The exploitation of biofilm by migrant western sandpipers ().

Assessing the quality of migratory shorebird stopover sites requires good measures of food availability. We developed simple methods to measure biofilm grazing by migrant western sandpipers (), a species for which biofilm is an important dietary component. We used a field-portable chlorofluorometer to measure the density of chlorophyll- (Chl-) in surficial biofilms on Roberts Bank, a large intertidal mudflat in British Columbia, Canada, during northward migration.

Sandpipers go with the flow: Correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway.

Estuaries of major rivers provide important stopover habitat for migratory birds throughout the world. These estuaries experience large amounts of freshwater inputs from spring runoff. Understanding how freshwater inputs affect food supply for migrating birds, and how birds respond to these changes will be essential for effective conservation of critical estuarine habitats.

Mercury Exposure and Toxicological Consequences in Fish and Fish-Eating Wildlife from Anthropogenic Activity in Latin America.

Despite the risk of significant adverse toxicological effects of Hg to humans and wildlife, Hg use in anthropogenic activities, and artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in particular, is widespread throughout Latin America. However, there are few research and monitoring studies of Hg toxicity in fish and fish-eating wildlife in Latin America compared to North America. In the present paper, we reviewed the literature from published articles and reports and summarized and assessed data on Hg in fish from 10 391 individuals and 192 species sampled across Latin America.