Brent Campos, 2012

Thesis:

Habitat selection, habitat use, and home ranges of black-throated blue warblers on Jamaican coffee farms: implications for an ecosystem service

After Humboldt, Brent when on to work for point Blue Conservation Science.

For his thesis, Brent studied the movements and habitat associations of black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) in and around Jamaican coffee farms. His research elucidated how the provisioning of a known ecosystem service, control and reduction of the coffee berry borer, provided by winter resident warblers, related to the physiognomic attributes of coffee farms and adjacent habitats. Brent earned his B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at UC Davis.

Marlene Wagner, 2011

Thesis:

Habitat selection by red-breasted sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) in southeast Alaska old-growth forest

After Humboldt, Marlene went on to earn a PhD at Simon Fraser University.

For her Humboldt thesis, Marlene’s study provided information on how Red-breasted Sapsuckers, a keystone species and ecological engineer, are distributed in wilderness forests and what habitat covariates are important for foraging and nesting sites. As most studies of landbirds in Southeast Alaska have been conducted in disturbed forests, information provided by this research contributed a baseline reference for the effects of management activities.

Ryan Kalinowski, 2012

Thesis:

Habitat relationships of great gray owl prey in meadows of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 

After Humboldt, Ryan went on to work as a Wildlife Biologist for the US Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada.

For his thesis, Ryan quantified the habitat relationships of Great Gray Owl prey in California montane meadows. More specifically, he investigated the influence of vegetative characteristics and cattle grazing on the density of voles and gophers. The Great Gray Owl has been listed as a California endangered species since 1980, yet information on the factors affecting owl prey is lacking. Ryan’s thesis helped fill this void and provided land managers with information needed to properly manage habitat for Great Gray Owl prey. The study was located in Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park, California.

Deven Kammerichs-Berke, 2020

Thesis:

Foraging selectivity of insectivorous birds in Kenyan shade coffee systems

After Humboldt, Deven went on to work as a wildlife biologist in southern California. For his thesis, Deven studied the effects of shade tree species in Kenyan coffee farms on insectivorous bird foraging behavior. Specifically, his research looked at whether Cordia africana (a tree indigenous to central Kenya) or Grevillea robusta (an introduced species from Australia) attracted higher prey abundances for insectivorous birds, and the capacity for different tree species to help deliver pest control services on the farms. Identifying differences in prey abundance and preferences in bird foraging behavior not only fills basic gaps in our understanding of the ecology of East African coffee farms, it also aids in developing region-specific information to optimize functional diversity, ecosystem services, and the conservation of birds in agricultural landscapes.

Dawn Blake, 2018

Thesis:

Foraging habitat of pileated woodpeckers in relation to a managed landscape on the Hoopa Valley reservation, Northwestern California

After Humboldt, Dawn worked as a wildlife biologist for the Hoopa Valley Tribe.

For her thesis, Dawn used radio telemetry to track the movements and document habitat selection of Pileated Woodpeckers on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. This work is significant because the species is generally associated with old trees and thus may be responsive to timber management practices, the species is very important culturally for the Hupa, and because almost no research has been conducted on pileateds in California. She hopes to be able to identify forest stands and tree or snag structures important for this species, to inform future forest management and ensure the persistence of this vital species on the landscape.

Brooks Estes, 2019

Thesis:

Farmer perceptions of barn owls as part of integrated pest management in vineyard ecosystems.

A student of the Environment & Community MA program, Brooks’s research focused on the knowledge and attitudes of Napa Valley wine producers regarding integrated pest management techniques, and their views on conservation issues in general. She completed a mixed-methods project, sending surveys to wine producers and conducting follow-up semi-structured interviews with a subset of respondents. Her research addressed a gap in understanding farmer knowledge and motivations related to sustainable practices, and it is rooted in cognitive hierarchy literature to investigate how vineyard producers in Napa Valley view the use of barn owl nest boxes as a tool for integrated pest management.

Eleanor MacDonald, 2025

Thesis:

Examining the effects of songbird nest boxes on ecosystem services and avian community composition in Napa Valley vineyards

Eleanor is investigating how the addition of nest boxes affects bird communities and whether this has any top-down effect on insects in Napa Valley winegrape vineyards. Her project focuses on winegrape vineyards that lie along gradients of local habitat and landscape complexity and will also address how local habitat and landscape composition influence bird communities. She will examine avian point counts and insect sampling conducted for two seasons on 20 vineyards, 10 with existing nest boxes and 10 with nest boxes added between field seasons. Eleanor is interested in how land use influences biological communities and how promoting native species in agricultural landscapes could benefit both biodiversity and farm productivity alike. This research has the potential to offer deeper insights for management decisions concerning pest control by investigating the potential benefits of attracting more insect-eating birds to agricultural landscapes.

Shannon Mendia, 2016

Thesis:

Examining ecosystem services and disservices of bear damage on Hoopa Valley Reservation

After Humboldt, Shannon continued to work as a wildlife biologist for Hoopa Valley Tribal Forestry, and then on to the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station.

For her thesis, Shannon examined the relationship between bear damage to trees and bird community composition and structure (especially cavity-nesters, such as woodpeckers) on the Hoopa Valley reservation. She surveyed stands historically clear-cut by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and determined whether bears function as ecosystem engineers by killing trees and creating structural complexity in otherwise homogenous environments. Shannon's research helped reveal the cost of bear damage, in terms of lost timber value, and the benefit of bear damage in terms of enhanced habitat for species culturally significant to the Hupa.

Carrie Wendt, 2016

Thesis:

Examining barn owl nest box selection at three spatial scales on Napa Valley vineyards 

After Humboldt, Carrie went on to work as a partner biologist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Point Blue Conservation Science.

For her thesis, Carrie studied the nest box and habitat characteristics that predict barn owl nest box occupancy on winegrape vineyards in Napa, California. Viticulturists have been deploying barn owl nest boxes on vineyards to assist with rodent pest removal for decades, but ecologists have not thoroughly examined this system. Her research aimed to answer the following questions: What local and landscape-scale habitat characteristics predict nest box occupancy? How does nest box design and orientation influence occupancy? Carrie's results helped inform vineyard managers on ideal nest box design and placement in order to maximize occupancy, and therefore the potential for rodent removal services. Installing nest boxes in suitable habitat may benefit barn owls by increasing artificial nesting sites where natural sites are limited. She also surveyed farmers to better understand rodent control practices and the perceived effectiveness of barn owls at removing rodent pests and mitigating rodent damage.

Jadzia Rodriguez,

Thesis:

Effects of vegetation on the behavior of hunting barn owls (Tyto furcata) and their prey

Jadzia is studying how changes in habitat and vegetation affect the behavior of hunting barn owls and their prey. She is interested in how these altered behaviors could affect the outcome of a predator-prey interaction. In the spring and summer of 2024, Jadzia deployed GPS tags fitted with accelerometers on adult barn owls to reveal the precise location of where they kill their prey. This work was conducted in winegrape vineyards in Napa Valley, California, which have predictable changes in vegetation due to management such as cover crop mowing and grapevine growth. This research may help guide vineyard management practices by determining which habitat variables are associated with a predator’s successful hunting behavior.