Arctic 2013

Many migratory shorebirds nest in the Arctic and fly south to winter. On the way back they stop in Delaware Bay. The birds build weight on the bay to get back to the Arctic and without it, they will die on the way or fail to breed. Our first trips to the Arctic were about what role the Arctic played in the decline of shorebirds – were conditions in the Arctic causing the declines in shorebirds seen in Delaware Bay?  We found the main problem to be in the stopovers, but threat exists in the Arctic.  After a 6 hiatus, we returned to Southhampton Island to find new knot breeding areas.  We found them after great hardship.