Shorebird people,

Chris Snook was scouting locations and working on the protocol for
CRBO's  'Marked Shorebird Resightings Project'  this past Saturday.  His
'playing field' was the northern portions of the Cape Romain National
Wildlife Refuge.

Chris found 3 flocks of Red Knots on Lighthouse Island; they consisted
of 300+ individuals.  Of these, 9 birds were banded and marked with
colored + numbered flags!   Unfortunately, Chris was only able to make
out 7 of the 9 numbered 'flags' attached to the birds.

*** It seems that a Sea Turtle volunteer kept flushing the shorebirds
with his ATV.  This is a sad case of one endangered species causing
problems for other species in peril.  -- Having Sea Turtle volunteers
"riding the beach with blinders on" also causes problems for nesting
Wilson's Plovers in many areas, sometimes to the point of violating the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

At any rate, the most noteworthy observation Chris made Saturday was of
what seems to be a Red Knot banded in Argentina!

Other interesting waterbird observations made by Chris and Captain John
Cottingham included a Reddish Egret and 3 Long-billed Curlews.

Information on the mixed flocks of Red Knots and other shorebirds that
Dr. Snook gathered:

===

Flock1:
  33deg 00'33"N, 070deg 22'14"W @ 0848hrs
No colour markings observed.
Flock composition: 90 REKN , 5 BBPL (3ad 2juv), 10 RUTU, 3 SAND, 2 WILL
Activity: Mostly roosting on sandbar between Cape and Lighthouse Islands.

Flock 2:
33deg 00'34"N 079deg 22'46"W @ ~0915hrs
Colour markings: L/M:Fl(XAH)/-, B/M:Fl(JPJ)/-, M/?:Fo(CSU?)/?,
?/?:Fl(XPX)/?, ?/?:Fl(ELO)/M, Fl(TXX)/?:O/?
Flock Composition: 150 REKN, 50 RUTU, 10 SAND, 30 WILL, 2 STSA, 5 SBDO
Activity: Feeding over re-exposed "pluff" mud
Note: TXX had what looked like an orange wing tag showing through the
back feathers.

Flock 3:
33deg 00' 32"N 079deg 23' 19"W @ ~0930hrs
Colour markings: Fl(NVC)/-:O/M
Flock Composition: 7 REKN, 2 WILL, 1 SBDO, 1 BBPL (juv), 5 SAND, 6 RUTU.
Activity: Feeding over re-exposed "pluff mud".
===


Nathan Dias

---
Executive Director
Cape Romain Bird Observatory
PO Box 362
McClellanville, SC 29458
http://www.crbo.net/