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Arctic Nesting Whimbrels – 2023

The drone of the Cessna 185’s motor had just faded into the distance when we heard the first Whimbrel calling as it flew overhead. It is difficult to convey the sense of relief and excitement from hearing that single call. Kirsti Carr and I had just been dropped as the first on the ground at a new field site on the Jago River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while the pilot went back to pick up the rest of the team, three biologists working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Kirsti works for Point Blue Conservation Science, but had worked with Manomet and the USFWS in previous summers conducting arctic shorebird research. Dr. Sadie Ulman, Robyn Thomas,...

Arctic Shorebird Research

In recent decades, shorebird populations have plummeted. Without effective and immediate action, some species could disappear entirely in the coming decades. Scientists know that populations are falling precipitously, but they don’t know exactly why. Through our Arctic shorebird research, Manomet researchers hope to unlock some of the mysteries of these dramatic shorebird population declines.

Lindsay the Whimbrel: August 5, 2021, Update

Lindsay the Whimbrel is on the move again! Lindsay is one of six Whimbrels tagged earlier this summer in the Katakturuk River Valley in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. These tags allow us to study local movement patterns and long-distance migration pathways and stopover sites. After making the 3-day crossing from Alaska to California, Lindsay stopped in San Francisco Bay for a week to rest and refuel. Then, on the evening of August 2nd, she took off heading south again along the coast. She stopped briefly in San Diego harbor after flying for about 12 hours, then headed out again on the evening of August 3rd, crossing into Mexico and arriving a few hours later on the expansive mudflats of...

Flat Moonrise

This past Spring, Manomet supporters entered names into our Whimbrel naming contest. Shortly after, Dr. Shiloh Schulte, Senior Shorebird Specialist, tagged a Whimbrel in Alaska (1st picture), and gave her the winning name—Moonrise! The name Moonrise refers to the genus of the Whimbrel, Numenius, which means "new moon" or "young moon." Moonrise left her nesting territory in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on July 10, 2023, arriving on the shore of Hudson Bay on July 16. She stayed there resting and refueling until August 2, when she made a 3-day flight to Georgia. She stayed on the coast of Georgia until September 9, just before she left for the Atlantic crossing to South America. This spring, Whimbrels will leave their...

Water for Shorebirds: A Flowing Collaboration on Texas Coast

Because of its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, Chambers County, on the Upper Texas Coast, plays host to large quantities of migrating songbirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds each spring and fall. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is a species of shorebird that utilizes this area for northbound staging as they make the great trek between their wintering grounds in South America and their breeding grounds in the arctic. Manomet’s scientists began studying Whimbrel’s use of this area in 2021 with GPS tracking devices, and preliminary analysis of this movement data revealed that 96% of this species’ daytime locations were in fields related to rice production. What makes a rice field so attractive to a Whimbrel? Rice fields can act as a surrogate...

The Small Sit: Migratory strategies of Whimbrel nesting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Join The Small Sit, Manomet's virtual science series, each month as we learn about the wonders of why birds migrate, the importance of river herring in coastal food webs, and so much more! On December 7th, step into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and get into the mind of a Whimbrel to learn about their migratory strategies during nesting season with Manomet's Senior Shorebird Scientist, Shiloh Schulte. This program is free, but registration is required.  Whimbrels are representatives of the most imperiled group of shorebirds, curlews and godwits. The population of Whimbrels that migrate along the Western Atlantic is in sharp decline, and the status of the Pacific Coast population is uncertain. Previous tracking studies in interior and North-central Alaska...

New data from satellite transmitters reveals migratory routes of shorebirds in decline

This spring and summer, Manomet scientists and partners tagged over 30 Whimbrels with state-of-the-art GPS trackers in the southeastern U.S. and Arctic. Here’s where those birds are now. By Shiloh Schulte In late May 2022, a team from Manomet and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service returned to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to continue our collaborative work studying Arctic nesting shorebirds. This year, we worked on several research projects including coastal plain shorebird surveys, a study of shorebird nest survival, remote audio monitoring of nesting birds, and a multi-year tracking study of nesting Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). This is difficult work, and only possible thanks to consistent support from Manomet’s individual donors, as well as the National Fish and Wildlife...

Arctic research team faces unprecedented conditions while monitoring shorebirds

Manomet scientists and collaborators are pressing through rough camp conditions to complete key research objectives. By Stephen Brown There is a famous saying based on the Thomas Wolfe novel of the same title: “you can’t go home again.” And if you do try, things will be very different than when you were there before. This year, we went back to the arctic, which feels like “home” to many of Manomet’s field biologists, and true to form things were very different! The arctic is immense, so studying anything at the landscape scale is a huge undertaking. In 2000, we helped develop the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM). In 2002, we launched our first team expedition with U.S. Fish...

Manomet’s Arctic shorebird researchers return to Alaska

This season, the Manomet team and research partners are surveying shorebirds on the Arctic coastal plain and assessing shorebird nesting success. They are also testing new audio recording and machine learning technologies that could greatly expand shorebird monitoring capabilities in remote locations. By Stephen Brown Welcome to the 2022 field season edition of Manomet’s Shorebird Science Blog!  We hope you enjoyed our first post about our exciting work underway in Texas with support from the Knobloch Family Foundation.  The format of the blog is a bit different from previous years, as you can see; we will be posting a series of articles describing each project as they unfold in the field. This introductory post is just to let you know...

Central American coastlines take center stage in Atlantic shorebird conservation efforts

By Julia Salazar The Caribbean coastlines of Central America are poised to become the next key conservation priority for the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI), an effort to contribute to the management and protection of shorebird habitat led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). As other stopover sites for birds migrating between the Arctic to South America decline due to human and climate-related impacts, Caribbean coastlines in Central America can provide alternative feeding and resting spots along these birds’ multi-continental journeys. This effort, which kicked off in February 2022, is led by Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN)'s executive office (housed within Manomet’s Flyways team) and is supported by an advisory committee of regional shorebird experts and the USFWS. By...