Published on November 28, 2011

What's Going on at Giacomini--in a Nutshell:

Waterbird numbers continue to increase each year since restoration, particularly for dabbling ducks, with a record high number of more than 11,000 counted on one day in December 2011. However, shorebird numbers have been more variable. Numbers were low in the first winter after restoration, moderate in the second year and first half of the third year, and then declined sharply in the latter half of the third year. While the sharp drop in shorebird numbers in the third year occurred elsewhere in Tomales Bay, as well (Kelly and Condeso 2011), Giacomini is still evolving as potential shorebird habitat, with this evolution strongly dependent on invertebrate prey bases in marsh muds. In the early years, the restored wetland primarily attracted species that forage in the water column, ground, and in shallow sediments (J. Evens, ARA, pers. comm.), however, with arrival in fall 2011 of Marbled godwits, which forage more deeply in muds, this may be yet another confirmation of what we have observed through our benthic invertebrate and zooplankton monitoring results--numbers of benthic invertebrates in the restored wetlands are climbing dramatically, and species composition is shifting. See Untangling the Food Web: Changes in Prey Base Following Restoration.

Click on a link below to read more about Giacomini Wetlands: A Haven for Ducks.

Introduction
Year One
Year Two
Year Three
Conclusions
Citations

Read Not Just for Ducks Anymore--the February 2010 update--for more in-depth information about waterfowl in the Giacomini Wetlands before restoration and during the first two years after restoration.

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