Bird Survey for May 06, 2025

Currently, there is lots happening in the Wetlands Complex! American white pelicans and a marbled godwit have come and gone, shorebirds and warblers are arriving in greater numbers, and our new babies, goslings and crane colts have appeared. The amazing, muddy shorebird habitat in the Main Pool is again under water, thank you Mother Nature. Speaking of shorebird habitat, I am including at the end of my posting, information from Linda Ziemba, Refuge Biologist, about the Refuge’s plans for shorebird habitat. There are also new guidelines for viewing the owlets. The sign now states that there is no stopping on the Drive, cars should keep moving and there is ABSOLUTELY no walking in that area. Please respect our wildlife!!

Pete is going to have his next guided hike this Saturday at 10am. I will attach his flyer.

This Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be partly sunny and mild. Woohoo! Everyone is ready for and looking forward to it. Hopefully you can get out, maybe bring your mom or somebody’s mom, to celebrate Mother’s Day, to explore and experience all the amazing things at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex trails, towers, observation decks and the Refuge Wildlife Drive. Remember, the Refuge Wildlife Drive is currently open to vehicles only. Dogs on a leash are only allowed in and around the Visitors’ Center and on the parts of the Seneca Trail that are open.

Pic #1: American white pelicans, Main Pool; #2: 2 immature bald eagles – they look a little soggy and disheveled, it was raining at the time, Wildlife Drive; #3: marbled godwit – check out the size comparison with the yellowlegs in front of it, Main Pool; #4: sandhill crane parents and colt, Main Pool; #5: snow goose, Benning Marsh; #6: Canada goose with goslings, Benning Marsh; #7: great egrets, Main Pool; #8: male hooded merganser, Eaton Marsh; #9: great blue heron w/ fish, Main Pool, #10: great blue heron swallowing fish – check out how its neck expands, Main Pool; #11: great blue heron swallowing fish – last in the sequence, Main Pool; #12: robin’s nest with eggs on steps of Tschache Pool Tower – be careful!

ENJOY, be respectful and safe.

FROM LINDA ZIEMBA, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST, MNWR:

Hi Everybody,

The following provides our plans for shorebird habitat in public viewing areas at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge this year. Please keep in mind that these plans are weather, staffing, and funding dependent so subject to change.

Regarding weather, large rainfall events can have short-term impacts on refuge habitats. Sometimes heavy rains flood all our mudflats too much for shorebirds. In that scenario, it’s likely the rain also flooded previously dry farm fields, potentially creating shorebird habitat in those locations. Try checking off-refuge in that situation and revisiting the refuge after the water levels have gone back down.

Regarding staffing and funding, we have less staff this year because of government efficiency. We are also spending more time assisting other refuges who have fewer employees than we do. Providing waterbird habitat is our highest biological priority at Montezuma so we spend a lot of time on it and providing shorebird habitat is particularly labor intensive.

Northbound Shorebird Migration

Hope to have habitat available in the Main Pool through May

May be some habitat in the Visitor Center Wetland, but it is quickly becoming too vegetated for most species.

Southbound Shorebird Migration

Will monitor several units for nesting marsh birds to inform drawdown decisions

Considerations will be taken for nesting and fledging black terns and other nesting species

Will try to stagger units or parts of units with mudflats from late June to November to address fast-changing habitat conditions

Possible Units Early Part of Migration (i.e., late June/July)

May’s Point Pool

Puddler Marsh

Visitor Center Wetland*

Benning Marsh

Laurue’s Lagoon

Eaton Marsh

Seneca Flats

*To provide shorebird habitat in the Visitor Center Wetland, we need to mow and disc, then pump in water. Locations in the unit where we disc are dependent on the distribution of the invasive plants flowering rush and Phragmites (which are spread by discing), the availability of staff time and equipment, and the weather – we can’t get equipment into the unit if there has been too much precipitation.

Knox-Marsellus Marsh

Expect to begin drawing down for shorebirds in August

Cannot draw down earlier due to water needs for invasive water chestnut control

We could use your help in hand-pulling this invasive plant. Contact me if you’d like to help.

Guided Programs

No guided shorebird walks this year due to operational constraints

Will reconsider on a year-by-year basis moving forward

Contact Andrea at Andrea_VanBeusichem@fws.gov with questions about public use programs

Bird Sightings Reporting

Record bird sightings separately for each impoundment along the Wildlife Drive and separately for Knox-Marsellus vs Puddler Marshes

If you don’t want to enter it into ebird that way, please email me your separate lists for the separate units.

We use these data to supplement weekly counts conducted by volunteers to inform management decisions.