RIP Tinamou

Our crew has been tracking fledgling Såli around Andersen Air Force Base to see whether they survive the gauntlet of snakes and cats, and the general challenges of growing up. The team puts radio transmitters on the birds so they can find them wherever they fly. Today, they tracked the signal for Tinamou to a tree, and found that it was in the belly of a snake. Tinamou fledged on the 22nd of July and survived almost 2 weeks in the wild. Rest in peace, Tinamou. Thanks to CareyJo Titus for the photos. 

EBL Zoom Reunion!

We had our first Virtual EBL reunion on Zoom earlier this week, with attendees spanning the EBL eras from 2008 (Kaylyn Bautista) to our current crew and grad students, zooming in from Guam, Australia, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Alaska, Utah, Florida, and Iowa. It's so exciting to see what everyone has been up to since their EBL days! 

Welcome New EBL Field Crew Members!

The EBL team would like to welcome its 3 newest members. We are excited to welcome all of them to the team!

Kayla Baker is the new Lead Field Biologist coming from a background focused on anthropogenic disturbance effects on birds.

CareyJo Titus is a new Biologist on the team with a background in ornithology including extensive work with Loggerhead Shrikes.

Tomona Lapitan is also a new Biologist on the team from University of Guam. She has a strong interest in becoming a Veterinarian and is excited about the opportunity to work with the EBL team.

Camera Trap Videos from Rota!

EBL Postdoc Hernani has been camera trapping on Rota for a few weeks trying to get Fanihi eating fruits on camera. We are still working on getting Fanihi on camera but we have had some other creatures visit fruiting trees we are recording including rodents, birds, and even geckos. Below are some links to videos of the different animals eating fruits on Rota!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2MXTqlneuQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6WeAoFjxvE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y3VI7Ahye0

EBL is hiring an Avian Field Crew Leader and Technicians!

We are hiring a field crew leader and field technicians to join a Guam-based team with The Ecology of Bird Loss Project and Iowa State University (in the lab of Haldre Rogers) beginning in September 2019 working with Såli (Micronesian Starlings). 

Look at the jobs tab for further details and information for how to apply!

New Publication from the EBL Team!

A new publication in Oikos linking intra-specific trait variation and plant function. 

Mariana Fruit Bat Project on Rota

The EBL team is working on a project concerning gut passage time of seeds with the Marianas Fruit Bat on Rota. The project requires monitoring bats in the wild and taking care of a plant nursery where gut passed seeds are planted. Photos from Zia Crytser.

Bats roosting.

EBL Biologist, Juan Mungaray, watering the nursery.

Monitor Lizard bombarded by a Kingfisher

EBL Biologist Zia Crytser documented this interesting interaction on Rota between a Monitor Lizard (Veranus indicus) and a Kingfisher.

New EBL Members this Summer!

The EBL team is excited to welcome 5 members to the team this summer!

Jerilyn Calaor is a PhD student at Iowa State University (ISU) who is currently studying food web dynamics on the Mariana Islands.

Adelynn-Renee Roces is an undergraduate student with Northern Arizona University. She enjoys being out in nature and is interested in working in plant ecology.

Joanna Scott finished her BS with University of Guam and is pursuing her interest with conservation of Guam's flora and fauna by working with EBL.

Jillian Kurovski is an undergraduate student with ISU. Her passion is working with arthropods and she is working on spider diversity in the Marianas.

Juan-Carlos Mungaray recently finished his BS with ISU and will be working with Mariana fruit bats on Rota. He is excited about the opportunity to further his skills in vertebrate ecology.

Field Observation by Ann Marie Gawel

Field Observation by EBL PhD candidate Ann Marie Gawel: I found Aglaia that seemed to be nice and ripe on Guam... until I found this little insect inside.