2021 Meeting of the American Oystercatcher Working Group

The annual Working Group meeting for the 2021 season was held virtually (again) on Zoom, November 30 to December 3, 2021. Though we would all much prefer to meet in person and enjoy our traditional field trip, the virtual format again allowed for attendees from four different countries (representing work in six countries), dedicated volunteers and AMOY aficionados, and a wide range of staff from various management agencies and organizations. We peaked at 84 live attendees simultaneously and 116 total attendees across all four days of the meeting. This was also the first-ever instance of a actual oystercatcher courier delivering the annual award (via stairwell). Last, we were thrilled to have Erica Nol, whose work with AMOY predates even the Working Group, and continues today. Thanks to all who attended and presented!

Discussion was excellent, as we covered topics from disturbance to habitat creation and heard from site managers, field biologists and technicians, researchers, students, professors, and volunteers. Thanks to the diligent work of Alex Wilke and her note-taking acolytes, Abby Sterling and Raya Pruner, the meting notes capture the spoken conversation as well as exchanges in the chat box. Continue scrolling for the notes, and other resources–and if you’re interested in joining the Steering Committee or one of the sub-committees, let us know!

Meeting Documents

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Information
• Day 1 Notes
• Day 2 Notes
• Day 3 Notes
• Day 4 Notes

Video Recordings

Each day of the meeting was recorded and is available in the links below. Please email Lindsay Addison for the password to open/download them.

• Day 1 Recording
• Day 2 Recording
• Day 3 Recording
• Day 4 Recording

Presentations

• AMOY Retrospective: Looking Back to Where It All Began – Erica Nol
• Ecotourism in Georgia: Building Connections for Shorebird Protection – Abby Sterling
• AMOY Band Database Update – Lindsay Addison
• Habitat Restoration and Creation – Tim Keyes
• Vegetation Succession, Avian Response, and Habitat Management Following Beneficial Placement of Dredged Material in a Coastal Marsh Area in New Jersey – Samantha Collins

State/Region/Country Updates

• North Carolina – Lindsay Addison
• New York – Rob Longiaru

A 2021 Field Guide to AMOY Working Group Partners

Thanks to all for an excellent response to the ask to send in photos of your teams and your sites. We presented the slideshow at the start of each meeting day, and it’s preserved here too.