It is early February and I have already begun the process of planning for fieldwork in the Amazon again. This upcoming season will be longer to catch the full breeding season and I am planning to double my crew. Dalia Ruiz will be returning with me and I am in the process of interviewing for 4 more assistants. The outpouring of interest from the public has been most gratifying! I must admit I am yearning for the hot, humid, and wildly diverse landscape that I am beginning to call my second home.

This year I am determined to figure out just how river beach nesting waterbirds decide what beach to use for nesting and what tradeoffs they decide on when faced with such extreme temperatures, heavy predation, and high flash flood threat. This year we will also be deploying GPS trackers and altitudinal loggers to better understand how skimmers make the journey across the Andes Mountains to the coast, and begin documenting where Large-billed Terns nesting in Manu National Park spend the non-breeding season.