We’re so proud of all of the work that Lucy, Ezra, and the rest of our undergraduate students have put in this year! Be sure to swipe to see Lucy and Ezra hard at work during red knot surveys last summer!

This year, he’s reviewed thousands of photos of royals terns on eBird, looking for photos of birds banded by VTSP in Hampton Roads. His search found band resights that were not previously reported to VTSP, meaning we now have better data on royal tern survival, migration, and dispersal!

Ezra has worked with our lab as a GIS and field technician. (Here he is collecting a sediment sample from a mudflat last summer!)

Her research investigated how landcover has changed on the islands since 2004. She found that proportions of landcover classes have remained stable in the system, but patterns have varied a lot between different islands, with some islands such as Cobb undergoing dramatic changes, 2004-2021!

Lucy started with our lab as a Virginia Sea Grant summer intern, working with Mikayla on spatial analyses of aerial imagery of the Virginia barrier islands. (She also learned how to count large flocks of migratory shorebirds!)

💫 Undergraduate research spotlight

Two of our phenomenal undergraduate students, Lucy and Ezra, presented their research at undergraduate research symposiums on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus!

Research to protect our natural resources and communities

New paper alert!

Piping plovers select nest sites with better views of predators, allowing early detection and evasive actions. A nest's "viewshed" should be considered in habitat management and understanding ground-nesting bird behavior.

Link to the paper by @sharinnature.bsky.social below!

Leo’s work is currently on display at @virginiatech.bsky.social in the Perspective Gallery and we were honored that he gave us a tour of his exhibit today! Thanks for showing us around, Leo!

Leo worked with us over the summer as a an NSF-funded REU, and the academic year, he helps us sort through sediment samples in search of migratory items shorebird prey items as a research technician. Not only is he an incredible shorebird scientist, but he is also an amazing artist!

Everyone please stop your scrolling for just a moment to appreciate this amazing combination of science and art, courtesy of VT Shorebirds lab member, Leo Hoffman!

New research alert! We contrasted how red fox and free-roaming cat activity correlates with the survival of federally threatened piping plovers. You can protect wildlife populations, and keep your cat safe and cozy by keeping your feline friends indoors.

Link to paper below! @wailscn.bsky.social

Celebrating our community at the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover and Least Tern Workshop at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. It was so good to be with current and former lab members!

This position will run from April 14st to October 24th with the possibility of extension through the winter season in Blacksburg, VA. We encourage all to apply!

For more information, check our job listing on Texas A&M Natural Resources Job Board:

jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...

This project aims to evaluate the impacts of anthropogenic habitat modification from a shoreline stabilization project on Wallops Island, VA on the above species. Want to learn more about our work at Wallops Island? Check out this 3 minute video here!

news.vt.edu/videos/k/202...

Our research adds to long-term data on the foraging ecology of Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa), Black-bellied Plovers, (Pluvialis squatarola) and Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus).

Interested in working with a fun team of researchers on the Virginia coast this year? We’re hiring!

We are looking to hire two (2) full-time field technicians to assist with a research project on migratory shorebird ecology during spring and fall migration in the Virginia barrier island system.

New year, new social media!

Hi Bluesky! We’re the VT Shorebird Program, a research group in the Virginia Tech Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Conservation interested in the applied conservation of shorebirds and seabirds!

Follow along to learn about our work and maybe a fun shorebird fact or two!

“PYL” was spotted 12/31/24 on Love Beach in the Bahamas by Mark Knaus. This piping plover was banded 6/25/23 as a nesting adult on Ocracoke Island @CapeHatterasNPS. 📷: Mark Knaus