Avian Ecology Group

Ongoing Projects

1) Population biology and behavioral ecology of red-cockaded woodpeckers in the North Carolina Sandhills

• With J. H. Carter and Phil Doerr (North Carolina State University), Dylan Kesler (University ofMissouri), John Kappes
  
• Research Associates: Kerry Brust, Steve Anchor, Jennifer Maynard
  
• Conducted through the Sandhills Ecological Institute
• Graduate Student: Erin Hewett
  
• Emphases: Cooperative breeding, demography, endangered species management, dispersal behavior, population modeling

2) Studies of the fauna of the longleaf pine ecosystem on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

• With Carola Haas (Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences), Dylan Kesler (University of Missouri)
  
• Research Associates: Kelly Jones, Vivian Genovese, Jay Parker, Steve Goodman
  
• Post-docs: Lori Blanc
  
• Emphases: Adaptive management of red-cockaded woodpeckers, population dynamics, foraging behavior and social behavior of red-cockaded woodpeckers, community ecology of cavity nesters, life history of endangered amphibians

3) Biology and management of red-cockaded woodpeckers and other bird species on Camp Lejeune Marine Base, North Carolina

• Research Associates: Kevin Rose, Kristina Hudgins
• Graduate Students: Vicki Garcia
  
• Emphases: Cooperative breeding, demography and social behavior of red-cockaded woodpeckers, integration of military training activities and endangered species management, response of avian communities to fire and habitat change
  

4) Morphology, demography and behavior of coastal-plain swamp sparrows

• With Russ Greenberg (National Zoo)
  
• Graduate Student: Ray Danner
  
• Location:  Delaware Bay, coastal North Carolina
  
• Emphases: Adaptations to salt marsh habitat, winter ecology
  

• Graduate Students: Heather Lessig, Jonathan Moore
• Locations: Virginia montane forests and coastal plain bottomlands
• Emphases:  High elevation bird communities, social behavior and life history of Prothonotary Warblers
  

6) Simulation modeling of red-cockaded woodpecker population dynamics

• With Larry Crowder and Jeffery Priddy (Duke Marine Laboratory), Ken Convery and Paige Baldassaro (Conservation Management Institute), Aaron Moody (UNC), Nick Haddad (N.C. State) and Bill Morris (Duke)
• Graduate student:  Michelle Jusino
  
• Spatially-explicit, individual-based simulation model employed
• Emphases: Effects of population size and spatial distribution on dynamics of real and hypothetical populations, development of Decision Support Systems to evaluate habitat value for nesting and dispersal.
  

7) Biology and conservation of Laysan Teal

• With Michelle Reynolds (USGS - Hawaii)
• Location: Northwest Hawaiin Islands
• Emphases:  Studies of remnant population on Laysan Island, reintroduction to Midway Atoll to establish a second population

• Restoration of the Everglades (NRC and Sustainable Ecosystems Institute panels)
• Review of California Condor recovery program (AOU panel)
  
• Micronesian kingfisher recovery action group (USFWS committee), charged with planning reintroduction of the kingfisher and other species to Guam