Waterbirds and Their Habitat
Waterbirds and Their Habitat
The Chesapeake Bay lies in the Atlantic Flyway and is home to almost 1 million waterfowl each winter. The waterfowl depend on coastal wetlands and shallow waters for habitat and food. These habitats are being lost to sea-level rise and development. The USGS is assessing the ability of near-shore habitats, from wetlands to shallow waters, to support waterfowl and water birds.
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Review of Wildlife Health Outcomes and Potentially Toxic Algal Blooms in the Chesapeake Bay
Scientists provide resources that review algal toxin data, explore links between avian mortality and toxin exposure, and identify future research needs to predict algal toxin health hazards and risks for birds and other wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay.
USGS Conducts Assessment to Inform Black Duck Habitat Decisions
Issue: The Chesapeake Bay is along the Atlantic Flyway and has over 1 million migratory birds winter each year. Black ducks are one of 30 species that depends on habitats along Chesapeake Bay for their annual migration. Managing the black duck population at time when land use and sea-level rise pose a recognized peril to this species and their habitats require a strategic approach. The Chesapeake...
Conserving Habitat for American Black Ducks
Chesapeake Bay Program video on Conserving Habitat for American Black Ducks
Videos Highlighting USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities
A list of Chesapeake Bay Program videos highlighting USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities.
Enhance science on coastal ecosystem structure, function, and resiliency to manage waterbirds
The Chesapeake Bay lies in the Atlantic Flyway and is home to almost 1 million waterfowl each winter. The waterfowl depend on coastal wetlands and shallow waters for habitat and food. These habitats are being lost to sea-level rise and development.
Provide science to support the conservation and restoration of freshwater fisheries and aquatic habitats
The streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide critical habitat for freshwater fish such as brook trout and migratory species such as river herring, American shad, and American Eel. These species have declined due to degrading stream conditions and barriers preventing migration. The USGS informs restoration efforts by (1) assessing habitat conditions and change; (2) the relation to habitat...
Black Ducks
How are coastal wetlands and their carrying capacity for waterbirds affected by changing sea level and land use?
Learning More About Waterfowl to Inform Management
Today, perhaps as never before, waterfowl management faces significant challenges resulting from key scientific uncertainties about the effects of drivers of duck population change in fast-changing ecological and social arenas. Additionally waterfowl management has been on the cutting edge of considering integrated management of habitat, harvest, and humans to better meet the demands from a...
Pharmaceuticals and the Water-Fish-Osprey Food Web
Pharmaceuticals have found their way into the environment. The impact on wildlife is unknown. Ospreys occupy the top of the food web, often nest in highly industrialized or urban areas, and eat only fish, making them an ideal sentinel for monitoring localized contaminants.
Ospreys used as sentinel for pollution
Monitoring the buildup of chemical compounds in ospreys helps scientists track toxics in our waterways.
Patuxent Wildlife Refuge scientists study how wind farms affect sea ducks
The call for construction of wind farms presents a question scientists could not answer: Will the turbines affect the birds?