sunday times: plight of the red knot

I've mentioned before that I learned bird banding at a field course at Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences (formerly Manomet Bird Observatory) in Massachusetts. In addition to their landbird and other programs, Manomet has a strong commitment to shorebird conservation.  This is where I first met Brian Harrington, Manomet scientist and expert on the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa), a small bird that makes a 20,000 mile round trip between wintering areas in Tierra del Fuego to breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic. Brian's book, Flight of the Red Knot, is one of the best books on the natural history, research, and conservation of a single species I've read.

Red Knots are in big trouble.  The 2005 count found numbers of knots are still down dramatically from counts in the 1980s.  An abstract of an extremely alarming paper on knot declines, published last year in the Condor, is below the fold (click on "Continue reading...").

Like a number of other shorebird species, they rely heavily on horseshoe crab eggs during their spring migration stopover on Delaware Bay.  These eggs are being harvested unsustainably (for use as bait for conch and eels), and unless an emergency moratorium on harvesting is implemented, the results could be disastrous for shorebirds, especially the Red Knot.

You can sign a letter online, drafted by the American Bird Conservancy, supporting the horsehoe egg harvest moratorium (just implemented for 2 weeks in NJ). Or write a letter encouraging the federal listing of the eastern race of Red Knots as endangered (see related news here). You can send a donation to help support shorebird research at Manomet, or the Red Knot research sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

More resources below (click on "Continue reading...").

Morrison, R.I.G., R,K, Ross, and L,J, Niles. 2004. Declines in wintering populations of red knots in southern South America. Condor 106: 60-70.

Abstract. Surveys of the North American race of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) on its main wintering areas on the coasts of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile) showed a dramatic decline in the wintering population: totals in 2003 were about 30,000 compared to 67,500 in the mid-1980s. Numbers at the principal wintering site, Bahia Lomas, fell by approximately 50%, from 45,300 in 2000 to 22,000-25, 000 in 2002-2003. Numbers at peripheral sites on the coast of Patagonia declined dramatically, decreasing 98% compared to numbers in the mid-1980s. The results showed that declines at core sites did not result from birds moving to other places within the known wintering (or other) areas, but reflected a general population decline, with most birds now restricted to key sites in Tierra del Fuego. This phenomenon may explain why long-term declines noted elsewhere have only recently become apparent at key wintering areas. Possible reasons for the declines are discussed. Banding studies in Delaware Bay have shown that in recent years an increasing proportion of Red Knots is unable to gain sufficient weight for migration to the breeding grounds. This is likely due to reductions in their main food resource, eggs of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus. The resulting increase in mortality could account for the magnitude and severity of the declines we observed.

Other resources:

• The Uncertain Future of Shorebirds on the Delaware Bay
• Audubon Magazine: The Removable Feast (horseshoe crab decline and shorebirds)

Comments

[GrrlScientist]

I agree with you regarding this wonderful book. I also own it and have read it. I have recently linked to several articles that describe the terrible plight of the red knot in my Friday "Birds in the News". I hope that these birds receive the attention they so desperately need.

Also, I almost hate to mention this here because it is off-topic and it detracts from this bird, but I have tagged you with a book meme.

GrrlScientist