The breeding birds of Biscayne National Park

Howitt, Heather

This report attempts to document breeding birds in Biscayne National Park. Both point counts and continuous transects were used to survey for birds. The report includes the number of birds observed, their activity (roosting, nesting, collecting nest material), breeding location, the number of juveniles observed, and historic nesting data. The bird species include cormorants, herons, egrets, ibises, plovers, killdeers, terns, bald eagles, white crowned pigeons, red-bellied woodpeckers, vireos, warblers, and cardinals. Tables present the data. The avian populations of Biscayne National Park have long been ignored or haphazardly assessed. Data has been gathered through the use ofNational Audubon Society-Christmas Bird Counts (Basset al., 1977-93), a short lived banding project (Raimist, 1974), monthly brown pelican counts from 1981-83(BNP Staff), limited studies of colonial water bird populations trends (Cummings 1987, Bass 1979, Kushlan and White 1977, National Audubon Society 1971-83), and bald eagle nest observations (mostly anecdotal) conducted by BNP staff. Unfortunately most of the data is done inconsistently, with no standardization of data, protocol for procedures or database, to further the studies. The scope of my project was to provide the first broad-base qualitative summary of breeding birds, to be used for further avian studies and as a resource tool for future management applications. It became clear to me while trying to find past research done on the bird community that little has been recorded. Perusing journal after journal, it became apparent that an integral component in the ecology of the park has been overlooked, the breeding birds of Biscayne Bay.