Theunis Piersma

As a migratory bird ecologist I study various wader species. The Wadden Sea mudflats are a link in a far larger system. Via birds such as red knots, Eurasian spoonbills and bar-tailed godwits, the Wadden Sea mudflats are linked with Siberia, Greenland, Southern Europe and West Africa. Through these birds, everything we do here influences what happens elsewhere in the world, and vice versa. We follow various waders on different migratory routes throughout the world, for example by using solar-powered miniature satellite-transmitters which regularly convey the birds’ geographical positions.