Stephanie Koch

EVS 618 Internship

Protecting, Managing and Monitoring Shorebirds in Coastal Massachusetts

Host Institution: Massachusetts Audubon Society Coastal Waterbird Program

Overarching Goal of Project: Massachusetts Audubon Society’s (MAS) Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP) works closely with federal, state and local governments, public and private landowners, and other non-profit organizations to protect, manage and monitor nesting and migratory shorebird habitat throughout coastal Massachusetts. Participation in this internship benefits the host and trainee. This internship will provide me 1) experience working on bird nesting beaches with diverse natural and anthropogenic pressures, 2) exposure to applied adaptive management techniques for mitigating these pressures and, 3) opportunities to contribute to successful management and monitoring by assisting with training of seasonal staff and knowledge sharing.

Description of Work

1. Protection, Management and Monitoring of Nesting Birds

I assisted with protection, management and monitoring of Common Terns, Least Terns, Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers on multiple coastal beaches in southeastern Massachusetts. Massachusetts currently hosts a large percentage of the Atlantic Coast nesting population of Piping Plovers (which is a federally listed species), and many of these birds nest on property managed by the CWP. CWP managed properties also provide very important habitat for nesting terns (Least and Common Terns are both Massachusetts state listed). Beginning in April, I helped CWP seasonal staff raise symbolic fencing in prime tern and plover nesting habitat on beaches that are also heavily used by the public. Fencing consists of hammering wooden informational signs and stakes into the sand, and then stringing twine between the wooden stakes as an extra precaution to discourage trespass.  Cold, rainy weather in April delayed fencing efforts at some beaches, and by the time we experienced beautiful weather at the end of the month, birds and people alike had begun to “stake claim” to the same pieces of waterfront real estate. As a result, we were literally erecting fencing "around" people that had already descended on the beach habitat and this provided great opportunities for interacting with the public and explaining why the fencing is necessary.

As soon we began establishing fencing, we also began searching for active nesting territories, scrapes (empty nests) and nests with eggs. I helped train new seasonal staff who were unfamiliar with tern, plover and oystercatcher tracks, nesting habitat and behavior. In June, I assisted with the statewide tern nesting surveys at multiple beaches managed by CWP. In Massachusetts a concerted effort among all beach nesting bird monitors to census birds during a very short time frame results in an accurate count of nesting birds statewide. In June and July I continued visiting some of these nesting sites and gained experience identifying evidence of various predators (such as tracks) and learned different techniques for managing predator pressures (such as electric fencing). I also shared my experiences (successful and not) with minimizing predator pressures.

2. Migratory Shorebird Research

I’ve been working closely with a graduate student from Antioch University that is conducting research on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on migratory shorebirds. The graduate student first assisted me for three months on my dissertation research and gained experience identifying shorebirds, conducting surveys, and using various field equipment (kestrel, rangefinder, global positioning system). She used her new knowledge to formulate her own research questions and develop an appropriate sampling scheme. I’ve been assisting, as needed, with revising field methods.

I’ve also been working closely with staff from the CWP and Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences to monitor habitat use and movements of migrating Red Knots in southeastern Massachusetts. Habitat use is being documented by mapping and ageing groups of Red Knots. Movements are being quantified by searching for and recording color-banded birds (colored bands are applied to Red Knots in different combinations to allow individual identification) at different beaches on a daily basis.

Target Publication

I will be preparing an article for MAS’s publication Connections. The article will probably focus on migratory shorebirds and ongoing research efforts to minimize anthropogenic disturbances. An article may also be prepared for MAS’s website.

Conclusion Date

This internship will continue through at least the end of August. The publication will be prepared during fall 2007.