On a recent sunny morning at UC Santa Barbara’s Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve, a team of conservationists celebrated a special event.
The Santa Barbara Zoo released 200 Western snowy plovers into the wild as part of a decade-long program to save the endangered birds.
"The Western snowy plover is a tiny shorebird. It's listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act," said Nadya Seal Faith, a Conservation & Science Associate with the Zoo.
"The plover has a big personality. In a conservation sense, they contribute to our ecosystems. As a shorebird, they help to facilitate nutrient exchange between the land and the sea. We know our plovers fly to the Channel Islands. We've had our plovers released here, nesting in San Diego. We've had our plovers fly up to Oregon."
The Western snowy plover is tiny, about the size of a soda can, and weighs less than two ounces. They're cute, with white bellies, brown feathers, and black beaks.
The zoo takes in abandoned eggs and chicks found on the region’s beaches and cares for them until they're ready to live on their own in the wild.
"Half of the birds we are releasing are from Coal Oil Point," said Faith. "Five come from a beach down in Ventura County, and one of them comes from a beach at Oceano Dunes."
One reason the birds are endangered is human encroachment on their breeding habitats. They nest in dunes just off of beaches, a few hundred feet inland.
Christian Sandoval, Director of the UCSB Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve, said the birds had stopped nesting at the reserve until officials fenced off their nesting habitat.
"They know what's a good place, and what isn't, said Sandoval. "It wasn't until we protected the beach with a fence that they started nesting again. In the beginning we had one nest, and now we have 60 to 80."
Eleven birds were released on a recent morning. They arrived at the beach in three cages. It’s the first time they're experiencing the sea breeze and ocean. When the cages are finally opened, some dart around and investigate their new home. Others are more cautious and hang around the cages for a few minutes before venturing out into nature.
For the first time, researchers can use technology to track them, so we can learn more about their lives.
"Usually we put color bands on the birds. Most release monitoring involves sighting the birds," explained Julie Barnes, the zoo's Vice President of Animal Care and Health.
"They're small birds; you only see them from a distance, and spotting the bands can be challenging. This year, for the very first time, we got approval to put monitoring tags on them."
Faith said the team is excited about the information the tracking devices could provide. They can track the plovers in ways not possible before.
Western snowy plovers are found from Oregon down to Baja, Mexico, with some of their prime habitat on the Central and South Coasts.
Researchers say recovery efforts are helping their populations rebound, topping the 3,000 mark for the first time in years.
