WILDLIFE ON KIAWAH ISLAND

Marsh birds are monitored at 20 unique points consisting of 2, 10-point routes.  Each route is repeated 3 times during the breeding season when marsh birds are most vocal.  The surveys start 30 minutes before sunrise and are completed 2-3 hours later or prior to the time when marsh birds cease calling.  At each point, a recording of marsh bird calls is played through a portable MP3 player with amplified speakers.  The recording includes 30 seconds of calls of each focal marsh bird species (black rail, least bittern, clapper rail, king rail, common moorhen, and pied-billed grebe) that are expected breeders on Kiawah Island interspersed with 30 seconds of silence between each species’ calls.  Data recorded at each point includes species, type of call given, and estimated distance to individual.  Additional data on non-focal species, ambient noise levels, weather, water conditions, and habitat may be collected.