The annual "Mud Ops" exercises by Marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i are not only a great training opportunity, but also part of a wildlife management plan to help endangered Hawaiian stilts. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the exercises involve driving amphibious assault vehicles through mud flats at the Nu'upia Ponds Wildlife Management Area, an area home to more than 50 species of birds.

The exercises will help break up weeds, including the invasive pickleweed, giving birds better foraging grounds and more suitable nesting areas. In the 28 years the exercises have been planned, the Hawaiian stilt population in the area has nearly tripled.

The Hawaiian stilt, or ae'o, is a subspecies of the black-necked stilt, and today the total population is estimated at only 1,500 birds. Feral cats and dogs, illegal hunting and habitat destruction are some of the most prominent risks this bird faces, and restoring habitat through these "Mud Ops" exercises can go a long way toward increasing the wild population.

Pickleweed
Photo © Jerry Kirkhart

Marines’ Exercises to Help Birds originally appeared on About.com Birding / Wild Birds on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 09:35:35.

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