Date: 5/21/25 11:32 am From: Soheil Zendeh <sohzendeh...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] New England Shorebird Guide on-line
Folks,
Due to severe declines in the populations of most shorebird species over
the past several decades, I think it is important that bird and
nature-lovers become as familiar as possible with these birds and advocate
for their conservation.
Shorebirds are reputed to be difficult to identify. This may be true for
some species, but it is also partly due to the fact that most shorebird
species are highly migratory and travel long distances during the course of
a year. Most are in our region for only a few weeks every year, so they are
easy to miss and hard to learn to identify.
By learning their habits and habitats, as well as their behavior, shapes,
and plumages, most observers can identify 20-plus species—perhaps up to 30
species of shorebird—in New England and adjoining states and provinces each
year.
To increase the fan base of appreciation for these birds, I have created a
free, online visual guide to shorebirds of New England. *Bird Observer*
generously provides free access to the *New England Shorebird Guide*
through its website. Use this short URL to get to it directly:
https://www.birdobserver.org/NESG.
The first 19 species accounts went online last fall; more species are
planned for release by fall 2025.
I hope you find this guide useful for finding and identifying shorebirds in
our region. It is also important that you communicate to me the
shortcomings, errors, and inconsistencies of the guide so that I can
improve future versions. You can reach me at <sohzendeh...>
*New England Shorebird Guide* content was created by Soheil Zendeh. Marsha
Salett of* Bird Observer* was the editor. Eric Swanzey, web manager for *Bird
Observer* and other Massachusetts birding sites, created the website/app.
The instructions for installing the guide icon on your iPhone were provided
by Jay Dia. The photos in the guide were contributed by many generous
photographers.
