Estimating Fish Demand by Waterbirds in the Chesapeake Bay
Currently, the Chesapeake Bay supports the largest commercial fishery along the Atlantic Coast, producing 300,000 to 500,000 metric tons of Atlantic menhaden per year. In addition to the commercial value of this fishery, the Bay’s productivity is critical to many fish-eating birds. CCB researchers used a bioenergetics approach to estimate the amount of fish biomass consumed by breeding piscivorous birds within the tidal reach of the Chesapeake Bay.
Landscape Dynamics of the Barrier Islands of VA
Barrier island systems contain some of the most naturally dynamic landscapes on earth. Along the mid-Atlantic coast, winter storms continually reshape these islands with strong waves and surges that shift sediments and overtop primary dunes. The Virginia barrier islands are the most pristine chain of barriers remaining along the Atlantic coast. In recent years, it has become evident that the Virginia barrier islands are critical to colonial and beach-nesting birds in the mid-Atlantic region.
Bald Eagle Communal Roosts in Chesapeake Bay
Bald eagles congregate in communal roosts, a behavior thought to facilitate information exchange about locations and availability of prey resources. Communal roosts are protected under federal law and managed with a buffer zone to reduce human disturbance. Managing roosts has become increasingly difficult as the eagle population has grown and the population expands into new areas throughout the Bay. This fall, CCB completed a study to locate eagle roosts in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Avian Heritage of Virginia & Washington DC
Prior to the advent of modern bird surveys, Virginia and Washington D.C. were the hubs for some of the most significant ornithological reporting within the United States. The Center for Conservation Biology initiated the Avian Heritage Program to assemble the historical and contemporary accounts of this region’s avifauna to help guide conservation of species with the highest need. Data from numerous formal and informal sources are being geographically referenced to trace the history of populations and habitat use.
Enhancing Pine Landscape Suitability for Forest and Early Successional Birds
Over the past two to three decades, timber managers began to implement intensive operations to produce sustained yield of plantation pines. The area of pine plantations rapidly grew to cover over 32 million acres in the southern United States during this time. Although specific techniques of pine plantation management vary with forest yield, clear cutting densely stocked stands on relatively short rotation schedules has become the dominant practice. This “grow them thick and cut them quick” tactic creates a specific age-class distribution of habitats that differs greatly from natural landscapes and truncates development of characteristics associated with old-growth forests.
Peregrine Falcon Tracking Project Continues to Produce New Information
More than 20 years after the first re-nesting of peregrine falcons in the mid-Atlantic region, we still know very little about the ecology of this emerging population. In particular, we know almost nothing about the time period just after fledging. The latest phase of this work has been to track several falcons released in the New River Gorge. Since their release at the New River Gorge, each falcon has flown between 10,000 to 22,000 miles ranging from Wisconsin south to Mexico.
Foraging Distribution of Cormorants & Osprey on the James River
Intense research efforts have been devoted to understanding food webs that influence native Chesapeake Bay species such as rockfish, menhaden, and blue crabs. However, little research has focused on the role of certain top predators, namely fish eating birds, in these food webs. During the summer of 2008, Adam Duerr, a waterbird biologist with CCB, helped coordinate a project to better understand the diet and foraging distribution of double-crested cormorants and osprey along a segment of the James River, a key tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
Assessing the Value of Wetlands
Wetlands are recognized throughout the world as important natural resources. Coastal wetlands provide nurseries for commercially important fisheries, filter out nutrients and contaminants that may impact near shore waters, and provide habitat for a broad range of wildlife. In the United States, the jurisdiction over which federal laws apply has been the focus of considerable controversy. In addition, the ways to quantify impacts to wetland function for mitigation purposes have not been completely resolved. CCB biologists are assisting in the development of assessment methodologies by evaluating bird communities within a set of wetland patches.
