Just in case you haven’t seen the below announcement about reporting banded snowy plovers, please see below. If you haven’t seen this announcement you probably aren’t on the Florida Bird Conservation Initiative listserve. I highly recommend signing up: here’s the website: http://myfwc.com/FBCI/FBCI_index.htm and the email address to sign up: FBCI-L@LISTSERV.MYFWC.COM

Banded Snowy Plovers- please report

Snowy Plovers are state listed- threatened in Florida, and recent surveys suggest this species is continuing to decline in parts of their range in the state, particularly the Southwest.  Research determining the underlying reasons for these declines is ongoing, and one important aspect of this work is gaining a better understanding of the annual movement and distribution patterns of Snowy Plovers in Florida.  To this end, biologists have individually marked Snowy Plovers throughout Florida with unique color-band combinations, and we need your help re-sighting and reporting observations of these individuals as we continue to build a better picture of where and when Snowy Plovers move.

If you see a banded Snowy Plover…

1. Approach the bird slowly, and please try to avoid any disturbance to the bird (Life is rough enough for a plover!)

2. Record the following information:

a) BAND COMBINATION- please write a detailed description of the bands, the i) color and ii) relative position to other bands, and iii) position on each leg (left or right, and upper leg-tibia or lower leg-tarsus). See examples of band combos and colors at the Florida Bird Conservation Initiative website: http://www.floridaconservation.org/FBCI/docs/FBCI_SNPL_Banding_key.pdf

Types of bands used: metal (aluminum) and color bands. 

Colors: possible colors include red (R), orange (O), yellow (Y), dark green (G), light green (g), dark blue (B), light blue (b), white (W), and black (K). No bands are bi-colored/tri-colored (2/3 colors on one band).  Sometimes two bands of the same color are placed over each other on a leg (this may look like one very tall band). Remember that bands can discolor, and occasionally fall off.  Please specify if you are unsure of any of the bands or if you failed to see all parts of the leg clearly. 

b) LOCATION- use a GPS unit, find your lat and long on a map (http://www.getlatlon.com/), or write a detailed description (please include common place names that we can use to plot your location on a map).

c) DATE/TIME

d) NOTES- i) describe any injuries, ii) with a flock? (if so, flock size and composition)

3. If possible, get photo-documentation.

4. Please report your observations to the following emails:

rpruner@ufl.edu; bsmith@sccf.org; wendy.bear@myfwc.com; chris.burney@myfwc.com

Chris Burney

Shorebird Partnership Coordinator

Species Conservation Planning Section

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Southwest Regional Office

3900 Drane Field Rd

Lakeland, FL 33811

Phone: (863) 648-3200

Fax: (863) 701-1248

Email: chris.burney@myfwc.com

Adam M. Kent

Wildlife Biologist

Northeast Region

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

1105 S.W. Williston Road

Gainesville, Florida  32601-9044

Ph: (352) 857-2482

Fax (352) 955-2183

Home cell phone: (314) 609-5513

www.myfwc.com/wildlifelegacy

http://share2.myfwc.com/scrubjay/default.aspx

***Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative is a program within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that seeks to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered and more costly to protect.  The Initiative emphasizes proactive work by creating partnerships to implement actions within the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.  In conjunction, the State Wildlife Grant program is used to supplement research and management projects that benefit a full array of Florida’s wildlife and habitats.***