Many species of shorebird rely on access to coastal wetlands during their annual migration to and from the Arctic.

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

Typical estuary habitat in Willapa Bay, Washington

With support from the John S. Rogers Science Research Program, we are interested in the relationship between prey availability, flock size, and food intake for shorebird species that frequent Willapa Bay, a large, relative undisturbed coastal wetland in southern Washington.

This work has three main foci:

1) Quantifying prey availability

Collecting sediment cores on the tideflats

Sorting invertebrate prey from sediment samples

2) Mapping flock size and site use within different habitats	3) Assessing food intake from behavioral studies

We also remain interested in the effect of the invasive salt grass, Spartina alterniflora, on both shorebirds and their prey.

Back to Ken's Biology Home Page