Species distribution modelling
Understanding habitat relationships and using those relationships to predict population densities and understand population trend is the cornerstone of wildlife management. I combine work done during my PhD and methods previously developed by the Boreal Avian Modelling Project and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute to continue to improve species distribution models, and specifically density models, at provincial, federal, and international scales.
Data integration for passive acoustic monitoring
The volume of acoustic data collected by passive monitoring continues to grow across the globe and has the potential to answer many pressing ecological questions; however, understanding the detection process of those data is key to unlocking that potential because it is necessary for data integration. In my current position, I am building on some of my PhD research to continue to understand the detectability of data collected by autonomous recording units and develop approaches to integrate that data with human point count data in existing frameworks. As part of this work, I initiated and co-chair an international working group on detectability. Figure credit to the QPAD framework by Sólymos et al. 2013.
Full annual cycle conservation
Migratory populations experience pressures at multiple stages of the annual cycle, yet we know little about most avian species outside of the breeding season. Emerging technologies allow us to track individual birds year-round to understand the conditions they experience across their annual cycle. When individuals from multiple populations are tracked, we can begin to understand the conditions that contribute to differential population trends. During my PhD, I led a large collaborative initiative to describe the migratory network for Common Nighthawks, and assess potential hypotheses for their decline. The project is a collaboration with the Migratory Connectivitiy Project and is supervised by Peter Marra at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Steven Van Wilgenburg at Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Erin Bayne at the University of Alberta. For my postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, I am applied some of the principles developed with our Common Nighthawk project to another species of conservation concern, the Long-billed Curlew.
Common Nighthawk ecology & conservation
My PhD research focused on the ecology and conservation of the Common Nighthawk across its range, particularly in the boreal forest where the species is poorly understood. Common Nighthawk populations have declined precipitously in recent years, along with other aerial insectivorous birds. I work with a network of collaborators across North America to study how variation in the habitat of this wide ranging species contributes to plasticity in their ecology. My Common Nighthawk research is supervised by Erin Bayne and Mark Brigham. I continue to work with a network of collaborators across North America to study variation in the ecology of the Common Nighthawk across its range.
Ecological applications of bioacoustic technology
Ecologists are increasingly using sound as a non-invasive method to study acoustic animals like birds. During my PhD, I tested and developed bioacoustic methods to improve their utility for ecology and conservation research, with particular focus on automated computer processing techniques. I used the Common Nighthawk as a bioacoustic model species because it has a simple, frequent, and consistent call, and its nocturnal behaviour precludes excessive sound masking from other acoustic species. I am extending this work to artificial intelligence frameworks in my current position and continuing to develop new methods to facilitate ecological statistical analyses. My bioacoustic research is a collaboration with the Bioacoustic Unit and the Kitzes Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.
Citizen science monitoring for nightjars
The Common Nighthawk is a member of the nightjar family, which are ancient lineage of cryptic, nocturnal birds that eat flying insects. Nightjars are poorly understood, in part due to their night time habits which preclude them from detection during dawn bird surveys. As part of the non-profit organization WildResearch, I developed a national citizen science program that surveys for nightjars in Canada so that we can better understand their ecology and population trends. The program is complementary to the Breeding Bird Survey to increase the data and outreach value of both programs. The data is freely available on NatureCounts and is now managed by Birds Canada as the Canadian Nightjar Survey.
MSc Research: Edge effects on grassland songbirds
The objective of my M.Sc. thesis was to investigate potential mechanisms of grassland songbird decline in the south Okanagan of British Columbia. I studied the impacts of fragmentation by agriculture on grassland songbirds in the sagebrush shrubsteppe habitat at multiple scales. At a reproductive scale, I examined potential causes for higher nest predation rates in habitat adjacent orchards. At a community scale, I investigated potential local and landscape mechanisms for an agricultural edge effect on songbird community composition. My M.Sc. work was conducted at the Centre for Wildlife Ecology and was co-supervised by with David Green at Simon Fraser University and Nancy Mahony at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
BSc Research: Urban ecology of Pacific Great Blue Herons
My undergraduate thesis used a long-term colony survey data set to study the nesting ecology of the Pacific Great Blue Heron in south coastal British Columbia. I studied nesting habitat availability and colony location choice in an anthropogenic landscape. The project was supervised by Neville Winchester at the University of Victoria and Ross Venessland at Parks Canada, and was a collaboration with The Heron Working Group.