The Bird & Bat Subcommittee is a group of experts with a range of areas of expertise across Atlantic ecosystems that share information about ongoing and planning research, identify key data gaps, and help maintain alignment and coordination among research and data collection teams.
The Subcommittee meets multiple times per year. All are welcome to participate. Subscribe to the RWSC newsletter to receive monthly reminders and calendar invitations. View the latest Bird & Bat Subcommittee Meeting materials.
WORKING GROUPS
Bird & Bat Subcommittee members have formed several smaller working groups to accomplish tasks under specific themes.
Marine Bird Distribution Working Group
The overall goal of the Marine Bird Distribution Working Group is collaborative coordination of research and monitoring efforts to increase knowledge of marine bird distributions using the best available science. These goals are achieved by (1) encouraging the use of surveys as a key method, (2) exploring ways to integrate multiple data types to assess changes in marine bird distributions, (3) continuing to improve guidance on a range of standardized monitoring methods, and (4) coordinating and improving regional-scale implementation and analysis to understand broad scale changes in marine bird distributions.
Bird & Bat Tracking Working Group
The Bird & Bat Tracking Working Group advances coordination related to tracking birds and bats in the offshore environment with the goal of optimizing resources, maximizing animal safety, and producing the best available science for ocean planning and monitoring in the U.S. Atlantic. This goal is achieved by 1) providing guidance on tagging technology deployment and calibration methods, data management, and analyses at a regional scale, 2) supporting regionally coordinated tracking efforts and study planning, and 3) prioritizing species and tracking-related research activities for the region.
Photo credit: Peter Paton
The Offshore Bat Working Group focuses on research and monitoring efforts offshore designed to inform the understanding of bat activity in the marine environment along the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Photo credit: MerlinTuttle.org