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<title>Bolivia Archives – WHSRN</title>
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<title>Bolivia Archives – WHSRN</title>
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<title>From Bolivia to Uruguay: Exchange of Experiences and Knowledge for the Conservation of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/from-bolivia-to-uruguayexchange-of-experiences-and-knowledge-for-the-conservation-of-the-buff-breasted-sandpiper/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vianey Ramirez]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:44:26 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Conservation Action]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Linking Sites]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WHSRN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Working Landscapes]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Buff-breasted Sandpiper]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Grasslands]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Uruguay]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=23492</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/from-bolivia-to-uruguayexchange-of-experiences-and-knowledge-for-the-conservation-of-the-buff-breasted-sandpiper/">From Bolivia to Uruguay: Exchange of Experiences and Knowledge for the Conservation of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p>Shorebird conservation requires collaborative work at the local and international levels to strengthen relationships between partners to enhance local conservation efforts and ensure impactful work at the flyway scale.</p>
<p>In this spirit of collaboration, the Fundación Lagunas Costeras (Coastal Lagoons Foundation), CURE of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, and the Armonía Association in Bolivia worked together and made it possible for Marcia Salvatierra from Bolivia to visit the coastal lagoons of Uruguay to learn about their ecosystems. Marcia also learned how to capture and install GPS on Buff-breasted Sandpipers (<em>Calidris subruficolis</em>).</p>
<p>This charismatic species has been part of Marcia Salvatierra’s life since 2014 when she did her undergraduate thesis monitoring the species in the Barba Azul Reserve. Since then, Marcia has worked as a consultant for Asociación Armonía at the Barba Azul WHSRN site in Bolivia. In 2021, Marcia coordinated the field groups <a href="https://whsrn.org/llanos-de-moxos-corridor-for-buff-breasted-sandpipers/">during the monitoring of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the Llanos de Moxos in Bolivia</a>. Manomet supported this work through the participation of Arne Lesterhuis and Joaquín Aldabe. This field encounter, along with a previous connection during past meetings of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group (WHSG), facilitated the potential for an exchange of experience between two important sites for the conservation of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in South America: Barba Azul Reserve in Bolivia and Laguna de Rocha in Uruguay.</p>
<p>A year later and thanks to the management and collaboration between the partners, Marcia had the opportunity to travel to Uruguay. In November 2022, Marcia visited the coastal lagoons for 14 days with the staff of the Fundación Lagunas Costeras and the CURE of the University of the Republic, participating in the capture and installation of satellite transmitters on the birds. Marcia visited three lagoons: Laguna Castillos, Laguna José Ignacio, and Laguna de Rocha. For Marcia, getting to know the wilsternet capture technique up close was a highlight. “There were days when we spent more than 10 hours waiting without activating the trap, which also allowed us to appreciate even more the moments when we were able to capture the birds”.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Left: The wilsternet method is a classic method of capturing birds and is very effective, but it is also complex to implement. It uses a 25-meter long net, steel lingas, stakes and a flock of resin shorebirds (“decoys”) on the ground. Very effective for the capture of Buff-breasted Sandpipers, American Golden Plovers (<em>Pluvialis dominica</em>), among other species associated with grasslands in Uruguay. Right: Buff-breasted Sandpiper with satellite transmitter. <em>Photos: Marcia Salvatierra </em></p>
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<p>By expanding the ways in which these activities are carried out at other key sites for its conservation this exchange is strengthening the research and monitoring of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. “These types of experiences create connections between people working at different points along the migratory routes, while generating a spirit of teamwork on an international scale” shared Joaquín Aldabe, Ranching and Shorebird Conservation Specialist of the WHRSN Executive Office in Manomet and part of the team of the Fundación Lagunas Costeras.</p>
<p>This was an exceptional opportunity not only to improve technical skills and connect with others, but also to see the differences between ecosystems and the behavior of the species. For Marcia one of the most important things “was to see the very large flocks of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, seeing so many reminded me of the Marcia of 2014 excited with a flock of a thousand individuals, and to see so many in Uruguay was amazing.” The differences and similarities of the ecosystems were evident, as well as the behavior of the species “in Bolivia the Buff-breasted Sandpipers are just passing through, while in Uruguay I could see them in groups and in high concentrations”. Another of her observations was how the flocks are composed according to the location. In Uruguay the Buff-breasted Sandpiper is often found accompanied by the American Golden Plover, while in Bolivia it is seen more with the Upland Sandpiper (<em>Bartramia longicauda</em>) as American Golden Plovers do not stop as frequently in Bolivia.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Marcia holding a Buff-breasted Sandpiper with a satellite transmitter attached to its back. <em>Photo: Agustina Medina</em></p>
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<p>Collaboration between site partners is an important part of the spirit of WHSRN. When relationships between sites are cultivated, each site is not alone in facing threats, as Joaquín said, “This type of experience makes it possible for people to benefit from resources, opportunities, experiences, knowledge, and skills that happen elsewhere. It also helps sites receive support from an internationally connected community of people in the face of local conservation emergencies”.</p>
<p>This experience for Marcia is sure to inform decisions and techniques for continuing the species’ conservation work in her country. Her focus and energy are now on advancing her Master’s thesis in Natural Resources and Environment Management at the Universidad Mayor San Simon in Cochabamba, Bolivia.</p>
<p>For Fundación Lagunas Costeras, international visitors at the local level generates opportunities for future collaborative work, while emphasizing the importance of the site on an international scale, “It strengthens the idea that birds connect us and that birds are important, it helps people to value birds more,” says Joaquín.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Left: Students observe Buff-breasted Sandpipers and American Golden Plovers in the cattle pasture in coastal Uruguay. Right: Joaquín Aldabe banding a Buff-breasted Sandpiper before it is released. <em>Photos: Marcia Salvatierra </em></p>
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<p>In addition to providing services for our site partners and supporting new site designations, the WHSRN Executive Office seeks to promote interaction and collaborative work among partners. Some of the ways in which we support these interactions is by generating spaces for exchange, identifying opportunities for partners to work together, highlighting each site’s conservation efforts, facilitating communication between partners, and helping to find resources to make these exchanges a reality. For more information please contact us: <a href="mailto:whsrn@manomet.org">whsrn@manomet.org</a></p>
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<p><strong>Cover Photo: Decoys on display, waiting for Buff-breasted Sandpipers to join them. <em>Photo: Marcia Salvatierra </em></strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/from-bolivia-to-uruguayexchange-of-experiences-and-knowledge-for-the-conservation-of-the-buff-breasted-sandpiper/">From Bolivia to Uruguay: Exchange of Experiences and Knowledge for the Conservation of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<title>Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia): an Important Migration Corridor for Buff-breasted Sandpipers</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/llanos-de-moxos-corridor-for-buff-breasted-sandpipers/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[WHSRN Executive Office]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Population Monitoring]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WHSRN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Working Landscapes]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Buff-breasted Sandpiper]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Grasslands]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=16430</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/llanos-de-moxos-corridor-for-buff-breasted-sandpipers/">Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia): an Important Migration Corridor for Buff-breasted Sandpipers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p><strong>By: Arne Lesterhuis & Joaquín Aldabe</strong></p>
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<p>During early September 2021, six teams, including staff from WHSRN Executive Office, scattered throughout the Llanos de Moxos (or Beni Savannas), a vast area of natural grasslands and flooded savannas covering 120,000 km2 in northern Bolivia, to survey for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (<em>Calidris subruficollis</em>). Tracking studies in recent years, coordinated by Richard Lanctot, Alaska Shorebird Coordinator, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) USFWS, revealed that Buff-breasted Sandpipers use a narrow migration corridor through these savannas during their southbound migration.</p>
<p>The only reliable shorebird data from the Llanos de Moxos came from <a href="https://whsrn.org/update-barba-azul-nature-reserve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Barba Azul Nature Reserve (Barba Azul)</a>. Since 2014, annual monitoring by Asociacion Armonia has indicated that large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers (<em>Calidris melanotos</em>), Upland Sandpipers (<em>Bartramia longicauda</em>) and to a lesser extent American Golden-Plover (<em>Pluvialis dominica</em>) use the savannas of Barba Azul during their southbound migration. Significant counts of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, representing over 2.5% of the species global population, resulted in the designation of <a href="https://whsrn.org/whsrn_sites/barba-azul-nature-reserve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barba Azul</a> as a WHSRN site of Regional Importance, the first site in Bolivia. Based on the results of the tracking studies and this on-the-ground monitoring at Barba Azul, the Llanos de Moxos were believed to represent critical stopover habitat for the majority of the species’ population.</p>
<p>To further assess the potential importance of the Llanos de Moxos, Asociacion Armonia and WHSRN Executive Office collaborated on a simultaneous survey with multiple teams on the ground. Thanks to Manomet, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and the USFWS, funds supported six teams monitoring a large area of the Llanos de Moxos. A survey protocol was developed based on surveys carried out in the <a href="https://whsrn.org/whsrn_sites/flint-hills/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flint Hills</a>, a WHSRN site of Hemispheric Importance in North America and key migration site of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. The protocol consisted of point counts with a distance of 1 kilometer (km) between each point, along roads throughout the area. 15 participants received training provided by Tjalle Boorsma withAsociacion Armonia, and Joaquin Aldabe and Arne Lesterhuis with WHSRN Executive Office. The training included theoretical presentations and practical training in the field.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Field training by Joaquín Aldabe. <em>Photo: Arne Lesterhuis</em>.</p>
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<p>Between September 3and September 12, 2021 a total of 948 km of survey transects were covered by the six field teams and a total of 673 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, representing over 1% of the global population, were counted. In addition, during the same period 1,083 individuals were counted during surveys at Barba Azul, so a minimum of 3% of the global population of the species were present in the Llanos de Moxos during the study periodof virtually all Buff-breasted Sandpipers were found in areas called “Bajios”, which is river-edge short grass. This is also the habitat where at Barba Azul the species is found and appears to be the key habitat for the species in the Llanos de Moxos.</p>
<p>Apart from the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 11 other migratory shorebird species were observed of which the most common were the Pectoral Sandpiper (452 individuals), Upland Sandpiper (210 individuals), and Solitary Sandpiper <em>Tringa solitaria</em> (153 individuals).</p>
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<p class="font_9">Left: Bajio, Buff-breasted Sandpiper habitat at Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia. Right: Tjalle Boorsma counting Buff-breasted Sandpipers. <em>Photos: Arne Lesterhuis</em></p>
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<p>After the surveys, Joaquín Aldabe, WHSRN’s Ranching and Shorebirds Conservation Specialist visited Barba Azul to provide technical support and learn about their grassland management program that includes ranching. In this reserve, livestock grazing is being used as a conservation tool to provide adequate habitat for grassland shorebirds and other grassland bird specialists. Together with the person in charge of the management of the livestock, Joaquín and Tjalle fully revised the management system and exchanged experiences. As a result, several measurements for several indicators were added to the management protocol, which will improve decision making To support these new indicators, a workshop was conducted on taking abundance estimates using Distance Sampling, along with techniques for data collection and interpretation.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Joaquín Aldabe, Ranching and Shorebird Conservation Specialist from WHSRN Executive Office at the Llanos de Moxos . <em>Photo: Tjalle Boorsma.</em></p>
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<p>Understanding how the Buff-breasted Sandpiper use the Llanos de Moxos and how to manage the grasslands in a way that both the species and the landowners profit is of critical importance. A major threat to area is new land use laws that were approved in 2019. This along with an<a href="https://youtu.be/JfRLdpo9OJg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> agricultural development plan</a> for Bolivia’s Beni Department, are rapidly driving the conversion of natural grasslands and wetlands to soy and rice fields, threatening critical habitat for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper and other shorebirds.</p>
<p>The surveys carried out in September 2021 help to better understand habitat use and selection by the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in this natural grassland system, showing a preference for the short grass “bajios”. Future efforts should focus specifically on identifying and mapping all these bajios in the Llanos de Moxos and then studying the fidelity and turnover at these sites to understand the importance of these areas and ensure the protection and management of this critical habitat.</p>
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<p><strong>Cover Photo: Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia. <em>Photo: </em></strong><em><strong>Ruben Layme</strong></em><strong><em>.</em></strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/llanos-de-moxos-corridor-for-buff-breasted-sandpipers/">Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia): an Important Migration Corridor for Buff-breasted Sandpipers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<title>Update from Bolivia’s only WHSRN site, the Barba Azul Nature Reserve</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/update-barba-azul-nature-reserve/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:45:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WHSRN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cattle ranching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Grassland Birds]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Grasslands]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=14360</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/update-barba-azul-nature-reserve/">Update from Bolivia’s only WHSRN site, the Barba Azul Nature Reserve</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p class="font_9"><strong>By Tjalle Boorsma – Asociación Armonía</strong></p>
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<p>The Bolivian dry season has arrived in the Beni savanna locally known as the Llanos de Moxos. Eight months of flooding (November-July) is taken over by 4 months of extreme drought (July-November). This is also the time for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (<em>Calidris subruficollis</em>) and other shorebirds to arrive on these Bolivian natural grasslands to feed, rest and prepare for their final stretch of southbound migration to reach their winter grounds.</p>
<p>Asociación Armonia, Bolivia’s leading bird conservation NGO, created in 2008 the Barba Azul Nature Reserve deep in the heart of the Llanos de Moxos. At Barba Azul, Armonia is protecting key habitat for the endemic Blue-throated Macaw but they have also found large numbers of shorebirds using river-edge shortgrass in September including Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Due to the large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpipers using Barba Azul as critical stopover habitat, the reserve was declared a WHSRN site of Regional Importance in 2015. Through the support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) program, Armonía started monitoring shorebirds systematically since 2014 and is now managing a database of 7 years of shorebird migration data in the Barba Azul Nature Reserve.</p>
<p>Barba Azul Nature Reserve is only 11,000 hectares while the Llanos de Moxos is approximately 12 million hectares of a complex mosaic of treeless grasslands, cerrado-like savanna, palm savanna, palm forest islands, gallery forest along white-water rivers, herbaceous wetlands and shallow lakes.</p>
<p>In 2016, a total of 1,460 Buff-breasted Sandpipers (2.5% of the species global population) were observed in a single day in Barba Azul. But many more Buff-breasted Sandpipers are using the entire Llanos de Moxos for their Southbound migration. Additionally apart from the ‘buffies’, large numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers (<em>Calidris melanotos</em>), Upland Sandpipers (<em>Bartramia longicauda</em>) and to a lesser extent the American Golden-Plover (<em>Pluvialis dominica</em>) use this ecoregion during their southbound migration (Herzog <em>et. al. </em>unpublished data).</p>
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<p class="font_9">The Buff-breasted Sandpipers uses the Llanos de Moxos only during their southbound migration. This is because The Llanos de Moxos in September provides sufficient foraging habitat. On their northbound migration, the Llanos de Moxos is completely flooded and little foraging habitat is available. Therefore, they skip Bolivia and fly straight to the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela that are in the dry season at that specific time. <em>Photo: Teo Camacho</em></p>
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<p>Armonía’s shorebird monitoring team traveled to Barba Azul on the 28<sup>th</sup> of August to survey long-distance migratory shorebirds for 30 days at five different locations within the reserve. The team gathered data on presence/absence of shorebirds, but also other environmental factors to better understand shorebird foraging preference at specific sites (grass lengths, presence/absence of livestock, number of dung piles, distance to forest, grass cover, etc). Preliminary results showed day counts ranging from 15 (minimum) to 322 (maximum) Buff-breasted Sandpipers individuals.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, new land-use reform laws have been approved in 2019 to convert 83% of natural grasslands and marsh habitat to soya and rice fields in the Llanos de Moxos, threatening natural foraging habitat for long distance migratory shorebirds. Therefore, it is urgent to understand habitat use and selection by Buff-breasted Sandpipers in this natural grassland system and evaluate priority stopover areas.</p>
<p>Armonía is pushing landscape-scale conservation way beyond the borders of only our Blue-throated Macaw reserves. Threatened species like the Blue-throated Macaw and Buff-breasted Sandpiper share habitat with private cattle ranchers, the most important economy of this region and therefore the most important stakeholder. The creation of protected reserves conserving key habitat is an important strategy, but more important is developing sustainable development strategies like environmentally friendly ranching to assure much larger landscape-scale conservation.</p>
<p>The conservation strategy is to convince these business-minded stakeholders to adopt sustainable best-practices ranching techniques. This is done by showing hands-on results through the Barba Azul model ranch that Armonia is developing, demonstrating improved productivity and economic revenues, while protecting habitat. Protecting habitat is protecting the financial assets of a ranch. Working together with ranchers is key to the safety of the Llanos de Moxos securing safe stopover habitat for shorebirds.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Field team heading to Barba Azul following COVID security measures. <em>Photo: Teodoro Camacho</em></p>
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<p><strong>Cover Photo: Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Barba Azul. <em>Photo: Daniel Alarcon</em>. </strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/update-barba-azul-nature-reserve/">Update from Bolivia’s only WHSRN site, the Barba Azul Nature Reserve</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<title>Record number of participants in the tenth Central American Waterbird Census</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/central-american-waterbird-census2020/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arne Lesterhuis]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2020 11:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Population Monitoring]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WHSRN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[phalaropes]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Shorebird census]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=13491</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>During the 10th Annual Central American Waterbird Census (CAWC), nearly 200 volunteers counted over 300,000 waterbirds comprising 106 species. The counts included 30 species of shorebirds, totaling 85,741 individuals.During the 10th Annual Central American Waterbird Census (CAWC), nearly 200 volunteers counted over 300,000 waterbirds comprising 106 species. The counts included 30 species of shorebirds, totaling 85,741 individuals.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/central-american-waterbird-census2020/">Record number of participants in the tenth Central American Waterbird Census</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p>This year the Central American Waterbird Census (CAWC) was implemented for the tenth year in a row. Started in July 2011, the CAWC is part of the <a href="https://www.wetlands.org/our-approach/healthy-wetland-nature/international-waterbird-census/#read-more">International Waterbird Census</a>, coordinated globally by Wetlands International. Since its initiation, the number of participants increased, reaching nearly 200 in 2020. Likewise, the number of participating sites and the number of birds has steadily increased over the years. The commitment of our partners in Central America and southern Mexico are the main drivers of this success.</p>
<p>Between the 15 of January and 15 of February 2020, a total of 222 sites were surveyed in Central America and southern Mexico. 305,051 individuals of 106 waterbird species were recorded. The majority of these waterbirds were Nearctic migrants (230,253 individuals), with ducks and shorebirds being the dominant species. A Little Gull (<em>Hydrocoloeus minutus)</em> was observed in Guatemala, representing the first record for the country and Central America in general.</p>
<p>A total of 30 species of Nearctic shorebirds were recorded, including three species considered resident and migrant in Central America – American Oystercatcher (<em>Haematopus palliates)</em>, Black-necked Stilt (<em>Himantopus mexicanus)</em> and Wilson’s Plover (<em>Charadrius wilsonia</em>)-. 85,741 individuals were counted (74,603 when excluding the three species with both resident and migrant populations). The numbers of migratory shorebirds were lower than the previous year, just 28% of all waterbirds counted in comparison to the nearly 50% of the census of 2019. The most common species were the Western Sandpiper (<em>Calidris mauri)</em> with 27,522 individuals, Least Sandpiper (<em>C. minutilla)</em> with 6,822 individuals, and the Willet (<em>Tringa semipalmata)</em> with 6,453 individuals.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Central America Waterbird Census participants in Honduras <em>Photo: ASHO</em></p>
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<p>Two American Oystercatchers (<em>H. palliates)</em> observed in Nicaragua had bands. One of the individuals was banded in Georgia in 2018 and the other was banded in 2019 in New York. Most American Oystercatchers observed during the census belong to the resident population, however, based on the data gathered on banded birds, it is clear that a portion of the migratory population of the Atlantic coast of North America migrates to Central America. During the census in previous years, banded American Oystercatchers were also observed in Honduras and El Salvador around the Gulf of Fonseca.</p>
<p>Twelve sites proved to be of significant importance, qualifying for WHSRN status. All sites qualified based on the total number of a species counts surpassing the 1% threshold level, but none of the sites had more than 20,000 shorebirds. A total of 11 sites qualified as a key site based on the presence of significant numbers of <em>Ch. wilsonia</em> (presumed ssp. <em>beldingi</em>), and one site qualified on the basis of two species reaching the 1% threshold. <a href="https://whsrn.org/whsrn_sites/delta-del-estero-real/">Delta Estero Real</a> in Nicaragua, one of the sites with significant counts of <em>Ch. wilsonia</em>, is already a WHSRN site of International Importance. Acuicola Real, a Shrimpfarm of SeaFood in Nicaragua, would also qualify as a WHSRN site of International importance based on significant counts of <em>Ch. wilsonia</em>. The other identified key sites all qualify as WHSRN sites of regional importance.</p>
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<p>Shorebirds at Salinera Isla de Rico, El Salvador <em>Photo: Gerson Rodríguez</em></p>
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<p>In most participating countries, except for Belize, the census is aligned with the Point Blue Conservation Science’s <a href="http://migratoryshorebirdproject.org/">Migratory Shorebird Project</a> (MSP), which is a shorebird monitoring program along the entire Pacific coast of the Americas. It is carried out once a year during the same period as the CAWC. The CAWC and MSP started collaborating to be more efficient with funding and logistics (many sites are being monitored for both CAWC and MSP). This collaboration resulted in Guatemala becoming <a href="https://www.pointblue.org/science_blog/building-capacity-and-mobilizing-the-migratory-shorebird-project-in-guatemala/">the country number 13 to join MSP</a>, after starting CAWC participant in 2015. Consequently, more sites were covered, more participants were trained and more birds observed!</p>
<p>The WHSRN Executive Office is grateful to an anonymous donor who provided the funds for the tenth Annual CAWC. In past years, the census was funded by the Environment and Climate Change Canada. The final reports with the results of these former years can be downloaded on the <a href="https://lac.wetlands.org/nuestro-enfoque/humedales-y-naturaleza-saludables/censo-centroamericano-de-aves-acuaticas/">Wetlands International</a> website.</p>
<p>Volunteers will be back out again to count in July, and we also look forward to their efforts in February 2021.</p>
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<section class="vc_cta3-container"><div class="vc_general vc_cta3 vc_cta3-style-custom vc_cta3-shape-rounded vc_cta3-align-center vc_cta3-icon-size-md" style="background-color:#f2f2f2;"><div class="vc_cta3_content-container"><div class="vc_cta3-content"><header class="vc_cta3-content-header"></header><p>If you are interested in joining a CAWC survey effort, please write to <a href="mailto:alesterhuis@manomet.org.">Arne Lesterhuis</a>, Conservation Specialist with the WHSRN Executive Office, and we will make sure to connect you with the national coordinators for your country!</p>
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<p><strong>Cover Photo: Western Sandpiper at the Gulf of Fonseca. <em>Photo: Gerson Rodríguez.</em></strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/central-american-waterbird-census2020/">Record number of participants in the tenth Central American Waterbird Census</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<title>Shorebirds of the High Andean Wetlands: Monitoring in the Bolivian Altiplano</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/shorebirds-high-andean-wetlands/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arne Lesterhuis]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2020 10:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Linking Sites]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Population Monitoring]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WHSRN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Altiplano]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[phalaropes]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Shorebird monitoring]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=13540</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Here is a brief report by Arne Lesterhuis of an eight-day adventure during the implementation of shorebirds surveys in the Altiplano of Bolivia.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/shorebirds-high-andean-wetlands/">Shorebirds of the High Andean Wetlands: Monitoring in the Bolivian Altiplano</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p><strong>This article was first published on the <a href="http://www.shorebirdscience.org">Shorebird Science blog</a></strong></p>
<p>I<em>n 2019, the Neotropical Migratory Shorebird Conservation Act (NMBCA) of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service financed a comprehensive survey of shorebirds in Altiplano Wetlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The project was implemented in February 2020 by the WHSRN Executive Office in collaboration with the High Andean Flamingo Conservation Group (GCFA). One WHSRN staff member, Arne Lesterhuis, went on a road trip from his residency in Asuncion (Paraguay) to join the surveys of project partner BIOTA in the Altiplano of Bolivia. He was accompanied by Garry Donaldson of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Here is a brief report of their eight-day adventure. Enjoy! </em></p>
<p>Although I have lived next to Bolivia for over 15 years, I’ve actually never had a chance to visit. For many years, I have been conducting fieldwork in the Paraguayan Chaco, west of the large Paraguay River, and got close to the Bolivian border a couple of times, but never further. So a road trip to Bolivia to implement shorebird surveys was a perfect opportunity to get to know the country, its nature, and its birds.</p>
<p>Bolivia, being a landlocked country like Paraguay, might not sound like a place where you would go for shorebirds; but you might be surprised that no less than 38 species have been documented there (nearly 40% of all regularly-occurring shorebirds in the Americas!), including 21 Nearctic migrants and 17 resident species.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Foraging Wilson’s Phalaropes at Lago Poopó. <em>Photo: Garry Donaldson</em></p>
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<p>The saline lakes in the Altiplano of Bolivia (and also Argentina, Chile, and Peru) are known to hold high importance for significant numbers of migrating and wintering Nearctic shorebirds. These High Andean wetlands encompass the core wintering range of Wilson’s Phalarope (<em>Phalaropus tricolor</em>), with numerous wetlands representing flocks of 100,000 individuals or more! For that reason, Wilson’s Phalarope was one of the focal species of our project. We implemented surveys simultaneously during the first days of February 2020 throughout its winter range (in all four countries) to be able to set an updated estimate of the species’ population. Currently, this is set at 1,500,000 individuals but has not been revised for over four decades. Numbers of several other Nearctic shorebirds also occur in high numbers in the Altiplano, including the Baird’s Sandpiper (<em>Calidris bairdii</em>), and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (<em>Tringa melanoleuca</em> and <em>T. flavipes</em>). Apart from increasing our knowledge regarding shorebird abundance and distribution in the High Andes, we also hope to trigger increased interest in monitoring these interior wetlands more regularly and recruit new volunteers for the <a href="https://www.manomet.org/project/international-shorebird-survey/">International Shorebird Survey (ISS)</a>.</p>
<p>But, I’m already pretty familiar with most of these Nearctic species…and, to be honest, I was much more interested in finding some of the Altiplano specialties like the Puna Plover (<em>Charadrius alticola</em>), Andean Avocet (<em>Recurvirostra andina</em>) and Andean Lapwing (<em>Vanellus resplendens</em>). I was also excited to find the more cryptic species like snipes (<em>Gallinago sp</em>.), seedsnipes (<em>Thinocorus sp.),</em> and the curious Diademed Sandpiper-Plover (<em>Phegornis mitchellii</em>). Information on these species is scarce; some are quite common, whereas others are much harder to find.</p>
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<p class="font_9">It would take us about two days and just over 1,700 km (1,050 mi) to get to our destination: Oruro, Bolivia</p>
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<p>My travel companion, Garry Donaldson, who had enthusiastically signed up for this adventure, arrived in Asuncion on January 28, 2020. We would travel in my 2011 Nissan Frontier, which had endured many field trips already, so I trusted we would be fine. Our travel destination was Oruro, where we would meet up with Sol Aguilera and Magali López of partner organization BIOTA. Oruro lies approximately 1,700 km from Asuncion and we calculated that, in theory, it would take us about two days if all went smoothly and without much stopping.</p>
<p>We set out on the morning of the 29th and headed directly towards the Private Reserve Cañada el Carmén of Guyra Paraguay, the national BirdLife Partner in Paraguay. This reserve is 700 km (430 mi) from Asuncion near the Bolivian border. We arrived without problems; unfortunately, though, due to heavy rains the night before, the remote Paraguay-Bolivia border control had a blackout and we were stuck for approximately five hours. We took this time to enjoy the local fauna (stray dogs and House Sparrows). When we finally were able to cross and continue our adventure, it was already noon on our second day…so it would be hard to get to Oruro that same day with over 1000 km (620 mi) to go.</p>
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<p class="font_9">The first mountain range we saw shortly after crossing the Paraguay-Bolivia border. <em>Photo: Arne Lesterhuis</em></p>
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<p>To my surprise, it was only after just a couple of kilometers over the border that the terrain already started to elevate; we could even see the first mountain range! But then, when we were close to the first town, Villamontes, where we could get gas, we stumbled upon a roadblock made of a pile of rocks. Right in the middle of the road. We learned that it was set up by locals unhappy with the government. Fortunately, the locals were kind enough (after being paid) to show us an alternative road next to the main road. When we finally arrived at Villamontes, we learned that it would not be easy to get diesel for a foreign truck, as there was a limit on liters per gas station and even a higher price for foreign vehicles. This meant we needed to remain vigilant and think creatively to keep the tank full; and, thankfully, we didn’t run into any gas-related problems the entire trip.</p>
<p>After Villamontes, the landscape changed completely. Still a ways away, and only at 388 m a.s.l. (~1,300 ft), the climb towards Oruro (3,700 m/12,700 ft a.s.l.) had started. We drove on all types of roads (tarmac, pebble, dust) and each turn had an even more spectacular view than the last. The photos speak for themselves but know that these are just a few of all the photo-worthy views out there. It’s a pretty amazing world.</p>
<p>Due to the blackout at border control, the roadblock, and the fact that the truck was not used to steep climbs (forcing us to make occasional stops to cool off the engine, but who cares if you are being kept entertained with impressive landscapes?), we weren’t making much progress so we had to stay in a town called Tarija (1,866 m/6,100 ft a.s.l.). On the third day, we had to make the biggest climb all the way up to Potosi at 4,067 m a.s.l. (13,300 ft). You can imagine that did not go very fast either, so when we arrived at Potosi, we called it quits and would continue the next day. It was on this day when I started feeling the elevation; just climbing the stairs in the hotel was like running a marathon!</p>
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<p class="font_9">The changing landscape: impressive views on our way to Oruro.</p>
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<p>Although we had seen great birds along the road—Mitred Parakeets (<em>Psittacara mitratus</em>), Yellow-collared Macaws (<em>Primolius auricollis</em>), Bare-faced Ground Doves (<em>Metriopelia ceciliae</em>), and Mountain Caracaras (<em>Phalcoboenus megalopterus</em>)—the fourth day finally brought us the first Andean shorebird; a pair of Andean Lapwings sitting near the road. Although they look and sound quite similar to the widespread Southern Lapwing (<em>Vanellus chilensis</em>), they are a completely different species (and a lifer for me)!</p>
<p>At Potosi, we had more or less reached the elevation of Altiplano, so we were pretty much done with climbing and finally reached Oruro early in the afternoon on February 1. It was still early, so we picked up Sol and Magali and went to our first lagoon next to Oruro, Lago Uru Uru, to start counting shorebirds. It was a great spot and we immediately started surveying. It was quite a busy start; over 2,000 Wilson’s Phalaropes feeding and flying among thousands of Chilean and Andean Flamingos (<em>Phoenicopterus chilensis</em> and <em>Phoenicoparrus andinus</em>). It was tough counting and we probably missed a number of individuals but, overall, we identified a total of 12 shorebird species, including Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpipers (<em>Calidris himantopus</em>), Pectoral Sandpipers (<em>C. melanotos</em>), and Baird’s Sandpipers.</p>
<p>Although the highlight probably should have been the four Least Sandpipers (<em>C. minutilla</em>) and two Semipalmated Plovers (<em>Charadrius semipalmatus</em>) we saw, both being rare species in Bolivia, it was really the two Andean Avocets that I liked the most. These large, mostly white shorebirds with black wings and their characteristic black upturned bill are just stunning.</p>
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<p>The stunning Andean Avocets. <em>Photo: Garry Donaldson</em></p>
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<p>Over the next couple of days, we drove around the large Lago Poopó, a huge lagoon south of Oruro which, together with Lago Uru Uru, is one of Bolivia’s eight Ramsar sites. The lagoon was quite dry so there were not a lot of shorebirds, nor flamingos, but the vast, short-vegetated plains surrounding Lago Poopó do attract many Baird’s Sandpipers and we counted a total of about 400 individuals—the most I have ever seen at one site.</p>
<p>Again I must confess that it was not the Baird’s Sandpipers that got most of my attention at Lago Poopó, but my very first Puna Plovers! A total of nine of these relatively large Charadrid plovers were scattered around in the area, easily overlooked as they blend in very well in their habitat. While driving on a dirt road to the next lagoon to count, we also saw some other resident species, including a Tawny-throated Dotterel <em>(Oreopholus ruficollis</em>) and the Grey-breasted Seedsnipe (<em>Thinocorus orbignyianus</em>). The seedsnipe was an especially great find; I had seen the similar but smaller Least Seedsnipe (<em>T. rumicivorus</em>) before in Patagonia, but never the Grey-breasted, which is much larger. Almost like a cross between a quail and a dove, seedsnipes truly are shorebirds as strange as they appear—and stunning ones, at that!</p>
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<p>The Puna Plover<em>. Photo: Garry Donaldson</em></p>
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<p>The highest altitude at the lagoon was Laguna Huayñakhota situated in the Sajama National Park at over 4200 m a.s.l. (13,700 ft) (see header photo). Upon arrival, the elevation got to me and made me feel pretty bad for a while. Luckily, I acclimatized by the following morning and was ready to get back at it. It turned out that the night before had been very cold, so we needed to scrape ice off my truck’s windshield—a new experience for the Nissan—and I’m glad I had Garry as my companion as he seemed to be a seasoned windshield scraper. Laguna Huayñakhota did not have a lot of shorebirds but it did have a nice collection of High Andean waterbirds like the Giant and Andean Coot (<em>Fulica gigantea and F. ardesiaca),</em> Chilean, Andean, and James Flamingo (<em>P. jamesi</em>), and Andean Goose (<em>Oressochen melanopterus</em>), as well as some other great landbirds like the Lesser Rhea (<em>Rhea pennata</em>).</p>
<p>One of the final lagoons we visited was the remote Laguna Saquewa, situated relatively close to the Chilean border. We were surprised by the large number of flamingos and Wilson’s Phalaropes at this site. Surrounded by heavy clouds, we counted all the birds hoping we would stay dry; fortunately, it rained all around us, but not at the lagoon where we counting. A total of 15,216 Wilson’s Phalaropes was the final count, enough for the site to be declared a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance. A great count before starting to head back towards Oruro and then home to Paraguay.</p>
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<p>Wilson’s Phalaropes with Lesser Yellowlegs and White-backed Stilts.<em> Photo: Arne Lesterhuis</em></p>
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<p>The trip was epic, better than I could have imagined; having Garry, Sol, and Magali with me was a great pleasure, and we had a lot of fun. The views were impressive, the wildlife was astonishing, and the shorebirds were numerous, all reasons to go back and do it all over again at some point in the future. Perhaps I’ll visit some lagoons that are even higher, like Lago Titicaca. And, for a birder, there is always a species that gets away, a species that will make sure you come back. In my case it was the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover—we did not find it on this trip but I trust I will get it on the next one.</p>
<p>After eight days of driving, we were back in Paraguay (less than 100 m/328 ft a.sl.) and Garry and I visited some saline lagoons in the Central Chaco where came across a few more Wilson’s Phalaropes. A nice way to end this great adventure.</p>
<p>Currently, all data gathered in the four countries we visited is being analyzed. This includes additional data from a large region covering the lowlands of Argentina where many Wilson’s Phalaropes winter. With all the data combined, we will have a better idea of the abundance and distribution of this and other Nearctic migrants that use the interior lands during the non-breeding season.</p>
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<p>The survey team at one of the lagoons. From left to right: Garry Donaldson, Magali López, Sol Aguilar, and Arne Lesterhuis.</p>
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<p><strong>Cover Photo: An Altiplano lagoon at over 4200 m a.s.l. (13,700 ft), Sajama National Park. <em>Photo: Arne Lesterhuis.</em></strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/shorebirds-high-andean-wetlands/">Shorebirds of the High Andean Wetlands: Monitoring in the Bolivian Altiplano</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<title>Not Following the Herd: How an Alternative Approach to Cattle Ranching is Protecting the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Bolivia</title>
<link>https://whsrn.org/barba-azul-feature/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maina Handmaker]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Aug 2018 19:39:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Conservation Action]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Featured Site of the Month]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bolivia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Buff-breasted Sandpiper]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cattle ranching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Grasslands]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://whsrn.org/?p=1113</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>At the only WHSRN site in Bolivia, site partner Asociación Armonía is working to create a financially self-sufficient reserve – by developing an alternative, eco-friendly cattle ranching system. The Barba Azul Nature Reserve is protecting the endemic ecosystem of the Beni Savanna, and critical habitats for a wealth of threatened species, one of which is the Buff-breasted Sandpiper.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/barba-azul-feature/">Not Following the Herd: How an Alternative Approach to Cattle Ranching is Protecting the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Bolivia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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<p class="font_8">The Beni Savanna of Bolivia is a critically endangered habitat that exists nowhere else. Three major rivers flow through this endemic ecosystem from the eastern slope of the Andes, combining with heavy summer rainfall to flood these lowlands for eight months of every year. Dotted with forested islands, marsh wetlands, gallery forests and grasslands, the Beni Savanna is threatened by poorly managed cattle ranching. Overgrazing, overstocking, annual burning, logging, and the planting of African grasses has severely altered this landscape – but there is one place where this ecosystem is being restored and protected.</p>
<p class="font_8">The <a href="https://www.whsrn.org/barba-azul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barba Azul Nature Reserve</a> is the only WHSRN site in Bolivia. “Barba Azul” means “blue beard,” the local name for the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw (<em>Ara glaucogularis</em>). In 2008, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHQZrOxFekI&index=12&list=PL18Ia0VZpuH8wQ9UFxvNFW053DqJwxdM7" target="_blank" rel="noopener undefined" data-content="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHQZrOxFekI&index=12&list=PL18Ia0VZpuH8wQ9UFxvNFW053DqJwxdM7" data-type="external">Asociación Armonía established the Reserve as the world’s first protected area to bring this parrot species back from the brink of extinction</a>. In the process, the Reserve also safeguarded the most important migration stop-over site known to date in all of Bolivia for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (<em>Calidris subruficollis</em>). Much less boisterous and boldly-colored than a barba azul, “buffies” have a charisma of their own – and rely on this landscape as they make their way from breeding grounds in the Arctic to the pampas of Argentina to spend the boreal winter. In 2015, the Barba Azul Nature Reserve was designated as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance for supporting more than 1% of the biogeographic population of this near-threatened shorebird species.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Left: A Blue-throated Macaw pair ready for breeding. <em>Photo: Daniel Alarcon</em>. Right: A flock of Blue-throated Macaws at Barba Azul. <em>Photo: Sebastian Herzog.</em></p>
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<p class="font_8">Besides its wealth of threatened wildlife species, Barba Azul is unique for another reason, says the Reserve’s Conservation Program Director Tjalle Boorsma. “We are working to make a reserve in the middle of nowhere financially self-sufficient.”</p>
<p class="font_8"><span class="wixGuard"></span>Asociación Armonía has actively engaged with private landowners and stewards of public land since the founding of the Reserve – promoting alternative land-use practices that maintain the Buff-breasted Sandpiper’s preferred river edge short-grass habitat. Cattle – when managed carefully – can be the key to keeping the grass at the preferred height for buffies, and can provide enough income to support the costs of managing the Reserve.</p>
<p class="font_8">Boorsma and the team at Barba Azul are working to develop best practices for an alternative, eco-friendly ranching system. With guidance from the <a href="http://www.alianzadelpastizal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener undefined" data-content="http://www.alianzadelpastizal.org/" data-type="external">Alianza del Pastizal</a> (the Southern Cone Grasslands Alliance), the Reserve is looking to learn what factors influence the presence of Buff-breasted Sandpipers at potential stop-over sites. Through experimental plots to measure the effects of mowing, burning, grazing, and cattle presence on buffie foraging habitat, Barba Azul is gathering data to inform improved management actions to protect this species.</p>
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<p class="font_9">A Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Barba Azul Nature Reserve in Bolivia. <em>Photo: Daniel Alarcon</em></p>
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<p class="font_8">Thanks to funding support from the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, Barba Azul has been monitoring Buff-breasted Sandpipers during fall migration every year since 2012. The survey protocol begins at the end of August and continues through the end of September, with the first two weeks of September bringing the highest concentration of buffies. A partnership with a university in nearby Cochabamba has provided a reliable flow of students to help conduct this research.</p>
<p class="font_8"><span class="wixGuard"></span>In 2016, 1,450 Buff-breasted Sandpipers were counted along the edge of the Río Tiniji, one of the rivers that begins in the Barba Azul Nature Reserve. This was the highest count of Buff-breasted Sandpipers ever documented at a migratory stop-over site in South America, and as of 2017 this plot has been added to the Reserve’s regular monitoring protocol.</p>
<p class="font_8"><span class="wixGuard"></span>Boorsma hopes to deepen the data collection by also documenting each plot’s distance from forest, grass height, presence of cattle, and number of dung piles, among other factors, to understand what influences the ideal foraging habitat for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. He also hopes to expand surveys to the higher elevated savanna habitat within the Reserve, where <a href="https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1133586" target="_blank" rel="noopener undefined" data-content="https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1133586" data-type="external">high-counts of 200-350 Upland Sandpipers</a> (<em>Bartramia longicauda</em>) have been observed.</p>
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<p class="font_9">Monitoring Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Barba Azul. <em>Photos: Daniel Alarcon (left) and Tjalle Boorsma (right).</em></p>
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<p class="font_8">On August 20th, 2018, <a href="http://armoniabolivia.org/2018/08/20/the-most-important-nesting-area-of-the-worlds-rarest-macaw-becomes-new-nature-reserve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener undefined" data-content="http://armoniabolivia.org/2018/08/20/the-most-important-nesting-area-of-the-worlds-rarest-macaw-becomes-new-nature-reserve/" data-type="external">Asociación Armonía announced the purchase of a new reserve</a>, 210 kilometers south of Barba Azul. The new reserve protects the most important breeding area for the southern sub-population of Blue-throated Macaws, and also opens an opportunity for Boorsma to reach his goal of a cattle ranching scheme that supports the conservation of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Of the 11,000 hectares that make up Barba Azul, 6,000 are being kept cattle and fire free to protect several of the Reserve’s other threatened species. But the remaining 5,000 hectares, called Barba Azul East, will be dedicated to breeding and rearing the Reserve’s own cattle herd, with the plan to transport the cows to the new reserve to fatten up before being sold. Boorsma will be able to experiment with different stocking rates and grazing rotations to learn how best to combine cattle ranching with the conservation of crucial short-grass habitat. The goal, he says, is that “70 to 75% of the Reserve’s operational costs will eventually come from cattle.”</p>
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<p class="font_9">Left: A flock of Buff-breasted Sandpipers flies over river-edge short grass habitat in the Barba Azul Nature Reserve. <em>Photo: Daniel Alarcon</em>. Right: Barba Azul East ranger in flooded savanna habitat. <em>Photo: Tjalle Boorsma</em>.</p>
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<p class="font_8">For more information, please contact Tjalle Boorsma, Conservation Program Director supervising the Barba Azul Nature Reserve, at <a href="mailto:tboorsma@armonia-bo.org" target="_self" data-content="tboorsma@armonia-bo.org" data-type="mail" rel="noopener">tboorsma@armonia-bo.org</a>.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://whsrn.org/barba-azul-feature/">Not Following the Herd: How an Alternative Approach to Cattle Ranching is Protecting the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Bolivia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://whsrn.org">WHSRN</a>.</p>
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