Hi all, During the past 5 days, our researchers have captured and color-marked nearly 200 shorebirds in the Sandusky Bay and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge regions! This adds to the more than 130 shorebirds captured and marked earlier this season. Be sure to look for these birds as they move between different wetlands on their way south! Any sighting you make provides valuable information researchers can use to evaluate how shorebirds move between and utilize various habitat locations during their stopover and southward migration. If you see any color-marked shorebirds, please record the color of the marking, species, your location, and send your report to Keith Norris ([log in to unmask]). Reports of color-marked shorebirds have come from as far north as Pointe Mouillee (Michigan) , as far west as Toledo, and as far east as Lorain - so keep your eyes open wherever you see shorebirds! Currently, researchers are using solid Red, Blue, Green, and Black colors on the breast feathers to indicate the specific location where the bird was captured and banded. Eight species are being marked: Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher. More information, pictures of color-marked shorebirds, and a convenient data sheet are available on the Black Swamp Bird Observatory’s website (Click Here <http://www.bsbobird.org/pdf/Shorebird_Migration_Research_Form.pdf>). The color-marking operation is one aspect of a larger research project. This entire study will provide insights on: 1. Body mass dynamics of migrating shorebirds 2. Food and habitat resources available for migrating shorebirds 3. Local shorebird movements and stopover duration The results of this research will be used to improve the “Shorebird Habitat Conservation Strategy” developed by the Upper Mississippi River & Great Lakes Region Joint Venture. If you have any questions about our research or our preliminary findings, please contact Keith Norris ([log in to unmask] ). Thanks for your assistance! Keith -- Keith A. Norris Graduate Associate School of Environment & Natural Resources The Ohio State University Project Website <http://twel.osu.edu/projects/Norris.html> [log in to unmask] 217.855.6324 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]