Date/Time
Date - 09/24/2014
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Surprisingly robust, tiny sandpipers, plovers and other shorebirds fly thousands of miles annually each fall from areas like northern Alaska to South America, returning in the spring on this same herculean journey. In this journey they pause to refuel in certain crucial stopover areas – such as Long Beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After resting and refueling on the abundant invertebrates in mud and sand flats, the shorebirds take wing again, often flying non-stop for several days to reach their destination.
Bird enthusiast, photographer and researcher, Ian Davies, spent many hours studying these birds during their migration stopovers in his hometown of Plymouth both during his free time and in an official capacity for the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Due to his remarkable birding skills, dedication to bird conservation and science background, at age 20 Ian was offered the first of three (thus far) opportunities to travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to study shorebirds on their breeding grounds with the Shorebird Recovery Project.
After witnessing shorebirds in the midst of migration, seeing the transformation on the breeding grounds is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The quiet and demure shorebirds that probe along our beaches transform into creatures with spectacular aerial displays and songs that rival any songbird.
The birds have revealed the secrets of their summertime lives and camouflaged nests to Ian and his camera. In his presentation, Ian will offer a glimpse into the lives of breeding shorebirds, as well as discussing his work and that of others to conserve these amazing and diverse birds across the hemisphere.
To register for Ian’s webinar for the National Biodiversity Teachin, click here, then, scroll down to his name and click on the link to register.
Resources to prepare for this webinar
1) Migration routes of many shorebirds: http://www.goldenrod.org/bird_migration_map/bird_migration_map.html
2) Ian’s blog posts about research camp life and wildlife observations from the Canning River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from 2013 and 2014: http://shorebirdscience.org/category/canning/ and http://shorebirdscience.org/canning-2014-04/
3) Information on Manomet Center for Conservation Science’s Shorebird Recovery Project: https://www.manomet.org/srp
4) Why shorebird conservation is needed: http://blog.allaboutbirds.org/2014/09/05/first-ever-world-shorebirds-day-highlights-need-for-conservation/