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Whimbrels, wearing satellite transmitters, reveal links between Cape Cod and sites sprinkled across the Western Hemisphere
By Kat J. McAlpine For long-distance migratory shorebirds like the Whimbrel–which over the course of a year travel from breeding grounds in the Arctic to South America’s coastlines and then back again–Cape Cod’s salt marshes provide a welcome stopover on this extensive journey. During these stopovers, Whimbrels feast on the bounty of food that the Cape’s salt marshes offer, particularly fiddler crabs. As they gather in concentrated areas where nutrients are dense, spots along their journey that biologists call “staging sites,” Manomet researchers take the opportunity to fit some of the birds with devices that transmit their location data via satellites. Whimbrels, bigger and heavier than many other species of shorebirds, are the perfect “hiker” for these location trackers to...
Top 10 birds at Manomet’s headquarters
By Alan Kneidel In 2021, at Manomet’s 40-acre headquarters location in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a total of 209 bird species were cataloged in the eBird smartphone app by many different observers. Our contributing pool of observations came from birds caught in mist-nets on Manomet’s coastal property and then banded by scientists at Manomet Observatory’s bird banding lab, birds observed during our weekly property censuses for biodiversity, and other incidental observations. Manomet’s headquarters sprawl across a variety of habitats, including freshwater wetlands, a coastal forest, upland meadows, gardens, and an oceanfront bluff overlooking the Cape Cod Bay. In addition to its natural wealth, Manomet’s Plymouth campus is home to a rich history of ornithological observation and research, which dates back to early-1900s...
Support Arctic Research for Shorebird Conservation
During June 2019 fieldwork in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Manomet scientists made an unexpected and exciting discovery: an unusually high concentration of Whimbrels nesting in the Katakturuk River Valley. These shorebirds are normally isolated and solitary nesters, so finding 14 to 16 of them clustering their nest sites in one area of this Arctic valley presents a unique opportunity for research—scientists have never before observed a tightly-packed nesting location of Whimbrels, indicating the significance of this particular location and group of birds. From satellite transmitters that Manomet scientists placed on some of these Whimbrels—super lightweight tracking devices worn like tiny backpacks by the birds—we received data indicating that birds migrating south from this nesting site made different decisions about...
Four new sites and one new country added to WHSRN
When evading a predator, there is safety in numbers. But for shorebirds, there is also danger in numbers. Many shorebird species gather in large numbers at just a few specific sites to rest and refuel during migration. Threats to habitat at any one of these critical staging areas could mean destroying a species’ whole flyway population. Shorebird populations have been reduced to a fraction of what they once were. To recover these species, it is essential to protect a network of these stopover sites, ensuring that shorebirds have a safe place to rest and feed on their long migrations. The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), founded in 1986, seeks to address the threats that face shorebirds with a site-based,...
Whimbrels in the Arctic
Shiloh Schulte, Manomet’s senior shorebird scientist, recently spent four weeks in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, continuing several studies delayed by COVID-19. Working closely with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Shiloh deployed GPS tracking tags on Whimbrel, American Golden-Plovers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and other species as part of an ongoing study of local movement patterns and long-distance migration pathways and stopover sites. In addition to the tracking work, Shiloh collaborated to develop methods for remote monitoring of shorebird nests and mentored new USFWS technicians and volunteers. Shiloh recently shared his experiences on Alaska's Katakturuk River tagging Whimbrels to study local movement patterns and long-distance migration pathways and stopover sites. I have been lying flat in the sedge, hiding behind a...
Are invasive green crab populations in the Gulf of Maine rising?
The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a harmful invasive species linked to the decline of the soft-shell clam industry in New England and the degradation and loss of critical eelgrass and salt marsh habitat. Compounding these issues is the link between increasing green crab abundance and increasing ocean temperature, which has had severe ecological and socio-economic consequences in areas such as the Gulf of Maine, where warming is occurring faster than 99% of the world's oceans. In 2018, Manomet began our long-term intertidal crab monitoring project to track green crab population trends. We also collect data on native crabs and other invasive species such as the Asian shore crab. Our monitoring sites span much of mid-Coast Maine, from Damariscotta...
How is climate change impacting food availability for shorebirds?
One of the big questions we are addressing through our research is determining what threats limit shorebird populations. The work of the Arctic Shorebird Demographics Network (ASDN), which included 16 partner organizations, has substantially increased our ability to address a wide variety of science and conservation goals. We co-led the network of partners along with Rick Lanctot from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Brett Sandercock from Kansas State University. Through this partnership and collaboration, the ASDN has examined species and topics at a very large scale (e.g., Russia to western Canada). The ASDN team has collected data on migratory connectivity, as well as adult survival, productivity, and other demographic parameters at various stages of a shorebird’s annual cycle....
Gulf Coast Whimbrels, Spring 2021
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) have been identified as a conservation priority in the Atlantic Flyway, with a population that has declined by 50% between the early 1990s and the mid-2000s at key Atlantic staging areas. Manomet, along with the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary and many other partners are working together to gather all the information we need to apply conservation action to Whimbrel populations. In April 2021, Manomet’s Brad Winn and I headed to the Gulf coast to expand our recent work in the Atlantic flyway into the Midcontinent Flyway. Our goal for this trip? To delineate key staging areas for Whimbrel in Louisiana and Texas and build relationships with the key conservation players. Why are we...
Shrimp and Shorebird Conservation
Many thousands of acres of shrimp farms have replaced areas of natural coastal habitat — mostly salt-pan flats and mangrove forests — which are critical areas for shorebirds in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. As long-distance migrants, shorebirds connect the Arctic with Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego along the Pacific Flyway, and the east coast of the United States to the Pacific coast of Central and South America. On all of these routes, shorebirds face distinct threats that require a coordinated response by different stakeholders throughout the hemisphere who work together to connect conservation with sustainable development. By working with shrimp farmers, we provide significant benefits for shorebirds and other species. Our partners at Quetzalli Nicaragua have been generating...
Flyways
Safeguarding the health of birds Manomet is best known for its work on avian species and is arguably the world leader in shorebird conservation. We are working to grow the impact of this work through enhanced monitoring, expansion of on-the-ground site conservation, a strong focus on working lands and seas, and enhanced partnerships. Many shorebird species use habitats across a vast geography, undertaking some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom. They are also one of the bird groups undergoing the steepest declines. The total geographic area used by a species or population during its annual lifecycle is termed a flyway. Within each flyway, shorebirds tend to concentrate at just a few sites that provide safe foraging and resting...