gc.caIn an effort to establish baseline information on Whimbrel andother shorebirds breeding in the Mackenzie Delta, North-westTerritories, we have been conducting aerial and ground surveyssince 2005. Through these surveys, we have establishedthat Whimbrel breed in low densities but are widely scatteredthroughout the region. In 2007 and 2008, we evaluated thesuitability of using helicopter surveys to census Whimbrel.While the large size and identifiable characteristics of Whimbrelmake them ideal candidates for aerial identification, wewere only able to detect 23% of Whimbrel using this method.Intensive ground surveys were done in two distinctly differenthabitats in the Delta: wet-sedge low-centred polygons (LCP)and rolling upland tundra with scattered wetland patches.From 2006 to 2007 we located, monitored and describedthe habitat for 28 Whimbrel nests (average 3.0 pairs/km 2 ) inwet-sedge LCP habitat. Nest success was significantly higherfor nests placed on raised mounds (69%) than those placedon ridges (19%) within the LCP. Successful nests had morevegetation, comprised mainly of graminoids and were furtheraway from the nearest low shrub than failed nests. Surveys ofan upland study site in 2008 found 13 Whimbrel nests (0.31pairs/km²). Nests here had significantly more dwarf shrubsand more moss and lichen directly at the nest. There was alsosignificantly less graminoid vegetation, and more shrubs inthe area surrounding the upland nests in comparison withthe LCP nests.

NON-BREEDINGThe potential link between migratory connectivityand the conservation status of Canadian shorebirdsAndrea Storm-Suke & Erica NolDepartment of Biology, Trent University, Canada;andreastormsuke@trentu.caMigratory connectivity defines the geographic linking of individualsor populations between different stages of the annualcycle, including between breeding, migration, and winterstages. Under strong connectivity (e.g. the majority of individualsin a breeding population winter in a small number ofwintering sites), gene flow among subpopulations may be limitedthereby increasing opportunities for local-adaptation andspeciation among specific subpopulations. Specializations ofthis kind are likely to play an important role in the conservationstatus of a given species. Current studies for passerinesgenerally support this notion. Unfortunately, similar supportfor shorebird species is lacking. Consequently, using shorebirdconservation status data compiled by the WHSRN, weinvestigated whether the conservation status of 48 shorebirdspecies known to breed throughout the Canadian Arctic wasrelated to their relative strength of migratory connectivity.Results indicated a weak association between conservationstatus and migratory connectivity strength (χ 2 = 2.98, df = 1,P = 0.084). Given the potential role of strong connectivityin shaping sub-species populations, we further investigatedwhether species containing sub-species showed a greaterassociation between migratory connectivity and conservationstatus than those species without sub-species. Our dataindicated that the strength of migratory connectivity of thesub-species (χ 2 = 1.92, df = 1, P = 0.166) or species (χ 2 = 1.19,df = 1, P = 0.275) investigated did not play a role in theirconservation status. In order to fully resolve the potentiallink between migratory connectivity and the conservationstatus of shorebird species, more detailed connectivity datamust be collected.Estimating the demographic costs of migration inthe Upland SandpiperBrett K. Sandercock 1 , Matilde Alfaro 2 & Khara M. Strum1Division of Biology, Kansas State University, USA;bsanderc@ksu.edu2Averaves, Universidad de la República, UruguayConservation of migratory shorebirds would be aided bya better understanding of the seasonal components of demographyin their annual cycle. Understanding seasonalcomponents of demography is important for identifying thelimiting factors and regulatory mechanisms that determinethe population dynamics and the critical stages for effectiveconservation. We report demographic results for migratoryUpland Sandpipers Bartramia longicauda from an 8-yearbreeding study in Kansas and a 1-year non-breeding studyin northern Uruguay. Fecundity rates are low because clutchsize is four eggs, nesting success is low, and re-nesting wasinfrequent. We used mark–recapture models that controlledfor probability of detection and inclusion of transients andfound that annual rates of apparent survival were moderate.Monitoring of radio-marked birds showed that seasonalsurvival was high during breeding and non-breeding stagesof the life cycle. Thus, most of the annual mortality apparentlyoccurs during migration. Population models based onlife-stage simulation analyses indicated that seasonal survivalrates may have the greatest effect on population growth rates.In summary, models of seasonal demography can identifygaps in current knowledge and suggest useful avenues forfuture research.Seasonal movement, residency, and migratorypatterns of Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata acrossmultiple phases of the annual cycle in OregonBrittany B. Cline 1 & Susan M. Haig 21Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon StateUniversity, USA; bcline@usgs.gov2USGS Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Centerand Oregon State University, USAMost cross-seasonal studies of avian movement either establishlinks between geographically distinct wintering, breeding,and migratory stopover locations, or assess site-fidelityand movement within distinct phases of the annual cycle. Farfewer studies investigate individual movement patterns withinand among seasons over an annual cycle. Within westernOregon’s Willamette Valley throughout 2007, we quantifiedintra- and inter-seasonal movement patterns, fidelity(regional/local), and migratory patterns of 37 radio-markedWilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata to elucidate residency ina region of breeding- and wintering-range overlap. Telemetryrevealed complex regional population structure, includingwinter residents (74%), winter transients (14%), summer residents(9%), and one year-round resident breeder (3%). Resultsindicated a lack of connectivity between winter and summercapturepopulations, some evidence of partial migration, andbetween-season snipe fidelity to the region (winter-residentreturn; subsequent fall). Males departed an average of 9.7days earlier than females in spring, whereas females departedbefore males in fall. Protracted spring migration indicated agradual dispersal consistent with energy minimization migrationstrategies. Movements differed significantly by seasonand residency; individuals exhibited contracted movementsduring late winter and more expansive movements duringprecipitation-limited periods (late spring, summer, fall).Mean home-range size was 3.52±0.93 km 2 (100% MCP)and 1.57±0.42 km 2 (95% fixed kernel) and did not vary bysex; however, home-range varied markedly by season (range100% MCP = 1.04 – 7.56 km 2 ). Results highlight the need toconsider seasonal and inter-specific differences in shorebirdlife histories and space-use requirements when developingwetland conservation plans.Tidal effects on use of a natural and an artificial siteby shorebirds on Guerrero Negro, B.C.S., MexicoVíctor Ayala-Pérez & Roberto CarmonaDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; ayala.vic@hotmail.comSaltworks owned by the Compañía Exportadora de Sal(ESSA) are important shorebird habitat near the Ojo de124

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico125Liebre lagoon, Baja California, Mexico. To determine therelation between the tide levels and use of the habitat by theshorebirds in the two zones, we made 10 monthly censusesduring autumn, winter, and spring (Aug 2005 to Mar 2006)in two representative sites during different tide levels. Themost abundant species in both sites were Western Sandpiper,Marbled Godwit, dowitcher spp., and Dunlin. With respectto total abundances we observed a phase angle in the use ofboth sites, probably due to the hydrological conditions or thebiomass of the benthos. The relationship between shorebirdabundance and tide level was positive in the artificial site(ESSA) and negative in the lagoon (Ojo de Liebre). Furthermore,this relationship was particularly strong in the lagoon,and was due to the immediate effect of the tide. In both sites,we observed a more robust relationship during migratoryperiods. In the artificial site the tide level influenced numbersof Western Sandpipers and Dunlins in autumn and spring;Marbled Godwit abundance was affected in all three seasons,and tide had no effect on dowitcher abundance. For the naturalsite, only the Western Sandpiper showed an effect in all threeseasons; tide influenced abundance of the three other speciesonly in winter and spring. ESSA is an important alternativesite for feeding and resting for the shorebirds when the naturalarea is not available.Temporal abundance of shorebirds on the GuerreroNegro–Ojo de Liebre–Exportadora de Sal CoastalLagoon Complex, Baja California Peninsula, MexicoRoberto Carmona 1 , Nallely Arce 1 , Víctor Ayala-Pérez 1 &Gustavo D. Danemann 21Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; beauty@uabcs.mx2Bird Conservation Program, Pronatura Noroeste A.C.,MexicoWe made 12 monthly censuses (Jul 2006 to Jun 2007) todetermine temporal variation in abundance of shorebirdsin the Guerrero Negro and Ojo de Liebre lagoons and inthe Exportadora de Sal area, Baja California, Mexico. Totalnumbers varied from 17,642 (Jun) to 370,463 (Dec). The mostimportant area of shorebird use was Ojo de Liebre (250,000birds), followed by Guerrero Negro and Exportadora de Sal(95,000 and 83,000, respectively). The most abundant specieswere Western Sandpipers (41% of all records), MarbledGodwits (27%), and dowitchers (11%). At times throughoutthe year, the complex contains more than 1% of the populationsof 10 species, including Marbled Godwit (49%) andRed Knot (32%). With respect to the temporal trends of these10 species, three groups emerged. The first group (MarbledGodwit, Willet, Snowy Plover, and Long-billed Curlew) wasmost abundant in autumn and winter, with declining numbersin spring and summer, although in summer abundancesapproached 10%. In the second group (dowitcher and BlackbelliedPlover) abundances were medium in autumn, reachedtheir maxima in winter, diminished in spring, and were verylow in summer. Species in the third group (Red Knot andWestern Sandpiper) had high abundance in autumn, winter,and spring and were absent in summer. The two remainingspecies did not fall into any of these groups. Red-neckedPhalaropes were abundant only in autumn. Dunlins werepresent in low numbers in autumn and higher numbers inwinter and spring, but were absent in summer.Patterns of migratory and winter use of the GuerreroNegro lagoon complex, B.C.S., Mexico,by Short-billed DowitchersGuadalupe Gerardo Marrón Méndez & Roberto CarmonaDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; gmarron97@hotmail.comThe Baja California Peninsula is used by two species ofdowitcher, Short-billed Limnodromus griseus caurinus andLong-billed L. scolopaceus. It is probable that the GuerreroNegro area is used primarily by the Short-billed Dowitcherbecause: (1) fresh-water habitats do not exist, (2) all thebirds that we have captured (530 from Oct 2006 to Nov2008) have been Short-billed, and (3) the range of culmenlengths did not include the range for Long-billed females.To determine temporal patterns of abundance we made 12monthly censuses (Jul 2006 to Jun 2007). At least 51,700individuals used the lagoon complex (68% of the total of thesubspecies). The birds arrived in July (11,900 individuals),and abundances increased to their maximum in Dec (51,700),diminished in Jan (27,460), and began increasing again inFeb (43,100), when they began to decline to their minimumin Jun (600). We identified seven sites used most heavily.The monthly average of culmen length increased from Augto Oct, then dropped and stayed low and constant from Novto Jan, which suggests that the proportion of females wasgreater in autumn. From Aug to Oct, body weights were high,indicating migratory movements; weights were low duringthe winter (Nov–Jan) and then increased in Feb. These resultsreflect different migratory waves. We conclude that the lagooncomplex is particularly important for migrating females andwintering males.Temporal and spatial distribution of shorebirds atLaguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, MexicoLuis F. Mendoza 1 , Roberto Carmona 1 &Gustavo D. Danemann 21Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; Luis_kiwi@hotmail.com2Bird Conservation Program, Pronatura Noroeste A.C.,MexicoWe studied spatial and temporal changes in the abundanceand distribution of shorebirds at San Ignacio Lagoon. Wemade 12 monthly censuses (Oct 2007 to Sep 2008) of theentire internal perimeter of the lagoon, which we dividedinto 14 sub-areas. Shorebird abundance was lowest in May(1,585 birds) and greatest in Oct (47,410). The most abundantspecies were Marbled Godwits (55% of the aggregate total),Western Sandpipers (24%), Willet (11%), and dowitchers(4%). Numbers of Marbled Godwit were greatest in autumn,becoming stabilized in winter and spring and diminishing insummer. Western Sandpiper abundance was high in autumnwith a maximum in early winter (December); abundancediminished through the rest of the winter, and the specieswas absent in summer. Willets showed few changes, withmaxima in autumn and winter and minima in May and June.Dowitchers exhibited greatest abundances in autumn, withlow and fluctuating numbers the rest of year. We observedthat 80% of the sightings were concentrated in six of the 14sub-areas in the southern portion of the lagoon. We conclude

126 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009that these six areas should be the focus of a monitoring planfor shorebirds at Laguna San Ignacio.Migration and wintering of Marbled Godwit inGuerrero Negro, B.C.S., MexicoVíctor Ayala Pérez, Nallely Arce & Roberto CarmonaDepartamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónomade Baja California Sur, Mexico; ayala.vic@hotmail.comThe Baja California peninsula is the most important winteringregion for Marbled Godwits, and our censuses of the lagooncomplex of Ojo de Liebre–Guerrero Negro–Exportadora deSal confirm that this is one of the most important sites forthis species. To determine temporal patterns of abundancewe made 12 monthly censuses (Jul 2006 to Jun 2007) duringwhich we recorded a total of 563,250 observations. Thehighest abundance, in Dec (84,524 individuals), represented50% of the total population estimate. Abundance of godwitswas as high in autumn as in winter and declined considerablyby spring and summer, although in summer the numbers weobserved were still notable (11% of the population estimate).Culmen length for 465 birds we captured (Aug 2007 to Apr2008) was informative about use of the site by godwits.Culmen length for all data showed a bimodal distribution(94 and 114 mm), which reflects the sexual dimorphism, andapparently the sex-ratio was 2:1 in favor of males. This samebimodal distribution of culmen length and sex-ratio persistedacross the seasons suggesting some degree of geographicsegregation of the sexes. Finally, when we analyzed bodyweight by season and observed high variation disguising possibledifferences, caused by the size of the bird, which is whythe weight was standardized with the culmen length. Whenthe data were analyzed with the standardized weight, theyshowed the classic pattern, with medium values in autumn,lighter weights in winter, and heavier weights in spring priorto departure. Thus, Guerrero Negro is the most importantwintering area for this species.Abundance and phenology of charadriidae andscolopacidae in the coastal wetlands of northernYucatan PeninsulaJorge Correa Sandoval, Margarito Tuz Novelo &Alejandro De Alba BocanegraEl Colegio de la Frontera Sur Unidad Chetumal, Mexico;jcorrea@ecosur.mxDuring 2004–2006, we conducted aerial surveys to locateshorebird concentrations and count birds to investigate towhat extent the coastal wetlands of the north-western YucatanPeninsula are used by resident and migratory shorebirdsduring the non-breeding season. A total of 27 species of shorebirdswere identified using the area. The five most abundantwere: Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri (32.3 %), dowitchersLimnodromus spp. (16.1 %), Least Sandpiper C. minutilla(16.1 %), Sanderling C. alba (7.8 %), and yellowlegs Tringaspp. (6.6 %); these made up 79 % of identified shorebirds.Using only peak counts for each species there were 37,911shorebirds in winter 2004 and 26,818 in autumn 2006. Similarly,a total of 48,153 and 51,058 shorebirds were recordedin 2004–2005 and 2005–2006. Based on abundance the threemore important sites are La Carbonera, Ciénaga de Progreso,and Las Coloradas. The general phenology pattern shows agreater abundance during southbound migration, less duringwinter and even less during northbound migration; howeverwhen individual species abundances are analyzed, five differentpatterns are recognized. The region qualifies as a siteof regional importance within the WHSRN. We anticipatethat, as distribution and variability of food resources areunderstood and information on length of stay of the mostabundant species allow us to re-compute total figures, theimportance of the region in the life cycles of shorebirds willbe better understood.Distribution, abundance and habitat use of BuffbreastedSandpiper Tryngites subruficollis inEstancia La Rinconada, Rocha Lagoon, Uruguay,as a basis for habitat management of the speciesJoaquín Aldabe 1 , Daniel Blanco 2 & Pablo Rocca 11Aves Uruguay; joaquin@aldabe.org2Wetlands International, ArgentinaBuff-breasted Sandpiper is a Nearctic–Neotropical migratoryshorebird that has its main non-breeding concentrations inArgentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The habitat of the species inthe wintering areas is short grasslands (

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico127later when the Calidris Association carried out aerial, aquatic,and terrestrial surveys between Dec 2007 and Jan 2008.These surveys were conducted to determine major winteringareas used by shorebirds on the Caribbean coast. We coveredapproximately 500 km of coastline including six provinces,some deltas, several mangrove swamps, inland wetlandsand vast intertidal flats. To describe shorebird distributionpatterns, the coast was broken down into four zones, each ofwhich was subdivided into sectors with a distinctive ecologicalcharacter. Ground surveys were undertaken in most of thezones surveyed to confirm the accuracy of aerial counts. Morethan 36,000 shorebirds were counted. Small species werepredominant comprising 73% of the total. Both aerial andground observations indicated that the largest flocks of peepsconsisted predominantly of Western Sandpiper, Semipal matedSandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover. Surveys clearly identifiedthe wetlands of La Guajira coast and the Rio Magdalenadelta as the most important wintering areas for shorebirdson Colombia’s Caribbean coast. This information confirmsand complements the Morrison and Ross data constituting animproved baseline to evaluate the conservation of shorebirdsand their habitats on the Caribbean coast.Population dynamics, molt, mass and life-historystrategies of Buff-breasted Sandpipers in BrazilJuliana B. Almeida & Lewis W. OringEcology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Program,Univ. Nevada, Reno, USA; jalmeida@unr.nevada.eduThe Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis is ashorebird of critical conservation concern. Habitat loss onthe wintering grounds has been suggested as the cause ofrecent declines. However, implementation of conservationactions within the wintering range is hindered by lack ofaccurate information on population dynamics and winteringecology. To obtain needed information on the species’ winteringecology, we captured and banded 214 Buff-breastedSandpipers over three consecutive boreal winters (Oct–Mar)at Lagoa do Peixe National Park, Brazil. Our objectiveswere to investigate variation in migration schedule, lengthof stay and site-tenacity, as well as molt schedule and massgain among males and females and adults and juveniles, andassociate these characteristics with life-history strategies.Buff-breasted Sandpipers were present at Lagoa do Peixefrom mid-Sep through mid-Mar. Mark–recapture analysesindicated that males initiated northward migration beforefemales and suggested that males have a higher emigrationrate. Males were in better body condition (index of mass/tarsus length) than females, but change in condition was notconsistent among years. The heavy molt undertaken from lateOct until early Feb may explain the lack of mass gain duringthis period. Males finish wing and tail molt earlier thanfemales, and adults finish wing molt earlier than juveniles.During the linear period of wing molt, males and birds in bettercondition had higher molt rates. These results indicate thatmigration strategies differ by sex, age, and body condition,with readiness to migrate being achieved first by adult males.Foraging behavior of non-breeding Marbled Godwits,Whimbrels, and Long-billed Curlewsin the Estero de Urias, Sinaloa, MexicoLuis F. Sauma-Castillo 1 & Guillermo Fernández 21Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, ICML–UNAM,Mexico; luisauma@ola.icmyl.unam.mx2Unidad Académica Mazatlán, ICML–UNAM, MexicoWe studied the foraging behavior of nonbreeding WhimbrelsNumenius phaeopus, Long-billed Curlews N. americanus,and Marbled Godwits Limosa fedoa in the Estero de Urias,Sinaloa, Mexico. Focal shorebird observations were conductedfrom Sep 2007 to Apr 2008 for two tide levels (

CONSERVATIONThe effect of off-road vehicles on migrating shorebirdsKatherina ForguesDepartment of Biology, Trent University, Canada;katherinaforg@trentu.caDramatic declines in shorebird populations have sparked aflurry of research aimed at improving conservation efforts.However, there are still large gaps in knowledge concerningthe causes of shorebird declines. Recent studies show thatrecreational activities pose a significant threat to shorebirds.Understanding how recreational activities affect shorebirdpopulations is critical to piecing together the puzzle behindtheir decline. During 2007–2008, we examined the effect ofoff-road vehicles on shorebirds during spring and fall migrationat Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland.Species diversity showed a steady decrease as the volumeof off-road vehicles on the beach increased. Likewise, abundanceof commonly occurring species significantly declinedwith increasing off-road vehicle presence, while rarer speciesavoided areas with off-road vehicles entirely. Habitat qualitywas also affected by off-road vehicles, as evidenced by declinesin roost abundances and food availability with increasingoff-road vehicle presence. In addition to providing usefulinformation for shorebird conservation efforts, these findingswill also be incorporated into National Park Service managementplans to minimize disturbance to migrating shorebirds.Future studies to conserve shorebirds and minimize the threatof recreational activities should be focused on fitness aspectssuch as physical condition of migrating shorebirds in areaswith recreational activities compared to those without.Farming for wildlife: creating shorebird habitatin the pacific flywayJulie A. Morse 1 , Kevin Morse 1 & Gary Slater 21The Nature Conservancy, USA; jmorse@tnc.org2Ecostudies Institute, USALoss of wetland habitats is one of the primary hypotheses forexplaining the widespread population declines of shorebirds.In the Skagit River Delta of Washington, an area that supportssignificant numbers of shorebirds during the migrationand non-breeding seasons, 70% of estuarine and 90% offresh water wetlands have been lost during the last centuryto development and conversion for agriculture. To addressthis threat, The Nature Conservancy and partner agencies areworking with farmers to assess the feasibility of creating temporarywetland habitats as part of their crop rotation program.Since 2007, shorebird use, invertebrate abundance, vegetation,and soil fertility data have been collected on flooded,grazed, and sod harvest treatment fields during migration andwintering periods. Preliminary data suggest shorebird use ishighest on flooded fields during fall and spring migration,and is consistent across tide heights. The most abundantspecies observed on flooded fields were Least Sandpipers,Long-billed Dowitchers, and Greater Yellowlegs. Shorebirdabundance on the flooded fields was significantly lower in2008 during the second year of flooding. Concurrent researchis examining the use of agricultural and estuarine habitats bytracking movements of radio-marked Dunlin in the winter.While much work remains to be done to quantify the ecologicalbenefit of wetland rotations, the project is promising asa means to provide shorebird habitat while also achievingagronomic and economic benefits for farmers.Exposure of non-breeding migratory shorebirdsto cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticidesin the Western HemisphereKhara M. Strum 1 , Michael J. Hooper 2 , Kevin A. Johnson 3 ,Richard B. Lanctot 4 , María Elena Zaccagnini 5 &Brett K. Sandercock 61Division of Biology, Kansas State University, USA;kmstrum@ksu.edu2The Institute of Environmental and Human Health,Texas Tech University, USA;3Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences,Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, USA;4USFWS, Migratory Bird Management, Alaska, USA;5Instituto de Recursos Biológicos, INTA-CIRN, Argentina;6Division of Biology, Kansas State University, USADuring their annual movements, shorebirds frequently forageand roost in agricultural habitats potentially increasing theirrisk of exposure to cholinesterase (ChE)-inhibiting pesticides.Organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate (CB) compounds arecommon anti-ChEs and exposure can cause sub-lethal effectsand even death. To evaluate exposure of migratory shorebirdsto OPs and CBs, we sampled birds at migratory stopover sitesduring north- and southbound migration in North Americaand at non-breeding sites in South America. We comparedChE activity between reference sites with no known OP orCB applications and agricultural sites where agrochemicalswere recommended for control of crop pests. Plasma acetylcholinesterase(AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)activity levels of Buff-breasted Sandpipers were lower atagricultural sites as compared to reference sites in SouthAmerica, indicative of exposure to OP and CB pesticides.A meta-analysis across six study species resulted in four ofsix and one of six negative species-specific effect sizes forAChE and BChE, respectively, indicating negative effectsof agricultural habitats on ChE activity. Results of plasmaChE reactivation assays and footwash analyses were inconclusive.Exposure to ChE-inhibitors can result in decreasedbody mass; however, comparisons of body mass betweentreatments and hemispheres suggest that habitat use did notaffect body mass dynamics. Our results suggest that exposureto ChE-inhibiting pesticides is occurring at specific sites onthe non-breeding grounds but not at migratory stopover sites.Future research should examine shorebird habitat use duringthe non-breeding season and identify other potential sites ofexposure.Planning for shorebird conservation in theSonoran Joint Venture AreaCarol BeardmoreU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sonoran Joint Venture, USA;Carol_Beardmore@fws.govThe Sonoran Joint Venture (SJV) includes the southern partof Arizona and California, and the Mexican states of Sonora,128

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico129Sinaloa, Baja California and Baja California Sur. Shorebirdhabitat is found at both inland sites such as the Salton Sea andalong the over 3,000 miles of coastline. Habitats for shorebirdsinclude desert playas, rocky shore, salt ponds, beach,and agricultural areas that are used for breeding, migration,and over-wintering. This presentation will focus on our planningprocess, recommendations, projects completed, andfuture shorebird conservation needs. For the SJV’s planningprocess and resulting Bird Conservation Plan, shorebirdswere not considered as a separate group but were analyzedwith landbirds, waterfowl, and waterbirds using a processsimilar to the Partners in Flight Species Assessment Process.If that analysis did not include a priority species from the U.S.Shorebird Plan, it was added. Congruity was high betweenthe two methodologies (90%). Programs for Binational birdconservation used in the SJV area, specific projects, partnerships,and training will be showcased.MIGRATIONThe position of short- and intermediate-distancemigrating shorebirds in the capital–incomebreeding continuumSarah E. Jamieson 1 , Marcel Klaassen 2 &Richard B. Lanctot 31Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University,Canada; sjamieso@sfu.ca2Netherlands Institute of Ecology, The Netherlands;3U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Migratory Bird Management, Alaska, USAMany shorebirds migrate to breed in the north. To successfullybreed, especially given the short season, individuals maybring reserves from wintering sites (i.e., capital breeding).The contrasting strategy is income breeding. Once they havearrived on the breeding grounds, animals obtain energy locally.Previous work shows that shorebirds are primarily incomebreeders. However, it is possible that the species examinedmay not have been representative of all shorebirds since theyall had long migratory flights and to fuel these flights theywould have likely drawn heavily on their energy reserve thusforcing them to adopt an income strategy. In contrast, short- tointermediate-distance migrants may arrive with reserves stillpresent and thus employ a more capital strategy. In additionto migration distance, time available for breeding may alsoinfluence where individuals obtain resources for breeding.Where time available for breeding is limited (e.g., at highlatitudes or when spring arrives late), it may be advantageousto invest capital to ensure an earlier start to breeding. Usingstable isotopes, we examined how these variables influencedwhere short- to intermediate-distance migratory shorebirdsfell along the capital–income continuum. We found thatthe birds we examined were primarily income breeders andthat there was no significant effect of migration distance,season length (based on latitude and spring arrival), or nestingdate. We surmise that the small size of these shorebirds,and potentially all shorebirds, tilts the balance of the costsand benefits of carrying reserves with them to the breedinggrounds towards the income end of the continuum.Spring stopover ecology of Whimbrel along theDelmarva Peninsula of VirginiaBryan D. Watts 1 , Barry R. Truitt 2 , Adam E. Duerr 1 , FletcherM. Smith 1 , Elizabeth K. Mojica 1 , Barton J. Paxton 1 &Alexandra L. Wilke 21Center for Conservation Biology, College of William andMary, Virginia, USA; bdwatt@wm.edu2Virginia Coast Reserve, The Nature Conservancy, USALittle is known about the location and relative significanceof staging areas for Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus duringmigration. Aerial transect surveys conducted in the mid-1990s demonstrated that large numbers of Whimbrels stagealong the lower Delmarva Peninsula in Virginia. The lackof significant numbers of Whimbrels to the north of this siteand the timing of exodus relative to arrival on the breedinggrounds suggest that this site is a terminal staging area alongthe Atlantic Coast. During the spring of 2008, we captured26 Whimbrels during 30 April to 20 May. When mass wasplotted over time, it appeared that mass increased throughoutthe stopover period by an average of 10 g per day. Initial masswas approximately 360 g (intercept value) and increased toa maximum of 640 g. Of 24 birds fitted with telemetry units,all left the study area within a 4-d period (third week ofMay). Birds appear to stage along the Delmarva Peninsulafor a period of 3–4 wks before initiating a nonstop flight tothe breeding grounds. A single individual fitted with a 9.5 gsatellite transmitter was tracked on a nonstop, transcontinentalflight to the MacKenzie River Delta and then on to a breedinglocation on the North Slope of Alaska. This finding suggeststhat the study area may represent a staging area for portionsof both the Hudson Bay and Alaska breeding populations andis the only known site where these populations commingle.Shorebird migration stopover in Falcon State,VenezuelaSandra B. Giner F.Postgrado de Ecología, Instituto de Zoología Tropical,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela,Venezuela; sandra.giner@ciens.ucv.veFalcon State is the state with the largest number of coastalwetlands (17) and longest coastline (685 km) in Venezuela.Morrison conducted aerial surveys in 1982, including 25localities in the state of Falcon, finding a total of 13,537shorebirds. Some of the sites surveyed had no shorebirds,despite reports indicating their presence. This study presentsthe results of surveys carried out at eight sites covered byMorrison, showing numbers and species-diversity of shorebirds,and making comparisons between the two surveys.Censuses were carried out during 2007 and 2008, alongtransects at each site; we conducted 1–5 censuses at eachlocality. Using the maximum numbers in each census, therewere 19,300 individual shorebirds, belonging to 22 species,including 15,000 small shorebirds, 2,500 middle-sized, and

130 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 20091,800 large-sized shorebirds. These surveys showed thatthere were five times more shorebirds in the same eight sitesthan during the 1982 census and highlight the importance ofthe Falcon state for shorebirds. This arises because there arenumerous suitable stopover and wintering sites, and, for somethere are shorebird records going back over 30 years, indicatingrecurring shorebird use. We recommend continuousmonitoring during migration periods, extending monitoring toother potential stopover sites, and promoting the conservationof wetlands as a strategy for shorebird conservation.TEMPERATE BREEDING & GENETICSIncubation patterns and parental care of Blackoystercatchers Haematopus bachmani in AlaskaCaleb Spiegel 1 , Susan Haig 2 , Michael Goldstein 3 &Manuela Huso 41Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon StateUniversity & U.S.G.S. Forest and Rangeland EcosystemScience Center, USA; cspiegel@usgs.gov2U.S.G.S. Forest and Rangeland EcosystemScience Center, USA;3U.S.D.A. Forest Service Alaska Region, USA4Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society,Oregon State University, USAUnderstanding factors that influence parental behavior isfundamental to the study of shorebird ecology and informedconservation practices. Egg care is an important aspect ofparental behavior that is proximally influenced by a variableenvironment. This work examines the relationships ofcyclical (time of day, tide cycle, temperature, seasonality)and stochastic (natural/human disturbance) processes withincubation patterns (attendance, bout lengths, recess rates) ofthe Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani, a shorebirdof conservation concern. Continuous video monitoring of 13molecularly-sexed incubating oystercatcher pairs revealedbehaviors poorly documented in the genus. Analyses of3,177 h of video footage indicated greater nest attendance(54% vs. 42%, P < 0.018) and longer bout lengths amongfemales (88 min vs. 73 min, P < 0.004), a near doublingof nocturnal bout length independent of sex (P < 0.001),and the influence of tide cycle and ambient temperature onincubation patterns. Bouts interrupted by disturbance were>50% shorter than undisturbed bouts (P < 0.001). Incubatingmales departed nests more frequently in response to nest-areadisturbance stimuli than females, reflecting the greater roleof males in nest defense (P < 0.001). Thirty-two per cent ofvideo-monitored nests failed, primarily due to egg predationby nocturnal mammals, implying higher nighttime risk ofegg loss. Findings suggest that the sexes exhibit different,but complimentary incubation patterns, facilitating efficientincubation in a dynamic, fluctuating environment. This studyemphasizes the importance of considering undisturbed patternsof nest behavior and natural disturbances in studiesexamining the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance.Dispersal patterns in breeding Mountain PloversCharadrius montanusPaul D.B. Skrade & Stephen J. DinsmoreDept of Natural Resource Ecology & Management,Iowa State University, USA; skradepa@iastate.eduThe rapid multi-clutch mating system of the Mountain PloverCharadrius montanus provides an opportunity to examinesex differences in natal, within-, and between-year breedingdispersal. We used nest locations from a Montana breedingpopulation over a 14-year period to examine patterns of sexbias in natal and within-year breeding dispersal. Additionally,we modeled between-year dispersal distance with sex, previousnest fate, and presence of sylvatic plague as covariates.We found no sex bias in natal dispersal (mean = 12.96 km for16 males; mean = 10.18 km for 22 females) or within-yearbreeding dispersal (mean = 2.81 km for 22 males; mean =2.97 km for 26 females). The mean dispersal distance was2.74 km (n = 115, SE = 0.60) for males nesting in consecutiveyears and 4.32 km (n = 87, SE = 0.87) for females. Onaverage, birds that were successful moved 2.99 km (n = 149,SE = 0.55) between nesting attempts, while those whosenests had failed moved 4.63 km (n = 53, SE = 1.18). Sex ofthe tending adult and prior nest fate had the strongest effectson between-year breeding dispersal with a positive effect ondispersal distance for both females and birds whose nestshad failed the previous year; there was a weak year effectbut no effect of sylvatic plague. Our work provides 1) a betterunderstanding of dispersal in an uncommon shorebird, 2)additional insight into a novel mating system, and 3) a basisfor testing theories of avian dispersal.Population genetic assessment in Piping PloversSusan M. Haig 1 , Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor 2 ,Thomas D. Mullins 1 & Mark P. Miller1U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland ScienceCenter (USGS FRESC), USA; susan_haig@usgs.gov2Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre,Environment CanadaIn this study, we undertook the first comprehensive molecular,genetic-based investigation of Piping Plovers Charadriusmelodus, a threatened or endangered shorebird throughoutits range. Our goals were to 1) address higher level subspecifictaxonomic issues, 2) characterize population geneticstructure, and 3) make inferences regarding past bottlenecksand demographic processes. Our analyses were based onmitochondrial DNA sequences (n = 245 individuals) andeigth nuclear microsatellite loci (n = 229 individuals). Basedon our findings, we illustrate strong support for separateCoastal and Interior Piping Plover subspecies (C. m. melodusand C. m. circumcinctus, respectively). Birds from the GreatLakes region were allied with the Interior subspecies group.Population genetic analyses suggested that genetic structurewas stronger among Coastal birds than Interior birds. Furthermore,demographic analyses suggested that Interior birdshave previously experienced genetic bottlenecks, whereas noevidence for such patterns existed among the Atlantic sub-

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico131species. Likewise, genetic analyses indicated that the GreatLakes region has experienced a population expansion. Thisfinding may be interpreted as population growth followinga previous bottleneck event. No evidence for populationexpansions were found for Atlantic individuals. We interpretour demographic insights in light of 15 years of InternationalPiping Plover census data. Overall, differences observedbetween Interior and Atlantic birds may reflect differencesin spatiotemporal stability of Piping Plover nesting habitatbetween regions.Snowy vs Kentish Plover: a matter of geneticsClemens Küpper 1 , Jakob Augustin 2 , András Kosztolányi 1,3 ,Terry Burke 4 & Tamás Székely 11Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University ofBath, UK; C.Kupper@bath.ac.uk2Department of Zoology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden;3Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University,Pázmány Péter sétány, Hungary;4Department of Animal and Plant Sciences,University of Sheffield, UKMolecular genetic analyses have provided new insightsinto the phylogeny and taxonomy of shorebirds. However,the tips of the phylogeny are often still poorly resolved. Anumber of shorebird species have large distributions but theirbreeding populations are often scattered and it is not knownwhether the populations are reproductively isolated. We reanalysedphenotypic characters and used genetic markersto investigate population differentiation and divergence inthe Kentish/Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. Thiscosmopolitan small shorebird can be found on all continentsexcept Antarctica. Populations in Eurasia are usually called‘Kentish Plover’ whilst populations in America are usuallynamed ‘Snowy Plover’. Whether they constitute one or severalspecies has been debated, but currently all populationsare considered as one species. A correct taxonomic classificationis also of importance for conservation managementsince worldwide many populations are declining. We foundconsistent phenotypic differences between American andEurasian populations in songs and tarsus length. Results from26 microsatellite and three mitochondrial markers examinedin 11 plover populations show that American and Eurasianpopulations are genetically different and that, in fact, KentishPlovers are more closely related to African White-frontedPlovers Charadrius marginatus than to Snowy Plovers.Snowy plovers showed a remarkably low genetic diversitysuggesting a major bottleneck in the past. Subspecies of bothKentish and Snowy Plover appeared to be genetically coherentdespite population fragmentation. However, remote islandpopulations differed from continental populations accordingto microsatellite, but not according to mitochondrial markers.General PostersSan Julian’s Bay, Southern Patagonia, Argentina:a new important site for shorebirdson the Patagonian coastCarlos Albrieu, Silvia Ferrari, Zulma Lizarralde &Susana PittalugaUniversidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral,Unidad Académica, Río Gallegos, Argentina;albrieuc@infovia.com.arSan Julian’s Bay has large tidal amplitude, extensive intertidalmudflats and sandflats, with abundant macro-invertebratesand salt marsh. Although the bay was listed as a potentiallyimportant site for shorebirds, the use of the site by shorebirdsis not well known. We present information about the speciesoccurring there, relative abundance, areas of feeding, resting,and breeding in the bay, from studies carried out in Feb–Mar2007 and the literature. We found 15 shorebird species (sevenNeartic and eight Patagonian), representing 65% of the listedshorebirds for the Patagonian coast. The most abundant specieswas a Neartic migrant, White-rumped Sandpiper Calidrisfuscicollis, followed by two Patagonian species: Two-bandedPlover Charadrius falklandicus and Magellanic OystercatcherHaematopus leucopodus. We found nests of American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus, Blackish OystercatcherH. ater and Two-banded Plover. We also recorded HudsonianGodwit Limosa haemastica and Red Knot Calidris canutus,which were only observed during northward migration, andWhimbrel Numenius phaeopus which was recorded in bothmigration seasons. We conclude that San Julian’s Bay is animportant site for shorebirds in view of both the diversity andabundance of species and the fact that it is a nesting site fortwo Patagonian species. This emphasizes the need to identifythe most important threats and to prioritize conservationactions.Red Knots Calidris canutus rufa in UruguayJoaquín AldabeAves Uruguay; joaquin@aldabe.orgHistorical and recent field records of Red Knots in Uruguaysuggest that the coast of the country is used as a stopoversite, but no examination of the existing information has beencarried out. The objective of this study was to put all the fieldrecords together, both historical and recent, to contribute tothe understanding of the timing and abundance of the speciesin Uruguay. Data were obtained from public databases, theliterature, and field notes of local ornithologists. Additionally,two censuses were carried out in Dec 2007 and Apr 2008. Theinformation obtained is not sufficiently complete to determinerobust ecological patterns, but some preliminary conclusionsand hypotheses can be made. First, the species makesuse of the Uruguayan coast particularly during the monthsof Mar, Apr and May. The main areas are sandy beachesof the Department of Rocha: La Coronilla, Barra del Chuy,La Paloma, and Cabo Polonio. Some historical and recentrecords of the species were from southbound migration.Several records of a few individuals were obtained during theaustral winter. This suggests that some individuals remain inwintering areas, at least for one austral winter. Just a few birdswere recorded during April 2008 in La Coronilla-Barra delChuy. This suggests that use of the Uruguayan coast mightbe variable between years. Research on population size, timingamong years, and characterization of key sites is needed.

132 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009Shorebird migration through Popayán Plateau,Colombian AndesFernando Ayerbe-Quiñones 1 , Richard Johnston-González 2 ,Juan Pablo López-Ordóñez 1 ,María Fernanda González-Rojas 1 & Catalina Casas-Cruz 11GECO- Grupo de Estudios en Geología,Ecología y Conservación, Universidad del Cauca, Museo deHistoria Natural, Universidad del Cauca, Colombia;fayerbe@hotmail.com2Asociación Calidris, ColombiaNon-coastal shorebird flyways in the Neotropics remainpoorly understood. Museum skins from the mid-20th Centuryand surveys carried out in the 1990s show autumn migrationof shorebirds through Popayán, a plateau located in themiddle of the Central and Western ranges of the ColombianAndes. To assess habitat use and evaluate the current statusof shorebirds using the plateau, we conducted weekly censusesduring Sep–Dec 2007–2008 on pastures surroundingPopayán city. Eight shorebird species were recorded, withUpland Sandpiper accounting for 60% of records. Overallshorebird abundance decreased, the decline being close to80% for Buff-Breasted, Pectoral and Baird’s Sandpipers.Pasturelands were used mainly by Pectoral and Baird’sSandpiper and wetlands and seasonal ponds were used byLesser Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpiper during the rainyseason (Oct). Urban expansion is the main threat to shorebirdhabitats on the Popayán Plateau. Searches of other stopoversites for shorebirds in the Andes and their relationships withbreeding and wintering grounds are critical to understandingnon-coastal shorebird migration. Local habitat conservationinitiatives are necessary in order to maintain the value of thePopayán Plateau for shorebirds.Breeding system and offspring survival ofSnowy Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus nivosusbreeding at Ceuta, MexicoMedardo Cruz-López 1 , Araceli Argüelles-Ticó 2 ,Lydia Lozano-Angulo 1 , Marcos Bucio-Pacheco 1 &Clemens Küpper 21Escuela de Biología, Ciudad Universitaria, Sinaloa,Mexico; tod472@gmail.com2Department of Biology and Biochemistry,University of Bath, UKSnowy Plovers are one of the few bird species with a veryflexible breeding system that can include polyandry, polygynyand monogamy together with uniparental or biparental care.We studied the breeding biology of Pacific Snowy Ploversbreeding in NW Mexico at Ceuta Bay (23°N, 106°W).Fieldwork was carried out during Apr–Jul 2006–2008 withthe aim of recording all breeding attempts of Snowy Plovers.We considered adults as “monogamous” when they retainedtheir mate during subsequent breeding attempts. Adults thatchanged their mate were considered as polygamous (polyandrousfemales and polygynous males). We determined parentalcare and reproductive success by following families fromhatching of the chicks until they had reached an age of 25days or all chicks had died. Sixteen males were polygynous(2006 = 5, 2007 = 8, 2008 = 3), whilst 15 were monogamous(2006 = 5, 2007 = 7, 2008 = 3); 41 females were polyandrous(2006 = 9, 2007 = 22, 2008 = 10) whilst 15 females weremonogamous (2006 = 5, 2007 = 7, 2008 = 3). The proportionof biparental care decreased with brood-age as more femalesdeserted their broods. We determined the fate of 110 broods(2006 = 36, 2007 = 44 and 2008 = 30). Of these, only 97chicks survived until fledgling age over the study period.In conclusion, we found more females than males to be polygamousand male care is the predominant care-type in thispopulation. The number of fledglings differed greatly acrossyears, which is probably due to differences in availability ofsuitable brood habitat due to yearly fluctuation in water levels.Observations of Red Knots Calidris canutus rufain south and north-east BrazilCarmem Fedrizzi & Caio CarlosAQUASIS - Associacao de Pesquisa e Conservacao dosEcossistemas Aquaticos, Brazil; limicolas@yahoo.com.brThis study reports on Red Knot ground surveys conducted inthe states of Rio Grande do Sul (RS; 2005–2006) and Ceara(CE; 2008) in S and NE Brazil respectively. In RS c.8,000birds were found in April 2005, 5,000 of which were concentratedin the vicinity of Lagoa do Peixe (LP) in southern RS.In May, we counted 3,600, most of which were along oceanicbeaches. From Oct 2005 to May 2006, efforts were focused onLP, especially near the lagoon’s inlet and on adjacent oceanbeaches. In the lagoon, Red Knots were more abundant inNov (180 birds), Feb (364), and Apr (813). On the beaches thelarger numbers were recorded in Oct (90), Mar (93), and Apr(81). The rufa subspecies of the Red Knot has undergone adrastic population decline over the last decade and it is worthmentioning that the 5,000 birds observed in LP in April 2005corresponded to almost a third of the Red Knot populationthat wintered in Tierra del Fuego that year. This reinforces theimportance of the coast of RS for Red Knots while migratingnorth. We recently (Sep 2008) started new research in a tidaldelta in CE. Maximum monthly numbers were: 537 in Sep,441 in Oct, 216 in Nov, and 513 in Dec. We also resightedsome birds with color bands/flags. This area has never beensystematically surveyed before, and was not previouslyknown as a significant wintering area for Red Knots.Shorebirds in the Caimanero Lagoon,Sinaloa, Mexico: species composition andseasonal abundanceGuillermo Fernández 1 & Aurea Estrada 21Unidad Académica, Mazatlán, ICML–UNAM, Mexico;gfernandez@ola.icmyl.unam.mx2Ducks Unlimited de México, A.C., MexicoThis study describes the species composition, seasonalabundance, and habitat distribution of shorebirds in the CaimaneroLagoon, Sinaloa, Mexico. Surveys of shorebirds wereconducted once a month from Nov 2007 to Sep 2008. Werecorded 23 shorebird species. Taking the highest recordednumber for each species, the estimated minimum abundancein the study period was 23,140 birds. The three most abundantspecies were Western Sandpiper, American Avocet, anddowitcher spp. The composition and seasonal abundanceof shorebirds varied throughout the study. Species richnessand abundance was high in Nov (21 species and 9,297 birds,respectively), decreased from Dec to Mar (14 species, 3,632birds), peaked in Apr (18 species, 9,442 birds), and decreased

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico133again after May with the lowest values in Jul (11 species, 674birds). This pattern suggests that the lagoon is an importantsite for shorebirds during the winter and northbound migration.The habitat distribution of shorebirds was influenced bychanges in water levels. During Nov–Feb, abundance of birdswas similar throughout the lagoon. After Mar, shorebirdstended to concentrate in the south-western portion due to adecrease in water levels, which resulted in dry mudflats inthe northern part of the lagoon. Species like American Oystercatcher,Snowy Plover, and Wilson’s Plover use the lagoonas a breeding area during Mar–Jun. Further development ofthe lagoon is planned, so it should be protected for the benefitof migratory and nesting shorebirds. Using Western HemisphereShorebird Network criteria, the lagoon is of RegionalImportance for shorebirds.Disturbance for shorebirds in the urban coastreserve Río Gallegos, southern Patagonia,Argentina, and response to human presenceSilvia Ferrari 1 , Celeste Mercuri 2 , Katiza Dragnic 1 &Mariano Bertinat 11Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral,Unidad Académica Río Gallegos, Argentina;sferrari@uarg.unpa.edu.ar2Universidad Nacional de la Pampa, ArgentinaShorebirds are particularly sensitive to disturbance in feedingor resting areas. In 2006–2007, with the object of contributingto planning for the Urban Coast Reserve Rio Gallegos,Argentina, we identified disturbance sources in the area, consideringas such, any event which altered the normal activitiesof the birds. In spring 2007, we analyzed the behaviour ofPatagonian and Nearctic shorebirds, establishing the distanceat which shorebirds responded to an approaching observerin different situations (different tidal levels, seasons andbird activity). We recorded the reason why shorebirds weredisturbed in 71% of cases (n = 66), mainly during Nov–Feb.Walkers were the most frequent cause (43% 2006, 63%2007), followed by dogs (36% 2006, 26% 2007), thoughdogs caused greater disturbance to the birds. The MagellanicOystercatcher Haematopus leucopodus turned out to be oneof the most vulnerable species, responding with alert behaviourat 38±18 m and taking flight at 34±8 m during high tide.They were more sensitive in the middle–low tide, when theywere usually feeding (50±15 m and 41±8 m, respectively).To minimize impact and regulate the behaviour of people,we recommend using the data we have obtained to createinterpretive paths and limit human use of the beach in areaswhere shorebirds are concentrated.Foraging–predation tradeoffs and habitat use ofshorebirds in a developing coastal landscapeRachel Gardiner & Dov LankSimon Fraser University, Canada; rjg8@sfu.caThe Fraser River estuary supports millions of shorebirdsannually, including internationally important numbers ofWestern Sandpipers Calidris mauri (2 million), DunlinCalidris alpina (100,000) and Black-bellied Plovers Pluvialissquatarola (3,000–5,000) making it a key site in the WesternHemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network. My research buildson and synthesizes a decade of previous work examining theuse of this area by migrant Western Sandpipers and winteringDunlin and has shown that habitat use is influenced byspatial and temporal (tidal and diurnal) variation in (1) foodavailability, and (2) predation risk, primarily from PeregrineFalcons Falco peregrinus, and, in some years, Snowy OwlsBubo scandiacus. I will use these basic findings to createpredictive, spatially-explicit models of habitat use (bothpresence–absence and abundance) by shorebirds in the FraserRiver Delta. This will involve (1) generation of GIS layersof the dynamics of food and safety with respect to day, tide,and season, (2) mapping shorebird presence and abundanceon these surfaces, and (3) modeling the relationships betweenthem. The variables behind the food availability surfacesinclude mudflat sediment characteristics, hydrology, andagricultural characteristics for farmland. Variables affectingspatial and temporal patterns of predation danger have alsobeen established, but spatially explicit predictions have beenlimited to presence/absence and have been tested only atselected sites within the estuary. My composite model willintegrate both components contributing to observed habitatdistributions, adding the response variable of abundance, andwill test the sensitivity of previous models at other locations.The effect of predator migration on theage-specific migration strategies of theWestern Sandpiper Calidris mauriDavid Hope 1 , David Lank 1 , Barry Smith 2 & Ron Ydenberg 11Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of BiologicalSciences, Simon Fraser University, Canada; dhope@sfu.ca2Canadian Wildlife Service, CanadaWestern Sandpiper Calidris mauri migration presents amodel for examining the effect of predation on migratoryand stopover behaviours in shorebirds. Each fall, adultC. mauri depart their breeding grounds one month beforetheir juvenile offspring. The major predator of C. mauri,Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus migrates in increasingnumbers throughout the juvenile migration. Based onoptimal migration theory, we hypothesize that adult WesternSandpipers will act as “Time-minimizers” at stopover sitesin order to reach their wintering grounds and molt before themigratory Peregrine Falcons arrive. Juveniles will behave as“Predation-minimizers” due to their temporal proximity tomigrating F. peregrinus. We observed vigilance behaviourflight distance of foraging C. mauri at a fall stopover pointin Boundary Bay, B.C., Canada. We predicted that adultswould take more risks, including decreasing vigilance, andspending more time in high danger, high food abundanceareas, in order to maximize food intake for maximized speedof migration. Juveniles were predicted to have increasedvigilance and avoid dangerous habitats to increase detectionrate of an attack, but decreasing food intake. Age was foundto be a major factor influencing the proportion of time vigilantand the flight distance. Juveniles were more vigilant, but hada shorter flight distance than adults. Adults were also foundin more dangerous habitat. Future work will be needed toexplore the relationship between juvenile and adult WesternSandpipers and their predators at numerous stopover pointsalong their southward migration.

134 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009Pacific Dunlins show a high propensity forsecond clutch productionSarah E. JamiesonCentre for Wildlife Ecology,Simon Fraser University, Canada; sjamieso@sfu.caThe breeding ecology of the Pacific Dunlin Calidris alpinapacifica was studied on the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska,during the summers of 2004–2006. Nest and fledging successvaried between years from 41 to 61% and 20% to 45% respectively.Pacific Dunlin showed a high propensity for re-nesting,and on average 75% of failed first clutches were replaced,though only 12% of the replacement clutches produced fledglings.Re-nesting increased the overall reproductive outputfrom the study plots by 7%, from 37% to 44%. The amount oftime between the loss of the first clutch and completion of thereplacement clutch depended on how far into incubation thefirst clutch was lost, and whether the male re-nested with thesame or a new mate. In this population, there was also a highfrequency of double-brooding (i.e., individuals that desertedtheir first brood and went on to produce a second clutch witha new mate). About 19% of adults that deserted the broods oftheir first nest went on to double-brood on the study site. Theearliest-laying individuals were more likely to double-brood,and deserted their broods after a shorter period of attendancethan those that did not double-brood.Fall stopover ecology of juvenile SemipalmatedPlover Charadrius semipalmatusin the St Lawrence estuaryJean-François Lamarre 1 , Joël Bêty 1 & Yves Turcotte 21Département de Biologie, Université du Québec àRimouski, Canada; Jean-Francois.Lamarre@uqar.qc.ca2Département des Sciences et Techniques Biologiques,Collège de La Pocatière, CanadaThe estuary of the St Lawrence River in southern Québec,Canada, is an important stopover area for a large number ofmigrating shorebirds. However, stopover ecology is poorlydocumented for most species. We investigated space use andstopover duration of one of the most abundant medium sizemigrants in the Lower St Lawrence estuary, the SemipalmatedPlover Charadrius semipalmatus. During the 2008 fall migration,13 juveniles were equipped with glue-on transmittersin the Kamouraska region. Daily ground telemetry surveyswere conducted from late Aug to mid-late Sep along 60 kmof shoreline. Daily detection probability was 89.3% ±8.4%(mean±1SD). One aerial flight was also performed in midSep to confirm the departure of individuals. We found strongindividual variation in stopover duration, ranging from 1 to28 days (mean 14.6 days, n = 11) and two marked birds wereapparently killed by avian predators on the stopover site. Individualdaily movements were generally limited but all birdsprogressively moved upriver towards the south-west duringtheir stay. Factors explaining Semipalmated Plover stopoverduration and space use along the lower St Lawrence estuary(such as body condition of individuals, predation pressure orprey availability) require further investigation.The importance of the Teshekpuk LakeSpecial Area to breeding birdsJoseph R. Liebezeit 1 , Gary C. White 2 & Steve Zack 11Wildlife Conservation Society, Pacific West Office, USA;jliebezeit@wcs.org2Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology,Colorado State University, USAWithin the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska, the Teshekpuk LakeSpecial Area (TLSA) is a region of exceptional importance towildlife including breeding shorebird species, some of whichare experiencing population declines. Because the TLSA isadjacent to existing oilfields there is increasing interest inexpansion of oil development into this region. The objectivesof this study include: 1) provide baseline information on keynesting parameters including nest survivorship, nest densities,and habitat usage in the TLSA; 2) evaluate the importance ofthe TLSA as a breeding ground by modeling nest survivorshipand key variables with Teshekpuk and a site in the nearbyPrudhoe Bay oilfield.We discovered and monitored 1,074 nests of 26 speciesduring 2005–2008 at both Teshekpuk and Prudhoe Bay. Thisincluded 592 nests of 11 shorebird species, 359 LaplandLongspur nests (the only passerine), and 123 of other birdgroups. Overall nest density was significantly higher at Teshekpuk(X – = 100.97±6.36) compared to Prudhoe Bay (X – =76.67±7.73; T 28= −2.4230, P = 0.022). At Teshekpuk, shorebirdsshowed nesting habitat usage different than expected(χ 32= 8.30, P = 0.04). Shorebirds tended to prefer wet/emergentover dry/moist habitat. The best Program MARK nestsurvivorship model for passerines indicated higher survivalat Teshekpuk (versus Prudhoe Bay), higher survival in yearsof high lemming abundance, and increasing survivorship asthe nesting season progressed. The best shorebird model indicatedhigh variability in survivorship between years and sites,lower survivorship of uniparental shorebirds early duringnest lifetime, and higher survivorship with increasing nestconcealment. We provide recommendations for management.Point counts underestimate the importance ofarctic foxes as avian nest predators: evidence fromremote video cameras in arctic Alaskan oil fieldsJoseph R. Liebezeit & Steve ZackWildlife Conservation Society, Pacific West Office,Alaska, USA; jliebezeit@wcs.orgWe used video-cameras to identify nest predators at activeshorebird and passerine nests and, separately, conductedpoint-count surveys to determine species-richness and detection-frequencyof potential nest predators in the Prudhoe Bayregion of Alaska. We identified 16 potential nest predatorsfrom surveys with Glaucous Gulls Larus hyperboreus andParasitic Jaegers Stercorarius parasiticus making up over80% of the observations. Arctic foxes Alopex lagopus, however,were identified in five of six predation events recordedwith the cameras. These results indicate that estimated abundancesof predators alone may not accurately reflect their trueor proportional importance as nest predators. We also found

Third Meeting of the Western Shorebird Group, Mazatlán, Mexico135that the identified predators removed all eggs and left the nestsintact. Thus, attempts at identifying predators based solely onnest remains are not reliable for smaller bird species in thisregion. We found no evidence that camera-monitored nestswere at greater risk of predation or desertion than camerafreenests. Overall, our ability to film predation events washampered by the brief, highly-synchronized breeding season,harsh climate, and higher nest survivorship for shorebirds inthis region relative to temperate-breeding passerines whichhave been the focus of most studies attempting to identify nestpredators with camera systems at active nests.Nesting success of Snowy PloversCharadrius alexandrinus nivosus at Ceuta Bay,Mexico: implications for conservationLydia Lozano-Angulo 1 , Medardo Cruz-Lopéz 1 ,Araceli Argüelles-Ticó 2 , Marcos Bucio-Pacheco 1 &Clemens Küpper 21Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Escuela de Biología,Ciudad Universitaria, Avenida Universitarios s/n,Colonia universitarios, CP 80010, Culiacán, México;lydia.lozano@gmail.com2Department of Biology and Biochemistry,University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UKCeuta Bay, Sinaloa, Mexico (23°54'N, 106°57'W) is a wellrecognized stopover site for many migrant shorebirds duringspring and fall migration. Adjacent to the lagoon there is atemporary salt flat which is flooded by brackish tidal andirrigation water for most of the year. This salt flat provideshigh quality breeding grounds for a number of shorebirdspecies including the threatened Western Snowy Plover Charadriusalexandrinus nivosus. For three consecutive years wehave studied the breeding biology and reproductive successof Snowy Plovers at Ceuta Bay. Between 76 and 161 SnowyPlover nests were recorded every year. Nesting success washigh with on average more than 50% of the nests hatchingat least one chick, whilst predation rate was low (averagepredation less than 20%). The nesting season is currentlyconstrained to less than three months by the availability ofsuitable nesting grounds, whilst breeding activity for up toeight months has been reported from Northern populationsin California. In Ceuta the plovers start breeding in mid Aprilafter the water has evaporated and the nesting season terminatesin July when the nesting grounds get flooded by rain.We recommend a better management of the water influx to thesite in order to increase the length of the breeding season andhence boost the productivity of breeding shorebirds. Otherdisturbance factors, such as increased human recreationaluse and cattle grazing, also need to be monitored carefully.Ecology and conservation of the Red KnotCalidris canutus in Rocha, UruguayNatalia Soledad Martínez Curci 1 & Alejandro Fallabrino 21Universidad de Buenos Aires; nanusmc@hotmail.com2Karumbé, Canelones, UruguayThe Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa is a threatened subspecieswhose population has declined dramatically over the past 20years. Although little is known about this bird in Uruguay,recent observations indicate that significant numbers of thissubspecies make regular use of the coastal area in the southeasternpart of the country, especially during northboundmigration. During 21–29 Mar 2008, daily counts were conductedon the coast between La Coronilla (33°54'S; 53°30'W)and Barra del Chuy (33°46'S; 53°24'W), Rocha, Uruguay. Atotal of 256 individuals were recorded feeding in the area,in groups that ranged from 7 to 163 birds; the largest flockwas observed in Barra del Chuy, where 163 were seen on 28Mar. However, flocks were found more frequently 5 km tothe south, where most of the rest of the birds were recorded.Fifteen individuals were banded: seven in Argentina, sevenin USA and one in Canada. These records, along with theoccurrence of a mortality event that involved more than 300individuals in April 2007, indicate that the area represents animportant stopover site for these shorebirds. Additional fieldwork will be conducted in 2009 to determine the value of thearea for this subspecies and establish a conservation programthat may help in its recovery.Terrestrial arthropod abundance in the CanadianArctic: investigating spatial and temporal variation inresource availability for arctic-nesting insectivoresElise Bolduc 1 , Laura McKinnon 1 , Paul Smith 2 & Joël Bêty 11Département de Biologie, Université du Québec àRimouski, Canada; elise.bolduc@uqar.qc.ca2Biology Department, Carleton University, CanadaInsectivorous birds such as shorebirds breeding on the arctictundra depend on arthropods (insects and spiders) for theirsurvival and reproduction. Arthropods grow and reproducewithin a very short period of favorable climatic conditionsand birds must synchronize the hatching of their young withthe short peak in arthropod abundance. This can be particularlychallenging for long-distance migrants. The timing andamplitude of the peak in arthropod abundance are likely tochange rapidly as a consequence of global warming. One ofthe possible outcomes is that peaks in arthropod abundancewill occur earlier in the season, thereby disrupting the synchronybetween nesting phenology of birds and their prey.In order to better anticipate the response of wildlife toglobal warming, we investigated the effect of various environmentalparameters on seasonal changes in arthropodavailability. Using a standardized protocol, modified pitfalltraps were set during one to three consecutive summers atfour locations in the Canadian arctic: Bylot Island, EllesmereIsland, Herschel Island, and Southampton Island. Traps weredeployed in wetland and mesic tundra and sampled every twodays. By coupling trapping data with environmental parametersmeasured by automatic weather stations, we are buildinga model to explain seasonal changes in arthropod abundance.The model will be used to simulate past trends in arthropodavailability and forecast their response to climate changesas well as provide a tool to assess the risk of a phenologicalmismatch between insectivorous birds and their prey in thearctic tundra.Importance of Akimiski Island, Nunavut,as a stopover site for migrant shorebirdsLisa Pollock 1 , Erica Nol 1 & Ken Abraham 21Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University,Canada; lisapollock@trentu.ca2Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Trent University,CanadaStopover ecology is a critically important aspect of shore-

136 Wader Study Group Bulletin 116 (2) 2009bird conservation. Previous research has focused on a fewwell-known stopover areas. We examined shorebird abundance,habitat use, turnover rates and prey availability duringspring (25 May to 23 Jun) and fall (19 Jul to 25 Aug)migration periods in 2008 on Akimiski Island, Nunavut,Canada (53°11'N, 81°35'W). Akimiski Island contains oneof Nunavut’s Migratory Bird Sanctuaries but has not previouslybeen considered as a stopover site for shorebirds.During spring, approximately 1,538 shorebirds (17 species)were observed, with Hudsonian Godwits Limosa haemastica(336) and Calidris spp. (513) the two most abundant. Duringfall migration, approximately 16,036 shorebirds (19 species)were observed, with White-rumped Sandpipers Calidris fuscicollis(5,195), Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris pusilla(4,337) and Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) (978)the most abundant. These results suggest that Akimiski Islandis much more important as a stopover site for fall than springmigrants. Invertebrate peaks (3, 24 Jun, 24 Jul and 10 Aug)and shorebird peaks (2 Jun, 31 Jul and 18 Aug) correspondedin both seasons. Turnover rates, from resighting banded birds,ranged from 1–9 days for Lesser Yellowlegs, 1–5 days forSemipalmated Sandpipers and 0–9 days for White-rumpedSandpipers. Shorebirds foraged mostly in pools/streamsand water edge habitats in both the spring (68%) and fall(81%), followed by mudflats and grass (26% and 15%) anddry (gravel and dry mud) (6% and 4%) habitats. In 2009, Iwill determine more precise turnover times and body conditionof migrants to compare with results from other stopoverlocations.Incubation rhythm and behavior ofLong-billed Curlew at Great Salt Lake, UtahKyle Stone & John CavittAvian Ecology Laboratory, Department of Zoology,Weber State University, USA; kylestone@weber.eduThe Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus is the largestof all North American shorebirds and is known to breedthroughout the Great Plains and Great Basin. Unfortunately,little information is known about the incubation rhythm,duration of attentive periods and changeover activities of thisspecies. We examined incubation behavior of adults nestingat Great Salt Lake, Utah by placing bullet cameras connectedto digital video recorders. This system allowed for continuousrecording 24 hours per day. The results of these observationssuggest that eggs are rarely left unattended and typically justduring changeover periods. Males incubated continuouslyat night and females throughout the day. During the day,the incubation bout length was variable but averaged over7.5 hours in duration.A toolkit for bird educators: using education andoutreach to support bird conservationTamara Zeller 1 , Ashley Dayer 2 , Melissa Pitkin 3 &Jennie Duberstein 41Migratory Bird Management,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; tamara_zeller@fws.gov2Klamath Bird Observatory, Oregon, USA;3Point Reyes Bird Observatory, California, USA;4Sonoran Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,USAAre you looking for ways to help create and implementeducation and outreach programs that directly contribute toshorebird conservation at local, regional, national, or eveninternational levels? Many times education and outreachprograms miss the opportunity to make this crucial link. TheBird Education Alliance for Conservation (BEAC) is workingto link on-the-ground communications, education, andoutreach efforts with national and regional bird conservationthreats. The development of an online Toolkit is one of ourapproaches to doing just that. The Toolkit contains informationabout conservation threats and needed actions (drawnfrom national and regional Bird Conservation Plans like theU.S. Shorebird Plan), key concepts, potential target audiences,and information about existing resources. It also providestools and guidelines for developing targeted messagesappropriate for audiences at regional or local levels and ideasfor determining the sorts of resources that might be appropriatefor delivering the message to that audience. By using theToolkit, you will be able to create education and outreachprograms and products that directly support regional andnational conservation objectives, making your program partof a larger effort to protect shorebirds and shorebird habitat.