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Monitoring birds - Protecting waters - Inspiring change
WOWRI Concludes 2026 Field Season
Researchers complete monitoring of bald eagles and colonial waterbirds across Michigan as long-term environmental health study enters next phase
Ann Arbor, Mich. (July 20, 2026) — The Wings Over Water Research Institute (WOWRI) has completed its 2026 field season, marking the conclusion of its intensive monitoring of bald eagles and colonial waterbirds across Michigan. While field crews have returned from the forests, rivers, lakeshores, and islands, the most important scientific work is only beginning. Pictures from the WOWRI field season can be viewed on its website under the Gallery tab.
During the 2026 field season, WOWRI researchers monitored active bald eagle nests across Michigan and surveyed herring gull colonies in both lakes Michigan and Huron. Teams climbed nest trees exceeding 90 feet in height to safely examine eagle nestlings, collect blood and feather samples, record growth measurements, band, and assess nesting success. Similar monitoring and sampling efforts were conducted on herring gulls that serve as indicators of water quality and ecosystem health.
"Our field season is the foundation of everything we do," said Dr. William Bowerman, WOWRI affiliated senior research scientist. "Every sample collected and every observation recorded becomes part of one of the longest-running environmental monitoring datasets in North America. These data allow us to understand not only how bird populations are changing, but also what those changes tell us about the health of our waters."
The 2026 season also revealed bald eagle observations that warrant continued investigation. Researchers documented lower-than-expected productivity in portions of Michigan's bald eagle population, including fewer successful nests, reduced numbers of eaglets in some territories, delayed nesting attempts, and several nest failures. While these observations raise important scientific questions, researchers caution that only long-term monitoring can determine whether they represent natural annual variation or indicate emerging environmental concerns.
Some preliminary findings from WOWRI’s colonial waterbird research revealed ongoing immunosuppression and elevated egg infertility and embryonic mortality in herring gulls at three colonies in ecosystems contaminated with PCBs and dioxins and emerging contaminants such as PFAS. Researchers also found a cross-billed herring gull chick in Saginaw Bay. “It is concerning that we are still seeing these deformities and embryonic mortality today at PCB and dioxin contaminated sites,” says Dr. Keith Grasman, WOWRI affiliated researcher from Calvin University. “We are also seeing low populations of Caspian terns, a state-threatened species, in Saginaw Bay. We found only 8 nests in 2026, where in 2021-2023 we observed between 100-150 nests on Channel-Shelter Island.
The field season generated hundreds of biological samples that will now undergo extensive laboratory analysis. Blood and feather samples collected from nestling bald eagles and colonial waterbirds will be analyzed for environmental contaminants, including mercury, PFAS, and other persistent chemicals, while genetic analyses will provide DNA information useful for understanding population health, relatedness, and disease susceptibility.
Unlike field observations, laboratory analyses require considerable time. Chemical analyses often take six to twelve months to complete because samples must undergo highly specialized testing and rigorous quality assurance procedures. DNA sequencing and genetic analyses can require similar timeframes, depending on laboratory capacity and research priorities. Once complete, the data will be integrated with more than six decades of historical monitoring to identify long-term environmental trends.
"Our work doesn't end when the field season ends," Bowerman said. "Collecting samples is only the first step. Careful laboratory analysis, statistical evaluation, and comparison with historical records are what transform those samples into science that informs conservation and environmental management."
WOWRI researchers will spend the coming months processing field data, coordinating laboratory analyses, preparing scientific publications, and sharing findings with resource management agencies and research partners.
WOWRI is working on expanded collaborations with state and federal agencies, Tribal natural resource departments, conservation organizations, and citizen scientists. These partnerships are essential to increasing geographic coverage, advancing contaminant and genetic research, training the next generation of environmental scientists, and ensuring that long-term monitoring continues throughout the Great Lakes region.
Long-term monitoring remains one of the greatest challenges facing environmental science. Many wildlife studies are funded for only a few years, making it difficult to detect gradual environmental changes that occur over decades. The bald eagle monitoring program that forms the foundation of WOWRI's work represents more than 65 years of continuous observations—an exceptionally rare scientific resource that provides invaluable insight into ecosystem recovery, contaminant exposure, and the health of the Great Lakes.
"This research has demonstrated for decades that birds are among our earliest indicators of environmental change," said Jennifer Day, Executive Director and CEO of the Wings Over Water Research Institute. "Protecting these long-term datasets is just as important as protecting the birds themselves. Without sustained funding, we risk losing the ability to detect emerging threats before they become larger environmental or public health problems."
As a newly established nonprofit organization, WOWRI was created in response to declining research funding and the need to preserve long-term environmental monitoring programs. Continued philanthropic support, grants, corporate partnerships, and individual donations will be critical to sustaining future field seasons, laboratory analyses, student training opportunities, and public education programs.
WOWRI will continue sharing updates as laboratory results become available over the coming year and will release comprehensive findings after scientific review and analysis.
To learn more about Wings Over Water Research Institute or to support its mission, visit the website, www.wingsoverwaterri.org, and follow WOWRI on Facebook and Instagram.
About Wings Over Water Research Institute
The Wings Over Water Research Institute operates as a program of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) and is a nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to the long-term monitoring of bald eagles and fish-eating waterbirds as indicators of environmental health across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Through research, education, and collaboration, WOWRI provides the science needed to protect wildlife, improve water quality, and inspire environmental stewardship for future generations.
Contact:
Jennifer Day
Executive Director / CEO
Wings Over Water Research Institute
734-465-9505
jennifer@wingsoverwaterri.org
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