Birds on the Move: Resighting Banded Water Birds

About the Project:

Researchers put identifying bands on seabirds, shorebirds and wading birds to learn about their population sizes, movements, and habitat use. You will join a team of students who go to local beaches and wetlands to photograph banded birds including Black Skimmers, Red Knots, and Piping Plovers. You will help enter this important data and map these birds during the fall, winter and spring. You will share your results with the group at meetings every other week.

Dr. Forys is a professor in Eckerd's Environmental Studies and Biology disciplines. She is a conservation biologist interested in spatial ecology and endangered species. She teaches Environmental Biology, Conservation Biology, GIS, Research Methods and Field Ornithology.

The First-Year Research Associate Program at Eckerd College honors academically outstanding students with awards of up to $1,000. The program also provides the opportunity, during the freshman year, for the award winners to work closely with a sponsor (faculty or administrative personnel) on a project of mutual interest. Associates might assist with research for faculty publication or new courses, conduct scientific experiments, work with creative artists, or develop projects related to any phase of the academic, cultural, and social life of the college. Scholars are selected on the basis of achievement in high school and on the creativity and depth of responses to items on this application.​

Online submission due no later than February 2, 2026.