Annual Bald Eagle Nest Survey Reaches 52nd Year
The recovery of bald eagles in the Chesapeake Bay and across North America is one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. One tool that has played a significant role in this recovery has been CCB’s annual survey of the breeding population. In 2008, more than 750 nest-structures were monitored.
CCB Delineates Globally Important Bird Areas
The Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is a science-based initiative to identify, conserve, and monitor sites that provide essential habitat for bird populations. In 2006, CCB used its extensive information resources to delineate 10 biologically distinct IBAs within the Coastal Plain of Virginia, 2 of which were recognized as global IBAs by the National Audubon Society in 2008.
Golden Eagle Tracked to Northern Summering Area
In the early spring of 2008, CCB biologists traveled to Highland County Virginia to trap a golden eagle and deploy a tracking device. The successful deployment on sub-adult eagle, later named Virgil Caine, was the culmination of a partnership between CCB, the Virginia Society of Ornithology, and a grass roots effort by local citizens to learn more about golden eagles in the southern Appalachians.
Peregrine Falcon Population Continues to Hold Ground in Virginia
CCB biologists have worked in partnership with the state of Virginia, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and various other partners since the late 1970s to restore and manage peregrine falcons in Virginia. We monitored 21 breeding pairs during the 2008 breeding season. This year the entire breeding population nested on artificial structures including wooden peregrine towers (12), bridges (5), a fishing shack (1), a ship (1), a power plant stack (1), and a high-rise building (1). The single territory on a natural cliff face in Shenandoah National Park was not active this year.
Aerial Surveys for Cliff-nesting Birds Extends into the southern Appalachians
Exposed rock surfaces are relatively rare habitats within the southern Appalachians and virtually nothing is known about the status of bird populations that depend on them for nesting. CCB biologists recently conducted surveys of the New River Gorge and the Gauley River by helicopter for cliff-nesting birds. Combined with an extensive 2005 survey of mountains in VA, WV & part of KY, the result will be the first digital atlas of cliffs & cliff-nesting bird species for the region.
CCB Continues Work with Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Virginia supports the northernmost population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (RCW) throughout the species range. The population is small, isolated and fragile. CCB along with partners including The Nature Conservancy, the state of Virginia, and the Fish and Wildlife Service has been working in the Piney Grove Preserve to turn around a decline that has spanned decades. During the pre-breeding survey in April, CCB observed seven active cluster sites that supported a combined 26 individual woodpeckers. This is the highest number of RCW clusters known since the late 1980s. Despite the growing number of potential breeding clusters, only five of the seven clusters actually laid eggs, and a total of eight young birds fledged from the four remaining clusters.
2007 Golden-winged Warbler Survey Results
The Center for Conservation Biology recently released a report that assessed the status of Golden-winged Warblers and Bewick's Wrens in Virginia, based on a systematic survey of appropriate scrub habitat patches. Both species have experienced severe population declines throughout the Appalachian region, and it is generally believed that Bewick’s Wrens no longer breed in Virginia. Geographical and habitat use patterns of Golden-winged Warblers from this study will provide guidance for proactive management. The study was made possible through funding by the State Wildlife Grants program in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
To read the summary and download the full report visit CCB's Golden-winged Warbler Webpage.
Red Knot Stopover Ecology on the Barrier Islands
The red knot is a shorebird species that uses the Virginia barrier island system as a stopover on its annual 30,000 km migratory flight. The knots traveling through Virginia have been found to rely on different food resources than individuals of the same species that migrate via the Delaware Bay. In 2007, CCB surveyed the barrier islands of Virginia to research the temporal & spatial distribution of the Western Hemispheric subspecies of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) to further understand their conservation needs.
Full report available:
2008 Red Knot Stopover Ecology report [pdf document]
