Beached Birds

Wildlife Trust and Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine are working with numerous non-profit organizations and agencies including CRESLI, and the Riverhead Foundation, SEANET (The Seabird Ecological Assessment Network) is conducting volunteer-based beached bird surveys throughout the NY-NJ-CT coast.

Volunteers walk a designated stretch of beach, generally a mile or two, at approximately the same time every month, once or twice per month. We provide a kit for each volunteer including datasheets, a ruler, calipers, and latex gloves. Volunteers record location information, date, conditions, and if they find a bird carcass, as much detail on the specimen as possible, including basic measurements and condition.

Trainings on identification, measurement technique, and general protocol will be held for those interested in volunteering. If possible, volunteers take photographs of specimens they find, for confirmation of identification and for possible use in an Atlantic coast guide to beached birds that we are producing.

If specimens are fresh enough, and we have identified a nearby collaborating facility, specimens can be collected for necropsy. We also encourage those volunteers with bird ID skills to keep track of live birds seen while doing the surveys.

If you might be interested in volunteering, contact Christine Banks, 212 380 4464 or banks@wildlifetrust.org for more information. Please tell your friends. The training sessions are listed below. If you or anyone you know are interested in attending, please let me know which session will be good for you. You will be contacted to confirm the date shortly.