The Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) is a federally listed threatened species as well as a state listed “species of special concern” in California. Accurate survival estimates are required to determine the best conservation strat . . .

I examined the effect of forest buffer width and nest site characteristics on the nest survival of forest birds on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. During 2002 and 2003, a total of 164 nests of three closed cup (Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Parus rufesce . . .

Conservation of a keystone species requires knowledge of habitat use across the species’ range. The factors that influence habitat selection by Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) in the temperate rainforests of southeast Alaska are poorly unde . . .

Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) breed in the Arctic and sub-Arctic in spring, a time when food resources are limited. They rely largely on energy stores, acquired at staging sites, for migration and to support egg laying and incubation. In Cal . . .

Baseline levels of stress hormones are necessary for maintaining physical homeostasis in mammals. Excessive amounts of stress, however, can cause serious pathologies. Chronic effects of stress include increased susceptibility to infectious diseases du . . .

Ecosystem services provided by mobile organisms are influenced by the availability of the habitats those organisms select. On Jamaica’s coffee farms, birds serve as agents of biological control of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), coffee’s . . .

The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) has been a state endangered species in California since 1980 because of low population size. Annual productivity of the great gray owl in California is thought to be largely dependent on vole (Microtus spp.) and poc . . .

I examined evidence that conspecific attraction influenced the spatial distributions of Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) breeding in coastal northern California over 6 years. Most (85%) yearlings and immigrants first nested in t . . .

Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (granulocytic anaplasmosis) are two tick-borne pathogens in the western United States. The ecology of both pathogens varies among areas in northwestern California due to multiple rodent . . .

Previous research suggests that Varied thrushes (Ixoreus naevius) in redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens) are sensitive to forest edges and are unlikely to breed in small forest fragments. Food abundance is likely to vary at the forest edge, and has . . .

This study examined the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in mammalian wildlife, including raccoons (Procyon lotor), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and opossums (Didelphis virginiana) in association with . . .

Conservation of threatened and endangered species requires managing habitat for both breeding and nonbreeding seasons. The factors that influence habitat selection by the threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) during the non . . .

Fire is a dynamic ecosystem process in mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, however there is limited scientific information addressing wildlife habitat use in burned landscapes. Recent studies suggest stand-replacing wildfires may be a major so . . .

Staging and migrating black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) have one of the most specialized diets of geese, utilizing coastal habitats to feed on intertidal eelgrass (Zostera marina). Past studies suggest that black brant may not reach energetic re . . .

The long breeding season and sequentially polygamous mating system of the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) presents an opportunity to examine breeding dispersal in association with factors that affect an individual's experience. I used nest locations . . .

The recovered population of Aleutian cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia) uses pastures of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in spring prior to the final migration to breeding grounds in Alaska. The availability of energetically profitable for . . .

A significant number of the world’s population of long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) winter in California’s Central Valley amidst a variety of human-altered habitats. I used satellite telemetry to study non-breeding habitat use and space use of . . .

Succession may influence risk of consumption for plants by altering consumer abundance and movement. For rare plants occurring in early successional communities with low abundances of consumers, changes in vegetation composition may reduce population . . .

In seabirds, sex-specific parental care during reproduction can lead to sex-specific differences in foraging location, behavior, and use of foraging areas. Sex-specific differences in location and use of foraging areas have been well documented among . . .

Terrestrial salamanders are the most abundant vertebrate predators in northwestern California forests, fulfilling a vital role converting invertebrate to vertebrate biomass. The most common of these salamanders in northwestern California is the salama . . .

Global climate cycles can affect demographic rates and drive local and regional dynamics of bird populations. Local-scale studies of individual species have identified associations between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and survival rates and . . .

For migratory waterfowl, winter is a time of shorter days, decreased resource availability, and increased costs due to thermoregulation and courtship. Herbivorous waterfowl are especially susceptible to energy intake deficits due to nutritional and ph . . .

Populations of tropical amphibians have declined primarily from habitat loss and chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by a fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). It has been hypothesized that these factors negatively interact, with forest habitat l . . .

Mule deer populations are declining throughout California, and in Tuolumne County, California mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) health is of particular concern. Fawns wintering at Jawbone Ridge have been affected by hair loss syndrome (HLS) . . .

Reducing corvid predation of marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) eggs and chicks near sites of human recreation has been proposed as a strategy to increase the viability of marbled murrelets nesting in California. To provide baseline informati . . .

Spatial organization and interactions within animal populations can have important effects on population demography, social dynamics, and genetic composition. Understanding social behavior and relatedness of individuals in a population can advise spec . . .

Cloacal and fecal samples of 243 wild birds, including 65 house sparrows (Passer domesticus), 29 white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys), 16 Brewer’s blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus), 43 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), 56 brown . . .

The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) continues to experience range-wide population declines despite two-plus decades of intensive conservation and recovery efforts. Management of the owl has been a highly contenti . . .

The influence of nest location, terrain, social environment (e.g., nesting density), breeding synchrony and foraging effort on the reproductive success of Common Murres (Uria aalge) nesting at Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge in northern Californi . . .

Genetic analysis of avian mating systems has revealed that more than 70% of monogamous species show incidence of offspring paternities that do not match the social father. Extra-pair paternity (EPP) has been linked to a variety of factors, including s . . .

I examined dispersal of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) seeds by the shadow chipmunk (Tamias senex) on thinned and unthinned forest units in the Goosenest Adaptive Management Area (Goosenest Adaptive Management Area) from 2001-2002. I placed 1000 rad . . .

Examining the spatial ecology of waterbirds is essential for the conservation and management of wetland areas. I studied the space use (movements and home ranges) of radio-marked female American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) in South San Francisco . . .

Food resources are not evenly distributed over space or time, and therefore, changes in prey abundance and availability may influence predator behavior both spatially and temporally. It has been suggested that mountain lions (Puma concolor) follow the . . .

An increasing population of Aleutian cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia) has sparked concerns over goose population and public land management in Northwestern California. Strategies are needed to reduce depredation of private agricultural g . . .

Habitat destruction and fragmentation has led to the decline of the federally endangered and state threatened San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica). Kit foxes in the San Joaquin Valley occur in and adjacent to several urban areas. The urban kit . . .

Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and American Crows (C. brachyrhynchos) are the principal predators of eggs and chicks of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus), which compromise population recovery of this federally listed species. I used a before . . .

Economic loss due to tree damage by black bears (Ursus americanus) on managed timberlands has been valued at several million dollars annually in the Pacific Northwest. While bear damage to trees may negatively affect timber production, it also alters . . .

I studied habitat associations of the San Clemente Sage Sparrow (Amphispiza belli clementeae), an endemic resident to San Clemente Island, California, between 2005 and 2006 at the population and territory spatial scales. At the population scale, habit . . .

The tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) is considered a Bird of Conservation concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a Bird Species of Special Concern by the State of California due to dramatic and on-going population declines likely ca . . .

This study investigated the temporal breeding patterns, mating strategy, and associated behaviors of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog, Rana boylii, in order to identify the type of mating system utilized. It was conducted on a naturally dynamic, primar . . .

I investigated stopover habitat selection of juvenile Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) during fall migration at the Lanphere Dunes along the Northern California Coast. For 26 birds captured and radio-tracked in 2002 and 2003, the average minim . . .

I examined age-related movements and patterns of space use of individual adult Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) tending broods on Clam Beach, Humboldt County, CA from 2001-2006. In general, chicks made abrupt, 500-1000 m movemen . . .

Concern for the conservation of American marten (Martes americana) and fisher (Martes pennanti) in California has increased in recent years and was the impetus for surveys conducted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks between 2002 and 2004. Tra . . .

Fecal (scat) analysis has been used to assess the diet of large carnivores because the method is non-invasive, economical and suitable to the study of elusive animals. Global positioning system (GPS) telemetry has also been used to assess large carniv . . .

Many aspects of the breeding biology of the rapidly declining Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) are unknown. I used behavioral observations and genetic analyses to gain a better understanding of their mating system, on Yukon Flats National Wildlife . . .

This study combined both intensive and long-term sampling to provide information on Cascades frog, Rana cascadae, landscape use at multiple spatial scales in the Trinity Alps Wilderness of Northern California. Mark-recapture and radio telemetry were u . . .

Barn owls (Tyto alba) have the potential to provide rodent pest removal services in vineyards, which has prompted viticulturists in California to erect artificial nest boxes to attract owls, but this system has not yet been rigorously researched. This . . .

The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a large, forest dwelling raptor that uses a wide variety of habitat types for both nesting and foraging. Due to fire suppression and extensive harvest of mature trees in northwestern California, goshawk nes . . .

Coffee farms can support significant biodiversity, yet intensification of farming practices is degrading agricultural habitats, compromising ecosystem services such as biological pest control. The Coffee Berry-borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the world’ . . .

A mark-sight study design was used to estimate density of fisher (Martes pennanti) on two study sites on managed timberlands in north coastal California during the summers of 2002 and 2003. Sixty-three fisher captures resulted in 36 individual fishers . . .