Black-tailed godwits, knots, sanderlings, spoonbills, and barnacle geese demonstrate the impact our use of the Wadden Sea has on nature. They are also known as ‘watchbirds’: our eyes and ears on the ground. By monitoring their behavior, we gain insight into how human activities, climate change, and management measures together influence the fragile balance of the Wadden area. Thanks to colour rings and tiny transmitters, individual birds of these species can increasingly be tracked minute by minute and down to the decimeter level. This reveals how birds react to changes in their habitat: do they avoid certain areas during deteriorating conditions, or do they return after restoration measures? In this way, these watchbirds reveal a great deal about their environment.
The project is a co-creation between nature and land managers and scientists, and focuses explicitly on increasing knowledge about the effectiveness of restoration and management measures in the Wadden Sea area. Whereas previously the focus was primarily on counting bird numbers, *Waakvogels* provides insight into why populations change. For instance, knots appear to be particularly sensitive to disturbance and changes in food availability. And regarding spoonbills, research indicates that the food supply may be a limiting factor for the growth of colonies in the Wadden Sea area. In short, by combining transmitter data with field observations, an increasingly complete picture emerges of their way of life, migration, and response to human interventions and activities.
A unique aspect of the project is the active interaction between science and the coast. This stimulates a dialogue between art and science, allowing artists to thoroughly understand a subject and prompting scientists to ask new or different research questions. Artists are invited to collaborate with researchers and stay temporarily in the Wadden Sea area. During such a stay, artists work at the same location where the bird research is taking place. They draw inspiration from the birds, the landscape, and the stories of the researchers. This results in artworks, installations, and photographs that show what numbers and data alone cannot convey: the beauty, vulnerability, and changeability of the Wadden Sea.
