My interest in bird research stems from decades of birding as my favorite hobby. I have tracked population trends in the extraordinary but vulnerable seabird and waterbird colonies of San Salvador Island, Bahamas, and have studied additional aspects of their ecology. I’ve also conducted a taxonomic evaluation of a number of terrestrial birds in the Bahamas, including the Cuban Parrot, West Indian Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Greater Antillean Oriole, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Pine Warbler. My goal has been to determine whether several critically endangered island forms are distinct species in need of crisis management. As an outgrowth of the Brown-headed Nuthatch research, I have conducted pine forest surveys to assess the impact of hurricanes on bird populations of Grand Bahama. I am also doing some work in California. One of my students studied the social behavior and survival attributes of captive-reared juvenile California Condors released to the wild. This species remains critically endangered. With a colleague, I’ve also evaluated the taxonomy of the Large-billed Savannah Sparrow and its winter distribution and ecology in southern California. This declining sparrow is classified as a species of special concern in California. Finally, one of my students has examined how mosquitoes potentially impact the sleep behavior and nesting ecology of terrestrial birds.
Publications: WILL BE ADDED LATER