Explore Data

MSP has large, rich data sets from years of collecting observations from citizen scientists.

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Data in Action

Use our full featured apps to see how we put our data to work.

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Survey/Training Resources

Review our data collection protocols, or show other how they can contribute to our project!

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What’s New? 

Migratory Shorebird Project 2022-2023 Annual Progress Report now available!

Click here for the 2022-2023 Report

General developments

Mantagua © Red de observadores de aves de Chile -ROC

Completed 13th year of surveys at most sites (November 2022 – February 2023) in North America, 9th year in Central America, and the 11th year in South America.

    • Finalized a new 10-year strategy for the Migratory Shorebird Project in collaboration with all partners.
    • Finalized first formal communication strategy for the Migratory Shorebird Project.
    • Data collected by >564 volunteers, researchers, and local communities at >200 sites (>2000 survey units).
    • Contributed the new recreational disturbance tool kit for the Pacific Americas Flyway.
    • MSP data supported the designation of at least 7 new Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sites, since 2021.
    • Developed models to understand (1) changes in shorebirds habitats during the last 20 years, (2) trends for 21 species across the Pacific Americas Flyway, (3) distribution and habitat use of shorebirds in Guatemala, and (4) temporal trends in shorebirds in Ecuasal salt works in Ecuador.
    • Supported students and fellows: 5 master’s degree students, 1 undergraduate student and 5 Coastal Solution Fellows are using MSP data to complete their research or support decision-making.
    • Coordinated a symposium focused on the MSP at the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting helped virtually in September 2022: 10 years of stories connecting communities through research and conservation with the Migratory Shorebird Project. Eleven presentations of the science of MSP were delivered by partners representing 9 countries.

MSP Science

Two new papers were published with analyses using MSP data: 

Winter population trends and environmental drivers for three species of temperate shorebirds. 

Estefanía I. Muñoz-Salas, Eduardo Palacios, Lucía Alfaro, and Matthew E. Reiter, from Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada- CISESE, Terra Peninsular, and Point Blue Conservation Science

An impact evaluation of conservation investments targeting long‐distance migratory species.

© Asociación Calidris

This paper used MSP data at sites in Latin America to characterize the impact of conservation investments at key sites in the region. 

C. Josh Donlan 1,2, Diana Eusse-González 3, Gloria M. Luque 1, Matthew E. Reiter 4, Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez 2, Michael C. Allen 5, Richard Johnston-González 3, Orin J. Robinson 2, Guillermo Fernández 6, Eduardo Palacios 7, Jorge Valenzuela 8.
1 Advanced Conservation Strategies, 3 Asociación para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Acuáticas en Colombia (Calidris), 4 Point Blue Conservation Science, 5 Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 6. Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 7 Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada – CISESE, 8 Centro de Estudio y Conservación del Patrimonio Natural. 

Partners Trainings

Growing the flock: Training in Honduras on MSP

©Aves Honduras

From November 18 to 21, observers and researchers from Honduras met in Choluteca (Honduras) to strengthen skills for identification, estimation and counting of shorebirds. We also reviewed the field protocol for the Migratory Shorebird Project and visit sites in the Gulf of Fonseca in Honduras where MSP shorebird surveys are carried out.  Finally we shared multiple resources available to support shorebird conservation, research and increase awarness.

This event was organized by Aves Honduras and had the support MSP partners: Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la conservación FUNDAECO, Asociación Calidris, Point Blue Conservation Science, and the US Forest Service. The flock is growing!

Become part of the Migratory Shorebird Project

Join this ambitious 10-year, multi-partner research project to help guide shorebird conservation. You will be part of the team protecting shorebirds and wetlands from Alaska to Peru through research for conservation.
We need your help, as a scientist, a volunteer scientist, an educator, or funder.

Data analysis workshop with Migratory Shorebird Project partners  at the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group meeting during October 2019 in Panama City, Panama.

How to Get Involved

Willets and Marbled Godwits.

  • Add your organization to the list of partners.
  • Join forces with a local partner.
  • Volunteer to study shorebirds, attend a training.
  • Share information, sightings, research findings.
  • Educate people about wetland conservation.

The Migration Phenomenon

Each year, millions of shorebirds migrate in waves from their wintering grounds along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts to their nesting grounds in Alaska and Northern Canada, including many that stop at just a few rich feeding spots along the way.

Impact of human disturbance on the abundance of non-breeding shorebirds in a subtropical wetland

In the recent paper from Palacios et al. (2022) MSP data helped to show that where there is more potential for human disturbance there are lower abundances of migratory shorebirds during the non-breeding season. Read more here!

Distribution and abundance of shorebirds in tidal flats of Sanquianga National Natural Park and the mouth of Iscuandé, Nariño (Colombia), between 2009 and 2020

MSP surveys were key to characterize the composition of shorebird communities in the mouth of Iscuandé River (IS) and the Sanquianga National Natural Park (SNNP), in Colombia. The paper show the proportional abundance, prevalence and mean density there, of ten years of standardized counts for these sites. Read more here!

Data in Action

Over the last two years MSP data have contributed to the successful nomination of 3 Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) sites (Golfo de Nicoya in Costa Rica, Canal de Jambeli in Ecuador and Humedal Marino de Chamiza in Chile) and a Ramsar site in Peru (Estuario de Virrila). You can explore the MSP data from these sites and more using our online data summary tools.

Outreach 

Through MSP’s participation in the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Initiative (PASCI), we have seen MSP data now serve as the cornerstone of measuring the success of PASCI while also driving one of its key strategies of increasing capacity. Recently the work of the MSP was highlighted as part of  the PASCI story map – see it  here).