Sullivan s Island Bird Banding and Environmental Education Program. Sarah Harper Díaz, MA and Jennifer Tyrrell, MS

Transcription

1 Sullivan s Island Bird Banding and Environmental Education Program Sarah Harper Díaz, MA and Jennifer Tyrrell, MS

2 I. Introduction The Sullivan s Island Bird Banding and Environmental Education Program promotes a greater understanding of the natural world through biological research and environmental education. Local scientists and trained graduate students will responsibly and unobtrusively study local resident and migratory bird populations through both short-term and long term scientific studies. Local students will learn to have a greater appreciation for and understanding of the natural world around them through innovative hands-on approaches to learning including nature walks and bird banding demonstrations. Nature walks will be led by local biologists and will be held on the nature path in the protected land at Station 16, on the beach and in and around marsh habitat. II. Bird Banding Program Overview Each year in the Western hemisphere, millions of land birds migrate from their wintering grounds in South and Central America and the Caribbean to their breeding grounds in the continental US and Canada. Some birds fly for thousands of miles to reach their destinations. After the breeding season is completed, birds will migrate back to their wintering grounds. They will repeat the same cycle every year of their life. Migration has extremely high energetic costs. Birds must gain significant fat stores in order to fly long distances. Many species of birds must stop in multiple locations en route to their breeding and wintering grounds in order to refuel. These refueling locations are known as migration stopover locations. If migrating birds do not encounter ample migration stopover locations

3 available along their migration corridors, they can potentially die of starvation or become lethargic and therefore become easy targets for predators. The maritime forest and surrounding habitats near the station 16 access path are ideal stopover habitats for Neotropical migratory birds. There is ample ground cover in the form of bushes, trees and grasses. There is mature maritime forest habitat as well as established shrub land and foredune grassland. Sullivan s Island falls geographically in the middle of the Eastern Coast s migratory corridor. Many birds migrate along the coast so untouched acreage within barrier islands is, therefore, an ideal stopover habitat. More research needs to be done to determine which Neotropical migrant species are utilizing the aforementioned habitats as stopover locations. The nature trail at Station 16 presents an ideal location for scientists to do a comprehensive inventory of migratory bird species. The trail passes through maritime forest and mature shrub land and ends at the threshold of the foredune grassland. Other surrounding foot trails extend through these three habitats and could also be utilized as study locations. III. Bird Banding Program Methodology Around the world, scientists are studying bird populations by safely capturing birds in mist nets and releasing them unharmed. Mist nets are lightweight and invisible to birds and consist of multiple pockets. A bird flies into a net and gently falls into a pocket. The bird is then carefully removed by a trained and permitted scientist. The scientist records data, such as weight, age, and wing length and places a small light-weight band around each individual s leg. The band is harmless to the bird and does not affect its movement. Each

4 band has a number unique to that bird that serves as its identifier when the bird is recovered in subsequent seasons at the station, or possibly captured at another banding station somewhere along their migration routes or breeding and wintering grounds. Each bird is processed as quickly as possible and released unharmed. Once mist nets are opened, they must be checked frequently at regular intervals and must be closed or taken down at the end of each banding day (Typically, around 12pm or earlier, depending on temperature and weather). The Sullivan s Island Bird Banding Program would consist of two qualified and permitted scientists: Jennifer Tyrrell is a master bander with her Master s Degree in Environmental Science. She currently runs a banding station at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw, SC. Sarah Harper Diaz has a Master s Degree in Biology, has taken an advanced bird banding course, and will be working as a subpermittee of Jennifer Tyrrell. IV. Environmental Education Program Overview The Environmental Education Program is an innovative, hands-on experience designed to facilitate learning in an outdoor environment. Nature walk content will vary depending on the season and will be catered to specific age groups. Broad topics will include barrier island ecosystems, habitats within an ecosystem, and food chains. More specific content will include (but is not limited to) identification of local plant and animal species, metamorphosis, bird migration, and the importance of insects in an ecosystem. Each walk will take place along the boardwalk in the nature path at station 16. Included in each walk is a bird banding demonstration. One mist net will be opened and each group

5 of students will learn the following: How birds are captured in a mist net? Basic anatomy of living birds. Feathers and flight. How are the birds studied and what kind of measurements are taken? Why is it important for scientists to study birds using mist nets? Please see the table below for a detailed curriculum of Nature Walk Content. Sullivan's Island Nature Walks Season Nature Walk Content Spring Identify bird species and discuss how and why birds migrate; What is metamorphosis (look for tadpoles as an example); What is the difference between a habitat and an ecosystem; What kinds of plants and animals are found in a maritime forest; Mist net demonstration Fall Identify bird species and discuss how and why birds migrate; Why do some trees lose their leaves; Evergreen vs. deciduous plants; why are insects important in an ecosystem; Mist net demonstration Winter What is hibernation; what kinds of animals hibernate in the winter; how have resident animal species adapted to survive the winter; what is a food chain; Mist net demonstration Nature walk content will be adjusted depending on the age groups of the students and what animals are observed during the walks. If a specific animal is observed by the entire group of students, its life history will be discussed. Students will be assigned roles within their groups. One student can carry binoculars while another can carry a clip-board with a check list of local plants and animals that might be observed on the walk.

6 V. Conclusion The Sullivan s Island Bird Banding and Environmental Education Program is a vital asset to our community. The Environmental Education program will help students build a greater understanding of the natural world. Through hands-on teaching techniques, students will learn to identify species of local flora and fauna and gain a broader understanding of the roles that these species play in an ecosystem. The Bird Banding Program will implement multiple ongoing scientific studies through carefully planned field research. Utilizing the most modern and humane capture techniques, birds will be safely captured, studied, and released. Point counts will augment the scope of the population studies by allowing scientists to observe migratory and resident birds foraging habits and habitat use. Both programs welcome the participation of local residents. Qualified volunteers with bird watching experience will be allowed to help participate in point counts. The general public is welcome to observe the daily activities of the researchers (but must make arrangements with the researchers ahead of time and plan their visit times). Scheduled visitors will be given a thorough explanation of the researchers current projects and methodology and will be able to watch a bird banding demonstration. It is of utmost importance that the local residents understand and appreciate the Bird Banding Program s research methodology and long-term goals.