Shorebirds and Humboldt Bay Ecology

Shorebirds and Humboldt Bay Ecology

Meet at the Klopp Lake parking lot in the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary. The eelgrass beds in the bay are the largest between Willapa Bay, WA, and Baja California, Mexico, and provide cover for a wide diversity of marine and estuarine vertebrate and invertebrate species which then provide food for hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl. Last spring, researchers at Humboldt State University counted over 500,000 shorebirds around the bay, far exceeding the previous count of around 100,000. The rich diversity of habitat types, the sheer size (75 square miles), and the astonishing number of birds that use the Humboldt Bay Complex have contributed to the designation of Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of Hemispheric Importance. Come out and experience the shorebirds of Humboldt Bay and how they relate to the ecology of this newly designated Globally Important Bird Area. As we discuss their appearance and behaviors, learn how to identify these birds and observe them as animals on the landscape. Find out how and why they migrate, move around in accordance with the tides, flock together, and partition resources as they forage. This will be a fun and informative trip and will dovetail nicely with the spring shorebird flyoffs that Godwit Days has been offering in recent years. Bring a snack and water.

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