C.J. Ralph, ScD

CJ Ralph is a Research Wildlife Ecologist Emeritus at the USDA Forest Service’s Redwood Sciences Laboratory in Arcata, California. CJ co-founded Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now Point Blue Conservation Science), the Costa Rica Bird Observatories in 1994, and he helped start the Klamath Bird Observatory. His early research centered on bird migration and orientation. He studied the behavioral ecology of endangered forest birds in Hawaii for six years before moving to Arcata in 1981 to begin work with the USDA Redwood Sciences Laboratory, while also launching the Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory. CJ’s principal research focuses include landbird monitoring (involving censusing and constant effort mist-netting) and the study of the Marbled Murrelet, an endangered seabird that depends on old growth forests for nesting.