Project Abstract
GCBO has teamed up with American Bird Conservancy, Houston Audubon, Audubon Texas, and Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program to increase protection and public awareness of beach nesting bird populations that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
This project focuses on implementing protection, monitoring, and outreach for beach nesting birds. GCBO’s research actions include monitoring the Black Skimmer colony at the Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, one of the largest skimmer colonies on the Texas coast and monitoring breeding Wilson’s Plover and Least Tern in Brazoria and Matagorda Counties. With funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, GCBO hires a shorebird field technician and two interns to assist GCBO's research team in conducting bird surveys and nest monitoring, implementing and maintaining protective measures at nesting sites, implementing public outreach about beach-nesting birds, and coordinating stewardship efforts. The project also entails trapping, banding, and re-sighting Wilson’s Plovers to estimate in-season reproductive output, document movement and habitat use, track site and mate fidelity, and track fledging success. The goal of the program is to maintain and/or grow these species populations through conservation activities on the ground.
Project Partners:
American Bird Conservancy,
Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program,
Houston Audubon,
Audubon Texas.
