Amid the cold and snow here in New Jersey, Conserve Wildlife Foundation biologist Emmy Casper has been “thinking a lot about how our beach-nesting birds are doing in their more southern (and hopefully much warmer) wintering grounds,” she stated. Thanks to recorded sightings of banded birds, CWF has been able to learn, for instance, about American oystercatcher movement, including tracking birds to their wintertime locations.

Oystercatchers are charismatic shorebirds with vibrant orange beaks and a specialized shellfish diet.