Cape Hatteras National Seashore Resource Management Field Summary for April 29 – May 5, 2010

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Resource Management Field Summary for April 29 – May 5, 2010 

(Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke Districts)

 

Piping Plover (PIPL) Observations:

 

Observations

Thurs

4/29

Fri

4/30

Sat

5/1

Sun

5/2

Mon

5/3

Tues

5/4

Weds

5/5

Oregon Inlet

2

4

0

0

0

0

0

Cape Point

6

10

1

5

9

9

6

South Beach

0

0

1

0

0

1

0

Hatteras Inlet

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Hatteras Overwash

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

N. Ocracoke

2

4

3

0

2

1

8

S. Ocracoke

3

2

2

1

2

2

3

 

Bodie District:

            Bodie Island:  Up to four PIPLs have been observed.  All have been observed foraging near the Bait Pond within the Bodie Island pre-nesting closure.  No breeding activity was observed.

 

Hatteras District:

            Cape Point:  Up to 10 PIPLs have been observed at one time.  Six pairs have nests. There appears to be an additional pair on a scrape territory at Cape Point.

 

            South Beach:  A lone male PIPL continues to be observed.

 

            Hatteras Overwash/Hatteras Inlet:  No PIPLs have been observed.

                                                                                                       

Ocracoke District:  

            North Ocracoke:  Up to eight PIPLs have been observed foraging and/or roosting. On 5/5 scraping and territorial behavior was documented for a pair of PIPLs on North Ocracoke Spit.   Throughout the week PIPLs were observed on the oceanside and inlet shorelines, all within the pre-nesting or AMOY closures.

           

South Point:  Up to three PIPLs have been observed along the inlet and oceanside shorelines, as well as within the mudflats. Three pairs have had documented nests.  One nest was lost and two one-egg nests remain.

 

 

 

 

 

PIPL Breeding Summary: 

 

Total Nests to Date

Active Nests

Total Nests Hatched

Total Nests Lost

Total Eggs Hatched

Unfledged Chicks

Lost Chicks

Fledged Chicks

9

8

0

1

0

0

0

0

 

Nest Summary/Expected hatch dates:

Nest 1 – Cape Point. This nest was exclosed as a three-egg nest on 4/17 and was a four-egg nest on 4/19.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/14.

Nest 2 – Cape Point.  This nest was discovered as a two-egg nest on 4/15, exclosed as a three-egg nest on 4/18, and was a four-egg nest on 4/20.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/15.

Nest 3 – Cape Point.  This nest was discovered as a two-egg nest on 4/22, exclosed as a three-egg nest on 4/24, and was a four-egg nest on 4/27.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/15.

Nest 4 – Cape Point.  This nest was discovered as a two-egg nest on 4/22, exclosed as a three-egg nest on 4/24, and was a four-egg nest on 4/27.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/20.

Nest 5 – Cape Point.  This nest was discovered as a one-egg nest on 4/22, exclosed as a three-egg nest on 4/28, and was a four-egg nest on 4/30.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/23.

Nest 6 – Cape Point.  This nest was discovered as a two-egg nest on 4/22, exclosed as a four-egg nest on 4/27.  Hatching should occur on or near 5/21.

Nest 7 – South Point.  This nest was discovered as a one-egg nest on 4/28.  On 5/2 the egg(s) were predated by ghost crabs. It is unknown whether the nest was a two-egg or three- egg clutch when predated.

Nest 8 – South Point.  This nest was discovered as a one-egg nest on 4/28.  Since the pair was incubating, the nest was exclosed as a two-egg nest on 5/2. One egg was lost to ghost crabs on 5/4. One egg remains in the nest. Hatching should occur near the last week of May.

Nest 9 – South Point. This nest was discovered as a one-egg nest on 5/4.

 

 

WIPL Update:

 

No WIPLs observed this week.

 

 

American Oystercatchers (AMOY):  Pairs continue to be observed on scrape territories in all districts.

 

Location 

Total Nests to Date

Active Nests

Nests Hatched

Nests Lost

Total Chicks Hatched

Unfledged Chicks

Chicks Lost

Fledged Chicks

Green Island

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

Bodie District

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

Bodie/Hatteras District

4

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

Hatteras District

9

9

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ocracoke District

4

3

0

1

0

0

0

0

CAHA TOTALS

19

16

0

3

0

0

0

0

 

 

2010 AMOY Breeding Pairs: Twenty of the 23 breeding pairs from 2009 have nested or set up territories.  One pair that has nested on the seashore in the past (but not in 2009) has nested.  One new pair has nested and four potential new pairs have been documented scraping.

 

Bodie District:

  • Green Island:  A three-egg AMOY nest was lost due to over-wash on 4/30 and another AMOY pair is scraping.
  • Bodie Island:  A three-egg AMOY nest was lost due to predation on 4/29. There are currently no new scrapes or nests.
  • Bodie/Hatteras District (Rodanthe to Ramp 30):  Four breeding pairs have nests (two two-egg and two three-egg).  The first nest should hatch on or near 5/14.

 

Hatteras District:  Nine breeding pairs have nests (six three-egg, two two-egg and one one-egg) and there are at least three more pairs are on scrape territories. The first nest should hatch on or near 5/12.

 

Ocracoke District:  

  • North Ocracoke: Two pairs are occupying North Ocracoke. One pair has a three-egg nest. The other pair has documented scrapes around the area of Ramp 59.
  • Other Beaches (Ramp 59-Ramp 72): Two breeding pairs have nests.  The first nest should hatch on or around 5/14.
  • South Point: Two pairs of AMOYs are occupying the area south of Ramp 72. One pair is scraping on the east side of the pre-nesting closure. The other pair had a one-egg nest that was lost to weather on 4/29. A clutch continuation of one-egg was found on the soundside for the same pair, but this egg was also lost to weather on 5/2.

Colonial Waterbirds (CWB):

            Bodie District:  Least terns have been observed on Bodie Island and Bodie/Hatteras District. No scraping has been observed.

Hatteras District:  Least terns have been observed on most of Hatteras’ beaches. No scraping has been observed.

Ocracoke District:  Least terns and common terns have been observed at North Ocracoke and South Point. Gull-billed terns have been documented north of Ramp 68.  Least terns have been scraping on the east side of South Point.

 

Sea turtle nests: None

 

Sea Turtle Strandings:

 

Bodie District:

  • 5/5- A dead, green sea turtle was found soundside Salvo.

 

Hatteras District:

  • 5/3 – A dead, moderately decomposed, female loggerhead sea turtle was found 2.8 mi SW of Ramp 49.

 

Ocracoke District:

  • 4/30 – A dead, moderately decomposed, female loggerhead sea turtle was found 0.4 mi S of Ramp 72.
  • 5/4 – A dead, moderately decomposed Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was found 1.3 mi N of Ramp 49 on the inlet shoreline.
  • 5/5 – A dead, severely decomposed loggerhead sea turtle was found 2.3 mi S of Ramp 72 on inlet shoreline.
  • 5/5 – A dead, severely decomposed green sea turtle was found 2.3 mi S of Ramp 72 on inlet shoreline.

 

Marine Mammals:

 

Bodie District:

  •  4/29- A dead, neonate bottlenose dolphin was located 0.5 mi N of Ramp 2 on Bodie Island.
  • 4/30 – A dead, neonate bottlenose dolphin was located on Green Island.

 

Hatteras District:

None this week

 

Ocracoke District:

            None this week

 

 

 

 

Closures – additions/modifications/removals:

 

Closure #

Location

Species

Date Installed or Removed

Bodie District

 

 

 

None

 

 

 

Hatteras District

 

 

 

HI10-008-A

1.5 mi S of Ramp 38

AMOY

5/1/2010

HI10-003-B

1.1 mi SW of Ramp 55

AMOY

5/5/2010

Ocracoke District

 

 

 

OI10-001-B

Directly in front of Ramp 59

AMOY

5/2/2010

OI10-002-C

1.5 mi S of Ramp 72

AMOY

5/2/2010

OI10-001-C

North Ocracoke Spit

AMOY

5/4/2010

OI10-002-D

0.4 mi S of Ramp 72

LETE

5/4/2010

OI10-001-D

North Ocracoke Spit

PIPL

5/5/2010

 

Closure intrusions:

 

Bodie District:

None observed.

 

Hatteras District:

None observed.

 

Ocracoke District:

None observed.