Shorebird Surveys in Franklin County, FL

Final Shorebird Report PDF

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper is partnering in a set of shorebird surveys that center on Franklin County. Local residents and visitors are encouraged to contact us about these surveys. The coastal water bird migration study lasted from August-November and winter shorebird study will begin in December. Biological focus is on imperiled, rare and declining shorebird species. We hope to have help from birders and biologists that are local or visit the area on a somewhat regular basis. We're also looking volunteers that are locals or visiting snowbirds that live in areas that are under sampled. We'll be providing training based on Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission winter shorebird census technique manual so that all water bird data collected are standardized and useful for conservation purposes.

Investigators: American Bird Conservancy (Casey Lott), Corp of Engineers (COE) (Rich Fisher), US Fish and Wildlife (FWS) (Patty Kelly), Apalachicola Riverkeeper (AR) contractor/field biologist (Bradley Smith).

Location of Study: The eastern panhandle, principally Franklin County and parts of Wakulla and Gulf counties.

Objectives of study: Incidental surveys in the past during shorebird migrations and winter season surveys indicate that the islands, peninsulas, and bay shorelines of Franklin County play a significant role in shorebird conservation. The objective of this project is to document and quantify shorebird usage of these coastal areas. Three shorebirds species are of particular focus for this project:

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are federally protected as an endangered species in the Great Lakes watershed and as a threatened species elsewhere in its range. A portion of the birds from each of the piping plover populations spend their non-breeding time in Florida. Since piping plovers spend up to 10 months of their annual cycle associated with non-breeding areas, factors that affect their well-being during these times can substantially affect their survival and recovery.

Snowy plovers (Charadrius alexndrinus nivosus) are resident birds in Florida. They are considered threatened by the State of Florida, and are considered by the Service as a species at risk. Snowy plovers in Florida account for 94 percent of the north and northeast Gulf management unit population (AL, MS, and FL). Snowy plovers require expansive, open, dry sandy beaches for breeding and require tidal sand and mud flats for foraging.

Red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) were designated candidates for federal listing on September 12, 2006. This subspecies makes one of the longest distance migrations known in the animal kingdom as it travels between breeding areas in the central Canadian Arctic and wintering areas that are primarily in southern South America along the coast of Chile and Argentina. They migrate along the Atlantic and Gulf coast of the U.S. where they may be found from Maine to Florida. Surveys at wintering areas and at Delaware Bay during spring migration indicate a substantial decline in recent years.

More specifically the shorebird survey and monitoring program seeks to:

  1. Provide shorebird count data at a network of sites in Franklin County that have never been surveyed consistently during migration and winter.
  2. Establish a volunteer program to help with data collection.
  3. Describe movements and the timing of migration among sites of individually color marked piping and snowy plovers, red knots, or other color banded birds during stopover and winter.
  4. Record ancillary habitat and disturbance data during each visit to each site.

We can schedule as many trainings as necessary for folks that are interested in helping census shorebirds this winter. This would be a good way to meet local folks interested in water bird conservation and get some field time identifying shorebirds with a spotting scope.

Wintertime surveys will run through March. We have motorboat and canoe for trips to Lanark Reef, Dog Island, Cape St. George, Alligator Harbor, Turkey Point, etc. Eventually we plan some weekend surveys to look at disturbance to wintering shorebirds, particularly federally listed species such as piping plover and red knot.

Contact Bradley Smith at shorebirds@apalachicolariverkeeper.org or (850) 276-2151 (Cell Phone) if you're interested in weekday Franklin County water bird surveys or call the Apalachicola Riverkeeper office at (850) 653-8936.

Thank you for your interest in shorebird conservation in Franklin County!