Shorebird Survey

The shorebird survey was initiated in 1997 to note the shorebird abundance and species variety on the Bouctouche spit. (The Irving Eco-Centre’s spit was a new site included in the Canadian Wildlife Service’s Atlantic Canada Survey.) The CWF tries to spot trends and changes in bird populations as they are related to changes in ecosysytem health.

Surveys were conducted along a 2 km stretch of marsh area near the southern tip of the spit. Results for 2000 resemble those of 1999 and 1997, with the semipalmated sandpiper being the most abundant species (over 500 on August 7th). Surveys were not conducted during this first week of August in the past which might explain results this year. The second most abundant bird was the semipalmated plover with 225 observed. Also significant was 120 red knots, a high for this species, perhaps because of the late date for some surveys.

After 4 years the collected data reveals "windows of appearance" for species during the season. For this reason it is recommended that surveys be conducted weekly until the end of September. In future surveys, tidal levels should be recorded as the data reflects higher numbers of birds at low tide.