Shorebirds of the Northeast: Success Stories and Species on the Precipice

Join us for an illustrated talk by Wildlife Biologist, Maureen Durkin, who will provide an introduction to shorebirds and their ecology – and explore what makes them unique and vulnerable in a changing world. This presentation will highlight some of the species that can be seen on our local beaches, including both resident breeding species and Arctic-nesting migrants, with a special focus on American oystercatchers and red knots.

When: Sunday, August 2, 2026
Time: 4-5 pm
Place: At the Museum, 2nd floor and virtual, via zoom
Reception to follow

For those of us who spend time on beaches, marshes, and coastlines of the northeast, shorebirds are a familiar sight, from tiny sandpipers to boisterous oystercatchers. However, shorebirds are among the groups of birds undergoing the steepest declines, as they face a myriad of threats in their breeding, migration, and wintering grounds.

Maureen Durkin with juvenile oystercatcher

Maureen Durkin is a Rhode Island-based Wildlife Biologist specializing in coastal birds and management of threatened and endangered species. She received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College, where she had some of her formative academic experiences in ecology in and around Long Island Sound. Maureen became fascinated by shorebirds while working field technician jobs around the Gulf of Mexico after college. She went on to receive her M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, conducting her research on the impacts of recreational disturbance to snowy plovers in the Florida Panhandle. She continued working in Florida for several more years through SUNY-ESF, partnering with the National Park Service to conduct research to understand mortality risks and inform management of nesting shorebirds and terns. Maureen returned to New England in 2019, as a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Rhode Island. She oversees the monitoring and management of piping plovers, least terns, and American oystercatchers across southern Rhode Island, and works on a variety of projects related to coastal wildlife management. She also serves as the Piping Plover Recovery Lead for USFWS.