Finally, the last day of the season has arrived. Nearly all the shorebirds have left the bayshore for their Arctic homes and they were followed by the New Jersey shorebird team. We are now left with our core group, those who will be here working on shorebirds for the rest of the year. We are satisfied with our work. All scientific objectives were met and, because of the great crab spawn, the red knots, sanderlings and turnstones left fatter than at nearly anytime in the last 13 years.
Red Knot Weight Summary for 1997 to 2010, 2010 symbol square with a cross
Ruddy Turnstone weight summary 1997-2010
Sanderling weight Summary 1997-2010, 2010 symbol a square with a cross
It’s almost a cliché to point out that none of it would have been possible without a conscientious, hard working and passionate team. But there is much more to point out about our team because it is a large long-term project conducted primarily by volunteers. This is unusual in the U.S. Here volunteer wildlife science projects have been pushed aside in favor of paid staff-dominated projects. Part of the reason for this is the inevitable backlash that comes when data collected by volunteers is used in regulatory matters. Mostly, however, wildlife biologists want to manage wildlife projects, not volunteers. Yet I am proud to say that because of our largely volunteer team, all the goals of one of the largest scientific and conservation projects in the country were accomplished at a modest cost, far lower than one would expect to pay for field endeavors of this kind. 
2010 NJ Delaware Bay Shorebird Team
Otherwise it would have been impossible because our work requires a large team. Most days we field 20 to 30 people involved in capturing, surveying and re-sighting birds while simultaneously maintaining our equipment, replacing worn-out holding cages, patching nets and making new flags and bands. Spent cannons have to be cleaned and loaded nearly every day. We must enter our data collected each day into databases or upload it to http://bandedbirds.org/. While in the field, food and water must be provided to keep people fresh and hydrated. Most people who come to see our work think it is about the trapping but behind that is all these other jobs. Somehow they have all gotten done for nearly an entire month, for over a decade. What’s more, we do more now than ever before and our data is being used by more researchers than ever before. How is this possible?
Yann, Humphrey and Dick entering data
Helen and Angela making keeping cages
We can’t hope this work could be done with paid experts. The cost would be far beyond our ability to raise money and,truth be told, staff would burn out fast. This is not a 9-to-5 job done Monday through Friday. Once the season starts it is seven days a week, most days topping 12 hours of hard work followed by the cooking of a meal for a crowd. How is it done? I will continue in a new post.
