Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Resource Management Field Summary for July 01– July 07, 2010 

(Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke Districts)

 

Piping Plover (PIPL) Observations:

 

Observations	Thurs 7/1	Fri 7/2	Sat 7/3	Sun 7/4	Mon 7/5	Tues 7/6	Weds 7/7
Oregon Inlet	1	1	0	0	0	1	0
Cape Point	3	3	2	1	1	6	4
South Beach	0	0	0	3	2	6	5
Hatteras Inlet	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hatteras Overwash	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
N. Ocracoke1	2	2	2	0	3	2	1
S. Ocracoke1	3	9	4	5	3	6	3

^{1       Does not include incubating adults or broods with chicks.}

Bodie District:

            Bodie Island:  One PIPL has been observed foraging.

 

Hatteras District:

            Cape Point:  Six PIPLs have been observed at one time.  Two male PIPL continue to be observed in territorial disputes and making scrapes at Cape Point.

                                                                                                                       

            South Beach:  A three-egg PIPL nest from Pair 12 continues to be incubated and should hatch next week. A total of six PIPLs (including fledglings) have been observed at one time.

 

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

 

Other Beaches:  No PIPL have been observed.

                       

Ocracoke District:

            North Ocracoke:  Up to three PIPL has been observed foraging and/or roosting on the ocean and inlet shorelines.  The PIPL nest on North Ocracoke hatched three chicks from a three-egg nest on 6/25.  The chicks were lost on or before 7/1 to unknown cause(s).

           

South Point:  Up to nine PIPLs have been observed along the inlet and oceanside shorelines, as well as within the mudflats.  At least three pairs have had documented nests.  One pair hatched three chicks from a 4 egg nest on 7/1, but all chicks were lost to an unknown cause by 7/4. A second pair hatched three chicks, but all chicks were lost by 6/7.  A third pair hatched 4 chicks 6/12-6/13 but lost all of them by 6/16. A nest was found on 6/20 with one egg, but was lost to ghost crab predation by 6/23. A three-egg nest was found 6/29 ~260 meters from where the 6/20 nest had been predated. It is believed that this new nest is a clutch continuation of the nest that was predated. There is currently one active PIPL nest on South Point.

 

PIPL Breeding Summary: 

 

Total Nests to Date	Active Nests	Total Nests Hatched	Total Nests Lost	Total Eggs Hatched	Unfledged Chicks	Lost Chicks	Fledged Chicks
16*	2	10	4	30	0	15	15

* This counts the three egg nest on Ocracoke, found 6/29, as a separate nest, although it is believed that this nest may be a clutch continuation from Nest #15, which was predated by ghost crabs 6/23.

 

Nest/Brood Summary/Expected hatch dates:

Nest/Brood 1 - Cape Point.  Four chicks hatched on 5/13.  Four chicks fledged 6/8.

Nest/Brood 2 - Cape Point.  Two chicks hatched on 5/14.  One chick fledged 6/3 and the other chick fledged 6/9.

Nest/Brood 3 & 5 - Cape Point.  Three chicks hatched on 5/21.  One chick was lost on 5/28 and another on 6/6.  The Brood 3 chick fledged on 6/17.  Brood 5 chicks fledged on 6/21.

Nest/Brood 4 - Cape Point.  Four chicks hatched on 5/21 and four chicks fledged (three on 6/18) by 6/21.

Nest/Brood 5 - Cape Point.  Four chicks hatched on 5/24. Two chicks were lost on 5/30. Two chicks joined Brood 3 on 6/1.

Nest/Brood 6 - Cape Point.  Four chicks hatched on 5/21, one was lost on 5/22 and another on 5/28. Two chicks fledged on 6/16.

Nest 7 - South Point.  Lost on 5/2.

Nest 8 - South Point.  Lost on 5/5.

Nest/Brood 9 - South Point.  Three chicks were lost to unknown predation (probably ghost crab or avian) on 6/7.  The fourth egg from this nest was abandoned by 6/8. 

Nest/Brood 10 - South Point.  Lost to storm overwash and flooding on 5/26.

Nest/Brood 11 - South Point.  Four chicks were lost between 6/13 and 6/16 (1 chick was lost to a ghost crab, the cause of loss for the other three chicks is unknown).

Nest 12 – North Ocracoke.  Three chicks hatched 6/25, one was lost on or around 6/28. The other two were lost on or before 7/1.

Nest 13 – South Point.  This nest was discovered at a one-egg nest on 6/3 and exclosed as a three-egg nest on 6/7.  This nest is believed to be a re-nest from pair #7, which lost Nest 7 on 5/2 and Nest 10 on 5/26.  Three chicks hatched 7/1, but only one chick was observed by 7/2. All chicks were lost by 7/4 to unknown cause.

Nest 14 – South Beach. A two-egg nest was discovered on 6/15 and was exclosed as a three-egg nest on 6/16. It should hatch on or near 7/12.

Nest 15 – South Point. A one-egg nest was discovered on 6/20 but was predated (presumably by ghost crab) on or before 6/23.

Nest 16 (or Nest 15a) – South Point. A three-egg nest was discovered and immediately exclosed on 6/29 on South Point Spit. It is believed that this nest may be a clutch continuation from Nest #15, which was predated by ghost crabs on 6/23.

 

WIPL Update:

 

WIPLs have been observed on a regular basis on South Point (Ocracoke) within the pre-nesting closure.  A three egg nest, found as a 1 egg nest on 5/10, hatched on 6/6 with three chicks. Although the WIPL chicks are not observed daily, on 7/4 two nearly fledged chicks were present and foraging on the sound-side shoreline of South Point. On 6/19 a new one-egg WIPL nest was found on South Point. This nest became a two-egg nest on 6/22, and was exclosed as a three-egg nest on 6/27.

 

American Oystercatchers (AMOY):  

 

Location	Total Nests to Date	Active Nests	Nests Hatched	Nests Lost	Total Chicks Hatched	Unfledged Chicks	Chicks Lost	Fledged Chicks
Green Island	3	0	2	1	6	5	1	0
Bodie District	2	0	1	1	1	0	1	0
Bodie/Hatteras District	5	0	4	1	10	1	5	4
Hatteras District	12	0	9	3	22	3	4	15
Ocracoke District	6	1	4	1	8	1	6	1
CAHA TOTALS	28	1	20	7	47	10	17	20

 

2010 AMOY Breeding Pairs: Twenty-three confirmed breeding pairs of AMOYs have been documented this year. 

 

Bodie District:

• Green Island:  Two pairs have two broods (locating the chicks is difficult on the island however the southern brood is believed to have 2 chicks and the northern brood is believed to still have 3 chicks).
• Bodie Island:  No AMOY breeding behavior was observed. The AMOY pair that lost a chick has been observed roosting near its previous nesting area. 
• Bodie/Hatteras District (Rodanthe to Ramp 30):  One pair has one chick that hatched on 6/26.  One pair has three chicks that fledged on 6/21. One pair has one chick that fledged on 7/3.

 

Hatteras District:  There are no active nests remaining in Hatteras District. There are three unfledged chicks which are 36 days old and should fledge anytime. Two chicks were lost at Hatteras Inlet to unknown predator(s) on 7/2 and 7/3.

 

Ocracoke District:  

• North Ocracoke:  One pair has one chick. This pair lost one of three hatched chicks on 6/13 to an unknown cause and a second on or before 7/5 to unknown cause. Another pair has documented scrapes north of Ramp 59, although no nest has been found.
• Other Beaches (Ramp 59-Ramp 72):  The northern-most pair has fledged one chick. A second pair hatched two chicks from a three-egg nest on 6/29, but both chicks were lost on or before 7/1.
• South Point:  One pair continues to be observed in its territory.  The other pair lost a two egg nest in the high surf and flooding of South Point on 5/26.  A one-egg re-nest was found for this pair on 6/21. The nest became a two egg nest on 6/23.

 

Colonial Waterbirds (CWB):

            Bodie District:  

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

 

Green Island:

Colony GIC01- N, W, and S end of Green Island active with COTE scrapes, nests and chicks.

 

Bodie Hatteras District:

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

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

Colony BHC03- 2.7 mi N of Ramp 27 active with LETE scrapes, nests, and chicks.

 

Hatteras District:  

Colony HIC01 - 1.5 mi S of Ramp 38 to 2.4 mi S of Ramp 38 active with LETE nests, chicks and fledglings.

Colony HIC02 - 0.1 mi W of Ramp 45 active with LETE nests, chicks and fledglings.

Colony HIC03 - 0.1 mi E of Salt Pond Road is active with LETE nests, chicks, fledglings and one incubating GBTE nest.

 

Ocracoke District:  

Colony OIC01- 0.9 mi S of Ramp 72 inactive with no nests or scrapes. It is unknown what happened to the few nests that were last observed.

Colony OIC02- 0.1 mi N of Ramp 59 active with LETE and COTE nests and chicks.

Colony OIC02-A- 0.8 mi N of Ramp 59 active with LETE, COTE, and BLSK nests and chicks.

 

 

Sea Turtle Nests (New Nests this Week):

Bodie District Nests:

None this week

 

Bodie District False Crawls:

None this week

 

Bodie Hatteras District Nests:

7/2- A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 2.3 mi S of Ramp 23.

 

Bodie Hatteras District False Crawls:

7/2- A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found 0.1 mi N of Ramp 23.

 

Hatteras District Nests:

7/1 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 1.3 mi S Ramp 34.

7/1 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 0.9 mi N Ramp 38. 

7/2 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 0.3 mi. west of Ramp 45.

7/2 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 1.6 mi S Ramp 38.

7/6 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found sound-side at Hatteras Inlet and relocated to just N of Ramp 55.

6/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found at Hatteras Inlet and relocated to 1.5 mile S of R55.

 

Hatteras District False Crawls:

7/5 – A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found 2.4 mi S Ramp 38.

7/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found 0.9 mi N Ramp 43.

7/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found .8 mile S of Ramp 44.

7/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found 0.7 mi S Ramp 44.

 

Ocracoke District Nests:

7/1 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 4.2 mi N of Ramp 67

7/1 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 2.4 mi S of Ramp 59

7/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle nest was found 1.9 mi N of Ramp 67

 

Ocracoke District False Crawl:

7/7 – A loggerhead sea turtle false crawl was found 1.0 mi N of Ramp 67

 

 

New nests this week: 10

Total nests to date:  66

New false crawls this week: 6

Total false crawls to date:  42

 

 

Sea Turtle Strandings:

 

Bodie District:

            None this week

Hatteras District:

None this week

 

Ocracoke District:

None this week

 

Marine Mammals:

 

Bodie District:

None this week.

 

Hatteras District:

None this week.

 

Ocracoke District:

None this week.

 

Closures – additions/modifications/removals:

 

Closure #	Location	Species	Date Installed or Removed
Bodie District
BH10-001-G	0.9 mi N of Ramp 30	AMOY	7/2/2010
Hatteras District
HI10-001-I	Cape Point	AMOY	7/7/2010
Ocracoke District
OI10-002-G	0.2 mi SW of Ramp 72	PIPL	7/1/2010
OI10-001-H	0.6 mi NE of Ramp 59	LETE	7/2/2010
OI10-001-I	0.1 mi SW of Ramp 59	AMOY	7/6/2010

 

Closure intrusions:

 

Bodie District:

7/1-  At 0713, a sea turtle nest (NBH04) 1.7 mi N of Ramp 23 was found to have ATV tracks running through the closure.  The string with flagging was broken at the entry and exit points.  The tracks went directly over the nest.  The nest was immediately checked and no direct damage to the eggs was apparent.  Pictures were taken and law enforcement was contacted.

7/4-   Two signs were removed and one was broken at the bird closure 0.3 mi N of Ramp 23 (north of the village boundary).  Two sets of footprints entered the closure approximately 15 ft then exited.  The signs were replaced.

7/5-  Three sets of footprints followed the waterline through the closure 0.1- 0.3 mile N of Ramp 23.

Hatteras District:

7/3 – At 0600, while on turtle patrol, staff came across one broken sign and "Eggs (with an arrow pointing towards the nest) a good dozen" written in the sand.  The sign was replaced and the area raked out at the nest, 1.3mi S Ramp 34.

7/3 – Two pedestrians and a dog entered a bird closure, 1 mi S of Ramp 38, at the north boundary and walked 100 yards into the closure and exited over the dunes to NC12.

7/4 – One set of pedestrian tracks was observed in the sea turtle nest closure at Ramp 49.

7/4 – One set of dog tracks documented in the sea turtle nest closure just N of Ramp 55.

7/4 – One set of dog tracks and cat tracks observed in the sea turtle nest closure 0.2 mi N of Ramp 55.

7/4 – One set of dog tracks and cat tracks observed in the sea turtle nest closure just N of Frisco Pier.

7/4 – Four sets of pedestrian tracks observed in the Cape Point pre-nesting closure south of Ramp 44.

7/5 – One set of dog tracks and cat tracks observed in the sea turtle nest closure just N of Frisco Pier.

7/5 – At 1236 a women was observed sunbathing at Ramp 45. Law enforcement made contact.

7/5 – Pedestrian tracks went through a sea turtle nest closure 1 mi N of Ramp 55.

7/5 – Pedestrian tracks were observed in a sea turtle nest closure 1 mi N of Ramp 55.

7/7 – The string was broken and pedestrian footprints were observed in a sea turtle closure 0.7 mi N Ramp 55.

7/7 – One set of dog tracks observed in the sea turtle closure 0.2 mi N of Ramp 55.

 

 

Ocracoke District:

7/1 - Child observed walking S though the South Point closure. Technician approached the child and escorted him out of the closure. While trying to explain the issue to the child's mother she became confrontational and law enforcement was called. 

7/4 – Boat with 10 people found within the South Point closure. The visitors were attempting to get to the limited access area but had ended up in the closure. They were asked to relocate to the open area.  Law enforcement was contacted.

7/7 – Two pedestrians found walking within the North Ocracoke closure in front of the tern colony.  They had walked down Ramp 59 which is now closed pedestrians and ORVs.  The visitors were asked to make their way back to their car.