Date: 3/17/26 1:07 pm From: George Matz via groups.io <geomatz41...> Subject: [AKBirding] 2026 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project
To: Kachemak Bay Birders
From: George Matz
Re: Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project Note #1
Date: March 17, 2026
The objective of the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Monitoring Project, a citizen’s
science project sponsored by Kachemak Bay Birders, is to attain a better
understanding of the status of shorebird populations in Kachemak Bay as
well as the intertidal areas of the Anchor and Kasilof Rivers, particularly
during spring migration. Also, volunteer participation provides local
birders with more opportunities to observe, enjoy and learn about
shorebirds. Secondary objectives are: 1) to contribute information that
might be useful to others who are assessing shorebird populations across
the entire Pacific Flyway, and 2) to use the monitoring data to help
protect shorebird populations and habitat on the western side of the Kenai
Peninsula.
A monitoring project differs from a field trip in that it involves
repetitive sessions to collect data on a subject of interest following a
consistent protocol. In the case of this project, between mid-April and May
we have nine scheduled sessions, once every five days. Teams of birders are
assigned specific sites for two hours with timing based on tides that
provide optimal viewing conditions. Teams use eBird to report the data they
collect on all bird species (not just shorebirds) they observe, along with
counts. The first attachment to this email is an article (in Chrome HTML)
that I wrote in 2021 for the WHSRN newsletter which provides further
explanation as well as some history of this project.
So now it is time to start organizing the 18th Annual Kachemak Bay
Shorebird Monitoring Project. The first step is to determine the dates and
times for monitoring sessions. The information for this year is the second
attachment.
The second step is to start listing who will be available to monitor this
year and which sessions, which is the purpose of this email. To facilitate
this effort, the next attachment is a list of the 72 birders who monitored
last year, with their sessions deleted so you can use this form for this
year. Look it over and let me know what works with you. If you haven’t
monitored before, now is the time to sign up. In establishing the teams, I
make sure that birders new to this project are on an experienced team.
The last attachment is the report from last year, which is archived on the
KBB website (https://kachemakbaybirders.org/). This file includes data from
previous years as well as 2025.
Looking forward to your reply. Every year is different. Certainly, the
weather this year has been and it will be interesting seeing how that might
affect the shorebird migration.
