About the Project
In order to understand more about the effects of urbanization on the White Ibis, we must first assess time spent in urban areas. These birds are nomadic by nature, but based on our observations, we think that these urban ibises seem more sedentary. If they are, in fact, spending most of their time in urban parks there could be negative effects on their health. (For more information on these negative effects, go to “About the White Ibis” section on the home page) We will determine site fidelity in order to assess the proportion of time spent in urban areas by ibises.
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Starting in July 2013, ibises were captured in seven urban sites located within Palm Beach County, Florida. Some of the adult ibises were chosen to be equipped with a radio transmitter. We use a backpack harness to attach the quarter-sized transmitter to the ibis. The entire weight of the harness is minimal and does not hurt the bird in any way. Each ibis gets a unique frequency and can be tracked using a radio receiver and antenna. All sites will be routinely visited and all banded birds will be documented.
Ibis Band & Re-sighting Project
Our Capture Sites
Pelican Lake/Kagan Park
Juno Beach, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 14
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Silver
Indian Creek Park
Jupiter, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 16
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Green/Black
Prosperity Oaks Senior
Living Community
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 12
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Orange
Promenade Plaza
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 9
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Green
Dreher Park
West Palm Beach, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 16
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Red/Black
Lion Country Safari
Loxahatchee, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 10
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Purple
John Prince Park
Lake Worth, FL
Total Captured/Banded: 15
4 Radio Tagged
Site Color: Blue
Each ibis gets a unique combination of colored leg bands. On the right leg is a single colored band that is unique to the site we captured the ibis at. On the left leg are two colored bands that are unique to that bird for that site. These bands are fairly large and easy to see, even without binoculars if you are close enough.
But we would also like for anyone who sees our birds to let us know when and where you saw it! Visit the “Report Ibis Sightings” page to learn more about submitting sightings to us.
The Solid Waste Authority Project
A wading bird rookery located on the Solid Waste Management Authority (SWA) property in West Palm Beach averages ~4,400 white ibises each year, with a peak of 13,000 (July 2007) and a low of 450 (August 2004). In 2015, a second municipal waste combustor will be in full commercial operation, which will reduce the garbage on the landfill. This may negatively impact the ibises that currently roost, nest, and forage on SWA grounds. To be able to predict whether abundance and utilization of the site by ibises is likely to decrease, we need to determine site fidelity of the current ibis population at SWA. In March 2014, we captured 124 adult White Ibises at SWA, 100 of which were large enough to be equipped with a radio transmitter harness and colored bands. Radio telemetry data logging stations were set up at three locations on the SWA property that continuously scans through all the radio transmitter signals to gather presence/absence data. Additional locations will be determined using hand held telemetry equipment. Abundance will be measured through dawn flight-line counts at the SWA rookery.
We would also like for anyone who sees our birds to let us know when and where you saw it! Visit the “Report a Sighting” page to learn more about submitting sightings to us.