Description

The Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) at Sul Ross State University (Dan Collins) in conjunction with Texas A&M – Kingsville (Bart Ballard) are seeking a motivated PhD student to conduct a doctoral project focused on seasonal habitat use and movement of female northern pintail. A unique northern pintail marking effort, 239 female northern pintails were marked with Ornitela 25g implantable GSM-GPS transmitters in central North Dakota and Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico 2022-2025. The units collected over 140,000 locations to address the objectives below. The student will spend the majority of their time conducting quantitative analyses (e.g., spatial modeling, movement ecology, survival estimation), however, there will be opportunities to take part in preseason waterfowl banding efforts through the Central Flyway in addition to other established waterbird / waterfowl projects in the Collins and Ballard labs. 

Objectives

1.         Quantify and characterize locations, landscapes, home range, and movement of female northern pintails using the U.S. PPR for breeding and compare among multiple phases of breeding, including pre-nesting, nesting, and brood rearing.

2.         Quantify and characterize locations, landscapes, and movements of female northern pintails using the U.S. PPR during spring and autumn migrations. Compare use and selection of wetlands and landscapes among these different parts of the annual cycle to test the assumption that actions taken to conserve wetlands and landscapes that attract breeding ducks are sufficient to meet the needs of ducks that use the region primarily during migration.

3.         Estimate location of settling and breeding female pintails and compare with their location and status during the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey to test assumptions made in current harvest models. 

4.         Determine location and movements of post-breeding female pintails to assess representativeness of pre-season banding operations in relation to where birds settled and nested. 

5.         Describe movement and migration patterns, estimate distributions, and quantify factors influencing timing, direction, and distance of relocations of female pintails during autumn-winter.

6.         Compare vital rates and movements of female pintails marked with internal and external GPS/GSM transmitters, and survival and harvest probabilities compared to a representative banded sample.

Additional Information

Sul Ross State University is in the initial stages of establishing a PhD program on campus. As they work towards that accreditation an agreement has been established with Texas A&M University - Kingsville for the student to spend time on campus at both Universities for course work. Dr. Collins and Ballard will be Co-PIs. The student will also work closely with biologists from North Dakota Game and Fish (John Palarski), Mathwig Family Charitable Trust (Mike Szymanski), as well as USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (Aaron Pearse). The opportunity to be exposed to multiple agencies, Flyways, a unique academic setting, offers the student the ability to gain access to more resources and individuals than many of their peers.

Requirements

      M.S. in Wildlife Science, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, Ecology, or related field

      Experience or coursework in GIS/remote sensing and quantitative analysis preferred

      Demonstrated interest in movement ecology, wetland ecology, wetland dependent wildlife conservation, or resource selection

      Strong written and verbal communication skills

      Ability to work independently and collaboratively with agency partners and NGOs