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In 2022, the Migratory Bird Initiative began traveling around North America supporting the growing network of stations installed by ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and its partners. We helped build stations in the panther-inhabited backcountry of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary,  up north in polar bear country along the shores of Hudson Bay home to the Weenusk First Nation, and many places in between. During these adventures, one thing became abundantly clear, not only does ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ love migratory birds, but we understand that tracking their seasonal movements is a vital step to full annual cycle, hemispheric conservation, a target of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Flight Plan. 

A truly unique strength of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ is our deep, extensive network of Centers, Sanctuaries, State and Regional Offices, and Community and Campus Chapters across the United States as well as our partnerships with local communities and conservation organizations in Canada, Latin America, and across the hemisphere. These all intersect to contribute to a truly astounding network passionate about migratory bird conservation.  

As investments in bird tracking technology expanded over the past several years, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ found itself at an inflection point. We were growing beyond ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ groups focusing on their own important questions to address local conservation concerns, and ready for a more coordinated effort, harnessing the power of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s extensive network to answer hemispheric-scale questions using a holistic, integrated approach. 

Enter the Migratory Bird Tracking Program, which will coordinate and support tracking efforts across the organization to ensure alignment with Flight Plan. The Tracking Program will engage people to identify and address the factors causing bird population declines, critical information necessary to help bend the bird curve. The Tracking Program will also provide resources and guidance to ensure that tracking efforts across ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ are scalable to address broad conservation challenges. Over the next several months keep an eye out for these resources to become available to the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ network. 

There is still much to learn about migratory birds using tracking devices. A recent assessment of tracking data conducted by ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, Georgetown University and the Smithsonian Institution demonstrated that over using tracking devices. Some examples of important insights  brought to light by tracking studies  include conducted by ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ South Carolina, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Delta, and others using barometric pressure geolocators on Prothonotary Warblers to better understand their stopover needs and vulnerability to offshore wind during migration; ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Great Lakes has been and identified that severe weather events, such as storms and flooding, disrupt nesting sites, and finally, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Americas and local partners are using Motus to track Lesser Yellowlegs to help farmers manage their land in Colombia’s Cauca Valley while supporting nonbreeding habitat.  

As migratory birds embark on their journeys across the hemisphere, they e before reaching their destinations. Only with coordinated tracking studies can we unravel the mysteries of which conservation challenges are causing migratory bird population declines and what seasons are most important for solving these conservation dilemmas. As ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Migratory Bird Tracking Program matures, we will ensure that local conservation efforts scale up across ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ to contribute to the success of our Flight Plan, ensuring that our hemispheric perspectives translate to local conservation actions on the ground.

The success of the Tracking Program depends on the participation of the entire ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ network. ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Centers, Sanctuaries, Chapters, State and Regional Offices as well as ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Americas and our partners across the hemisphere all have a role to play. This new Migratory Bird Tracking Program will be the latest example of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s truly hemispheric conservation agenda to secure a future for migratory birds. For more information on the Migratory Bird Tracking Program, please reach out to Alicia Brunner, Program Manager of Migratory Bird Tracking.