Seasonal abundance of shorebirds at Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil

Shorebirds were counted weekly between Jan 2003 and Apr 2005 along 1.7 km of a 200 m wide mangrove-lined creek at Aracaju, Sergipe State, NE Brazil. 19 shorebird species were recorded of which 17 were Nearctic migrants. By far the most abundant species was Semipalmated Plover, accounting for more than half the aggregate total. Largest numbers of most migrants were observed during southward migration in Oct and Nov and the largest single day count of all species was of 4,046 on 11 Oct 2004. Eight Nearctic species were recorded during both June and July, their breeding season, indicating the presence of non-breeding immatures. This study highlights the importance for migrant shorebirds of this little-studied part of the South American coast and discusses the conservation problems they face.