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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...
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....
Shifting Tides
For nearly a decade, Anne Hayden’s work at Manomet has focused on restoring marine habitats and rebuilding sustainable fisheries. Throughout her career, Anne’s work has focused on planning and management for Maine’s watersheds, building engaging and inspiring educational programs and courses, restoring marine habitats, and rebuilding sustainable fisheries. Through social and natural science, she has worked to understand the dynamics of the marine ecosystem and align economic incentives with environmental stewardship. In addition, she has worked to restore sustainable and resilient fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and strengthen adaptive co-management to promote healthy marine ecosystems and thriving coastal communities. At the end of June 2021, Anne will be retiring from Manomet, leaving behind a long list of accomplishments and...
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...
Setting Standards for Working Landscapes
Shorebirds thrive in habitats like intertidal mudflats, natural salt flats, mangroves, white sand and gravel beaches, marshes, and seasonal freshwater wetlands. A Red Knot, for example, spends its nesting season in northern Canada then migrates south to its wintering grounds, resting at key stopover sites like Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which offers nutrient-dense coastal marshland and beaches. It then heads to the Pacific Ocean, where it finally lands in the Gulf of Fonseca, a rich tidal mudflat bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Manomet scientists have found that some of the best shorebird habitat exists within “working landscapes,” areas outside of conservation areas used for farming, forestry or ranching. The Gulf of Fonseca is one of these sites which host sizeable...
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...
Returning to Alaska
Many North American shorebird species are declining at alarming rates, but we do not know why. Through our Arctic field research, we are hoping to increase our understanding of the status of shorebird populations and to learn what is causing their declines. Manomet has conducted shorebird research in the arctic every field season since 2001, except for 2020 due to the pandemic. This summer, senior shorebird scientist Shiloh Schulte will return to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to continue several studies delayed by COVID-19 in 2020. Shiloh will work closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to deploy GPS tracking tags on Whimbrel, American Golden-Plovers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and other species as part of an ongoing study of local movement...
Manomet’s 2021 spring banding season is here!
Manomet’s bird banding lab opened for spring migration on April 15. Migratory and resident birds have been banded at Manomet since 1966 – a Black-capped Chickadee banded by Manomet’s by Manomet's Founding Director Kathleen (Betty) Anderson. Migratory bird banding operations like ours represent an important source of data about bird migration. Long-term ecology data sets can lead to discoveries often missed in shorter-term studies, and are critical for establishing baselines and tracking changes in the natural world. Because birds are widely surveyed by professional and amateur observers alike, and their natural histories are often well-understood, wild bird populations can be useful sentinels of environmental change and ecosystem health. Joining the banding lab this year are four talented banders from across...
Get to know the wildlife and habitat at Manomet’s campus
This summer, we will reveal our new interpretive nature trail at our Plymouth, Massachusetts campus. The trail and learning stations are under construction, but we want to introduce you to some of the landscapes, habitats, and species you’ll see when you visit. Manomet’s Bluff Manomet’s Plymouth campus shares a small stretch of coastline with Cape Cod Bay, a thriving ecosystem brimming with marine life. The bluff at Manomet’s headquarters that overlooks Cape Cod Bay is a terminal (or end) moraine, the point of furthest eastward advance of a glacial lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which reached its maximum advance about 23,000 years ago near Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The large rocks along the shoreline, known as “glacial erratics,” were...
Flyway-scale Conservation: Midcontinent Shorebird Conservation Initiative
Many shorebird species breed in one place, and when the breeding season ends and the climate begins to change, they migrate to places with friendlier climates. These journeys take place along flyways, which offer the birds the feeding resources and spaces to rest and refuel they require. It is a round trip between the breeding and wintering grounds, a complete annual cycle governed by the seasons. In the Americas, three main flyways connect North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The Atlantic and Pacific flyways are populated by shorebirds that prefer or require coastal environments. In contrast, the Midcontinent flyway is used by shorebirds that inhabit interior habitats, such as lowland and highland grasslands, inland swamps and wetlands,...