Meet the 2017 Grand River Grasslands ‘Bird Team’

 

Hello, Experiment community!

We’re currently gearing up for our Summer 2017 field season, and we’re excited to share that, because of the generous funding from all of you, we’ve been able to hire two field technicians! We wanted give our two new team members an opportunity to introduce themselves. So, we asked them to submit answers to a few questions, including some awesome bird facts.

Best,

Jaime, Jane, and the birds <3

JOEL DONOHUE:

 

What is your background? Hello! My name is Joel Donohue and I am 26 years old and originally from Phoenix, AZ but moved to Marquette, Michigan in 2009. I am currently enrolled in my last semester at Northern Michigan University and will graduate with a major in Wildlife management come May. I am working at a lumberyard/hardware store while attending classes. I spend my free time kayaking, hiking, bird watching, and picture taking. I also do a lot of camping and some fishing.

 Why are you passionate about bird and/or conservation-related research? I am continually fascinated by nature and with birds in particular. For the past two summers, I have been working with my local conservation district doing habitat restoration and invasive species control. This definitely sparked my interest in the conservation side of things. Actually seeing what a single invasive plant can do to an acre of land was eye opening. If I had to focus on one specific aspect of bird research, I would love to do behavior ecology studies. I can (and have!) observe birds all day and not lose interest.

Why are you interested in the Grand River Grasslands project? Our grasslands are disappearing. They have been converted to other land use types for a very long time and there aren’t too many grasslands/prairies as vast as this. I believe it is important for science and conservation that this biome be protected and studied before it is too late. Many species of plants and animals rely on this specific type of habitat to survive. This project combines my passion for birds with my desire to learn and protect natural habitats. I think it is a perfect fit for myself based on my interests and schooling. The GRG project will give me a great background for how land is managed and I look forward to being able to contribute. It will be an amazing experience to be a part of this project and have a chance to work in such a unique area.

What is your favorite 'fun fact' about birds? White-throated sparrows have 4 sexes! (kind of)

 http://www.nature.com/news/the...

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ALEX LEWANSKI:

 

What is your background? I am currently a senior Biology major at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. I am originally from Hastings, MN, which is just southeast of St. Paul. 

Why are you passionate about bird and/or conservation-related research? I have always been interested in birds, wildlife, and the outdoors, which I can attribute to my parents. I am interested in avian conservation due to the critical nature of this work. Throughout the U.S. and the world, extensive population declines across many bird species have led to massive ongoing and impending losses to avian diversity. Because of this, research on how and why avian populations are imperiled as well as how to mitigate these conservation issues has never been more essential.

Why are you interested in the Grand River Grasslands project? The Grand River Grasslands project is an intriguing project to me for a couple of reasons. First, I have been interested in grasslands and their associated communities for many years. This project will allow me to further explore and learn about the ecology of Midwest grasslands. Second, this project is addressing essential conservation questions. Grassland communities are especially imperiled and this project will help to provide answers about how different management regimes affect avian and arthropod communities.

What is your favorite 'fun fact' about birds? Birds are amazing animals and thus are the source of many fun facts. One of my favorite facts about birds is that some species are able to sleep while flying. For example, researchers recently found that flying frigatebirds are able to sleep with one hemisphere of their brain at a time or both hemispheres simultaneously.