April 17, 2008 issue
Where’s the Whip-Poor-Will?
Volunteers Needed to Conduct Nightbird Survey in Mountains
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will conduct field surveys for whip-poor-will and chuck will’s widow in an effort to map the nightbirds’ occurrence in the North Carolina mountains, and you can help. Both birds are named for the sound of their distinctive namesake calls, a rhapsodic “whip-pur-will” and a melodic “chuck WILL WID ow.”
“The goal is to gain a better understanding of distribution and population trends in western North Carolina,” said Chris Kelly, a Wildlife Diversity Program biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “We need to identify the factors that influence these populations, minimize population declines and implement the proper conservation actions.”
Volunteers are needed to conduct surveys throughout the region, including Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties.
Surveys are conducted at night around the full moon in May and June by driving a preestablished route and stopping at intervals to listen for calling whip-poor-wills and chuck will’s widows. Participation requires a vehicle, nighttime driving, the ability to hear and identify calling nightbirds, a day to set up a route and two late evenings to conduct the survey.
“This year’s survey windows are May 12 to 27 and June 11 to 26,” said Kelly. “These are nights when the moon’s face is at least 50 percent illuminated, and that is when whip-poor-wills call most persistently.”
During the pilot year of the study, Kelly set up most of the survey routes in and around Buncombe County. “Now that we’re expanding into other mountain counties, I am asking participants to identify a potential survey route in their area and set up the route themselves.” Survey routes should be about 10 miles long on rural, low-traffic roads with predominantly woods, fields, agriculture or other open areas, avoiding residential and commercial development as much as possible. We’re also asking volunteers to bring a friend along, which will serve two purposes: safety while working at night and better data with two observers recording the birds.”
For more information or to enroll, contact Chris Kelly at 828-230-1320 or kellych@earthlink.net.
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