Semipalmated

Latin name: Calidris canutus Sandpiper French name: Bécasseau semipalmé Spanish name: Correlimos Semipalmeado

BREEDING CONSERVATION STATUS: Worldwide Assessment (Global IUCN): Near threatened Males establish breeding territory in In Canada (COSEWIC): Sensitive the tundra by making small depressions, Population trend: Large Decrease (-5.29 % /year) or ‘scrapes’ in the ground. Females lay 4 dark speckled eggs. Both males and females take turns incubating and de- fending the nest for 3 weeks. The young SPRING MIGRATION are ready to fly 2 weeks after hatching. Semipalmated Sandpipers are neo- tropical migrants, travelling long dis- tances to their breeding areas in the FALL MIGRATION arctic. The northward, long-distance After leaving the breeding migration begins in early May. Short grounds, the shorebirds gather in stopovers at wetlands and shore- large flocks at key stopover sites lines fuel the journey, and build fat to rest and feed on energy-rich reserves for egg production once the mudshimp and other aquatic inver- birds arrive in the sub-arctic regions tebrates. They may double their of Canada and Alaska. weight from 20g to 40g, fuelling the 3000 km, nonstop flight to South America over the Atlantic Ocean. DESCRIPTION The Semipalmated Sandpipers is a small WINTER shorebird in the Sandpiper family. They Semipalmated are found in wetland and coastal habitats, Sandpipers spend in small groups to large flocks. The name the winter along ‘semipalmated’ refers to the partial webbing the shorelines of between its toes. South America. Here, they forage for aquatic invertebrates in Males & females mangroves, tidal share same mudflats and brown & gray beaches. short, plumage dark bill CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia 15 cm Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes (Shorebirds)

P Family: Scolopacidae (Sandpipers) h o Genus: Calidris t o Weight: 30 g Species: pusilla : M a rk P e ck CONSERVATION: Semipalmated Sandpiper populations have continuously declined over the past 40 years, and are globally designated as ‘Near-Threatened’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. As long-distance migrants, they rely on a network of important stopover sites along migration. Key conservation concerns include:  Legal & illegal hunting in wintering habitats  Reduced availability of food sources (human harvestings; mis-matched timing of migration)  Change in habitat quality on breeding grounds & roost sites (predation; food; space)

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS IN THE BAY OF FUNDY PROJECT: More than 30% of the eastern population of Semipalmated Sandpipers gather in the Bay of Fundy in August and September each year.

SCIENCE GOALS:  Track individual Semipalmated Sandpiper movements and length of stay to assess population size in Atlantic Canada.  Identifying important stopover locations and habitats during migration.  Determine locations, and arrival and departure dates between breeding and wintering life stages. Bay of Fundy, Canada

Adapted from Motus Wildlife Tracking System Projects: Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Bay of Fundy (#13: motus.org/data/project?id=13) Atlantic Canada Shorebirds (#78: motus.org/data/project?id=78) Brazil Shorebirds (#239: motus.org/data/project?id=239)

METHODS: When the Fundy tides A B are high, the birds roost in large groups on the shoreline. A ‘Fundy Pull Trap’ is set on the beach to safely capture large numbers of birds under light netting. The science crew quickly untangle the

PROJECT DESCRIPTION PROJECT birds from under the net (A), and store them in boxes (B) until each bird can be fitted with a metal band, plastic leg flag, and nanotags (C). The nanotag is glued C D onto the back of the bird. The bird is released (D) and the nanotag will emit a unique signal detected by the Motus receivers.

Nanotags have been released on more

than 500 Semipalmated Sandpipers Project photos: Liza Barney since 2012. Detections of these tags indicate the date and location of the VIDEOS: TV Ontario Striking Balance: Bay of Fundy (8 minutes individual bird as it moves across the starting at -24:00) www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/ep-7-fundy landscape. Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lZ-6m_MaH5g

Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER PROJECT DATA

The following individual Semipalmated Sandpipers represent a subset of the population’s movements across the landscape. Explore the Semipalmated Sandpipers movements on the You will provided base map using the following guidelines: need: 1. Label the bird species in the top right corner of the map page. A. attached base map (latitude/longitude OR 2. Use the detection data in the table below to plot the locations on the map. alphanumeric) 3. Connect the dots and label each track with the tag identification number. B. 3 colours (highlighters or 4. Draw arrowheads on the tracks to point in the direction of bird movement. pencil crayons) 5. Label the track dates on the first detection location and the last detection location. C. pencil or pen 6. Circle the location where the bird stopped for the longest time. Label its length of stay. D. ruler 7. Using the scale on the map and a ruler, measure and label the total flight track distance E. calculator from its wintering to breeding location. 8. Choose two detections, and calculate the flight speed between locations (distance/time as km/hr). Label this on the map sites. 9. Build a legend in the bottom left corner of the map. Use a different color to label each stage: Breeding, Migration, and Wintering 10. Fill in the Breeding range and the Wintering range of the map, using the legend colors. Table Legend Trace the flight tracks with the color for Migration. SESA 159 11. Circle the country names of which this bird was detected in. SESA 17196 12. Draw a big star on your location. Which range for this species are you located?

ALPHA- NEAREST LENGTH OF DATE LATITUDE LONGITUDE NUMERIC REFERENCE STAY August 3, 2014 51.29 -80.12 H-7 Moosonee, Ontario 0d 4h 15m

August 4, 2014 47.07 -70.79 I-8 Quebec City, Quebec 0d 0h 3m

August 5, 2014 45.82 -64.58 J-8 Hopewell Cape, NB 1d 0h 34m

August 20, 2018 45.83 -64.51 J-8 Johnsons Mills, NB 0d 0h 5m

August 23, 2018 45.82 -64.58 J-8 Hopewell Cape, NB 2d 0h 4m

August 25, 2018 45.83 -64.51 J-8 Johnsons Mills, NB 6d 2h 15m

Sept 6, 2018 45.82 -64.58 J-8 Hopewell Cape, NB 0d 0h 2m

September 6, 2018 45.70 -64.45 J-8 Joggins, NS 1d 9h 0m September 8, 2018 45.08 -64.22 J-8 Wolfville, NS 0d 0h 4m

October 7, 2018 5.16 -52.63 M16 Kourou, French Guiana 0d 0h 14m

October 23, 2018 4.94 -52.33 M-16 Cayenne, French Guiana 0d 0h 2m

CHECK YOUR MIGRATION TRACK HERE: https://motus.org/data/demo/educationSESA.html

Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER DISCUSSION

Use the guided discussion boxes below to analyze the project results from this Case Study. The attached Resource page offers further information to support your inquiry. Present and discuss as a class, or compare results with other Case Study species.

Populations: What is the population trend and Migration Ecology: What habitat and food 1 status for Semipalmated Sandpipers? 2 resources make a good stopover site for this species?

Threat Assessment: Identify a threat that Conservation: How can human-related threats be 3 might impact survival or success at each stage: 4 reduced or mitigated? Breeding; Migration; Wintering

Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER EXTENSION ACTIVITIES community. activity thathelpsreduce ormitigate impacts ofthreats tobirdsin your path, organization orresearch. pages inCaseStudy.Considerreaching outfor aninterview abouttheircareer on theproject research team.Findthisinformation ontheMotuswebsiteproject connections ofSemipalmatedSandpiperstotheirecologicalcommunity. or usingcomputergraphics (usingsoftware suchasAdobeIllustrator). Stewardship &Conservation: Citizen Science: Career Connections: Connecting Communities through birds: Bird Inquiry: Bird Art: Ecological Connections: Count, andeBird. FeederWatch, Project NestWatch(Canada),(US),Great BackyardBird your area andcontributeobservations for scienceandconservation. Try Project story, game,quiz,appealletter,blogpostetc.). article, skit,memes,comic,graphic, brochure, powerpointpresentation, poem,short and present information in acreative communication(infographic, popularnews media, orarrange aclassroom-to-classroom videochat. You couldwritealettertoinform theschoolofbird,exchangepostsonsocial school thatshares thewintering,migratory orbreeding range ofthisspecies. SketchormodelaSemipalmatedSandpiperusingpencil;paints;clay; Investigate ahuman-related threat toSemipalmatedSandpipers, ParticipateinCitizenSciencetolearnmore about birdsin Writeaprofessional profile for oneofthepersonnel Designafood webmodeltodisplay Initiate orparticipateinastewardship Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER Connectwithanother RESOURCES IN THE NEWS IN THE AND TECHNOLOGYSCIENCE NATURAL ANDHUMAN-RELATED THREATS CONSERVATION ANDPOPULATION STATUS LIFE HISTORY nova-scotia-1.5260975 • • upper BayofFundywww.researchgate.net/publication/241432421 • of-Extreme-Tidal-Events-on-Semipalmated-Sandpiper-iCalidris-pusilla/10.1675/063.040.0106.full the BayofFundy,Canadabioone.org/journals/waterbirds/volume-40/issue-1/063.040.0106/Effects- • audubon.org/news/shorebirds-experience-dismal-breeding-season-due-quirk-climate-change • of%20Canada,a%20million%20individuals%20each%20year where-we-work/google-trekker/johnsons-mills.html#targetText=The%20Nature%20Conservancy%20 • shorebirds-1.21232 • • • • aspx?sY=2014&sL=e&sM=a&sB=SESA • wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2014&sL=e&sM=p1&sB=SESA • • • watch?v=I5YTmIiTHiY • Cascade/index.html?appid=e91643ee51ee4ae2bf6cd93eb09ee30e • sandpiper/ • • • CBC News(27August2019): www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/sandpiper-migration-magical- www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160203184112.htm Factors affecting movementofSemipalmatedSandpipers(Calidrispusilla)migrating through the Effects ofextreme tidaleventsonSemipalmatedSandpiper(Calidrispusilla)Migratory Stopoverin Audubon: Shorebirds experiencedismalbreeding seasonduetoaquirkofclimatechangewww. Nature Conservancy ofCanada JohnsonMillsInterpretive Centre: www.natureconservancy.ca/en/ What’s KillingtheWorld’sShorebirds www.nature.com/news/what-s-killing-the-world-s- State ofCanada’sBirdsReport2019(page6):nabci.net/resources/state-of-canadas-birds-2019/ Arctic Migratory BirdsInitiative:www.caff.is/arctic-migratory-birds-initiative-ambi/americas-flyway BirdLife DataZone:datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/semipalmated-sandpiper-calidris-pusilla Population StatusofBirdsinCanada:wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/oiseau-bird-eng. COSEWIC AssessmentandStatusofbirdsinCanada(2014) IUCN RedList:www.iucnredlist.org/species/22693373/93400702 Hinterland WhoèsWho:www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/sandpiper.html UNESCO Biosphere ReserveAmazingPlaces(5minutevideo):www.youtube.com/ WHSRN: JourneyofaSemipalmatedSandpiperStoryMap:manometinc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ WHSRN: SemipalmatedSandpiperwhsrn.org/about-shorebirds/highlighted-species/semipalmated- Audubon: SemipalmatedSandpiperwww.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/semipalmated-sandpiper All AboutBirds:SemipalmatedSandpiperwww.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Semipalmated_Sandpiper Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER GLOSSARY eBird Diurnal COSEWIC Courtship Copulation Conservation Clutch Climate Change Camouflage Call Brood Patch Brood Breeding Plumage Breeding Behavior Breeding Bird Banding Biodiversity Aves Altricial young Alternate plumage Aerial Insectivore Habitat Food Web Food Chain Flyway Fledge Feathers Field Marks Extinction Environment Endangered Egg Ecosystem Birds thatare activeduringthedayandsleepatnight Committee oftheStatusEndangered Wildlife inCanada(www.cosewic.ca ) Displays orritualsperformed toattract amate The matingprocess whichfertilizes theeggtoinitiatedevelopmentofembryo and ofwildlife The preservation, protection, orrestoration ofwildlife andthenatural environment The numberofeggsafemale laysinasinglenestingattempt A changeinregional orglobalclimatepatterns The coloration ofanorganism thatmatchesitsenvironment toconcealitself Short andsimplebirdsounds.Communicatelocation,hunger,danger The patchoffeatherless skinonundersideofbirdsfor incubationduringnesting The numberofbirdshatchedfrom asingleclutchofeggs The feather moltusedduringthebreeding season(malesare usuallymore colorful) Behavior exhibitedtoattract amate(brightplumage,singing,drumming,dancing) To mateandproduce offspring band tothelegandreleasing itbackintothewild A techniqueusedtostudyandtrack individualbirdsbyattachinga numbered metal ‘Bio’ meansLife; ‘Diversity’meansvariety; thevariety oflife forms The classofanimalsknownas“birds” Birds bornnaked,blindanddependentonparental care (Ex.mostsongbirds) The feather moltofbirdsduringnon-breeding periods An animal(bird,bat,insect)thatfeeds oninsectswhileinflight (food, water,shelter,andspace) A placewhere ananimalmakesitshome andmeetsallofitsneedsfor survival The combinedinteractions betweendifferent speciesinanecologicalcommunity Direct linksofenergy transfer betweenorganisms Flight route usedbymigratory birdsbetween theirwinteringandbreeding locations When youngbirdsleavethenest waterproofing, camouflageandcourtship. External, ‘feathered’ projections ofthe skinuniquetobirds.Aidinflight,insulation, Visible characteristics ofabird(color,wingbars,billshape) A speciesthatisnolongerlivingonEarth An area characterised byconditionsintheclimate, soil,terrain, andlivingorganisms A speciesthatisindangerofbecomingextinct The hard-shelledstructure laidbybirdscontainingembryo,yolk,andwhite Combination ofalllivingandnon-livingthingsthatinteract inanenvironment A globalCitizenSciencedatabaseofbirdobservations (www.ebird.org ) Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER GLOSSARY Wintering Threatened Taxonomy Stopover Stewardship Species Songs Scrape Roost Preen Precocial young Population Plumage Ornithology Nocturnal Nest Migrant Neotropical Nanotag Motus WTS Molt Migration Juvenile IUCN Invasive Species Incubation Herbivores Hatch To spendthe winter;oftenthenon-breeding stage A speciesatriskofbecoming endangered Kingdom; Phylum;Class;Order; Family; Genus;Species The classificationoforganisms toassignnamesandrelationships A briefstayduringthecourseofamigration torest andbuildenergy reserves Responsible activitiestoprotect andenhancetheenvironment natural conditions Individuals ofthesameorganism thatcanbreed andproduce fertile offspringunder Loud vocalizationsusedtoattract matesorasterritorialdefense A shallowdepression usedbyground birdsasanest(Ex.Killdeer) A placefor temporary rest orsleep To cleanandpositionfeathers withabeak Birds bornfullyfeathered, mobile,andactive(Ex.ducks,geese,shorebirds) The numberofindividualsaparticularspeciesindefinedarea The colourandpatternsoffeathers The scientificstudyofbirds Birds thatare activeatnightandsleepduringtheday Shelter prepared bybirdsfor layingeggsandraising young A long-distantmigrating birdthatwintersinthetropics °N. andbreeds northof23 a receiver animals (birds,bats,insects)todeterminelocationanddate/timewhendetectedby Small radio transmitters thatemitauniquesignal(frequency). Affixedtosmall receivers totrack smallanimalsacross thelandscape Motus Wildlife Tracking System,alarge-scale networkofautomatedradio telemetry The process oflosingandreplacing feathers for breeding andmigration. and survival needs Movement ofaspeciesfrom oneplacetoanother;usuallyfor breeding, foraging, A youngbirdthathasfledgedthenestandisindependentofparental care natural worldandthemeasures neededtosafeguard it(www.iucn.org) International Unionfor theConservation ofNature; globalauthorityonthestatusof impact onthedynamicsofnatural community A plantorananimalthatisnon-nativetotheenvironment andishavinganegative development The process ofkeepingeggswarm(orcool)tomaintaintemperature for Primary consumers;organisms thateatplants(primaryproducers) Process ofbabybirdbreaking outofanegg Case Study: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

1 1

2 Greenland 2 (Denmark) 3 3

4 Anchorage 4 Iqaluit 5 Whitehorse Yellowknife Coats Island 5

6 Canada Mingan Archipelago 6 National Edmonton Park Reserve St. John's 7 Moosonee 7 Regina Winnipeg Victoria Québec 8 Olympia Helena Montréal 8 Kingston Nantucket Portland Island 9 Erie 9 Cape May Sacramento Denver Cincinnati 10 United States 10 Phoenix Atlanta 11 11 New Orleans Galveston 12 Bahamas 12

13 Mexico Cuba Dominican 13 Republic Mexico City 14 Antigua 14 Belize Jamaica Haiti France Honduras 15 Guatemala Tobago 15 Trinidad Suriname Panama El Salvador Caracas Guyana Colón Panama City French 16 Nicaragua Venezuela 16 Guiana Costa Bogota 17 17 Rica Colombia 18 18 Ecuador 19 Peru 19 Brazil 20 20 Lima Brasíila 21 Bolivia 21 Sucre 22 22 Paraguay 23 Chile 23

24 Argentina 24 Santiago 25 Buenos Aires 25 Uruguay 26 26

27 27

28 28 Rio Grande 29 Km 29

30 0 1,000 30

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O Greenland (Denmark)

Anchorage Iqaluit Coats 50°N Whitehorse Yellowknife Island

Canada Mingan Archipelago 35°N

45°N National Edmonton St. Park Reserve John's Moosonee Regina Winnipeg Victoria Québec

40°N Olympia Helena Montréal 30°N Kingston Portland Nantucket United Island States Erie 35°N Cape May Sacramento Denver Cincinnati 25°N 30°N Phoenix Atlanta New

Orleans 20°N Galveston 25°N Mexico Bahamas 15°N 20°N Cuba Dominican Mexico Republic City 15°N Belize Jamaica Haiti 10°N Honduras Guatemala Caracas Suriname 10°N El Salvador Panama Guyana 5°N Colón Panama French Nicaragua City Venezuela 5°N Bogota Guiana Costa 0° Rica Colombia 0° 5°S

5°S Ecuador Peru 10°S 10°S Lima Brazil Bolivia Brasíila 15°S 15°S

Sucre 20°S 20°S

Chile Paraguay 25°S 25°S Argentina 30°S 30°S Santiago Buenos Aires 35°S

Uruguay 35°S 40°S 40°S 45°S

Rio

Grande 45°S

50°S Km

0 1,000 55°S

170°W 160°W 150°W 140°W 130°W 120°W 110°W 100°W 90°W 80°W 70°W 60°W 50°W 40°W 30°W 20°W 10°W 0° 10°E