Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory Fall Staff 2009

Ann Gilmore is the new Kiptopeke Lead Songbird Bander. She has done extensive bird work at the Institute for Bird Populations in Washington, at the US Geological Survey in Utah and Nevada and at the Alaska Bird Observatory.

Sarah Bastarache, Songbird Station Intern
Our intern is Sarah Bastarache, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Asheville, who has had exposure to bird research as a veterinary assistant and as an intern with a wildlife rehab hospital near Boston.

Peter Doherty, Songbird Bander
Peter Doherty, spring songbird bander at First Landing for the past 3 years and operator of the Brown-headed Nuthatch study there, will assist as a second full-time songbird bander at Kiptopeke during the peak season beginning about October 1st. He has conducted many bird studies throughout the hemisphere, is certified as a bander trainer by the North American Banding Council, and conducted a bander training course in spring 2009 at First Landing.
 

Thanks to grant help from the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge and some private donations by our regular hawkwatch volunteers, the Observatory will be operating 2 hawkwatch sites in 2009: the Kiptopeke site and the "Seaside" site on Refuge property 3 miles east of Kiptopeke, which has been staffed by volunteers on selected days for several years. This will assure that the complete Eastern Shore hawkflight will be examined.

Calvin Brennan, of Nova Scotia, will be one of our hawkwatchers. He conducted the Kiptopeke hawkwatch in 2000-2001 and was also the Observatory's spring songbird bander at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge in 2000-2002. Calvin has been the hawkwatcher at Lake Erie Metropark in Michigan for 7 seasons and has done spring work at Whitefish Point, Michigan, Sandy Hook, New Jersey and along Delaware Bay.

Zak Poulton, Hawkwatcher
Zak Poulton is the other hawkwatcher, with bird field experience at Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute in North Carolina, the Audubon Society in North Carolina and the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission.

Bob Chapman will be the hawk bander. Among many bird-related activities, he has worked at the San Diego Zoo's Avian Propagation Center, built and operated the Decorah Hawk Trapping Station and worked as a bird guide in southeastern Arizona.

Georgia Karns, Monarch Program
Georgia Karns is the Monarch program staff person, who will conduct regular surveys and tag Monarchs. She holds degrees in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Arkansas and received her Masters degree in environmental science from Indiana University. She also has experience teaching and conducting research in ecology and entomology.

The songbird station opened August 18th, the hawk programs will open on September 1st and the Monarch program will begin September 15th.

For Blogs and other information, visit www.cvwo.org.