Migratory Shorebirds & Horseshoe Crabs in Jamaica Bay: 7 Years of Data December 3-4, 2015 Debra Kriensky, NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Annual Meeting
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Migratory Shorebirds & Horseshoe Crabs in Jamaica Bay: 7 Years of Data
December 3-4, 2015 Debra Kriensky, NYC Audubon
Harbor Herons Annual Meeting
Why Horseshoe Crabs & Shorebirds?
Photo Credit: Debra Kriensky
Jamaica Bay
Shorebird monitoring sites
Horseshoe crab
monitoring sites
Plumb Beach East & West
Bay Dunes
Dead Horse Bay
JBWR
Big Egg Marsh
Horseshoe Crab Monitoring 2009-2015
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Fem
ale
s/Sq
uar
e M
ete
r
Year
Female Spawning Activity (ISA) 2009-2015 - Jamaica Bay
Plumb East
Big Egg
Dead Horse
Plumb West
Horseshoe Crab Monitoring 2009-2015
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Fem
ale
s/Sq
uar
e M
ete
r
Year
Female Spawning Activity (ISA) 2009-2015 - Jamaica Bay & Delaware Bay
Plumb East
Big Egg
Dead Horse
Plumb West
Kimbles (NJ)
Pickering (DE)
Delaware Bay
Smith, D. R., & Robinson, T. J. (2015). Horseshoe Crab Spawning Activity in Delaware Bay, USA, After Harvest Reduction: A Mixed-Model Analysis. Estuaries and Coasts, 38(6), 2345–2354. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-9961-3
Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Tagging 2015
• 869 horseshoe crabs tagged • 80 tag re-sightings
• 63 were ours (55 from this year, 6 from 2014, 1 from 2013, 1 from 2012
• 17 were tagged by other orgs – some from Long Island and Sandy Hook, NJ INCLUDING 1 FROM BELMAR, NJ TAGGED IN 2008!!
Report tags at http://www.fws.gov/crabtag/ and reTURN the favor!
Red Knot
Short-billed Dowitcher
Black-bellied Plover
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Ruddy Turnstone
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
• Large declines in many species 1980s & 1990s • Red Knot listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 • What’s happening in wintering grounds, breeding grounds, and in between?
Shorebird Monitoring
2015 Spring Migration Shorebird Survey
Observer Date Location Weather (temp/precip/wind) __________________________ Start time End time Tide ______ Water Level ________ Disturbance______________________________________________________ Tidal (coastal sites): 1 = high, 2 = near high&rising, 3 = near high&falling, 4 = half&rising, 5 = half&falling, 6 = near low&rising, 7 = near low&falling, 8 = low, 9 = unknown Water Level (non-tidal sites): N = normal, H = higher than normal, L = lower than normal, X = not observed Disturbance: During this survey, shorebirds were: A=undisturbed, B=disturbed 1-2 times, C=3-4 times, D=5-10 times, E=>10 times, X=unknown. Please note what caused the disturbance (e.g. joggers, fisherman, walkers, vehicles, dogs, boats, etc.)
Accuracy: Please indicate in the ‘est or count?’ column whether your number is: C a true count, E an extrapolated estimate or G a “guesstimate”
Comments: please write any additional comments on the reverse side.
Species total # est or count?
# feeding
# roosting
# flying other
est or count?
Black-bellied plover
Semipalmated plover
Killdeer
American oystercatcher
Greater yellowlegs
Lesser yellowlegs
Yellowlegs sp.
Willet
Ruddy turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated sandpiper
Least sandpiper
White-rumped sandpiper
"Peep"
Dunlin
Short-billed dowitcher
add others below
TOTAL
Shorebird Monitoring
• International Shorebird Surveys (ISS): • Once every ~10 days April - June • Environmental data! • Behavior! • Disturbance!
ISS Portal
Shorebird Monitoring Spring
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Maximum Counts - Red Knots
Bay Dunes
Big Egg
Dead Horse Bay
JBWR
Plumb Beach
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Maximum Counts - Semipalmated Sandpipers
Bay Dunes
Big Egg
Dead Horse Bay
JBWR
Plumb Beach
Shorebird Monitoring Spring
Note: Overlaps in data
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Maximum Counts - Sanderling
Bay Dunes
Big Egg
Dead Horse Bay
JBWR
Plumb Beach
Shorebird Monitoring Spring
BIG QUESTIONS:
• How many shorebirds are utilizing Jamaica Bay each year? Where are important foraging areas and when?
• More comprehensive monitoring Spring and Fall • NYC Shorebird Blitz (all of NYC!)
Photo Credit: Don Riepe • Where are they going? Where are they coming from
(spillover from Delaware Bay)? How long do they stay? Do ‘our’ birds return here?
• Banding • VHF radio transmitters - NanoTags
• How dependent are shorebirds on horseshoe crab eggs in Jamaica Bay? Are birds in good enough condition to make it to breeding grounds?
• Taking morphometrics during spring migration • Test blood, feathers, etc. for stable isotope signature of
horseshoe crab eggs, or analyze stomach contents
• What density of female horseshoe crabs provides sufficient density of eggs for migrating shorebirds?
• Expand egg coring study to Big Egg and Dead Horse Bay
Questions?
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