GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds

In recent decades, GPS tracking initiatives have helped scientists to better understand the patterns and behaviours of migratory birds. This includes new insights into how populations have adapted and struggled to adapt to the intertwined threats of human development and the climate crisis. This documentary from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in New York captures one such effort to track the species Numenius phaeopus, or the common whimbrel, which migrates between Southern Canada and South America each year. The project resulted in a stunning discovery: half of the whimbrel’s Atlantic Flyway population, or some 20,000 birds, made one small, unique island in South Carolina a roosting site on their annual journey north. Featuring visualisations born of GPS tracking data and cinematic imagery from the island, the short makes for an enlightening look at the resilience of these birds, as well as the precarious realities they face due to human development.