Week 13: August 27th - September 2nd
Hello all,
It doesn’t seem possible, but here we are, coming to the end of our 2023 PIGU breeding season. This will be my last weekly update, although a handful of sites still have another week or two to officially wrap things up. Each of you played a critical part in making this season successful, from supporting and guiding your surveyors, to wrangling the data—I appreciate and thank you for all of your hard work!
This project we’ve taken on, to monitor our precious Pigeon Guillemots, is important, and I hope you have enjoyed participating in this heartfelt collaboration as much as I have!
Each week I could feel our group growing stronger and more in tune with the survey, just as our birds were falling into their own rhythm of activity. And now, as the activity (and the excitement that goes with it) fades, we can already begin to look forward to the next season with anticipation and know it will be even better!
I really only have a few reminders this week.
Data entry and QA/QC is due September 15th. This will give Dave a chance to prepare his end of season analyses ahead of our event. I know everyone has been working on cranking this out in time and I have a good feeling about data this year!
Our End of Season Celebration will be held on Wednesday, September 27th, at 7:00pm via Zoom. Please send me 2-3 slides and be thinking of highlights or stories you would like to share with the entire group.
If you were able to field test Maria Ruth’s PIGU Vocalization flash cards this season, and you have any feedback for her, please email Maria directly @ mariaruthbooks@comcast.net.
Now for this week’s featured fun. I was fortunate to have a conversation with our upcoming guest speaker, Maria Ruth, at an event this last weekend. I discovered that she and her survey team at Edgewater Beach, in South Sound, have been up to some pretty cool explorations of PIGU. She indulged my excitement by sharing some content they created while observing their colony.
This first one is a short video clip, recorded by Maria, of two PIGU parents making back to back prey deliveries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1tw4t_Id6U
This second piece is an audio recording of chicks calling from the burrow before, during, and after a double fish delivery, recorded by surveyor, Rachel Hudson. Rachel actually constructed her own parabolic recording device, which she has used to record various PIGU vocalizations. What is so awesome about this recording, is that you can hear the wing beats of the parents as they fly into the burrow. You can also hear the chicks continue to “chatter” following the delivery. I hope you enjoy!
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/602746371
Here’s to a great week! As always, let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance!
— Shannon