The global population of Lewis’s Woodpecker is showing significant declines and the loss of wintering habitat (oak woodlands and their acorns) in the pine-oak ecosystems of southern Oregon to northern Baja California and Mexico maybe as important to population declines as the loss of breeding habitat. However, the population-specific migration routes and wintering areas are unknown, making it challenging to assess the relative importance of breeding and wintering habitat loss on population declines. Using the Motus wildlife tracking system, we propose to to determine post-fledging habitat use, migration timing and routes, and overwintering sites for Lewis’s Woodpecker that breed in British Columbia (BC). We will collaborate with US colleagues who have already started studying migratory connectivity of this species. To date, we have deployed nine Motus stations across BC’s southern interior from the Similkameen to the East Kootenay. Tanya will speak about this proposed study and the other projects that are benefiting from the southern interior Motus network.
Bio:
Tanya works as Species at Risk Monitoring Biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada). Her current priority species include interior migratory birds that are also species at risk, as well as bats. She also continues to work with partners in reducing impacts of outdoor roaming cats on birds and other wildlife. In her spare time, Tanya is a member of the board of the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance, where she coordinates nature-based school programs and leads some tours for the Meadowlark Festival. Born and raised in BC, Tanya currently lives in Penticton BC and in her spare time, she likes to hike, mountain bike, cross county ski, and garden.