Western Atlantic Shorebird Association

The Western Atlantic Shorebird Association, or WASA for short, is an association of researchers, wildlife managers, government people and concerned naturalists dedicated to the study and conservation of shorebirds and their habitats.

What is WASA?

The West Atlantic Flyway

What is WASA? Shorebird watchers, Delaware

The Western Atlantic Shorebird Association is an international joint venture of federal, state, local and non-profit organizations, developed to promote the integration of shorebird research, monitoring, and education efforts along the Western Atlantic flyway to support management efforts. The intent of WASA is not to duplicate existing efforts, but to facilitate integration and coordinated of existing and future efforts utilizing a web-based infrastructure. The Web Site is structured to incorporate new research and monitoring efforts, and to integrate existing educational programs such as the Shorebird Sister School Program. WASA’s success will be measured by its ability to attract, respond to, and support the research, education, and management communities throughout the flyway from Tierra del Fuego to the Canadian Arctic.

The West Atlantic Flyway Flyway map

Many of the shorebirds which nest in the Canadian arctic migrate south for winter along the eastern coast of the North and South America. The route is called the Western Atlantic Flyway, to distinguish it from the Atlantic Flyways of Europe. Some species, such as Red Knots, travel the Flyway all the way to southern South America. After spending the austral summer there they turn around and fly back north in time for the brief arctic summer and a new breeding season.

A key part of the migration period is the stop-overs. These are coastal wetlands such as estuaries where up to 500,000 shorebirds at a time may crowd into to feed and rest. At least 11 major stop-overs have been identified on the West Atlantic Flyway and are designated as Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserves.

WASA Members Setting up cannon net, Argentina

WASA team members are dedicated to the study and conservation of shorebirds and their habitats. Scientists, researchers, wildlife managers, government officials and naturalists, among many others, are involved in this shorebird preservation network. All participants are dedicated in their efforts of broadening and strengthening the knowledge base regarding the migration of shorebirds along the Western Atlantic Flyway. The work of these individuals is crucial to the protection of migratory birds and their seasonally patterned flights. WASA's research is also important to current work aimed at preserving the stopover points that are used by these birds year after year as resting and feeding spots as they make their trans-continental treks.

The inaugural research project for WASA is the International Banding Project which is being led by Professor Allan Baker, Canada and Patricia Gonzales, Argentina. This project is colour-banding Red Knots, Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones in an effort to establish their population sizes and recruitment rates.

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