Surveys Pinpoint Critical Habitat for Migrating Shorebirds

Bird Studies Canada’s Ron Ridout recently returned from Ontario’s southern James Bay coast where he was part of a team of researchers monitoring the use of the extensive tidal flats by several species of migrating shorebirds.

During their southbound journey, large numbers of White-rumped, Semipalmated, Pectoral and Least sandpipers, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwits, and Red Knots, among others, congregate and feed non-stop before migrating as far as southern South America. The tidal flats provide essential food to fuel their epic 14,000-kilometre journey south.

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Operating out of three camps, the surveyors were particularly interested in finding and counting Red Knots. The North American rufa subspecies of this medium-sized shorebird has experienced a precipitous population decline in recent years with an estimated total number of just over 20,000 remaining.

To better monitor the species and its site fidelity, researchers in South America, the United States, and Canada have outfitted many individuals with numbered colour leg flags which can be read through high-powered spotting scopes.

With much legwork and great patience, the teams were very successful in finding and reading over 2000 leg flags and identifying over 600 individual birds. Flocks numbering as high as 5000 birds were observed in early August and it is apparent that the southern James Bay coast in Ontario plays a critical role for a significant proportion of the imperilled rufa subspecies of Red Knot.

The month-long surveys were conducted with the support of the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Moose Cree First Nation.

Source: Bird Studies Canada

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