Field Note #13: severe weather

Date of Survey: 032516

Official Low Tide: 4:25 pm            Survey start time: 3:33 pm   Survey end time: 4:30 pm

Tide heights: -0.2ft/-6 cm

Mudflats exposed? y

Temperature: 84°F/ 29°C            Cloud cover: 90%

Severe thunderstorms in the immediate distance

Common Name	Counts of birds foraging on mud flats	Behavior Forage-F Rest/roost-R Fly over -FO	Disturbance (Flushing-F, displaced-D, agitated-A)	Feeding location *Primary flat (P)   Mangrove flat (M)
Snowy egret	1	F		M
Great blue heron	2	F		M
Little blue heron	1	F	D-1-H	P-1
white ibis	4	F, FO-1		M
Total	8

Notes: 6 fisherman, 2 kayakers fishing directly on exposed mudflats

Severe thunderstorms threatened us the entire survey. At 4pm we suspended the survey due to lightning, and sat in the car until 4:30 hoping to get back out there; but heavy rain set in and we had to leave. We did not take the camera due to the rain, so no photos of our own this week.

So here is this:

Distribution map of Little Blue Heron. Yellow: breeding, green: year-round, blue: nonbreeding. Adapted from: Kushlan, James A. and James A. Hancock, Herons, Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005. (ISBN 9780198549819) (OCLC 54913407)

Since there was not much action today, I am suggesting some reading on Bird responses to human activity:

Wading Bird Response to Recreational Boat Traffic: Does Flushing Translate into Avoidance? Author(s): KIMBERLY A. PETERS and DAVID L. OTIS Source: Wildlife Society Bulletin, 34(5):1383-1391. Published By: The Wildlife Society

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[1383:WBRTRB]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2193/0091-7648%282006%2934%5B1383%3AWBRTRB %5D2.0.CO%3B2   

Field Note #12: not much traffic

Date of Survey: 031816

Official Low Tide: 11:40 am     Survey start time: 10:45 am   Survey end time: 12:20pm

Tide heights: .01ft /3cm

Mudflats exposed? Not at first, Y at official LT

Temperature: 81°F/ 27° C     Cloud cover: 20%

Common Name	Counts of birds foraging on mud flats	Behavior Forage-F Rest/roost-R Fly over -FO	Disturbance (Flushing-F, displaced-D, agitated-A)	Feeding location *Primary flat (P)   Mangrove flat (M)
Snowy egret	3	F	F=P(1) D-(H)-1	M, P-1
Great egret	2	F		M
Great blue heron	5	F		M
Little blue heron	5	F		M, P-1
white ibis	1	F		M
Tri colored heron	1	F		M
Total	17

Notes: Bird traffic was low. Human traffic was HIGH. Sigh.

Humans = 1 wading fisherman; 10 Kayakers; 11 paddle boarders recorded. As we were leaving we noted more kayakers but did not record them.

When low tide is close to high noon, less birds are present. HOT and sunny.

Here are some shots of the few birds that visited today.

Field Note #11: People everywhere

Date of Survey: 031116

Official Low Tide: 3:55pm            Survey start time: 2:30 pm   Survey end time: 5:25pm

Tide heights: -.09’ / -27cm

Mudflats exposed? Y     Temperature: 79°F/ 26°               Cloud cover: 90%

Common Name	Counts of birds foraging on mud flats	Behavior Forage-F Rest/roost-R Fly over -FO	Disturbance (Flushing-F, displaced-D, agitated-A)	Feeding location *Primary flat (P)   Mangrove flat (M)
Snowy egret	2	F	D-h-1	M
Great blue heron	8	FO-2; F	D-H(traffic)	P-1; M
Little blue heron	5	F, FO-2	D-H-2	M
white ibis	9	F, FO-2	D-H-3	M
Roseate Spoonbill	1	F		M
Wood Stork	1	FO
Total	26	(7 FOs)

Notes:  Humans everywhere in this mixed use facility. 8 Fisherman; 6 paddle boarders; 6 Kayakers; and 5 drunken spring breakers trying to fly fish. They were very loud and almost displaced us!! 25 humans to 26 birds [7 were flyovers, so actually only 19 on the flats]. Disturbing.

Side NOTE: I took a trip south to Miami on the Florida Turnpike. Around the Boynton Beach, FL area, I had the pleasure of spotting flocks of glossy Ibis and an American Bittern on the side of the road foraging. I had never seen either before. Apparently, I need to go visit southwestern Palm Beach County more often! This proves there are wading birds out there, just not so much at this mixed use park anymore.

So here is a glossy Ibis!!

Image reference: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/glossyibis2sm.jpg