were banded during the breeding season in the Northeast ( Rhode Island , New York , New Jersey , and Massachusetts ). Banding data from Kiawah has revealed that seaside sparrows and saltmarsh sparrows have very high site fidelity to winter marshes with most birds returning to the same tiny patch of high marsh for roosting during high tides each year . Seaside and saltmarsh sparrow are both saltmarsh obligate species , meaning they depend on the saltmarsh during their entire life cycle . Sea level rise is already affecting these birds at their breeding sites in the Northeast . In fact , a recent study estimates that Saltmarsh sparrows have declined at a rate of 9 % annually since 1998 and could face extinction within 50 years if that trend is not reversed . To learn more about the Marsh Sparrow Banding project , please visit : www . wildlifeatkiawah . com / sparrowbanding . html .
Painted Bunting Banding The eastern population of painted buntings has shown steady , long-term declines over the past several decades . Much of these declines can be attributed to the loss of coastal habitat to development .
For the past seven years , biologists from the Town of Kiawah Island have been studying painted buntings on the Island . Banding can provide important information on their movements , distribution , and site fidelity . Buntings are easily captured because of their affinity to bird feeders . A bird feeder filled with millet is placed inside a wire cage with a small opening on each side . Once the birds enter the cage , they are unable to get out and are easily captured .
Since 2011 , 732 painted buntings have been captured in the backyards of Kiawah Island residents . Of those , 210 had been previously banded . The adults have remarkable site fidelity and in subsequent years are usually recaptured in the very same yard in which they were banded . Birds banded as juveniles are much less likely to be recaptured in the same yard where they were originally banded . There are two main reasons for this : ( 1 ) juvenile birds experience high mortality ; and ( 2 ) juveniles that return are looking for their own territory . To learn more about the Painted Bunting Banding project , please visit : www . wildlifeatkiawah . com / paintedbuntingbanding . html .
Breeding Bird Survey ( Point-counts ) Performing long-term , systematic counts of birds breeding within an area can yield important information on the status and trends of bird populations including population densities for some species . The survey takes place during the last two weeks of May at 238 locations across the entire Island . Over the past eight seasons , overall numbers have remained surprisingly consistent , and no major increasing or decreasing trends have been identified for any species . The average number of individuals detected annually is 3,514 of 79 species . To learn more about the Breeding Bird Survey and to see a frequency and abundance table for each species over the past eight years , please visit : www . wildlifeatkiawah . com / pointcounts . html .
Wilson ’ s Plover Flagging Project Wilson ’ s plovers are one of the few birds that nest on Kiawah ’ s beaches . They nest in a shallow depression in the sand usually near low-growing vegetation in primary or secondary dune habitat at both ends of the island . These areas are extremely important to Wilson ’ s plovers and provide optimal nesting and foraging habitat in close proximity to each other .
From 2010 – 2013 , Chris Snook , an independent researcher , conducted research on Wilson ’ s Plovers on the beaches of Folly and Kiawah Island . He trapped 13 plovers on Kiawah ( nine at the east end and four at the west end ) and placed a green flag ( band ) on the upper part of their leg . The flag has a unique three-letter code inscribed on it that allows the bird to be identified in the field . The combination of banding and resighting data allows greater understanding of habitat use , movements , and survivorship of Wilson ’ s plovers .
In 2015 , the Town continued this research and Town biologists , with the help of volunteers , began flagging Wilson ’ s plovers on Kiawah Island . During April and May 2015 , a total of 15 Wilson ’ s plovers were marked ( eight at the east end and seven on the west end ). The primary objective was to mark birds before the inlet relocation projects that occurred on both ends of the island in June 2015 and to monitor the bird ’ s movements and site fidelity in relation to that disturbance . At least eight of the 15 birds banded in 2015 returned to Kiawah / Seabrook in 2016 , and two birds that were banded during 2010-2013 were also encountered .
Although we do not have long-term data available on the annual survival rate of Wilson ’ s plovers , the fact that over 50 % returned the following year was better than expected , especially considering the amount of habitat disturbance that occurred . These birds appear to be quite resilient and capable of adapting to major disruptions during the breeding season , at least in the short term . Another six Wilson ’ s plovers were flagged in May 2016 at the east end . No capture attempts were made on the west end because of a lack of suitable habitat on the Kiawah side of the inlet . This project will be continued in future years to gather more information on the survival and movements of this declining species .
If you see a marked Wilson ’ s plover on the beach and are able to read the three-letter code , please submit that information to Aaron Given at agiven @ kiawahisland . org or ( 843 ) 768-9166 . NK
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