Daniel Ruthrauff, an Arctic shorebird researcher with the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Manomet Conservation Sciences, flew to an area west of Kaktovik this month to study the grey-brown shorebirds with long, curved beaks.
“They're very elegant,” Ruthrauff said. “They have glorious vocalizations, this really kind of high fluting piping, and they do these really nice flight displays.”
Whimbrels fly long distances between the Arctic and as far south as Brazil and Australia. Ruthrauff said he is fascinated with the birds’ ability to cross thousands of miles and multiple countries.
“The way they connect all these different cultures, coming up the coast and visiting six different countries on their way to Alaska is pretty cool to me,” Ruthrauff said. “They're like these cultural ambassadors.”
The point of Ruthrauff’s trip to the North Slope was to better understand the birds’ migratory journey and look for ways to reverse the steep population declines.
Whimbrel populations have declined by about 70% over the past several decades, and the birds are considered threatened by the United Nations.
“One thing that we know is happening is just the alteration and degradation of a lot of the habitats that they use, so we think that's kind of the smoking gun,” he said. “But honestly, that's why we're tagging these birds, is to get a better idea of where they're experiencing these bottlenecks.”
Ruthrauff spent three weeks on the North Slope. His plan was to attach tiny satellite transmitters to whimbrels to track their location and body temperature. That information helps scientists understand when the birds nest, where they fly and whether they stay alive, he said.
The project is an attempt to mimic the work done for another shorebird population, the American Oystercatcher. Tagging Oystercatchers helped scientists learn where the birds were the most vulnerable and suggest protections for sensitive habitat. And their population ultimately rebounded by 40% after a crash.
As for whimbrels, Ruthrauff said scientists in many parts of the world are tagging them to get a full picture of their migration and challenges they face.
Shiloh Schulte, another shorebird scientist with Manomet, started the project two years ago. But Schulte died in a helicopter crash last year while en route to the field. The loss reverberated across Alaska and the world, Ruthrauff said.
“He was a pretty impressive guy, really amazing legacy, and so it's fun to try to honor that and help the whimbrel that he was helping,” Ruthrauff said. “It's going to be nice to be up on the tundra this spring and think of Shiloh, and all that he's done for shorebirds.”
Whimbrels will start migrating south around July or August, Ruthrauff said.That’s when scientists will start getting information about their hatching period and movements.
