Bristle-thighed Curlew Updates

Final Map of the 2007 Southbound Migration

In late June 2007, we satellite-tagged 15 Bristle-thighed Curlews on their breeding grounds in the Andreafsky Wilderness of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in western Alaska http://yukondelta.fws.gov/. We then used satellite telemetry to track the movements of the tagged birds. We found that they remained on the breeding grounds for 2–5 weeks after chicks hatched and in mid-late July they flew to sites in southwest Alaska to rest and fatten-up prior to their southbound migration. In early August the first birds left Alaska and, over the next few weeks, we tracked several of them as they flew to atolls and islands in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Republic of Kiribati, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Republic of Nauru. In December 2007, we traveled to the Republic of the Marshall Islands to observe curlews at non-breeding sites and meet local citizens, scientists, and naturalists interested in bird conservation in the region. While there, we observed one of the satellite-tagged curlews (Y5). Click here to read a description of that trip.

Additional Map Views

• Migration tracks of H9 showing its stopover on Tarawa
• Closeup of migration tracks through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Y0 on Lisianski
• Closeup of Y9 on motus (small islets within an atoll) on Likiep, 28 Aug
• Closeup of migration tracks over the Hawaiian Islands on 23 Aug
• Closeup of migration tracks of curlews in the Marshall and Gilbert islands and the Republic of Nauru
• Closeup of migrants over Hawaiian Islands on 19 Aug
• Closeup of the curlews departing Alaska on 16 Aug
• Closeup of Y5 on Rongelop atoll in the Marshall Islands
• Closeup of Y5 and D8 in the Marshall Islands as of 15 Aug
• Overview of the Bristle-thighed Curlews still in Alaska on 14 Aug
• Close-up of Bristle-thighed Curlews in Alaska on 9 Aug
• Focus on 3 curlews leaving Alaska on 9 Aug

Synopsis of Movements of Bristle-thighed Curlews in 2007

• Most birds remained on the same islands where they first made landfall in Oceania.
  
• Birds tended to stay on small islands within large atolls.
  
• Seven of the birds went to the Marshall Islands including: D8 on Enewetok, B4 on Bikini, B0 on Rongelap, Y9 and H8 on Likiep, Y5 on Maleolap, and C7 on Mili.
  
• B9 ended up on Nauru before his transmitter went off the air.
  
• H9 had a relatively large home range (compared to the other curlews) in southern Tabiteuea in the Gilbert Islands of the Republic of Kiribati.
  
• And, Y0 had a relatively small home range on the tiny island of Lisianski in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Lisianski is part of the United States’ National Wildlife Refuge System.
  
• The transmitter on one bird (D9) turned off in mid-air during migration so we don’t know where this bird ended up. We’ll likely have to rely on observations on the breeding grounds next year to determine the fate of D9.
  
• On 8 December we resighted Y5 on Nawoj Island in Maleolap Atoll of the Marshall Islands. She appeared to be healthy and just finishing up feather molt. Click here for a description of the trip to find Y5.

Click on PRBO's logo to view an additional interactive map.