Birding for Science

Audubon Delta and Manomet both have active citizen science projects collecting valuable data about shorebirds throughout the state. Audubon Delta puts the “shore” in shorebirds with their Audubon Coastal Bird Surveys (ACBS), conducted during fall, winter, and spring to track shorebird usage of several sites along the coast. This project has been ongoing since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 and is collecting valuable data about bird populations and use along the Gulf Coast.

Manomet has a similar project, the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). This project has been running since the 1970s and involves citizens and scientists throughout the Western Hemisphere, as well as partnering with other organizations such as Audubon and BirdsCaribbean (check!!!) to share data from similar projects. ISS focuses primarily on migrating shorebirds, with at least 3 surveys needed each spring and fall at each site, though many volunteers choose to survey more frequently. Anywhere in the state that shorebirds can be found can be an ISS site and contribution is easily done right from the free eBird app on your phone.

If you are interested in volunteering for either of our monitoring projects or for shorebird stewardship protecting nesting shorebirds in the summer along the coast, please contact us!