Louisiana waterthrush and worm-eating warblers are two Nearctic-Neotropical migrants that often breed in proximity to each other in the deciduous forests of eastern North America. Despite co-occurring during the breeding season, little is known about how populations of these species disperse during the nonbreeding period and whether populations of both species are limited by similar factors. I’m part of a research team including Silas Fischer (PhD student, University of Toledo), Henry Streby (University of Toledo), Patrick Ruhl (Harding University), Rick Huffines (Tennessee River Gorge Trust), Eliot Berz (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga), and David Aborn (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga) using light-level geolocators to track populations of Louisiana waterthrush and worm-eating warblers throughout the annual cycle to address these information gaps. Aspects of this project will form the basis of Eliot’s thesis and Silas’ dissertation.
biologist — ecologist — ornithologist
