About The Survey.

 

The Chaplin and Reed Lake Shorebird Survey is a  volunteer based citizen science surveying program. The survey was developed to create an opportunity for individuals who may wish to or are already surveying the lakes to be a part of a long term, cooridinated, data gathering effort. The annual information that is gathered through the Chaplin and Reed Lake Shorebird Survey will help researchers better understand population trends over time and may help guide management and conservation stratagies in the future.

 

Why Count Shorebirds?

 

Current population studies show that in the last two decades approximately 48% of the over 200 species of shorebirds have declined significantly (Boere, G.C, Galbraith, C.A., & Stroud, D.A., 2006). This decline is attributed to several anthropogenic factors including habitat loss, climate change,  contamination and human disturbance (Butler, Ydenberg, Donaldson, & Brown, 2004). The amount of decline varies greatly from species to species and from location to location (USFWS, 2014), and this, compounded by the long migrations, makes it difficult to accurately predict population trends.

 

Monitoring migrating shorebirds at key staging, breeding and wintering sites is one of the most feasible ways to identify fluctuations in populations, especially for arctic breeding shorebirds. Consistently monitoring stopover sites, especially those that are known to attract a large amount of birds annually like Chaplin and Reed L:akes, can offer valuable insights and serve as an early warning of population decline (Susan K. Skagen et al., 2003).