Rebeca Becdach,

Thesis:

Understanding wildlife habitat in tropical mountain cloud forests in Panama using landscape ecological models.

Rebeca is working on landscape ecological models to understand wildlife habitat in tropical mountain cloud forests inPanama, with a specific focus on big cats and their prey.

Brittany Welch, 2024

Thesis:

Post-fire vegetation and pyrodiversity influence breeding abundances of Lewis's woodpeckers in the eastern Cascades, Oregon

Logan Hysen, 2023

Thesis:

Using multiscale ensemble habitat models to identify wildfire risk to habitat for an iconic forest species

I am a landscape ecologist interested in asking questions at the intersection of wildlife, humans,
and the environment. I am especially interested in understanding how landscape disturbances,
which are often caused or exacerbated by humans, affect wildlife habitat and their ability to
move across the landscape at various spatial and temporal scales. For my thesis, I am building
multi-scale habitat models to understand how northern spotted owls select habitat in
northwestern California and where they are at the most risk from wildfire.

Breana Hernandez,

Thesis:

Wetland biodiversity surveyed via eDNA

Ashley Hansen, 2022

Thesis:

Use of an avian predator as a biological control agent in agricultural systems: Do barn owls (Tyto alba) impact rodent abundance in a vineyard setting?

Ashley studied how barn owls impact rodent populations within Napa Valley vineyards. Over the barn owl breeding season, she compared rodent populations and their activity in vineyards with and without barn owl boxes. She found that the presence of barn owl nest boxes significantly reduced gopher activity! Her research advanced our understanding of using barn owls as a method of pest control and helped establish that barn owls attracted to nest boxes in winegrape vineyards can meaningfully suppress the number of rodent pests. After graduating, Ash went on to work in the Alumni Office for Cal Poly Humboldt

Fatime Jomaa,

Thesis:

The use of social information for prospecting and nest site selection by Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana)

Fatime will be examining methods that may accelerate songbird nest box occupancy in agricultural systems. She will investigate whether prospecting Western Bluebirds use social information to select nest sites in Napa Valley vineyards by broadcasting signals that simulate conspecific presence and reproductive success in newly deployed nest boxes. By manipulating cues indicative of ideal breeding habitat, their effects on nest site selection can be used to inform management strategies in vineyard systems that seek to attract these birds for the ecosystem services they may provide.

Amy Leist, 2007

Thesis:

The importance of fruit to Swainson’s thrushes, Catharus ustulatus, at stopover sites during fall migration: A field test of plasma metabolite analysis.

After Humboldt, Amy worked for the Great Basin Bird Observatory.

For her thesis, Amy used blood metabolite analysis to determine if migrating Swainson’s Thrushes selecting habitats rich in food were feeding more effectively than those selecting habitats with fewer fruits. The concentrations of triglycerides and beta-hydroxy butyrate in a bird’s blood can reveal whether that bird has been feeding rapidly, feeding slowly, or fasting in the previous 1-2 hours. Therefore, blood metabolites can be a useful tool to assess foraging habitat quality for migrating songbirds, which are difficult to track or recapture. Following Jim Tietz’s project (see below), Amy worked in and around the Lanphere Dunes unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Maddie Ybarra, 2024

Thesis:

The effects of native perennial cover on avian physiological indicators of habitat quality in California coastal prairie rangelands.

Maddie investigated the physiological responses to native perennial cover for two grassland bird species, Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)and Savannah Sparrow(Passerculus sandwichensis). Specifically, she used leukocytes (white blood cells) and body condition to assess whether a higher percentage of native perennials infers higher quality habitat. Previous research shows that rangeland practices such as range seeding and managed livestock grazing promote native perennial growth within grasslands, but further research needs to be completed to assess how habitat quality is affected for these grassland birds.Maddie worked on ranches in San Mateo County that are part of Point Blue Conservation Science’s Rangeland Monitoring Network to help quantify the effect of rangeland practices on grassland birds. After completed her MSc, Maddie went on to pursue a PhD at The Ohio State University.

Stephanie Eyes, 2014

Thesis:

The effects of fire severity on California spotted owl habitat use patterns

After Humboldt, Stephanie went on to work for US Forest Service.

For her thesis, Stephanie examined how fire severity affects patterns of California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) habitat use in Yosemite National Park. She used radio telemetry to monitor a population of spotted owls inhabiting recently burned forests (<15 years) to document nocturnal foraging locations. She conducted a habitat analysis to help determine owl response to a range of fire severities.

Sacha Heath, 2011

Thesis:

The effects of bird and bat arthropod predation on sapling black cottonwoods in the context of restoration

After Humboldt, Sacha went on to earn a PhD at University of California at Davis.

For her Humboldt thesis, Sacha thought about ways in which birds contribute to the restoration of their own breeding habitat. She approached one aspect of this broader question by investigating whether insectivorous birds indirectly affect black cottonwood sapling growth by reducing leaf damage via herbivorous insect consumption. She studied these interactions along three tributaries to Mono Lake, California where riparian breeding birds and the habitat on which they depend are recovering from decades of municipal water diversions.