From the net lanes at Manomet with our founder Kathleen “Betty” Anderson more than 50 years ago, to today’s work in Chile, Cape Cod, Manomet, Maine, Georgia, Brazil, and Canada (among others!), Manomet scientists are making a difference. | |
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Women + Science = Amazing Impact
In celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, we're excited to spotlight some remarkable women from Manomet in a trio of Q&As. We highlight bird banding alumna Patty O'Brien Towle; Senior Fisheries Program Manager Emily Farr; and Shorebird Biologist Liana DiNunzio. Read on to learn more about bird banding in the 1970’s, challenges facing Maine’s shell fisheries, and whimbrel work on Cape Cod.
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Banding Birds & Building a Life: A Conversation with Alumna Patty O’Brien Towle
In the 1970s, Patty O’Brien arrived at Manomet as a young intern with a curiosity for birds and a passion for learning. That summer – spent banding birds, observing Gray Catbirds at dawn, and immersing herself in the rhythms of nature – sparked a lifelong love of science, conservation, and discovery. Though she later pursued a career in child psychology, her connection to birds has never faded. How did a single moment on a camping trip ignite her fascination with birds? Read on to find out.
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Patty O'Brien Towle on a trip to South America | |
Brunswick shellfish warden Dan Sylvain digging clams | Photo: Manomet / Emily Farr | |
Building Resilience: Q&A with Emily Farr on Shellfish Harvesting in Maine
What do participatory mapping, innovative data tools, and community partnerships have to do with oysters on the half shell or shrimp cocktail? Emily Farr, Senior Fisheries Program Manager at Manomet Conservation Sciences, discusses the challenges facing Maine’s wild shellfish fishery, from coastal gentrification impacting intertidal access to the threats posed by sea level rise. In this Q&A, she shares insights on how Manomet collaborates with harvesters, towns, and land trusts to safeguard access and support resilient coastal communities.
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Whimbrel in flight | Photo: Manomet / Alan Kneidel | |
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The Fascinating Whimbrel: Q&A with Liana DiNunzio
How do you catch a juvenile whimbrel on Cape Cod in order to quickly band it, put a
solar-powered satellite tracker on it, and release it, all with minimal stress to the bird? In a recent Small Sit Webinar, Liana DiNunzio gave us some insight into how a specialized team at Manomet accomplishes this, and what we've learned about juvenile (and adult) Whimbrels over the past 10 years. In the Q&A, Liana talked about banding whimbrels on Cape Cod, and how we are scaling up our efforts to collect more data to learn more about this flagship species: what threatens them (hello, hurricanes!) and our work to reverse their decline.
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First Friday Bird Walk
Friday, March 7
9:00 - 10:00am
Manomet Headquarters
125 Manomet Point Rd.
Plymouth, MA
DETAILS & REGISTER >>
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Wings in Watercolor
Friday, March 21
6:00 - 8:30pm
Manomet Headquarters
125 Manomet Point Rd.
Plymouth, MA
DETAILS & REGISTER >>
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Build a Birdhouse Workshop
Saturday, March 29
12:30-3:30pm
Wildlands Trust Stewardship Training Center, 549 Mast Road
Plymouth, MA
DETAILS & REGISTER >>
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Grain and Glory: Comfort Bird Wood Carving Workshop
Saturday, April 12
10:00 - 1:00pm
Manomet Headquarters
125 Manomet Point Rd.
Plymouth, MA
DETAILS & REGISTER >>
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Monitoring northern Brazil last month | Photos: Manomet / Shiloh Schulte | |
What do you pack when you’re going to Brazil on a shorebird survey? Binoculars, tripods, video cameras (and the hardy professional to use it), quick dry shirts, and boots... among other things. Last month, Manomet trekked to Brazil, along with longtime partner SAVE Brasil, for some fieldwork – on land, water, and a lot of mud in between. Manomet’s Conservation Biologist Alan Kneidel, Senior Shorebird Scientist Shiloh Schulte, and videographer/ conservationist Ben Clock counted and filmed an impressive 30,000 shorebirds – including Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Eastern Willet, Black-bellied Plover, and Whimbrel – on a mudflat on the northern coast of Brazil. Despite the hip-deep mud (or maybe because of it..!), it was a unique opportunity to document the incredible diversity of shorebird species in the region. | | |
Shorebird Biologist Allie Hayser, on the set of Morning Break in Georgia. | Video: Morning Break | |
Manomet Shorebird Biologist Allie Hayser joined Savannah, Georgia’s WTOC on the Morning Break television show to introduce the first annual Shorebird Festival in Tybee Island, Georgia - a three-day event to celebrate and recognize the start of the spring shorebird migration off the Georgia coast. Co-sponsored by Tybee Island Marine Science Center and Manomet, the celebration was a fun-filled weekend of interactive and educational presentations, crafts, games, trainings, and activities for all ages – all happening in and around the scenic Tybee Island Marine Science Center. The takeaway for festival attendees: learning about the importance shorebirds play in our ecosystems, and getting some insight into their incredible annual migratory journeys. | |
In February we launched our No Boundaries campaign, focused on the Magic & Wonder of Shorebirds. There are no boundaries in what we can accomplish together to recover these birds. Protecting shorebirds means safeguarding not only their future but also the health of our planet’s ecosystems. Through this shorebird campaign, we’re rallying support to ensure these remarkable birds continue to inspire wonder for generations to come. Join us in making a difference—because healthy shorebirds mean a healthy planet. READ MORE >> | |
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Thank you to our recent corporate partners for helping Manomet deliver its mission of improving the health of flyways, coastal ecosystems, and working lands and seas. | | | | |
