< Red knot population steady Conservation Profiles page >
Fletcher Smith
CCB Research Biologist
 |
|
CCB biologists, Alex Lamoreaux (left) and Fletcher Smith (right) work together to band a whimbrel, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 2010 |
How long have you worked for CCB?
In spring of 2001, I began working for the Center for Conservation Biology as a seasonal research technician. I worked on a survey of Wayne’s black-throated green warbler in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, a Neotropical migrant energetics study, and was the resident Saw-whet Owl Bander for three years. After joining CCB’s full time staff in the spring of 2004, I have been responsible for designing and/or carrying out avian surveys in North Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia, including surveying for the impacts of non-native Phragmites on the high marsh bird community (breeding and winter), black rail surveys on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, fall migrant landbird surveys on the lower Delmarva Peninsula, and nest camera studies of the American oystercatcher. I am currently working on projects involving the ecology of whimbrels, stopover ecology of red knots, and winter ecology of the sharp-tailed sparrow complex.
What specific experiences prepared you for your job at CCB?
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Northland College. I enjoyed several “field biology” classes as an undergraduate, including a field ornithology course in central Wisconsin and one in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. These classes provided the spark of knowing that I wanted to work with bird conservation in some capacity. I was then shown the job boards listing all the seasonal jobs in all the amazing locations and knew that I wanted to do that for as long as I could. Prior to joining CCB full time, I was involved in a wide array of research projects across the continent. I worked with bald eagles and willow flycatchers in Arizona, banded flammulated and saw-whet owls in Idaho, was involved in an investigation of distribution and productivity of roseate spoonbills in Florida Bay, and worked on a project looking at overwinter survival of Neotropical migrants in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. This array of projects in many different ecosystems provided me with a solid background to be able to work in any weather or habitat type imaginable. The diversity of species worked with also provided a background to be able to work with the wide variety of species present here in Virginia.
Would you highlight a few projects that you are working on currently at CCB?
I am currently working on a number of projects, including investigations of whimbrel migration and stopover ecology, investigation of red knot stopover ecology, winter ecology of the sharp-tailed sparrow complex, and the autumn migration of the Northern saw-whet owl on the lower Delmarva Peninsula. These are all diverse projects that present many different challenges. It keeps things interesting.
What has been the most rewarding research you’ve participated in at CCB?
To date, the most rewarding research I’ve been involved in is the collaborative whimbrel research that is currently ongoing. Heading into the project, we all thought that the whimbrels staging in coastal Virginia would be eastern breeders. By pure luck, we put a transmitter on a western breeder (“Winnie”) and opened the door on the interaction between the two groups that was previously unknown. The ability to follow these satellite tagged birds throughout the migration is extremely rewarding, and the way they keep us guessing with their migratory flights is the reason I got into biology in the first place (the quest for the unknown).
Can you describe the challenges associated with your job?
Typical challenges are dealing with the constantly changing weather, wind, and tide patterns while working in and around the marshes of the Eastern Shore.
Many of the species I work with change their behavior patterns based on the weather factors. It becomes very difficult to predict exactly when and where a bird will roost. For instance, last fall we were trying to capture whimbrels and outfit them with radio and satellite transmitters, we experienced a solid week of abnormally high tides. This tide pattern changed everything we knew about predicting when and where the birds would roost, making it nearly impossible to catch them. Issues like this pop up during most field projects, and you simply have to adapt and make changes to trapping strategies. This becomes the most difficult and frustrating aspect during the project, but afterwards provides the most satisfaction when you overcome the obstacles presented.
What long-term goals do you see for the research in which you’re currently involved? Are you currently working towards any of these connections and progression?
Long term goals of the shorebird research (whimbrels, red knots) is to better understand the crucial connections along the migration routes. For instance, our satellite tagged birds use relatively small areas during migration and also while overwintering in the tropics. We have tracked whimbrels from stop-over sites on the Eastern Shore of Virginia all the way to wintering grounds in northern South America, all the way back to the exact marshes in Virginia that the birds were originally captured! These non-breeding grounds are necessary for survival, and large changes to either of these important stop-over sites (migration or wintering) can have a dramatic impact on the survival of the species. We are currently looking into potential causes of the dramatic declines of whimbrels observed in Virginia in migration. Our focus on our red knot project is to look at stop-over ecology and interaction of the population using the Virginia barrier island chains within the greater migratory population of knots.
Goals of the wintering marsh bird project are to better understand habitat use, site fidelity, species composition, and subspecies composition of migratory and overwintering sharp-tailed sparrows. Long term goals include getting a better idea of density and distribution of the complex in coastal marshes of Virginia.
Can you offer advice for others who would like to pursue a similar job in conservation research (whether at CCB or otherwise)?
Just get out there and do it. Try to get as much experience in a wide array of jobs as possible. The ability to travel around and do field jobs gave me the experience that I needed to prepare for running the projects that I’m heading up now. And at some point you probably won’t have the flexibility to take short term field jobs, so work them while you can.
Recent publications authored by Fletcher Smith:
Smith, F. M., B. D. Watts, and A. E. Duerr. 2010. Stop-over and Migration Ecology of the Whimbrel: Fall 2009 Season Report. Center for Conservation Biology Technical Report Series, CCBTR-10-01. College of William and Mary & Virginia Commonwealth University, Williamsburg, VA. 18 pp.
