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Whimbrel Research and Conservation
Many populations of large, migratory shorebirds, including Whimbrel and other curlew, are experiencing significant declines at a global scale. These declines can be attributed to individual threats such as unregulated hunting on their wintering grounds, but most declines are the result of cumulative threats throughout the migratory life of each bird. Manomet is studying Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) migrations to help understand where and when conservation actions are needed to improve the life-supporting conditions on the ground for this and all shorebirds. From July through late September, Whimbrel migrate southward from their Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding grounds and some spend up to a month with us along our coast. While in Massachusetts, Whimbrel spend almost all of their time in the...
Guyana Shorebird Workshop Success
At the end of June, Manomet hosted a shorebird workshop in Guyana that brought together researchers, technical experts, conservationists and relevant authorities to delve into Guyana's shorebird ecology and conservation strategies. The workshop, titled “Building Multidisciplinary Networks of Collaboration,” was held at the historic Cara Lodge in Georgetown. Participants included representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mangrove Restoration and Management Department, the South Rupununi Conservation Society, and the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission. The event included a host of lively sessions focused on raising awareness about the critical roles shorebirds play in Guyana’s ecosystems. Manomet’s Arne Lesterhuis and Vianey Ramirez (Senior Shorebird Conservation Specialist and Community Engagement and Communications Specialist, WHSRN Executive Office, respectively) ran the workshop, which...
Human Welfare and Shorebird Conservation – How are they Connected?
Until just a few decades ago, biodiversity conservation was carried out without the involvement of the human communities that depend on it for their livelihoods. Biodiversity conservation is now defined by its intrinsic relationship with human beings and their dependence on it and how human communities impact and/or contribute to its management. An often overlooked aspect of conservation is that our existence and welfare as human beings depends almost entirely on the benefits that we derive from nature. These benefits can be called “ecosystem services.” We are unaware of any important areas for shorebirds, whether it be breeding areas, migration stopovers, or wintering sites, that do not simultaneously contribute either tangibly or intangibly to human welfare. These areas, due to...
Manomet’s 55th fall season of banding begins!
Fall migration is officially here, and the banding lab is up and running once again! After a pared-down banding operation during the spring season, Manomet is excited to welcome four seasonal banders to Manomet’s Plymouth headquarters this month for the 55th fall season. The Landbird Conservation Team—comprised of Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Director, Evan Dalton, Lead Instructor, and Alan Kneidel, Staff Biologist— did record some data during spring migration, but having a full banding staff is crucial for a complete, consistent look at long-term trends. “We have always had banders in the lab since we started in 1966, and it’s essential to continue doing so to maintain our over 50-year-old dataset,” says Trevor. “Having a full team keeps the lab running at...
Fall 2020 Banding Season
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Manomet buildings are closed to the public until further notice; this includes the Banding Lab and the net lanes. This season, we welcome four seasonal staff—Megan Gray, Sarah Duff, Cynthia Ramirez, and Jeremiah Sullivan—to Manomet headquarters for the first time this year. While we are excited to be able to have our banders here this fall, we are still practicing extreme caution due to COVID-19, including limiting visitation to the lab. We will continue to share weekly updates from this season's staff on this page and are planning new ways to connect with our audience digitally in lieu of hosting in-person educational programming at the lab. Check back every week for a new post,...
Tracking Whimbrels for Conservation Action
Many populations of large, migratory shorebirds, including Whimbrels and other curlew, are experiencing significant declines at a global scale. These declines can be attributed to individual threats such as unregulated hunting on their wintering grounds, but most declines are the result of cumulative threats throughout the migratory life of each bird. Our local curlew, the one that frequents eastern Massachusetts in the late summer and fall, is called the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). Manomet is studying Whimbrel migrations to help understand where and when conservation actions are needed to improve the life-supporting conditions on the ground for this and all shorebirds. From July through late September, Whimbrels migrate southward from their Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding grounds and some spend up to...
Another Successful Year, Thanks to You!
Manomet is wrapping up another productive and successful fiscal year. We’re casting our nets further than ever and recruiting more partners to create a more sustainable future. Our new Climate Lab program has trained its first 13 teachers, who can now share their knowledge with 500 students in their classrooms and in the field. The program gives students hands-on experience in measuring the impacts of climate change—helping them understand the importance of nature as they become the next generation of decision-makers. Our Arctic researchers recently returned with 15 geolocators that were deployed last season on Semipalmated Sandpipers. The data being analyzed will help us better understand critical stopover and feeding grounds on their...
First Ever Geolocator Results for a Semipalmated Sandpiper Show Remarkable Year-long Odyssey
Data that Manomet scientists recovered from a Semipalmated Sandpiper on sub-Arctic Coats Island in June revealed that the bird flew a total distance of over 10,000 miles in the past year, including a remarkable six day, 3,300-mile nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The shorebird was equipped with a geolocator by a Manomet research team in 2013 as part of a first time effort to use the devices to understand the migration of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Manomet researchers Brad Winn and Shiloh Schulte returned from eastern Canada’s Coats Island last week with the first two geolocators for the Semipalmated Sandpiper migration study, which was designed to solve one of the most pressing mysteries in shorebird conservation. “Surveys conducted...