Current Research Projects
Ecology of Winter Shorebirds of the Grand Bay NERR:
The mudflats and sandbars habitats of the Grand Bay NERR provide excellent feeding habitat for shorebirds using the area. As a first step in understanding the importance of the Grand Bay NERR to these coastal birds, we began a study of the foraging ecology os shorebirds using an extensive sandy over-wash area of the Grand Battures. Since the winter of 2003, we have conducted surveys of the area, recoding the number of individuals by species using this site. To date we have identified 15 different species of shorebirds using the area, with Dunlin (Calidris alpina) being the most commonly observed species (72 % of all individuals observed). Nearly 80% of the individuals we recorded were observed feeding on mudflats, although dowitchers (Limnodromus sp.) were most often seen probing in the water for invertebrates.
