Saturday, November 28, 2009

Marine bird populations sharply declining on Narragansett Bay

This is an excerpt from a story from the November 2009  Rhode Island Monthly magazine by Mary Grady on the decline of local marine bird populations.
"The numbers of several maritime bird species that breed in Narragansett Bay have dropped significantly in the last five to ten years, according to annual surveys conducted by the state Department of Environmental Management. Great egrets, for example, the tall, elegant white birds often seen foraging in shallow coves fringing the Bay, peaked at 251 nesting pairs in 2003, and in 2008 were down to 148 pairs. Their smaller relatives, the snowy egrets, showed an even steeper drop, from 330 pairs in 1979 to just fifty-three pairs in 2008. Cattle egrets and little blue herons have practically disappeared from the state, and black-crowned night herons are also in steep decline."
The reason for this is not entirely clear but the need for continual monitioring is all important. Thank you Save Bristol Harbor for doing your share of this kind of work. For the full article go to:

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