Collaborations

Ongoing collaborations​

One of the main purposes of Global Wader is to facilitate collaborations among those interested in pursuing common aims, be it from local studies with very specific conservation applications, to global analyses of migratory behaviour of a given species to expand the current knowledge.
If you think Global Wader could help you reach out to others in order to start a relevant collaboration, please drop us an email at globalwader@waderstudygroup.org.
Below are ongoing collaborations lead by Global Wader team or others.

Global Whimbrel project

Whimbrels are an iconic species found worldwide, with several subspecies/populations facing dire situations but others apparently doing well. Studies of single populations have allowed us to understand the distribution, migration routes and behaviour of whimbrels, but by examining the global picture across subspecies and populations in a comparative framework we hope to gain deeper insights and uncover new routes for research.
Through a collaborative effort, we aim to create a global overview of whimbrel migration by:
1. Mapping all tracking data and overlaying it on current distribution maps to identify knowledge gaps, e.g. areas where no or very few individuals have been tracked.
2. Comparing migration metrics, associated morphometrics and trends between subspecies/populations, assessing underlying variation and fine tune relevant questions based on the patterns detected.
3. Calculating intra-individual consistency in time and space across the annual cycle, towards suggesting which groups may be more or less constrained in phenological responses.

Preliminary results

This collaboration has already put together a dataset encompassing several subspecies/populations across major flyways, and we now start to have a good picture of whimbrel migration across the globe.

Interested in getting involved?

If you have tracked whimbrels with electronic devices and are open to participate in this collaboration, we would appreciate it if you shared your data with Global Wader ideally by mid-August 2024 (you will find how to do it here). Please reach out to us by email to globalwader@waderstudygroup.org if you need more time past the deadline or you have questions about this project.
Contact us at globalwader@waderstudygroup.org
header and photo by Triin Kaasiku