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The “Other” Sparrow on the Saltmarsh
Citation:
Berry, W. The “Other” Sparrow on the Saltmarsh. IN: Audubon Society of Rhode Island Report, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Smithfield, RI, 51(2):5-6, (2017).
Impact/Purpose:
The population status of breeding Seaside Sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus) in Rhode Island is in doubt, because the breeding habitat of these birds is being eroded from both the seaward and landward sides. The Seaside Sparrow’s conservation classification in RI is currently “Concern”. This classification may need to be reconsidered, given the marked drop in the number of Seasides Sparrows which we found on RI salt marshes from 1982 to 2007. This article will help get the results of our study, which were originally published in a peer-reviewed journal article, out to the public.
Description:
Both Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammodramus cauducatus) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus) breed exclusively on salt marshes and as their breeding habitat shrinks, the threat to both sparrows grows. The Saltmarsh Sparrow is getting more attention these days as its population levels are so low, but the Seaside Sparrow is still vulnerable to habitat loss. In 2007 and 2008 we repeated Stoll and Golet’s (1983) Seaside Sparrow inventory, using their methods on twenty RI salt marshes. We counted fewer Seaside Sparrows at 10 of the 12 marshes where Stoll and Golet had found sparrows in 1982, while sparrow abundance increased on three marshes, one of which had no sparrows detected in the earlier survey. Also, Seaside Sparrows were not found on the four smallest marshes where they had been counted before. The total abundance of Seaside Sparrows observed at our sites decreased from 98 in 1982 to 58 in 2007 (41% decrease from 1982) and 68 in 2008 (31% decrease from 1982). Since 2008 the trend in loss of Seaside Sparrows has continued, and they have disappeared from the smallest of the marshes we surveyed that had Seaside Sparrows in 2008. The Seaside Sparrow is currently classified in Rhode Island as a species of “Concern”. Given the population decline and the impending threat to salt marsh habitats imposed by rising sea levels, it only seems reasonable that the classification be re-examined and that monitoring of the species be continued. Let’s hope that efforts underway, like the thin layer application of dredged material currently being tested on several Rhode Island marshes, will help to slow the loss of salt marsh habitat. In the meantime, it cannot hurt if these little birds get some extra attention.
