David Green. Professor.
I am an ecologist with broad interests in animal behaviour, ecology and conservation. I completed my BSc at the University of Sussex in the UK, my MSc at Simon Fraser University, and my PhD at the Australian National University. During this time I was fortunate to work on two iconic long-term field projects studying the population dynamics of soay sheep on St Kilda with Tim Clutton-Brock, and sexual selection and cooperative breeding in superb fairy-wrens with Andrew Cockburn. I returned to Canada and joined the Centre for Wildlife Ecology in 2003. My current research focusses on the interaction between migratory strategies, habitat selection and the survival and breeding performance of birds.
Google Scholar.
Email: djgreen AT sfu.ca
Robyn Denn. MSc candidate.
As an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo, I took a chance on an internship at a bird observatory despite having no experience with birds or fieldwork. The moment I held a bird in hand for the first time, a magnolia warbler, I knew I had found a life-long passion in bird conservation and research. This pivotal moment set me on a path that has allowed me to travel across the country to work in some of Canada’s most unique and fragile ecosystems while dedicating myself to wildlife conservation. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree with the Green Lab where I am excited to further explore the complexities of avian ecology. My thesis will explore the movement ecology of Clark’s nutcrackers and their role as the sole seed disperser of the endangered whitebark pine.
Triana Hohn. MSc/PhD candidate.
I graduated with a BSc (Hon) in Zoology from the University of Calgary where I studied post-conflict behaviour of gelada monkeys with Dr Venkatamaran and the impact of zoo visitors on the behaviour of Manuls (Pallas’s cats) at The Calgary Zoo. I then worked as a field technician on an urban songbird project with Environment and Climate Change Canada. For my thesis, that is co-supervised by Dr Elizabeth Gow, I am exploring how human activity in urban parks impacts Spotted Towhee behaviour and reproduction. I hope my research will help inform management practices and promote sustainable coexistence between wildlife and humans in urban areas. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, kayaking, and exploring new places.
Vanessa Hum. MSc candidate.
At a young age, I became fascinated by the wildlife in my city. During my BSc. at Carleton University, I developed an interest in birds by volunteering for an organization that strives to reduce bird mortality from window collisions, Safe Wings Ottawa. I led a unique project with Safe Wings that combined both my passion for art and science. I designed and illustrated three bird-friendly murals at high risks sites. Seeing the positive results of my murals inspired me to further my education, hence for my MSc. thesis, I am evaluating bird collisions with windows at SFU’s Burnaby Campus. I am excited to determine the high-risk areas on campus and hopeful to implement solutions to prevent future collisions. During my free time, I hope to continue to be creative, discover BC’s native species, and hopefully create more bird-friendly murals.
Jesse Kemp. PhD candidate
Coming from an arts background, my first experience working with birds was at WildResearch’s Iona Island Bird Observatory, where I began volunteering to help with migration monitoring of passerines. This experience sparked a passion for avian ecology and conservation and I returned to SFU to pursue my interests. I am currently looking at how weather influences the timing of spring, moult, and fall migration in Barrow’s Goldeneye.
Paige Monteiro. MSc candidate.
Growing up on Vancouver Island, I developed a love for wildlife and the outdoors. I completed my BSc degree at Vancouver Island University where I worked on various ornithology-related projects, sparking my love for birds. After graduating, I went on to work for the BC Provincial Government for 5 years, first as a wildlife technician and then as a wildlife biologist. My desire to pursue further studies in avian ecology and conservation has led me to the Green Lab. My research, that is co-supervised by Dr Scott Flemming and Dr Mark Drever of Environment and Climate Change Canada, focusses on the overwintering habitat use and foraging ecology of two shorebird species, Black Turnstone and Surfbird.
Andie Siemens. MSc/PhD candidate.
I graduated with a BSc (Honours) from the University of Guelph, majoring in Wildlife Biology & Conservation with a minor in Applied Geomatics. During my degree I used species distribution models to predict the occurrences of endangered Jefferson Salamanders in southern Ontario and developed a GIS toolkit to maximize habitat connectivity between protected areas along hydrological networks. I then worked with Natural Resource Solutions Inc. where I conducted surveys on birds, herps, mammals, fish, and vegetation. For my PhD, co-supervised by Dr. Ryan Norris, I am studying the social dynamics of Canada Jays (Perisoreus canadensis) on Vancouver Island. My research examines the drivers of their plural breeding system and the consequences of their complex social dominance structure on life history traits like dispersal and extra-territorial forays. Outside of academics, I train service dogs with Pacific Assistance Dog Society (PADS).
LAB ALUMNI
Michal Pavlik (PhD 2023). “The transition from migration to breeding and demography of yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia)”. Michal is a wildlife ecologist based in Kelowna.
Cole Rankin (MSc 2023). “Migration strategies of black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) breeding in the Gulf of Alaska”. Cole is a wildlife biologist with the National Forest Service in California
Hannah Roodenrijs (MSc 2023). “Geographic and intersexual variation in morphology and diet of black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani)”. Hannah is a wildlife technician with the National Parks Service in California. Email: hroodenrijs AT gmail.com
Lena Ware (MSc 2021). “Satellite telemetry reveals habitat selection decisions by black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) across , diel, and tidal cycles”. Lena works as a Biologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada in Whitehorse, Yukon. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenaware
eBird profile: https://ebird.org/canada/profile/NDE3ODM1
Gwyn Case (MSc 2021). “Foraging Ecology of the Northern Goshawk in Coastal British Columbia”. Gwyn is currently working as Forestry Technician with the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
Tess Forstner (MSc 2021). “Migratory connectivity and spatio-temporal aspects of Pacific Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) migration”. Tess is currently working as a Wildlife Biologist in Squamish with Ausenco. Email: tess.forstner@gmail.com. Personal website: https://tmforstner.wixsite.com/forstner.
Simon Valdez Juarez (PhD 2020). “Habitat use and the impacts of agricultural land use for wintering Neotropical migrants”. See his photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/69390893@N05/
Catherine Villeneuve (MSc 2019). “Repurposing historical data to investigate aerial insectivore declines”. Catherine works as a biologists with WSP in Saguenay. Email: catherine_villeneuve AT sfu.ca. Personal webpage: catvilleneuve.wordpress.com
Seth Bennet (MSc 2018). “Wintering and breeding distributions of Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani): long-term trends and influence of climate“. Seth works with the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC.
Alice Domalik (MSc 2018). “At-sea distribution and foraging ecology of two North Pacific seabirds revealed through GPS tracking”. Alice works as a Wildlife Biologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada in Delta, BC.
Kate Fremlin (MSc 2018). “Trophic magnification of legacy persistent organic pollutants and emergent contaminants within a terrestrial food-web of an avian apex predator, the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)”. Kate is a Wildlife Biologist with Amaroq Wildlife Services and a PhD candidate with the Environmental Toxicology Research Group and the Centre for Wildlife Ecology at SFU. Email: fremlin AT sfu.ca. LinkedIn.
Philina English (PhD 2017). “A role for insect availability in limiting populations of a threatened nightjar Antrostomus vociferous“. Philina is a Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Naniamo. Email: ecophilina AT gmail.com. Personal webpage: ecophilina.wordpress.com
Sarah Thomsen (PhD 2017). “Direct and indirect interactions between owls, mice, and nocturnal seabirds: integrating marine and terrestrial food webs“. Sarah is a Biologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in San Diego, CA.
Lauren Macfarland (MSc 2016). “Habitat-specific breeding performance and cavity dynamics of Lewis’s Woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewsi) in British Columbia, Canada“. Lauren works as a Biologist with the Quinault Indian Nation, Washington.
Tim Forrester (MSc 2015). “Species richness, abundance and reproductive responses of riparian birds to habitat restoration in the Okanagan Valley“. Tim recently completed his PhD studying the life history strategies of tropical birds at the University of Montana. Personal webpage: forresterbiology.wordpress.com
Anna Drake (PhD 2013). “Seasonal interactions in the Yellow Warbler: winter habitat use, migration and demography“. Anna is a Research Scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. Google Scholar.
Elly Knight (MSc 2013). “Impacts of habitat fragmentation by agriculture on breeding songbirds in the Okanagan sagebrush shrubsteppe“. Elly is a Quantitative Ecologist with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and Boreal Avian Monitoring Project. Personal webpage: www.ellyknight.ca
Michaela Martin (MSc 2013). “Latitudinal variation in life history traits and incubation patterns of Yellow Warblers“. Michaela works as a Biology Lab Instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Email: michaela.martin01 AT gmail.com
Christine Rock (MSc 2011). “Brood parasitism, reproductive success, and survival in Yellow Warblers“. Christine is a Protected Areas Coordinator with Environment and Climate Change Canada. In her spare time, she is working to further our understanding of the Black Swift, a federally Endangered species. LinkedIn. ResearchGate.
Sofi Hindmarch (MSc 2010). “The effects of landscape composition and configuration on barn owl distribution, diet and productivity in the FraserValley, BC“. Sofi is the Project Coordinator at Fraser Valley Conservancy, BC.
Kyle Morrison (MSc 2009). “Demographic consequences of early development and extreme climate events for alcids on Triangle Island, British Columbia“. Kyle completed his PhD in Ecology on Eastern Rockhopper Penguins at Massey University, New Zealand in 2015. Kyle now works on wildlife policy with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Google Scholar.
Ivy Whithorne (MSc 2009). “Migratory strategy, reproduction and survival of the American dipper“. Ivy currently works on conservation planning and species at risk recovery in British Columbia with the Canadian Wildlife Service.
Liz Gillis (Post-Doctoral Fellow 2008). Liz is a Professor at Vancouver Island University.
Megan Harrison (MSc 2008). “Habitat selection of the Sagebrush Brewer’s Sparrow in British Columbia“. Megan is a Senior Species at Risk Biologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Sam Quinlan (MSc 2008). “Habitat selection and migratory connectivity of a Neotropical migrant songbird“. Sam is the Managing Director of Harvesters of Organic Hops, Lilloet, and a Wildlife Ecologist with Golder Associates, BC.
Holly Middleton (MSc 2006). “Post-fledging behaviour and dispersal in American dippers“. Holly is a movement coach based in Vancouver and the owner of Flow Movement Therapy.