A phenomenal discovery, bringing a glimmer of hope to a declining species of bird

“A lot of people were skeptical, but after tallying results from coordinated surveys by fellow ornithologists and video documentation, we are certain of the magnitude of the flock,” said Sanders. “Finding so many Whimbrel here gives me hope that we can turn the tide for this and other declining shorebird species.”

“These chance discoveries can lead to a long-term understanding of how a species uses the landscape,” says Brad Winn, Manomet’s Vice President of Resilient Habitats. “Whimbrel have similar daily patterns at all of their roost sites on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, but none we have found so far support as many birds as Deveaux. Often, these large, brown shorebirds are seen alone during the day after dispersing widely from their night roosts to feed on favorite prey like fiddler crabs and crawfish. They frequently maintain daytime feeding territories, and so even if someone is looking hard, they might only see a dozen in the course of the day. But in the evening, when a lot of people aren’t looking, these birds come out of their feeding areas to pre-roost loafing sites on the coast.”

The work on Deveaux Bank is now shifting from just reconfirming the number of Whimbrel, to studying the daily habitat needs of individual birds away from the roost. This work is led by Maina Handmaker, formerly of Manomet’s shorebird conservation team, and now earning her master’s degree under the direction of Dr. Nathan Senner at the University of South Carolina. Not only will it help shine a light on the movement of birds in South Carolina, but it will also provide detailed information about their annual migration journeys.

“Working with Manomet and WHSRN quite literally paved the way for the research I am doing now,” says Handmaker. “One of the biggest privileges during my time as the WHSRN Communications Specialist was the opportunity to connect with site partners across the hemisphere to learn about their inspiring shorebird science and conservation work. One of those partners was Felicia Sanders, the groundbreaking South Carolina shorebird biologist that discovered the Whimbrel roost at Deveaux Bank. It was also through Manomet that I first learned of Dr. Nathan Senner’s work studying long-distance migratory shorebirds, and ultimately reached out to him to ask him if he would consider taking me on as a graduate student. Before long, the three of us were writing grants together to try to bring the Deveaux Whimbrel project to life.”

Shorebirds today, including Whimbrel, face many complex threats, including coastal development, habitat loss, impacts from human disturbance, pressure from hunting, and polluted coastal areas, particularly the impacts of coastal oil spills. The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), is one of two surviving curlew species found in North America. The other is the Long-billed Curlew, primarily found in western grasslands and prairies. Unfortunately, curlews worldwide are not faring well, including the Eskimo Curlew that was commercially hunted into extinction early in the last century in the United States. “Shorebirds travel tremendous distances, facing a myriad of threats along the way,” says Sterling. “When we think back to the tragic tale of the Eskimo Curlew, we can’t help but think, ‘We should have known better’.”

“Whimbrel are skittish, and if there are people visiting at night when they are coming in to land, they will not roost there, and we know that this place is critical for them.”

We are working hard to prevent Whimbrel from meeting the fate of the Eskimo Curlew. Manomet is studying Whimbrel habitat use and migration pathways at a broad scale across the hemisphere to help understand where and when conservation actions are most needed. Working closely with many partners, particularly the Center for Conservation Biology at William and Mary and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Manomet scientists have spent the last decade identifying the full life-cycle migration patterns for these amazing shorebirds. We are establishing a monitoring network of professional and volunteer observers in North and South America to help identify, maintain, and protect the habitat that Whimbrel need to survive. Focal areas for Manomet’s Whimbrel research include Massachusetts, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

“This spectacular event at Deveaux is becoming rarer in our world of declining biodiversity,” says Winn. “Many shorebird species have declined dramatically in recent decades, so these moments of abundance need to be fully appreciated and embraced by all of us. We have a chance with this species to treat it right, so that’s why seeing this number of Whimbrel in one place is just so mind-blowing and emotional — it takes us back to another time.”