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Building Coalitions for Shorebird Conservation: local actions for hemispheric protection
From the Arctic tundra to 4,000-meter-high Andean wetlands, from windswept Patagonian grasslands to the saltmarshes of Cape Cod, shorebirds are adapted to many extremes in nature. High altitudes, high temperatures, high salinity, high winds, deep mud, rocky coasts, freezing conditions, shorebirds can handle it all. An example of shorebird tolerance for extremes is the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). One population of these large brownish shorebirds spends September to April living in the tropical realm of mangrove forests in coastal Brazil. But by late May, the same individuals are pulling frozen cranberries from the snowy foothills of the Hudson Bay lowlands of eastern Canada after their northward annual migration. Even with this ability to adjust to such physical extremes, shorebirds struggle to...
Coalitions for Shorebird Conservation
Today, shorebirds are undergoing one of the most dramatic declines of any bird group worldwide. Recent studies show that we have lost more than one-third of all coastal shorebirds since 1970. To stabilize and rebuild shorebird populations and safeguard their vital habitats, Manomet has launched the Coalitions for Shorebird Conservation to accelerate and support targeted conservation efforts at 13 of the most important shorebird sites in the Americas. At each location, we are improving the quality and quantity of critical shorebird habitats and increasing local capacity for conservation action. Shorebirds face many challenges, including habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, unregulated and illegal hunting, increasing predation, and climate change. These challenges are greater than any single organization can address alone....
2019 Annual Report
A Letter from Board Chair Nancy Dempze Dear Friends of Manomet, In August 2019, we launched our celebration of Manomet’s 50th anniversary—an historic milestone made possible by the generosity and dedication of our donors. Much has changed since August 4, 1969, when a single paid staff member and a band of volunteers opened the doors of the Manomet Bird Observatory for the first time. But what has not changed is our unwavering commitment to using science to better our world. Whether we’re collecting migration data, working to recover shorebirds and protect their habitats, preparing forests to adapt to climate change, or any of our other initiatives stretching across the Western Hemisphere, Manomet is first and foremost a science-based organization. But,...
Fisheries by the numbers
Spring and summer are a crucial time for our fisheries fieldwork. The data collected shows us what is happening in our waters from season to season and year-to-year. The numbers tell us many stories—some positive and some troubling: River herring—foundational species in freshwater and marine ecosystems—are much more abundant than in decades. Concerted efforts to remove dams and culverts that block passage to upstream spawning grounds have resulted in significant increases in spring migrations in several rivers and streams along the coast. Results on the St. Croix River, the boundary in eastern Maine between the US and Canada, illustrate how far we have come and how much opportunity to expand fish runs remains. Spawning migrations on the St. Croix reached...
Massachusetts Governor Baker Acknowledges Progress on the Assawompset Ponds Climate Change Resiliency Model
The work in progress by Manomet and partners in the Assawompset Ponds watershed is gaining recognition as a model for nature-based approaches to climate change resiliency in Massachusetts. Since late 2019, Manomet’s Climate Services Program has been working with partners Southeast Region Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), the Horsley Witten Group, The Nature Conservancy, and Mass Audubon to address flooding and habitat restoration concerns in the Assawompset Ponds Complex (APC). On Friday, July 17, Manomet was proud to join with our partners, as well as Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, and state and local officials, to tour the Assawompset Pond region and discuss the progress of our work in the...
The bander’s eye view: Flickers
You can leave a lasting mark on the scientific record. Adopt one of our mist nets, in your name or in someone else’s. There are only 50 mist nets up for adoption, so reserve your net now… or give this as a gift in the name of a fellow bird-lover! By Trevor Lloyd-Evans As banders, we are privileged to get up close and very personal with wild birds for a brief period in the Banding Lab at Manomet, before releasing them to go about their busy lives. Besides the uniquely numbered US Fish & Wildlife band that contributes to our knowledge of local movements, migrations, longevity, and mortality factors, we rapidly note several observations in our database. Our banders...
Manomet expands shorebird conservation efforts to Louisiana
Manomet is pleased to announce that Karis Ritenour has joined our staff as a Conservation Biologist. Ritenour will work with partner organizations and landowners in Louisiana to assist with planning and implementing management practices that increase and improve the availability of habitat for migratory shorebirds. “Louisiana is a vital stopover point along both southbound and northbound migration routes for many shorebirds in the Midcontinental Flyway including Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Whimbrels, American Golden Plovers, Lesser Yellowlegs, as well as many others,” said Monica Iglecia, Assistant Director of Shorebird Habitat Management, Manomet. “Karis will be our local lead to support the delivery of conservation activities in this very important region for migrant shorebirds. We are thrilled to have her...
Get to know your backyard birds
This weekly list consists of bird species—both year-long residents and migratory—you may find in your backyard in the northeast U.S. Our goal is to help you get to know the birds using your area, both through our staff's birding expertise as well as what Manomet has learned about these species from our over 50 years of studying them in our banding lab. Scroll through this page to see weekly species accounts by month. Go back to all Backyard Birding April This spring 2022 migration season, for the first time in Manomet history, you can adopt one of the mist nets we use to safely capture birds for research! By adopting a mist net in your name or a loved one’s,...
Saving lives, teaching others, taking action: Horseshoe crabs and shorebirds
From Maine to Florida, ‘tis the season to keep your eyes out for horseshoe crabs. You may just see a few here and there, spawning in clusters on a calm, sandy beach. But if you happen to live near or visit the Delaware Bay, perhaps you’ve seen a ‘cobblestone’ high tide in May. Horseshoe crabs can be found all along the US’s entire Atlantic Coast, but nowhere are they found in such high numbers as on Delaware Bay, which has the world’s largest spawning population. As horseshoe crab populations struggle to recover from overharvest for the bait and the biomedical industry, many crabs also face challenges when spawning. These include being overturned by waves or stuck in rubble or other...
U360 Internship Virtual Capstone Competition & Reception
It’s time for our 2019-20 class of U360 interns to share what they’ve learned about sustainability and small business this year! At this Virtual Capstone Competition, each U360 student will present their original Sustainability Action Plan for one small business composed of highly-researched, customized and practical recommendations for how the business could increase its overall sustainability. A panel of judges will ask the students questions in defense of their action plans, and then select a winner from each of our three state teams (MA, ME, and NH/VT). The winners will be named Manomet’s “Next Generation Scholars” for 2020 and receive $500 scholarship awards. Don’t miss this chance to see a dozen students from eight New England colleges compete over three...