Resource Management Field Summary for May 13 – May 19, 2010

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Resource Management Field Summary for May 13 – May 19, 2010 

(Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke Districts)

 

Piping Plover (PIPL) Observations:

 

Observations

Thurs

5/13

Fri

5/14

Sat

5/15

Sun

5/16

Mon

5/17

Tues

5/18

Weds

5/19

Oregon Inlet

1

0

2

1

0

0

0

Cape Point1

1

2

6

6

4

3

2

South Beach

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

Hatteras Inlet

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Hatteras Overwash

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

N. Ocracoke

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

S. Ocracoke

2

2

1

2

2

1

2

1          Does not include chick totals.

 

Bodie District:

            Bodie Island:  PIPLs have been observed this week.  No breeding activity was observed.

 

Hatteras District:

            Cape Point:  Up to 6 adult PIPLs have been observed at one time.  Four pairs have nests and two nests have hatched.

                                                                                                                       

            South Beach:  There was just a single observation of a PIPL this week

 

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

 

Other Beaches:  One PIPL has been observed foraging at the ponds near Ramp 43.

                                                                                                       

Ocracoke District:  

            North Ocracoke:  Up to 2 PIPLs have been observed foraging and/or roosting. Throughout the week PIPLs were observed on the oceanside and inlet shorelines, all within closures.

           

South Point:  Up to 2 PIPLs have been observed along the inlet and oceanside shorelines, as well as within the mudflats. Four pairs have had documented nests.  Two pairs have 4 egg nests, and one has a 3 egg nest. The forth pair lost its previous nest and has not re-nested. The nest that was found last week has been confirmed as a Wilson’s plover nest. In total, there are three active PIPL nests and one active WIPL nest.

 


 

PIPL Breeding Summary: 

 

Total Nests to Date

Active Nests

Total Nests Hatched

Total Nests Lost

Total Eggs Hatched

Unfledged Chicks

Lost Chicks

Fledged Chicks

11

7

2

2

6

6

0

0

 

Nest Summary/Expected hatch dates:

Nest/Brood 1 - Cape Point. Four chicks hatched on 5/13. The four chicks are seven days old and should fledge sometime after 6/9.

Nest/Brood 2 - Cape Point.  Two chicks hatched on 5/14 and are six days old and should fledge sometime after 6/10.

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 5/20.

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 predated by a ghost crab on 5/4. The one remaining egg was abandoned on 5/5 and predated by a ghost crab on 5/7.

Nest 9 - South Point. This nest was discovered as a one-egg nest on 5/4, exclosed as a three-egg nest on 5/8, and was a four egg nest on 5/12. Hatching should occur on or near 6/3.

Nest 10 - South Point. This nest was discovered as a three-egg nest on 5/16 and exclosed the same day. The nest is still a three egg nest as of 5/18. This nest is most likely a re-nest from pair #7, which laid Nest 7 on South Point. Hatching should occur on or before 6/11.

Nest 11 - South Point. This nest was discovered as a three-egg nest on 5/16 and exclosed the same day. The nest became a four-egg nest on 5/17.  Hatching should occur on or near 6/11.

 

WIPL Update:

 

WIPLs have been observed on a regular basis on South Point Ocracoke within the pre-nesting closure. One nest, found as a 1 egg nest on 5/10, has been confirmed as a WIPL nest.

 

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

2

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

Bodie/Hatteras District

4

3

1

0

3

3

0

0

Hatteras District

11

7

4

0

9

8

1

0

Ocracoke District

4

3

1

0

2

2

0

0

CAHA TOTALS

22

14

6

2

14

13

1

0

 

 

2010 AMOY Breeding Pairs: Twenty confirmed breeding pairs of AMOYs have been documented this year.  One pair has re-nested after losing its three-egg clutch.  Another one-egg nest at Cape Point, discussed below under Hatteras District, does not yet have an identified pair attributed to it.  Five “potential” pairs, for which scraping and breeding have been observed, are being closely monitored. An additional “potential” pair is on Green Island, but we have not been able to access the island since 4/30 to conduct surveys.

 

Bodie District:

  • Green Island:  Surveys were not conducted this week.
  • Bodie Island:  A one-egg AMOY nest is being incubated.  This nest is a clutch continuation and the first two eggs laid in different locations have been lost.
  • Bodie/Hatteras District (Rodanthe to Ramp 30):  Three breeding pairs have nests (two two-egg and one one-egg).  The first two-egg nest should hatch on or near 5/21 and the second two-egg nest should hatch on or near 5/25.  One pair has three chicks that hatched on 5/15 and 5/16.

 

Hatteras District:  7 breeding pairs have nests (five three-egg, one two-egg, one one-egg) and there are at least two more pairs are on scrape territories. Four nests have hatched (10 chicks), but a two-day-old chick appears to have been lost to unknown causes after hatching. At last observation the other two eggs in the nest were past due and had not hatched and a broken egg, with an under-developed embryo, was the only evidence at the site.

A pair for the one-egg nest has not been determined. An unbanded bird which was observed at the nest on 5/17 hasn’t returned and a banded bird, which has a three-egg nest with another banded bird, was observed on the nest. No birds were observed near the nest on the 5/19.

 

 

Ocracoke District:  

  • North Ocracoke: One pair is incubating a three-egg nest.
  • Other Beaches (Ramp 59-Ramp 72): One breeding pair has three-egg nest.  Another AMOY pair has documented breeding behavior, but no nest. The third pair hatched two chicks from a three-egg nest on 5/17. The third egg was pipped but never hatched.
  • 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 lost two eggs due to weather (one on 4/29 and another on 5/2), but now is incubating a two egg nest (clutch-continuation) on the east side of South Point.

 

Colonial Waterbirds (CWB):

            Bodie District:  

Colony BIC01- 0.8 mi S of Ramp 4 active with LETE nests and scrapes.

 

Bodie Hatteras District:

Colony BHC01- 0.3 mi N of Ramp 23 to 0.3 mi S of Ramp 23 active with LETE scrapes.

Colony BHC02- 0.2 mi S of Ramp 27 active with LETE nests and scrapes.

Colony BHC03- 2.7 mi N of Ramp 27 active with LETE scrapes.

Colony BHC04- 0.1 mi N of Ramp 27 LETE in area, last scrapes observed on 5/11.

Colony BHC05- 1.0 mi N of Ramp 27 LETE have not been observed in area since 5/14.

Hatteras District:  

Colony HIC01 - 1.5 mi S of Ramp 38 active with LETE nests and scrapes.

Colony HIC02 - 0.6 mi W of Ramp 45 active with LETE nests and scrapes.

Colony HIC03 - 0.1 mi W of Ramp 45 active with a LETE nest.

Colony HIC04 - 0.1 mi E of Salt Pond Ramp active with LETE nests and scrapes

 

Ocracoke District:  

Colony OIC01- 0.9 mi S of Ramp 72 active with LETE, COTE, and BLSK nests and scrapes.

Colony OIC02- 0.1 mi N of Ramp 59 active with LETE scrapes.

Colony OIC02-A- 0.8 mi N of Ramp 59 active with LETE scrapes.

 

Sea turtle nests: None

 

Sea Turtle Strandings:

 

Bodie District:

  • 5/14- A dead, moderately decomposed, female loggerhead sea turtle was found .1 mile N of Ramp 30.
  • 5/17- A dead, moderately decomposed, loggerhead sea turtle was found .1 mile S of Ramp 23.

 

Hatteras District:

  • 5/17 ‑ A dead, moderately decomposed, female loggerhead sea turtle was found .1 mi S of R45.

 

Ocracoke District:

  • None this week

 

Marine Mammals:

 

Bodie District:

  •  5/14- A dead, moderately decomposed neonate dolphin was found 1.4 miles N of Ramp 30.

 

Hatteras District:

  • 5/15 – NPS assisted with the response and later necropsy of a live humpback whale that stranded in Hatteras Inlet. The animal was euthanized by NC State Veterinary School under the advisement of NOAA. The animal received a full necropsy from representatives of NPS, NOAA, UNCW, NC State University, NCWRC, and the New York Riverhead Foundation.  
  • 5/19 – A live bottlenose dolphin was discovered stranded at Cape Point. The male bottlenose was euthanized and transported for full necropsy.

 

Ocracoke District:

  • None this week.

 

Closures – additions/modifications/removals:

 

Closure #

Location

Species

Date Installed or Removed

Bodie District

 

 

 

         BH10-004-A

2.7 mi N of Ramp 27

LETE

5/15/2010

         BH10-007

0.3 mi N of Ramp 23

LETE

5/16/2010

         BI10-001-D

            1.5 mi S of Ramp 4

AMOY

5/17/2010

Hatteras District

 

 

 

HI10-001-B

Cape Point & Ramp 44

PIPL

5/13/2010

HI10-004-C

Hatteras Inlet

AMOY

5/17/2010

  HI10-001-C

Cape Point

  AMOY

  5/17/2010

HI10-003-C

1.1 mi S of Ramp 55

AMOY

5/19/2010

HI10-005-C

Between Ramp 43 & Ramp 44

AMOY

5/19/2010

Ocracoke District

 

 

 

OI10-001-E

0.3 mi N. of Ramp 59

LETE

5/17/2010

 

Closure intrusions:

 

Bodie District:

5/16- A set of dog tracks were observed within the LETE closure .1 mi N of Ramp 23, tracks were observed ~5m within closure.

5/16- Multiple sets of bare foot prints were observed, along with writing in the sand within the LETE closure 1.0 mi N of Ramp 27. Also observed was a small boat leaving the beach to a larger boat anchored off-shore.

 

Hatteras District:

5/14 – A sign was removed from the east side South Beach pre-nesting closure at Ramp 45.

5/15 – Two pedestrian were observed exiting the AMOY closure north of Buxton.

 

Ocracoke District:

None this week.