By Rylee Owens
Tim with banded American oystercatcher chick (DNR).
In the coastal city of Brunswick, amongst the marshlands and diverse wildlife, wildlife biologist Tim Keyes of the Department of Natural Resources is continuing a commitment to conservation that has left a mark on many environments.
Tim’s journey began far from the southern landscapes he now calls home, in the suburbs just outside Boston. A fascination with the outdoors later led him to Vermont and during his junior year of college, to Newfoundland and Labrador where he became hooked on birds.
Fueled by this newfound passion, Tim pursued higher education at the University of Georgia, where he furthered his interest in wildlife conservation by doing fieldwork in Virginia and West Virginia. After graduating with a master’s degree in wildlife biology, he joined Georgia DNR in 2000, kickstarting his work to preserve the natural wonders of the Peach State. His tenure at DNR’s Forsyth office, where he focused on habitat management for songbirds like warblers and sparrows, laid the groundwork for future work with waterbirds along the coast.
The American oystercatcher, a shorebird primarily found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Transitioning to the coastal region marked a significant chapter in Tim’s career. For nearly 15 years, he has covered the coast working to protect the habitats of both migratory and nesting bird species. Tim spends most of his time on beaches, sandbars and islands where he monitors nesting birds, such as the American oystercatcher, most commonly found on barrier islands and shell rakes. This shorebird is already beginning to pair up for breeding season, making this the optimal time for Tim’s research.
Following breeding season, the young oystercatchers exhibit idiosyncratic behavior by veering away from their parents’ route towards cooler climates, often migrating in the opposite direction. While some adult birds opt to remain with their offspring in the breeding territory, the majority display tendencies by embarking on flights covering hundreds of miles to distant locations leaving their chicks behind.
Another shorebird Tim and his team study are red knots, a migratory species that passes through the coasts stopping periodically for a rest during their 9,000-mile flight from South America to the Arctic for nesting season (mid-April to late May). During their visit along the coasts, horseshoe crab eggs and other mollusks serve as a delicacy for the birds to fuel up on to continue their journey north. When the cooler months roll around, it is time for these birds to head back south for the warmer weather.
Red knots feeding on horseshoe crab eggs.
“There’s field work year-round here on the coast, the busiest being around Spring. Although we currently have a number of projects going on covering nesting species and other projects covering migrant species. From March to June, my attention is primarily on nesting birds; during this period, we track and monitor them, as well as tag their chicks.”
Tim Keyes with The Eagle Eyes team, winner of the Elementary School Division in the 2024 Youth Birding Competition (Ethan Hatchett-DNR).
Yet, Tim’s commitment extends beyond fieldwork. Recognizing the importance of fostering the next generation of conservationists, he was the key founder and still leads the annual Youth Birding Competition in collaboration with partner organizations and volunteers. This event, in which teams of children and teens compete by age group to find the most birds in Georgia in 24 hours, not only cultivates a love for birds but also instills a sense of environmental responsibility in the younger generation.
Tim’s journey embodies the core principles of conservation: a combination of passion and purpose. Those principals and dedication to them, also offer hope for the preservation of Georgia’s native wildlife and natural habitats.
Rylee Owens is a communications specialist in the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.