Every spring, millions of birds travel the Atlantic Flyway, one of four major North-South routes for migratory birds in the Americas. Along the way, they need to stop for food, water, and rest— and Block Island, Rhode Island, provides. In this episode, producer Ben James takes us to this special place where we meet master bird bander Kim Gaffett. She is the latest in a long line of women citizen scientists whose work on Block Island has instilled a powerful culture of bird study and conservation, stretching back over a hundred years.

Related Resources:

50 Years of Bird Banding - Block Island Times
Thirsty Birds “Burn the Engine” in Flight - NPR
Block Island - The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island
Block Island Conservancy
The Bird Lady of Block Island, Miss Elizabeth Dickens - BlockIsland.com
Flying Transformers: Birds Gear Up for Migration

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Credits

Host & Senior Producer: Ari Daniel
Producer: Ben James
Editor: Caitlin Pierce, Rough Cut Collective
Audio mix: Rob Byers, Johnny Vince Evans, and Michael Raphael, Final Final V2
Theme song and original music: Ian Coss
Additional music: Blue Dot Sessions
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Audio and Video Editor: Sam Johnson
Fact-checker and Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Artwork: Clint McMillen at Braincloud Design

Threatened  is a production of BirdNote. Learn more about the BirdNote team.