Friends,
The edge, where land and water meet, hosts an incredible community of seabirds, shorebirds, herons, and ducks collectively known as “waterbirds.” Due to their position within the aquatic food web and their broad range of requirements, waterbirds represent some of the best ecological indicators of aquatic health known today.
For decades, The Center for Conservation Biology has maintained a program focused on more than 100 species of waterbirds. The information and expertise gained from these projects has contributed in a unique way to human knowledge and may be found throughout our society in corporate board rooms, federal courts, government policy, academic text-books, children’s books, and popular stories. To acknowledge their significance, our 2013 annual report highlights selected waterbird programs.
During the calendar year, we have pushed the limits of technology, time, and resources to deliver information needed for science-based conservation. For all of our institutional partners, it has been our distinct privilege to stand by your side for the cause of conservation. For all who have made financial or other contributions to the Center, you are the shining face of conservation today. Thank you for your support.
The Center is a proud unit shared by the College of William & Mary and the Virginia Commonwealth University, yet as an environmental nonprofit, we receive our funding from gifts, grants, and contracts. We are committed to making your contributions matter.
Sincerely,
Bryan D. Watts, Ph.D.
Director
bdwatt@wm.edu
(757) 221-2247
January 2, 2014
Download The Center for Conservation Biology 2013 Annual Report
A bald eagle nest just off the Poropotank River in Virginia in 2003. A nest with two equal young and ample food was a normal scene during this time period. This reflects a golden period during the late 1990s and early 2000s when males had more leisure time to hunt and provide for broods. Photo by Catherine Markham.
Breeding female on the Eltham Bridge. This female was hatched on Elkins Marsh along the seaside of the Delmarva in 2010 and has held the territory on the Eltham Bridge since 2013 with three successive males. She has been very aggressive and protective of the nest site and has held the territory together. She was found with a wing injury from a collision in December and could not be rehabilitated. She is one of a number of falcons that have been documented to go down in 2022. Photo by Bryan Watts.