U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Northeast Region Division of Migratory Birds Fiscal Year 2015 Accomplishments

Roseate Tern. Jorge Saliva

The Division of Migratory Birds in the n established threat Working Groups to in partnership with the University Northeast Region maintained a swift foster collaboration; of Massachusetts, and funded by the pace in moving bird conservation forward n created an Executive Summary that Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lays out the priorities of the Initiative to track the movements of conservation (Service) and with its many partners. for the next two years; and focal species using light-weight digital The Division of Migratory Birds team n established a regional implementation VHF transmitters (nanotags) and an of dedicated biologists and examiners team to help coordinate and leverage array of automated radio telemetry provided leadership in developing Service resources; and stations. The results of the study initiatives and plans, progressing n developed an accomplishment will assist BOEM and partners in the science of bird conservation, and storymap to highlight successes of the determining the potential effects of enabling the public to enjoy migratory Initiate partners. offshore wind energy development on birds. migratory bird populations. This year the Urban Partnerships study expanded from tracking Common Conserving Migratory Birds In 2015 five cities in the Northeast Terns and American Oystercatchers Populations Region were awarded National Fish & to track the movements of Federally Conserving birds means understanding Wildlife Foundation Five Star Grants and managing populations and focusing to support their efforts to initiate and continue Urban Bird Treaty Cities on species of highest concern. Much of USFWS our work is directly involved in (Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, developing and working in large New Haven, and Washington D.C.). conservation partnership initiatives Three of these cities are also Service that conserve priority bird populations Urban Refuge Partnerships. The Urban through research, monitoring, biological Bird Treaty cities work with partners planning, and outreach. to conserve migratory birds through education, hazard reduction, citizen Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative science, conservation actions, and habitat A multi-year effort to develop the improvements in urban areas. Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Business Plan was completed in 2015. The National International Conservation and Fish and Wildlife Foundation took the Engagement landmark step of soliciting proposals To implement full life-cycle conservation for funding conservation projects in the for high priority birds in the Atlantic Business Plan. Major accomplishments of Flyway, the Division of Migratory Birds Pam Loring DMB biologist the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative has started to develop country-to- in support of the Business Plan are: country engagement and collaboration endangered Roseate Terns and Federally n appointed an Executive Committee to implement high priority conservation threatened Piping Plovers. to oversee implementation of the of northeastern migratory birds. For Study partners captured and nano- Business Plan; example, a delegation of Region 4 and tagged a total of thirty Roseate Terns 5, and Headquarters staff recently met and thirty Common Terns from the with the Dominican Republic's Interior nesting colony on Great Gull Island in Ministry of the Environment leaders to eastern Long Island Sound, and a total Jeff nadler discuss habitat conservation in critical of fifty Piping Plovers from nesting areas wintering habitat for Bicknell's Thrush. in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Additionally, the Atlantic Flyway Working with landowners from various Shorebird Initiative is engaging partners federal, state, and non-profit entities, throughout the Atlantic Flyway. at sites from Cape Cod, MA, to Long Island, NY, we installed an array of Tracking Offshore Movements of twenty automated radio telemetry Conservation Focal Species stations that monitored the movements Since 2013, Division of Migratory of tagged birds around-the-clock at Bicknell's Thrush Birds has coordinated a pilot study, distances of up to forty km offshore. In addition, we conducted boat-based and focus on the conservation of habitats for impacted by deforestation, agriculture, aerial telemetry surveys to search for all birds consistent with major national and development. With tourism being the tagged birds across extensive offshore and continental bird conservation current primary activity in the region, areas of the southern New England plans and the North American Bird conservation priorities and opportunities continental shelf. Our 2015 study has Conservation Initiative. are highlighted for both PR/USVI. There revealed new information about the are more than 284 bird species here offshore flight paths of Piping Plovers Grant Updates in the Atlantic Coast Joint including 17 endemics. Some important and Roseate Terns throughout southern Venture species in the region are Puerto Rican New England, addressing an important North American Wetland Conservation Parrot, Elfin-woods Warbler, White- information gap for siting and monitoring Acts (NAWCA) cheeked Pintail, Piping and Snowy offshore wind energy facilities in the ACJV partners protected or conserved Plover, Yellow-breasted Crake, Black region. well over 32,719 acres of habitat in eight Rail, and American Flamingo. The states in Fiscal Year 2015 including Plan can be viewed at: http://acjv.org/ Northwest Atlantic Seabird Catalog twenty-three approved North American planning/bird-conservation-regions/bcr- The Division of Migratory Birds hired a Wetland Conservation Act standard and 69/ Marine Bird biologist to coordinate our small grants for a total of $12.5 million in marine bird conservation efforts. We also grant funds matched by $31.3 million in Migratory Bird Take hired a database manager and statistician partner funds. The objective of the Permits Branch is to help manage the Northwest Atlantic to enable the public to collect, possess Seabird Catalog, recently renamed National Coastal Wetland Conservation and otherwise take migratory birds for from the Atlantic Seabird Compendium. Grant (NCWCG) a variety of purposes. Permit examiners They have been entering new datasets; In FY15 the NCWCG program provided and DMB biologists use the best are providing quality control of existing $7.9 million in funding for ten projects available science and expertise to make datasets; and developing initial analysis in seven states within the ACJV. These permitting decisions that consider the of high priority marine bird distribution projects conserved (protected, restored, risks and benefits of proposed activities. and abundance for use in siting and enhanced) over 7,000 acres. ACJV works The examiners collectively issued 69% evaluating the potential impacts of extensively with NCWCG partners of all migratory birds permits within offshore wind development. These two and serves on the National Ranking 30 days of receipt of a completed positions were funded by the Bureau of Committee. application, a great achievement for the Ocean Energy Management. three dedicated examiners. Examiners Neotripical Migratory Bird Treaty Act issued 1,478 migratory bird permits Habitat Conservation & Joint Ventures: Grants (NMBCA) in 2015. The Northeast Region has The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture In FY15 the NMBCA grant program approximately 600 registrants in the (ACJV) and Appalachian Mountains provided over $500,000 for three projects National Resident Canada Goose Joint Venture (AMJV) are partnerships and leveraged over $2.5 million dollars Registration website, which was focused on the conservation of habitat in match to protect Atlantic Coast developed to enable landowners to better for native birds in the Atlantic Flyway migratory birds in their critical wintering control the damage caused by resident and Appalachian Mountains, respectively. areas. Canada Geese. The ACJV partnership consists of the 17 states and commonwealths from Maine Puerto Rico and US Virgina Islands (BCR south to Puerto Rico; the AMJV covers 69) Plan Complete the Appalachian portions of 11 states The bird conservation plan for BCR and commonwealths, from southern 69 is now available for Puerto Rico and New York to northeastern Alabama. the U.S. Virgin Islands (PR/USVI) Both partnerships also work with key geography of the Atlantic Coast Joint federal and regional habitat conservation Venture. BCR 69 is an extremely agencies and organizations in their joint important area for the conservation of venture areas. The ACJV and AMJV birds, a region that has been historically USDA

For additional information or questions contact:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Division of Migratory Birds 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley, MA 01035 413/253 8539

October 2015 Puerto Rican Parrot