About Me

I’m working with Jeff Black studying North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) foraging behavior in relation to waterfowl at the Arcata Marsh. Otter foraging literature suggests otters select for prey according to their abundance, however, research has only been done with fish prey. My project sets out to investigate if otters follow any patterns when it comes to bird prey (i.e. selecting according to abundance, prey profitability, energy efficiency, or ease of capture) via scat analysis (oh boy, poop!) and waterfowl abundance counts. Otters tend to switch prey seasonally and with the large migrating waterfowl populations that the marsh supports, might have a significant impact on them. I graduated with a B.A. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Cal Poly Humboldt in the spring 2020 after transferring from Fullerton Community College in southern California. For field experience, have worked a season in the Great Basin as a point count technician studying avian movements with UC Davis. Prior to the pandemic, I was training as a bird bander at Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory and have a passion for passerines. In my spare time I like to listen to music, bird, backpack, garden, and cook.

Undergraduate Institution

Cal Poly Humboldt: B.A. Wildlife Conservation and Management