Fort Lee Avian Inventory: a Continuing CCB/DOD Partnership for Conservation

The United States Department of Defense (DOD) controls over 10 million hectares of land within the United States, making it the third largest land holder in the federal government. Because of the high concentration of military installations within the mid-Atlantic region, DOD lands have the potential to play a leading role in the conservation of declining natural resources. CCB has worked on numerous installations over the past 15 years with the broad objective of determining where DOD lands fit within regional conservation goals and to determine how best to manage species of conservation concern.

Aerial Surveys Show a 50% Decline in Virginia Migratory Whimbrel Numbers

The Center for Conservation Biology and the Virginia Coast Reserve of The Nature Conservancy have recently compiled results from 2008 aerial surveys for whimbrels and other shorebirds along the seaside of the Delmarva Peninsula in Virginia. Whimbrel begin to move into the area in early April, reach a peak population in early May, and move north by the last week of May. Comparison of the peak whimbrel count for 2008 to surveys conducted by the same survey team during the springs of 1994-1996 show a decline of approximately 50%.

Tracking Migrant Eagles to the Chesapeake Bay

This fall, CCB tracked bald and golden eagles as they migrated South to winter in the Chesapeake Bay region. Eagles from northern latitudes typically migrate South in search of milder climates and unfrozen water to hunt prey. The Chesapeake Bay attracts large numbers of eagles with abundant waterfowl and fish prey. Eagles annually congregate at well known wintering sites in the Bay like Conowingo Dam, Mason Neck NWR, Blackwater NWR, Caledon State Park, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Rappahannock River, Presquile NWR, and many others.