Beachgoers holding Share the Shore signs.

Learn about the Shorebird Human Disturbance Community of Practice

To address disturbance along the Atlantic Flyway, a collaborative study funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has been underway involving partners at Virginia Tech, Audubon, Manomet, and the USFWS. Using a Community of Practice (CoP) approach – where groups of people regularly interact to exchange knowledge, resources, and expertise on a shared concern or interest – the team …

Beach steward at beach

Human Disturbance Reduction Toolkit/Conjunto de herramientas para la reducción de las perturbaciones humanas

Human Disturbance Reduction Toolkit Virginia Tech, Audubon, Manomet, and USFWS developed an online, accessible toolkit to highlight the best practices, case studies, and lessons learned from the transdisciplinary human disturbance project. The goal of the toolkit is to provide managers, practitioners, and conservation professionals with the resources, knowledge, and expertise to tackle human disturbance head-on through empirically tested social science …

A whimbrel spotted during the Global Shorebird Count. Jean Carlos Vega

Evaluating Disturbance to Migrating and Overwintering Shorebirds in the Caribbean

To date, little is known about the extent and management of human disturbance to shorebirds in the Caribbean. Thanks to funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, BirdsCaribbean and Virginia Tech recently partnered to survey Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) monitors’ experiences with disturbance at the wetland sites they monitor. CWC monitors first provided feedback via a focus group to share …

Guidance and Best Practices for Evaluating and Managing Human Disturbances to Migrating Shorebirds on Coastal Lands in the Northeastern United States

RECOMMENDED CITATION Mengak, L., A.A. Dayer, R. Longenecker, and C.S. Spiegel. 2019. Guidance and Best Practices for Evaluating and Managing Human Disturbances to Migrating Shorebirds on Coastal Lands in the Northeastern United States. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Managers recognize human disturbance as a serious threat facing shorebirds throughout their annual cycle. Yet, most of the current research and management …

A Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) foraging on soft sling mud at Weg naar Zee. ©A. Lesterhuis

Exciting Technique Used to Create Shorebird Habitat in Suriname

The iconic maps depicting shorebird abundance in the Atlas of the Nearctic Shorebirds on the Coast of South America of Morrison & Ross (1989) cannot be clearer: the Surinamese coastline is of key importance to wintering populations of shorebirds. The vast tidal mudflats and extensive mangroves of Suriname are considered one of the most important wintering areas along the Atlantic …

Semipalmated Sandpiper roosting

Connecting the Dots: Shorebirds, People and Sites

Story By: Salvadora Morales, David Mizrahi  & Jason Mobley Synchrony: Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crabs In late February and March in Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua, and across all wintering sites, Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) and other long-distance migratory shorebirds prepare for their spring migration. They will undertake flights of several thousand kilometers to reach end routes staging sites and then their Arctic …

Universal shorebird webpage

Initiatieven ter Bescherming van Wadvogels op het Westelijk Halfrond

Wadvogels zijn te vinden in bijna elk type habitat op het westelijk halfrond. Deze leefgebieden zijn de afgelopen eeuw ingrijpend veranderd. Habitatverlies in combinatie met de vele obstakels gedurende hun levenscyclus heeft geleid tot een aanzienlijke achteruitgang van wadvogels in Noord en Zuid Amerika. Gelukkig, dankzij jou en je geweldige partners, genieten wadvogels behoud en bescherming, en worden lokale gemeenschappen …

Universal Shorebird webpage

Iniciativas para Conservação das Aves Limícolas nas Américas

As aves limícolas podem ser encontradas em quase todos os habitats do hemisfério ocidental e vários desses habitats foram alterados drasticamente no século passado. A perda de habitat combinada com os obstáculos enfrentados ao longo de seu ciclo de vida resultaram em declínios significativos no número de aves limícolas nas Américas. Felizmente, as aves limícolas têm você e todos os …

Universal shorebird webpage

Conservation des Oiseaux de Rivage, Initiatives des Amériques

Les oiseaux de rivage sont retrouvés dans presque tous les habitats de l’hémisphère occidental. Ces habitats ont été considérablement modifiés au cours du siècle dernier. La perte d’habitat combinée à bien des obstacles à travers tout leur cycle de vie a entraîné un déclin important des oiseaux de rivage dans les Amériques. Heureusement, les oiseaux de rivage peuvent compter sur …

Universal shorebird webpage

Iniciativas de Conservación de Aves Playeras de las Américas

Las aves playeras se pueden encontrar en casi todos los hábitats del hemisferio occidental. Estos hábitats se han alterado drásticamente en el último siglo. La pérdida de hábitat combinada con tantos obstáculos a lo largo de su ciclo de vida ha provocado una disminución significativa en las aves playeras de las Américas. Afortunadamente, las aves playeras lo tienen a usted …

Universal shorebird webpage

Shorebird Conservation Initatives of the Americas

Shorebirds can be found in nearly every habitat across the Western Hemisphere. These habitats have been altered dramatically in the last century. Habitat loss combined with so many obstacles throughout their life-cycle has resulted in significant declines to shorebirds in the Americas. Thankfully, shorebirds have you and all of your amazing partners helping to conserve and protect them as well …

Judith Kramer Stewarding. Nolan Schillerstrom / Audubon

Beach Steward Programs: Successes and Lessons Learned

May 11, 2021 The Wetlands Institute Beach Steward Program Presenter: Brittany Morey- Research Associate at The Wetlands Institute The Wetlands Institute Beach Steward Program plays an important role in reducing disturbances to beach-nesting birds and migratory shorebirds while providing education and outreach to beachgoers. Stewarding experiences on southern New Jersey beaches will be shared as well as details about how …

Predation management.

Coordinated Shorebird Predation Management – Communication & Outreach

March 30, 2021 DESCRIPTION: Third in a series of three webinars hosted by the AFSI Predation Management Subteam that aims to advance further coordinated actions on predation management topics identified as needing more attention by those who study and conserve shorebirds. This webinar focuses on: Reviewing existing materials via AFSI Guidance & BPs (especially BP 6, pp 52-56) and other …

Crow Tracks. Creative Commons

Webinar: Coordinated Shorebird Predation Management – Triggers & Monitoring

February 16, 2021 DESCRIPTION: Second in a series of three webinars hosted by the AFSI Predation Management Subteam that aims to advance further coordinated actions on predation management topics identified as needing more attention by those who study and conserve shorebirds. This webinar focuses on: reviewing materials from the AFSI Guidance and Best Practices and other sources on development and …

Webinar: Coordinated Shorebird Predation Management – Camera Guidance

January 19, 2021 DESCRIPTION: First in a series of three webinars hosted by the AFSI Predation Management Subteam that aims to advance further coordinated actions on predation management topics identified as  needing more attention by those who study and conserve shorebirds. This webinar, co-hosted by the Atlantic Flyway Council Shorebird Committee Predation Group, focuses on: reviewing materials from the AFSI …

Brad Andres Receives the Gary T. Myers Bird Conservation Award

Brad Andres Receives the Gary T. Myers Bird Conservation Award

At the August meeting of the U.S. Committee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), Brad Andres received the 2020 Individual Gary T. Myers Bird Conservation Award. Gary Myers was a long-time director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and a recognized champion of bird conservation that inspired a generation of conservationists. The purpose of the award is to …

American Oystercatcher, Salvadora Morales

American Oystercatcher: Unifying the Atlantic and Pacific Migration Flyways

By Salvadora Morales, Conservation Specialist, WHSRN It is 12:40 am on Tuesday 3 November 2020.  A category 4 hurricane is whipping the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua where my family live. While I am writing, I am checking in with my parents constantly to hear news.. The models predict that Hurricane Eta will hit Wawa Bar, the beach where 18 years …

Magellanic Oystercatcher. Pablo Caceres Contreras

The National Conservation Plan of Shorebirds in Argentina Begins to Take Shape

Argentina is located at the southern tip of the three principal migration flyways that exist in the Americas: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Midcontinent. The country is both a breeding and non-breeding area for numerous species with mirror migration patterns. On the one hand there are species that reproduce in the south of the country during the austral spring …

Magellanic Oystercatcher. Pablo Caceres Contreras

Se pone en marcha  Plan Nacional para la Conservación de las Aves Playeras en Argentina

Argentina se encuentra en el extremo sur de los tres principales corredores o rutas migratorias existentes en América; Atlántico, Pacífico y Mid-continental, siendo territorio de reproducción y descanso no reproductivo de especies migratorias con cronologías opuestas. Por un lado, se encuentran las especies que reproducen en el sur del país durante la primavera y el verano austral y que luego …