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Purple Sandpiper Cape Ann Bird Walk
Join Manomet staff on a trip along the rocky coastline of Cape Ann, one of the premier destinations in the Northeast for winter birding. Our primary focus will be visiting the most reliable sites for the Purple Sandpiper, a species of conservation concern in our region. In addition, we will see a variety of ducks, loons, alcids, and grebes! This walk will be led by Alan Kneidel, Manomet's Senior Conservation Biologist, as he talks about Manomet's work with Purple Sandpiper conservation. For those interested after the walk, the group will go out to lunch for an opportunity to chat further! Registration is required. Did you know Manomet is a non-profit organization that depends on the generosity of people like you?...
American Oystercatcher Population Rebounds 45% Through Conservation: A decade of science-driven efforts helped restore this vital shorebird
A decade of science-driven efforts helped restore this vital shorebird. Shorebird populations across the Americas have declined by nearly 50% over the past four decades, facing increasing threats from habitat loss, climate change, and human disturbances. Against these odds, the American Oystercatcher has made a stunning comeback, with populations rebounding by 45% since 2008. The recovery is credited to a collaborative, science-based conservation initiative led by Manomet Conservation Sciences, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The American Oystercatcher, a striking coastal bird known for its bright red-orange beak and distinctive yellow-rimmed eyes, plays a vital role in salt marsh and barrier beach ecosystems. By 2008, its numbers had dropped to just 10,000 birds....
Running the Gauntlet – The Journey of Juvenile Whimbrel on Cape Cod
Water, Water, Everywhere... It was the third straight day of lashing rain, stuck in the middle of a coastal storm that would end up dropping 10 inches on outer Cape Cod. But this was no office day for the Whimbrel crew – Shiloh (Dr. Shiloh Schulte, Manomet’s Senior Shorebird Scientist) sat crouched behind a propped-up rowboat, an unsteady yet effective windbreak as he peered over occasionally to check the nearby noose carpet array. Liana (Liana DiNunzio, Shorebird Biologist) sat huddled among the dune vegetation, vigilantly monitoring the more distant traps. Meanwhile, I strode ponderously through hip-deep water in the flooded marsh behind the sand ridge, the water rising rapidly as the king tide approached. Time was running out, the water...
Arctic Advances: Three New Shorebird Science Papers Published
Advances in shorebird science show the most important places for shorebirds. Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta: 7 Million Breeding Birds Manomet scientists help recover populations of declining shorebirds by identifying places most important to them for breeding, migration, or wintering. Three scientific papers were published recently that each help to advance this work. In collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, Manomet completed the first-ever survey of breeding shorebirds in the Yukon-Kuskokwin delta, a huge area of western Alaska known to be important for shorebirds, but that had never been fully surveyed. Our results showed that the area supports over 7 million breeding birds, including large proportions of the populations of several species, including Pacific...
New Fishing Opportunities: Invasive, Emerging and Underutilized Species
Fishing communities are being disproportionately impacted by climate change and are incredibly vulnerable in the Gulf of Maine where there is low diversity of fisheries resources and limited access to those resources. We are working to develop new fishing opportunities that support resilient coastal communities and ecosystems by targeting invasive, emerging, and underutilized species.
Ice and Fire
Returning to the Alaskan arctic to survey nesting shorebirds this year, I had Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” on my mind, although not in that order… Climate change is making the weather more unpredictable, as people are experiencing everywhere, while in the arctic those changes are noticeably accelerated. Last spring I attended a meeting of some of the top meteorologists working in Alaska with the goal to better plan what sort of season we might expect. The consensus was that the season would either be colder or warmer than normal, and either wetter or dryer than normal, and they noted their past efforts to predict were less accurate than guessing! Not very helpful, but also a clear indicator of...
The Small Sit
Crafting Volunteer Drop-In Day
Help us create some "fishy" crafts for the Plymouth Herring Run Festival! Stop by Manomet's headquarters anytime from 10am-5pm on Thursday, April 4th, and get your craft on while helping continue a special tradition—creating "fish sticks" for kids to decorate at the annual Plymouth Herring Run Festival! We'll have all of the materials you need to trace, cut, and glue. For kids who would like to volunteer, we'll have a decoration station so they can take their very own "fish stick" home! Hundreds of families attend the festival each year, so we're counting on our volunteers to help us create a huge "school" of these friendly fish! Registration is encouraged. We greatly appreciate your help! Parking: Manomet is located at...
The Small Sit | Coastal Dredging: Restoration Opportunities for Shorebirds & People
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! Along with the climate, our coasts are changing. Saltmarsh erodes, coastal forests flood, and sand bars and beaches erode. Mike Molnar, Director of the Coastal Zone Initiative at Manomet, has been working with a number of partners to help assess the impacts of Sea Level rise, changing weather patterns, and coastal development on our coastal ecosystems and the myriad of species that call them home. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) orchestrates dredging of approximately two hundred million cubic yards annually from U.S. waterways for navigation and...
Happy Hour with Happy Fish
Come see Happy Fish, chat with local scientists, and try a new craft brew! Join us on Friday, April 19th from 5-8pm at the Plymouth Center for the Arts to kick off our herring migration festivities! Grab a drink and hors d'oeuvres, take photos with Happy Fish, and hear from local scientists as they highlight the importance of migratory fish passages and conservation efforts (6-7pm). And don't forget to try IndieFerm's "Anadromous Ale”, a fun reference to herring being anadromous fish! Happy Fish©, created by World Fish Migration Day, is a symbol that connects people, organizations, and projects aiming to restore free-flowing rivers for fish populations. Get excited as Happy Fish makes its way to Plymouth, MA! This is a...