Bad News and Good…Along With Sincere Thanks
Personal and professional demands have made it necessary that Gregg Doney (left in photo) step down as Earthspan Director and Program Director of our autumn Padre Island Peregrine Falcon Survey. A long-time collaborator, Gregg has done a tremendous job since 2006 of maintaining the Survey’s scientific integrity, improving data collection methods and digitally archiving decades of field notes and band records. He leaves the Survey in good order, and we will continue to rely on his advice regarding the direction of all Earthspan initiatives. We sincerely thank Gregg for his innumerable...
Read MoreGovernment Shutdown Endangers Peregrine Surveys
The October 1 partial shutdown of the U.S Government closed all National Parks, Seashores and Refuges. At Assateague Island National Seashore (MD) Earthspan researchers were forbidden to enter the study area just three days after beginning our 44th annual survey. We are in place and poised to resume the survey if Congress so allows, but the migration waits for no one and our window of opportunity is rapidly passing. At Padre Island (TX) Earthspan researchers can no longer access portions of the study area on Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, but the beachfront and State lands are...
Read MoreResults in from 2012 Peregrine Surveys
Results from Earthspan’s 2012 peregrine falcon surveys have been incorporated into our annual reports for both the Assateague and Padre Island surveys. A summary of results and both reports may be found under the Research tab on this site. The life of our colleague and friend Scott Francis was celebrated at the onset of our autumn Padre survey. An immature female was captured and released at Deer Island. She was dusted with some of Scott’s ashes and released by his wife Karen to carry them along on her southward journey. The rest of Scott’s mortal remains were scattered...
Read MoreFall peregrine surveys begin in September
Scott Francis (1954-2010) As surely as summer turns to fall, Earthspan biologists gravitate to the East and Gulf Coasts to continue our four decades-plus of research on migrating tundra peregrine falcons. In Texas Gregg Doney will again lead a talented and experienced group of volunteers; in Maryland Bill Seegar and Mike Yates will add to their combined totals of 66 yearly Assateague Island surveys. They will also present a program on Earthspan’s peregrine studies to the Assateague Island Alliance on October 14. The first order of business in fall 2012, however, will be a gathering...
Read MoreUpdate on BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill study
Initial results are available from Earthspan’s collaborative project to monitor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants in peregrines relative to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. See our summary under the Research tab.
Read MorePolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Monitoring in Migratory Peregrines
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWH) released an estimated 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico during April through July 2010. Earthspan and its partners, The Peregrine Fund and the University of Connecticut, collected and analyzed blood samples from migrating Peregrine Falcons at South Padre Island (TX) and Assateague Island (MD) to measure pre and post-spill concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from 2009-2011. PAHs are known to cause a variety of adverse eco-toxicological impacts that include acute toxicity, reproductive failures, DNA adducts, and...
Read MoreSpring Peregrine Survey at Padre Island Begins in April
Conducted annually since 1979, our 2012 spring survey of peregrine falcons on northward migration will begin April 10. Padre Island, TX is the only known Western Hemisphere staging area for migrating peregrines in the spring, and these individuals are en route to nesting areas that encompass the entire North American Arctic. We will again be collecting blood samples for ongoing contaminant and genetic...
Read MoreEarthspan speaks at International Festival of Falconry
Mike Yates, Earthspan Research Biologist and Vice President, was an invited speaker at the 3rd International Festival of Falconry (December 12-18, 2011) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. During the Festival’s conference Mike presented a talk entitled “Four Decades of Studies on Migrating Arctic Peregrines” at the session on Raptor Conservation Projects.
Read MoreFall Peregrine Surveys Under Way
Earthspan biologists are again in the field conducting our long-term Peregrine Falcon surveys (see Research). In Maryland Bill Seegar and Mike Yates embarked upon the 42nd annual Assateague Island Peregrine Falcon Survey; In Texas Gregg Doney led a team conducting the 35th annual Padre Island Peregrine Falcon Survey. Over the course of these surveys we have captured almost 14,000 Peregrines. In addition to banding and population monitoring we will be collecting blood samples for archival as well as for contaminant, infectious disease and genetic studies.
Read MoreWintering area DDE source to migratory white-faced ibis revealed by satellite telemetry and prey sampling
Earthspan principals led a cooperative study to identify the source(s) of DDT-related contamination still plaguing a northern Nevada population of white-faced ibis many years after use of the pesticide was banned in the United States. The white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) is a long-legged wading bird that feeds primarily on invertebrates in wetlands and irrigated croplands. It is a highly social colonial nester and often forages in large aggregations. Due to restricted nesting habitat and potential vulnerability to pesticides, the species is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a...
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