Ecology and Conservation of Grassland Bird – Wednesday, April 8

Grassland birds such as the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark are declining throughout their ranges. In this talk, we review the history and ecology of these species, with a focus on New Hampshire and the Northeast US, then shift to the conservation challenges they face and some of the things people can do to overcome these threats.

Bio: Pam Hunt has been interested in birds since the tender age of 12, when an uncle took her to Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge in NJ. She went on to earn a B.S. in biology from Cornell University, M.A. in zoology from the University of Montana, and then a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College in 1995. Pam came to NH Audubon in 2000 after five years as adjunct faculty at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH. In her current position as Avian Conservation Biologist, she works closely with NH Fish and Game to coordinate and prioritize bird research and monitoring in the state, and also authored NH’s “State of the Birds” report. Specific areas of interest include habitat use by early successional birds (particularly whip-poor-wills), conservation of aerial insectivores (e.g., swifts and swallows), and the effects of events outside the breeding season on long-distance migrants. Pam also coordinated the “NH Dragonfly Survey,” a five-year project that mapped distributions of these insects throughout the state and remains active in the dragonfly field.

Contact: Dan Hubbard, 603 978-0218, danielhubbard@peoplepc.com