Red Knots were historically a very reliable sight along our beaches in the fall, to the extent that Oberholser mentions the tradition of local birders “going knotting” on the beaches of Mustang and Padre Islands. By almost all accounts, this activity has become less successful over the past several decades. In 2009, we began a series of studies trying to better understand this enigmatic species:  Where do they spend the winter? Do they wander back and forth across the Gulf? What might be causing the apparent decline? Tracking studies and an extensive project banding and resighting marked birds has yielded many new insights into this unique and very much “Texas” population. Long story short: they’re not doing great. Red tide events and increased human pressure on local beaches are among the factors impacting their population. I’ll review what we’ve learned over the past 14 years of study, emphasizing just how important the Gulf beaches are to this and many other beach-dependent species, and how important it is to advocate for them.

About Our Speaker: Dr. David Newstead is Director of the Coastal Bird Program at Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP), , which focuses on habitat management, stewardship, and conservation-oriented monitoring and research on the diverse coastal bird life of the area. His staff works with partners across the whole Texas coast and has also conducted projects with our neighbors in Louisiana and Mexico. David earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Houston, studied coastal fisheries for his Master’s degree from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and completed his Ph.D. in Wildlife Science at Texas A&M University-Kingsville conducting research on an endangered shorebird, the Red Knot. David is a former President of Coastal Bend Audubon Society and continues to serve on its Board as Conservation Chair.