4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation

Upcoming Webinar

Please join the BBC on April 19 at 7PM for a webinar open to all with Manomet Conservation Sciences staff and collaborators – Actions to Promote the Conservation of the Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis) on the Central Coast of Peru. (Note time change from 3PM.)

The presentation will address aspects of the natural history and key research priorities of the Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis). It will also present the progress achieved in the project “Abundance and Seasonality of the Tawny-throated Dotterel in the Lachay National Reserve, Peru: Advancing Toward a Monitoring Program and Potential Recognition as a Site of Importance for Shorebirds”.  This project is funded by the Manomet Small Grants for the Conservation of Neotropical Shorebirds.

Presenters

Mariamercedes Antezana Aponte: Biologist from the National Agrarian University La Molina, Peru. Associate researcher at the Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI). Member of the Birdwatchers Club of Peru – Lima (COAP-Lima). Certified by the North American Banding Council in shorebird banding. She has 8 years of experience leading and participating in projects in the field of ornithology.

Jesus Escobar Aristizábal: Bachelor’s degree in Ecotourism Engineering from the National University Federico Villarreal, Peru. Member of the Birdwatchers Club of Peru – Lima (COAP-Lima). He has experience in wildlife monitoring programs and projects in Peru and Argentina, with a focus on ornithology. He is currently a bird specialist for the ConservAves Program, led by the NGO ECOAN.

To Register

This webinar will be presented through Zoom. You may register here (advance registration strongly suggested):

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VZBRPJT_Rl2zNso85ZLoMQ

BBC Donation to Support Tawny-Throated Dotterel Research

This winter the BBC teamed up with Manomet Conservation Sciences to support research on the Tawny-Throated Dotterel in Peru. A team of scientists there sought optical equipment to support field work on this colorful shorebird. We are glad to report that we met our goal. In late March the research team will receive four pairs of high quality binoculars to aid their field studies.

***On March 21 BBC President Cliff Cook and Manomet ISS Coordinator Lisa Schibley traveled to Lomas de Lachay National Reserve in Peru to deliver the binoculars to Mari and Jesus.

Letter of Thanks from Manomet

Isadora Angarita-Martinez, sent the following letter to BBC members on behalf of Manomet:

Dear Members of the Brookline Bird Club,

I hope this message finds you well. On behalf of the fellows in Peru, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generous support in helping provide binoculars for park rangers working in a protected area in Peru. Your contribution is already making a meaningful difference by strengthening field-based conservation and supporting a fellow-led initiative focused on shorebird protection.

As part of a tradition we have at Manomet Conservation Sciences, I am pleased to share with you a handwritten note from the fellows and some photos. These personal messages are our way of connecting supporters directly with the people and places their generosity helps sustain. The note comes on its original version in Spanish and a translation to English on the second page.

My name is Isadora, and I coordinate the Manomet Small Grants for Conservation of Neotropical Shorebirds. Through this program, we work alongside early-career conservation practitioners across Latin America who are generating knowledge and practical solutions to conserve shorebird species and their habitats. Beyond project outcomes, the program helps fellows grow academically, professionally, and personally, creating a strong foundation for long-term conservation leadership.

We would be honored to stay connected with your community. If you wish, we invite you to subscribe to our newsletter, where we share stories and updates about shorebird conservation efforts across the Western Hemisphere. We would also be delighted to keep you informed about the progress of the project in Peru, as well as other fellow-led initiatives taking place throughout Latin America.

Your support reflects the power of a global birding community coming together around a shared purpose. Should any of your members ever wish to further support the Small Grants Program and help fellows working in other regions, opportunities to contribute are available through using this link https://donorbox.org/whsrn. Make sure to select the “Small Grants Fund” option under Designation.

Thank you again for your generosity, your trust, and your commitment to birds and the people working to protect them. We are truly grateful to have you as part of this collective effort.

For More Information

For more information contact info@brooklinebirdclub.org.

More about the Project and Research Team

Mariamercedes Antezana Aponte, a biologist from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, and Jesús Juan Escobar Aristizábal, a Bachelor of Ecotourism Engineering from Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, are investigating the population dynamics of the Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis) in Lachay National Reserve. This area has lacked long-term studies on this species in Peru. 

Their project, titled “Abundance and Seasonality of the Tawny-throated Dotterel in Lachay National Reserve,” involves biweekly censuses over a year to document abundance and seasonal variations. They will also analyze the impact of environmental variables and threats on the population. This work will provide the foundation for a long-term monitoring program and potentially recognize Lachay as a WHSRN site of regional importance.

The Manomet Small Grants for Conservation of Neotropical Shorebirds scheme was created to support early-career conservationists and researchers in Latin America and the Caribbean who are committed to advancing shorebird conservation. The Small Grants seek to generate tangible benefits for Neotropical shorebird species and populations, with special emphasis on sites within the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) and those that could qualify for this designation. The program also aims to strengthen the technical capacity of young professionals starting their careers in conservation across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Tawny-throated Dotterel project is one of the projects supported through the Manomet Small Grants. This project is led by Mariamercedes Antezana Aponte, a biologist from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, and Jesús Juan Escobar Aristizábal, a Bachelor of Ecotourism Engineering from Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. They are investigating the population dynamics of the Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis) in Lachay National Reserve. This area has lacked long-term studies on this species in Peru.

Their project, titled “Abundance and Seasonality of the Tawny-throated Dotterel in Lachay National Reserve,” involves biweekly censuses over a year to document abundance and seasonal variations. They will also analyze the impact of environmental variables and threats on the population. This work will provide the foundation for a long-term monitoring program and potentially recognize Lachay as a WHSRN site of regional importance.

Learn more about the project in this Instagram post (in Spanish).

Thank you for your support!