BIRDS
BIRDS Eastern Black Rail Surveys Begin in Spring 2024 by Kacy Cook, Waterbird Biologist, and Carmen Johnson, Waterbird Biologist T he Waterbird Investigations and Management Project of the
Rails and other marsh birds. Water level moni- toring is important to identify potential Black Rail high salt marsh habitat because Black Rails, which have a tar- sus length of less than 3 cm, cannot tolerate water levels above 3 cm. Staff are employing game cam-
NCWRC Wildlife Diversity Program embarked on a new project to moni- tor and conserve the federally threat- ened Eastern Black Rail (right photo). The Black Rail monitoring project will also allow staff to collect data rel- evant to the conservation of other marsh bird species. This monitoring is one action within the draft Eastern Black Rail Conservation Plan that will be reviewed during the next quarter. Staff began field work on the Salters Creek and Turnagain Bay tracts of the Carteret County Game Lands to mon- itor water levels and to detect Black
eras to monitor water levels and take photos of wildlife by motion-sensors. One of the game cameras detected a Sora from March 20th to 31st, 2024. Sora use the same habitats as Black Rail. Staff are also deploying Autonomous
Recording Units in potential Black Rail habitat to detect their calls. Black Rail and marsh bird callback moni- toring surveys in high salt marsh will begin May 1st, at the start of the nest- ing season.
Sora captured on a game camera in high salt marsh area
8 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
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