Migration and stopover habitat use of cryptic species — I use environmental DNA sampling and metagenomics to study rail and bittern migration and stopover habitat use. Cryptic and often rare species like rails and bitterns are difficult to detect in the field, leaving us with a poor understanding of their life histories and distributions. My goal is to use eDNA to improve detection data for multiple species at once, and synthesize these data to better understand (1) the timing of rail and bittern migration and (2) how wetland bird species respond to habitat mangement in forest preserves and state parks in Illinois and Michigan. So far I have successfully used degenerate bird primers to detect multiple rail species, and am examining how eDNA detections compare to traditional playback methods across the breeding and migration seasons.
Local and landscape-level drivers of wetland bird occupancy — Illinois and Indiana wetlands have suffered losses of 87-95% since the early 1800s due to ongoing development, leading to wetland bird declines. However, species-specific responses to wetland loss remain unclear. Which species are able to persist even in highly urbanized areas? What kinds of wetlands should we focus on creating, maintaining, and managing to get the most "bang for our buck" in terms of wetland bird conservation? In collaboration with Stephanie Beilke (Audubon Great Lakes) and Sara Saunders (National Audubon Society), I am investigating responses of 17 focal species to urbanization, forest cover, and wetland type. We are creating occupancy models to tease apart the effects of multiple covariates at multiple spatial scales to highlight the best management and conservation recommendations across a suite of declining wetland bird species.
Woodpecker behavioral ecology and conservation — The Red-headed woodpecker, a charismatic and aggressive species whose members vociferously defend their territories and caches, is declining in the northern part of its range. Red-headed Woodpeckers have been placed on the 2014 and 2016 State of the Birds Watch List for species at risk of extinction without conservation action. I am researching how urbanization, habitat type (open vs. closed-canopy forests), acorn availability, and competitors (Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays) affect Red-headed Woodpecker territory establishment and reproductive success. Part of this research has involved establishing an acorn count in northern Illinois to improve our understanding of how oak masting events influence woodpecker population dynamics.