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Libby Mojica

CCB Research Biologist, Raptor Ecology & Conservation

 

Libby Mojica holding an immature bald eagle that has just been fitted with a satellite transmitter

 

You started at CCB in spring 2007; what specific experiences prepared you for this job?

I completed my Master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Georgia in 2006 working with Bald Eagles. My thesis focused on migration and important use areas of Florida Bald Eagles using satellite telemetry technology. The master’s project evolved from research I performed at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission comparing productivity of rural and suburban eagles. I fit nestling eagles with backpack transmitters and then followed their migration north to summering concentration areas in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. At CCB, I’m continuing to research eagle migration and the ecology of eagle concentration areas and communal roosts with more accurate data from GPS-satellite transmitters on a new group of Bald Eagles.

 

Would you (briefly) highlight a few projects that you are currently working on at CCB?

I manage several raptor projects researching Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, and Peregrine Falcons. We’re in our second year of a 3-year study on mercury, PCB, and DDE contaminants in bald eagles in the Bay. Read more in the last e-newsletter issue: Investigating Mercury Levels in Chesapeake Bay Bald Eagles. I’m also involved in a large satellite tracking project with bald and golden eagles in Eastern North America (Tracking Bald Eagle Movements Throughout the Chesapeake and Beyond; Golden Eagle Tracked to Northern Summering Area; Bald Eagle Communal Roosts in Chesapeake Bay). This will be the 31st year of the peregrine falcon monitoring program in Virginia. I’m coordinating the falcon nest monitoring, banding activities, satellite tracking, and our translocation program (see Peregrine Falcon Tracking Project Continues to Produce New Information).

 

What has been the most challenging aspect of your job so far?

A few of my research programs require frequent travel to the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling this much is challenging but the projects in the northern part of the Bay provide us with a comprehensive view when combined with CCB’s decades of research in the southern Bay.

 

Is there anything that you think the general public doesn’t know, but would appreciate about the research and activities of CCB?

I’m constantly amazed at the diversity and depth of the research here at CCB. Each project is a puzzle piece designed to fill in missing information to improve our understanding of the broader Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

 

Can you describe any long-term goals you see for the progression of research in which you’re currently involved?

We plan to expand on our current Bald Eagle research to support management of the species post-delisting by continuing investigations into contaminants, habitat use, and population dynamics.

 

 

Recent industry newsletter article featuring Libby:

Microwave Telemetry newsletter [pdf document]

 

 

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