Where’s the Whip-Poor-Will?

Volunteers Needed to Conduct Nightbird Survey in Mountains

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (April 7, 2008)– The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will conduct field surveys for whip-poor-will and chuck will’s widow in an effort to map the nightbirds’ occurrence in the mountains of North Carolina, and you can help.

“The goal is to gain a better understanding of distribution and population trends in western North Carolina,” said Chris Kelly, a Wildlife Diversity Program biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “We need to identify the factors that influence these populations, minimize population declines and implement the proper conservation actions.”

Both birds are named for the sound of their distinctive namesake calls, a rhapsodic “whip-pur-will” and a melodic “chuck WILL WID ow.”

Volunteers are needed to conduct surveys throughout the region. This includes the Western mountains: Macon, Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Swain, and Jackson counties; the Central mountains: Haywood, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Polk, Rutherford, McDowell, Burke, Caldwell, Yancey counties; and the Northern mountains: Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, and Allegheny counties.

Surveys are conducted at night around the full moon in May and June by driving a pre-established route and stopping at intervals to listen for calling whip-poor-wills and chuck will’s widows. Participation requires a vehicle, night-time driving, and the ability to hear and identify calling nightbirds, a day to set up a route, and two late evenings to conduct the survey.

“This year’s survey windows are May 12-27 and June 11-26,” said Kelly. “These are nights when the moon’s face is at least 50 percent illuminated, and that is when whip-poor-wills call most persistently.”

During the pilot year of the study, Kelly set up most of the survey routes in and around Buncombe County. “Now that we’re expanding into other mountain counties, I am asking participants to identify a potential survey route in their area and set up the route themselves.” Survey routes should be about 10 miles long on rural, low-traffic roads with predominantly woods, fields, agriculture, or other open areas, avoiding residential and commercial development as much as possible. We’re also asking volunteers to bring a friend along, which will serve two purposes: safety while working at night and better data with two observers recording the birds.”

For more information or to enroll, contact Chris Kelly at (828) 230-1320 or kellych@earthlink.net.

This project is just one of many efforts undertaken by the Wildlife Diversity Program of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and is made possible by volunteer efforts, grants, and monetary contributions made to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. To learn more about the projects and activities of the Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program and how your donations are being used, visit: http://www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_07_conservation.htm.

Volunteering isn’t the only way to give to wildlife. Other ways to help North Carolina’s wildlife and their habitats year-round are:
• Donating online at www.ncwildlife.org/give
• Rounding up your purchase at any of three N.C. Wild Stores
• Registering a vehicle with a N.C. Wildlife Conservation license plate
• Donating a portion of your refund on line 26 of your state income tax form

Donations can also be sent to: Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1722. All donations are tax-deductible.