Dr. Raine has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Guelph (Canada) and an M.S. in Conservation from University College London (UK). He completed his Ph.D. at the University of East Anglia (UK) in 2006, entitled ‘The breeding ecology of Twite Carduelis flavirostris and the effects of upland agricultural intensification’. André has worked on bird conservation projects throughout the world, including Bermuda (where he worked with the Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow), Zambia, Peru and England. Before moving to Kaua‘i, Andre spent four years as the Conservation Manager for BirdLife Malta, where he was responsible for all conservation projects undertaken by the organisation. As part of this remit he was also tasked with co-ordinating all research actions on BirdLife Malta’s EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project. This project was the largest conservation initiative of its kind in Malta and focused on reversing the decline of the Near Threatened Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan.
Field Crew Leaders
Jennifer Rothe
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Crew Leader
Jen grew up in Wisconsin, canoe paddle in hand, and turned her early love of nature into a B.Sc. in Biology and Wildlife Ecology at UW Stevens Point (’10). She has 11 years and nine US states of general avian field experience under her belt, but highlights include: eight seasons banding thousands of migrating owls and diurnal raptors in WI, climbing to Gyrfalcon aeries in Alaska, glove-training a Northern Goshawk, and having an Andean Condor playfully eat her pants leg!
More recently, four years studying the nesting ecology of the elusive Marbled Murrelet in Oregon’s coast range triggered Jen’s slow morph into a seabirding Midwesterner. Guiding for Oregon Pelagic Tours helped seal the deal: after a chance sighting of a wayward Hawaiian Petrel, Jen followed these magnificent birds across the Pacific.
When she’s not working, Jen enjoys birding, snorkeling, playing guitar, guzzling coffee, and never having to scrape ice off her windshield. 2019 is her second year with KESRP.
Megan Vynne
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Crew Leader
Having been born and raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Megan’s love for wildlife and the natural environment developed from a very young age. Her fascination with travel and adventure landed her in Australia where she graduated from Southern Cross University with a BSc in Environmental Science. Megan spent several years in Australia working in natural resource management and conservation with focuses on sustainability, habitat restoration, wildlife rehabilitation, and cultural awareness. This is Megan’s fifth year with the project.
Nathan Banfield
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Crew Leader
Over the past 12 years Nathan has been dedicated to avian research throughout the United States, ranging over 25 states and 1 U.S. territory. He joins KESRP as the exploratory Auditory Survey Fieldwork Coordinator. Last year Nathan was assistant research manager for the National Audubon Society’s Project Puffin in Maine were he also supervised research in previous years on the diverse seabird colony of Matinicus Rock, including the only known U.S. breeding colony of Manx Shearwaters. He has crew lead and supervised many projects and has worked with Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Saipan, as well as auklets, murres, and kittiwakes in Alaska’s Pribilof and western Aleutian Islands. For many years Nathan has also significantly contributed to movement and behavioral research on a large population of color banded loons in northern Wisconsin and has been bander-in-charge of many songbird banding stations. Nathan is no stranger to Hawai‘i where he has worked with endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers on the Big Island and Maui (including the now possibly extinct Po‘ouli). Nathan is a prize winning photographer and has a B.S. in Natural Science with a minor in Biology from Avila University.
Scott grew up in the great state of Oregon, where the sights of the Pacific Northwest inspired his love of the outdoors. After college, Scott ventured to South Africa where he earned his M.S. in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). After experience gained from a number of years working in GIS and database management, Scott started a new chapter when he made the move to Kaua‘i to join KESRP in 2017. He is enthusiastic to be able share his skills to promote the conservation of Kaua‘i’s endangered and endearing seabirds.
Stephen Rossiter
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Associate
Stephen received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College and an M.S. in Biology / Prairie Restoration from the University of North Dakota. He has worked a westward trajectory of field research jobs: first Prairie Warblers in Connecticut, then tree seedlings in northeast Minnesota, plant and bird communities of the Dakota prairies, Kirtland’s Warblers in Michigan, and a 4-year stint chasing secretive Marbled Murrelets around old-growth forests for Oregon State University.
Stephen has been working as our data management specialist since late 2018. “I relish the chance to help Kauai’s fascinating seabirds and the people who study and care for them.” In his spare time on the mainland he was an avid birdwatcher, seeking out under-birded areas for eBird. Since moving to Kauai he has been distracted by snorkeling with schools of colorful fish!
Vincent Van Dyke
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
A coastal California native, Vincent formed a deep bond with the ocean at a young age. He graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Wildlife Management and Conservation (2017), where ornithology courses and class pelagic trips caused his love of seabirds to take flight. He has assisted with porcupine research in Northern California, studied Montezuma Quail in South Texas, and performed wildlife management in Alaska that involved working with moose, bear, and relocating plenty of raptors.
Vinny is stoked to be a part of the KESRP team and contribute to the conservation of native Hawaiian species. In his spare time you can find him surfing, hiking, or birding.
Hannah Weipert
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
A Michigander turned Texan, Hannah received her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Texas State University. She fell head over “keel” with birds after her first Ornithology class and soon after began assisting a PhD candidate with her research on Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-crested Titmice. After graduation, Hannah followed her passion for the birds and left to go monitor seabird colonies on a remote island in Alaska!
A lifelong career goal of Hannah’s was to someday work in Hawaii and being able to do that while helping study the endemic seabirds on Kauai is a dream come true! In her spare time while on the island, she can be seen getting crushed by waves as she attempts to learn how to surf.
Jason Gregg
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Jason Gregg is a biologist and writer from Florida. He fell in love with fieldwork and birding after college and has worked on conservation and ornithology projects for the past 5 years throughout the United States and abroad. You can find his popular science writing about conservation and birds in Mongabay and Audubon Magazine. Jason is happy to join KESRP in 2020 and help fight for the future of Hawaii’s seabirds.
Jaime Neill
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Jaime comes to Kaua’i from North Carolina. She has a B.S. in environmental science and brings over a decade of experience in applied wildlife conservation projects. She has worked with a number of study species, including seals, sea turtles, and small mammals. On her off time, Jaime sews her own clothes, climbs rocks, goes snorkeling, and likes to read. Right now she’s listening to the Psychedelic Furs radio on Spotify.
Clairice Drexler
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Originally from Connecticut, Clairice graduated from Marist College with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy. She has always had an appreciation and enthusiasm for nature and grew up loving to be outdoors as much as possible. Her passion for wildlife conservation was brought to a forefront by working with Blanding’s turtles and American glass eels in the Hudson Valley.
Clairice is excited to be a part of KESRP and looks forward to helping protect Hawaii’s beautiful endemic seabirds. In her free time, Clairice loves to sing and enjoys cracking open a good book at the beach!
Deklyn Wood
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Deklyn Wood wants to live in a world where emails are short, surf sessions are long, and smiles are always sincere.
Born and raised on the beautiful Oregon coast, Deklyn spent much of his youth chasing waves and the elusive 10/10 sunset. In these pursuits, Deklyn developed a deep connection to the natural world, which inspired a degree in Environmental Sciences from Oregon State University. Upon graduating in 2017, Deklyn assisted in a variety of seabird and shorebird conservation projects on the Oregon coast. Deklyn has thoroughly enjoyed imbibing on the culture and people of Kaua’i.
When He’s not getting critical in the waves, you can find him plotting mischievous adventures, and ever searching for that perfect sunset.
Abigail Kreuser
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Abigail’s first introduction into the bird world was participating in undergraduate research projects on the cooperatively breeding Brown-headed Nuthatch at Tall Timbers Research Station while studying biology as an undergrad at Florida State University. After that she took an extensive course in ornithology, further developing her amazement and respect of birds. Abby moved to Kaua‘i in 2018 to work as the Americorps Kupu intern for the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project. After finishing her internship, she immediately began working for KESRP. Abby is stoked to be a part of another awesome project that focuses on the conservation of native birds.
Alyssa Piauwasdy
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
A San Francisco native, Alyssa has always had a deep fondness of the ocean. While attending the University of Washington, she developed an interest in birding, and was introduced to the realm of seabirds working in the COASST Lab. After working in a seabird rehabilitation facility in South Africa, she knew seabirds were her passion. Alyssa has monitored colony nesters in Alaska, including species of puffins, auks, kittiwakes, and gulls. She is excited to be returning to Kaua‘i after working with the native seabirds last year as a technician at Save Our Shearwaters.
Rebecca Krasa
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
After Rebecca graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Union College in 2016, her childhood fascination with birds lead her west from Massachusetts to explore many facets of avian ecology and conservation. She worked in education and outreach in Utah, raised and released Greater Prairie Chickens in Oklahoma and Nebraska, and studied the breeding ecology of Rock Ptarmigan in Alaska before arriving in Hawai‘i.
Rebecca is excited to be working with these endangered seabirds in Kaua‘i. And even though she has been working with chickens for two years, she doesn’t miss them since there are plenty on the island to keep her company.
Kyle Davis
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Associate
Kyle earned his B.S. (2013) in Environmental Science from the University of Alabama. He worked numerous conservation jobs in the American Southwest before moving to Hawaii, where he hopes to settle down. While in the archipelago, Kyle volunteered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on far-flung Johnston and Midway Atolls, surveyed owls with the Pueo Project on Oahu, and joined KESRP in late 2018 as a biological technician. Upon finishing his fieldwork, he returned to the mainland and embarked on a 3,000-mile tour of the Atlantic Coast by bicycle, before joining KESRP again for a second season. When off the clock, Kyle plays thrilling card games, raves about low-cost index funds, and perpetually roots for his alma mater in college football, much to the chagrin of his coworkers. Roll Tide!
Alexa Foster
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Alexa was introduced to avian research through a grant from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) to develop a community-based conservation plan for the critically endangered Bahama Oriole. While earning her B.S. (2017) in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from UHM, she evaluated the implications of invasive algae to the community structure of nearshore reefs on Oʻahu and trained local high school students to monitor intertidal zones in their community. After graduating she pursued her passion for outreach to become an environmental educator with Kupu, where she taught high school students about Hawaiʻi’s native species mauka to makai. Alexa’s fascination for Hawaiʻi’s seabirds led her to KESRP to help monitor her newfound favorite species, the ʻUaʻu and the ʻAʻo.
Derek Harvey
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant & Radar Technician
Derek received both his B.S. (2012) and M.S. (2015) in Wildlife Biology from Humboldt State University in northern California. He has worked on various field projects including surveying for sagebrush-dependent songbirds in Wyoming, monitoring seabirds and shorebirds in marine protected areas along Californian coastlines, and monitoring endangered forest birds with Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project. Following his long-standing interest in of Hawaiian avian conservation and immense passion for seabirds, Derek is excited to be working a third season with Kaua‘i’s spectacular seabirds and help conserve these incredible birds for future generations.
Trinity Tippin
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Trinity received her B.S. (2014) in Organismal, Ecological, and Field Biology from Southern Oregon University and her M.S. (2017) in Wildlife Biology from Humboldt State University in northern California. She volunteered for songbird banding projects throughout her years growing up in the Pacific Northwest, cementing her fascination with birds early on in life. Trinity has worked on Northern Spotted Owl monitoring in southern Oregon, Nēnē and waterbird monitoring here on Kaua‘i, and has volunteered with Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project. She is excited to continue promoting avian conservation while monitoring Kaua‘i’s endangered seabirds.
Erin Pickett
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Erin grew up on Kaua‘i and received a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz and a M.S. degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. Her previous field experiences and past research projects have focused on the ecology and conservation of marine megafauna such as pinnipeds, cetaceans and seabirds. These field projects have brought Erin to numerous islands in the Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Erin first became interested in Hawaiian seabird species during her time spent working in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. Since then, her research interests have grown to include foraging ecology, island restoration and species responses to climate-induced habitat changes.
Katie Stoner
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Katie fell in love with birds at a young age while attending summer camps with the Audubon Society of Portland. She then migrated east to study Wildlife Biology for her B.S. at the University of Vermont. There she had the opportunity to learn about avian species in New England, Texas, Florida, and Belize. Since graduating, her various field jobs have included banding songbirds and surveying for Northern Spotted Owls in Northern California, conducting waterfowl surveys in Oregon, and rocket-netting and tracking Wild Turkeys in Florida. Katie developed an interest in seabirds during her two field seasons studying the nesting ecology of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet in the backcountry of Kodiak Island, AK. She is excited to funnel her passion for seabirds, remote field sites, and intensive backpacking into KESRP’s ongoing research and monitoring efforts.
Jonah Kuwahara-Hu
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Jonah was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. It was there that his love of nature began to emerge and he spent multiple summers volunteering at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Jonah recently graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a B.S. in Environmental Science. He has spent time working on the Nēnē and Hawaiian Petrel monitoring programs on the Big Island, as well as being a clinic intern at International Bird Rescue in California. Jonah is ready to spread his wings and leave the nest along with Kaua‘i’s endangered seabirds.
Adisson McGill-Telmosse
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Growing up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Adisson developed a strong respect for the natural world at a young age. After receiving a B.S. in Environmental Biology with a minor in Geography from Humboldt State University, he moved to Alaska where he began working with the Juneau Forest Science Lab on a long-term forest recovery project. From there his love for nature brought him to various places around the world, including a remote corner of southeastern Oregon where he led a crew in a Greater Sage-Grouse habitat analysis survey. Adisson also works as a ski instructor in the winter and as a river guide whenever possible. With a strong desire to understand life in all corners of the globe, Adisson is very excited to have now found himself on the island of Kaua‘i where he will be working to recover endangered seabird populations.
Elizabeth Kain
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Liz was born and raised on Kaua‘i . Growing up among native flora and fauna, Liz developed a love for all things native to Hawai‘i. She received a B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Environmental Studies/Sustainability through the University of California, Chico in 2010. Upon graduating Liz returned to Kaua‘i where she spent the next few years as a dive-master exploring and sharing Kaua‘i’s beautiful ocean ecosystems. After spending a summer on Midway Atoll along with tens of thousands of albatross, terns, and tropicbirds, she developed a deep love for birds. This led her to work for the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project in 2013 and 2014; afterward, she worked with wading birds in Florida, seabirds on the Farallons, Mariana crows on Rota, and ‘Alala on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Liz returned to work for KESRP to help monitor and promote the endangered seabirds during the 2017 field season.
Matt grew up in the great state of Texas where he attended the University of Texas and received his B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. After college he traipsed around the country helping out on various field jobs including working with Golden-cheeked Warblers in Texas, Yellow Rails in Mississippi, and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher in the Mojave Desert. During this time, he gained a strong addiction to birding that’s been hard to shake. In 2016, he received his M.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware studying the effects of Hurricane Sandy on landbird migration using Weather Surveillance Radar. With a new found love of big data, he joined KESRP as the GIS and Database Assistant and is excited to offer his skills to help seabird conservation efforts on Kaua‘i.
Mike McFarlin
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Mike McFarlin received a B.S. in Zoology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has worked on a variety of field research projects with amphibians, fish, insects, parasites, and song birds. Mike has been devoted to seabird conservation during his three years with KESRP and hopes to continue contributing to the preservation of the endangered seabirds of Kaua‘i.
Harrison Hyatt
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant & Radar Technician
After receiving a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz, Harrison has flocked to seabirds. Along the Californian central coast, he monitored cormorant, guillemot, gull, and pelican populations. He then migrated to Kure and Midway Atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to restore albatross, booby, and tropicbird nesting habitat from the invasive sunflower, Verbesina encelioides. This bird-brain can’t wait to burrow and fledge with Kaua‘i’s endangered shearwaters and petrels.
Heidi Ingram
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Heidi grew up in Colorado and studied Biology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. For the last 8.5 years she has been working on seismic research ships as a Protected Species Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitoring Operator to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals and sea turtles. She has previously worked as an aquarist, safety diver, and as a field technician for a group studying Southern elephant seals in the Falkland Islands. She is excited to join KESRP and work directly with seabirds for the first time.
John Hintze
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
John grew up in Salt Lake City and this is where he learned to appreciate the wide open spaces and biology of the Utah desert. After a couple years of college at the University of Utah John attended a year of school at the University of Hawai‘i Hilo and immediately grew interested in the lush biota of the islands. He returned to Utah and earned his B.S. in Biology there. Since then he has worked a variety of field jobs, from rare plant botany in Utah’s oil country and range work in the West Desert to forest bird point counts and invasive species removal on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. He is now excited to continue on his path of working outdoors with the amazing seabirds of Kaua‘i.
Daniel Finnell
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Dan graduated with a B.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU is where Dan found his passion for field research. A combination of experience in remote sensing, ornithological research, GIS, and outdoor leadership has given Dan a solid foundation for conservation research. Working with KESRP is a dream for an early career ecologist.
David Dow
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
David graduated from Caltech with a degree in geology and moved to Hawaiʻi to volunteer with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. At HVO he worked on projects ranging from GIS, to field mapping and geophysical surveys, to the photo archive. A friend’s invitation to help with the annual albatross count on Midway Atoll the next winter sparked a fascination with seabirds. David has since returned to Midway for 5 more albatross counts and 3 stints as a long term volunteer, spending most of the past year on Midway. Recent work on Midway included habitat restoration, Laysan duck monitoring and botulism response, and stemming the predation of albatrosses by mice. Between stints on Midway, he has returned to volunteer at HVO and logged drill core with the Humuʻula Groundwater Research Project. When not working, David can be found propagating native plants or photographing the natural world, be it seabirds or volcanoes.
Rochelle Streker
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
This is Rochelle’s first year on the project, though she has been interested in bird conservation for a long time. She graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from University of Vermont, and has been pursuing different avian field opportunities ever since. Her previous work includes surveying and banding a variety of different seabirds for Project Puffin in Maine, surveying and designing projects for forest, wetland, and raptor bird species while also working on salmon and beluga field crews in Alaska, and caring for over 60 species of endangered and threatened waterfowl and raptors at a waterfowl conservancy created to help bolster these species populations in the wild and educate the public on their struggles. She is excited to work with new and unique seabird species for KESRP this year and explore the natural beauty of Kaua‘i.
Margaret “Maggie” Massie received a B.S. in Forestry from the University of California, Berkeley and M.S. in Forest Ecosystems from Oregon State University. For her thesis, she developed a vulnerability assessment protocol for climate change monitoring in the 450 Research Natural Areas in Oregon and Washington. She has worked with the Forest Service in the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, where she assisted with studies on the Pacific fisher and the prey base of the Spotted Owl. She now is a GIS analyst/database assistant for KESRP.
Alexander Shiarella
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Alexander was born and raised on O‘ahu, and in 2014, received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University. He has worked in research labs both at Yale and the University of Hawaiʻi, applying molecular, geospatial, and computational tools to studying a range of taxa, including plants, crustaceans, corals, fish, and ʻopihi. Prior to joining KESRP, Alexander also worked in professional data management and software development, helping to provide informatics solutions to major hospitals, non-profits, and research institutions. He is happy to be back in Hawai‘i, especially in the field, as part of KESRP’s 2015 crew, and is excited for the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of Kauaʻi’s native seabirds.
Nathaniel Young has been getting excited about birds and their environment ever since his toddler years when his mom taught him about birds that came to the backyard feeder. He realized his passion for field work and conservation while volunteering at a bird banding station the summer before he started college, and he has since worked on various bird research projects in the US and in Latin America. In May 2015 he graduated from Cornell University after studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in close involvement with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and he is excited to launch off his career by contributing to the conservation of Hawaiʻi’s endangered seabirds.
Constance Johnson
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Constance grew an interest, appreciation, and passion for wildlife and the natural systems encompassing life while growing up in and exploring the Great Lake State. She blended her passion of the natural world, science, and art to receive her B.S. in Environmental Science with a Minor in Art & Design. While living in Michigan’s majestic Upper Peninsula Constance’s love for nature, interest in wildlife behavior, and adventure was reinforced. To become more involved she volunteered with local conservation and wildlife organizations. A recurring theme throughout her experiences has been studying aquatic systems and the wildlife directly supported by them. Prior to joining KESRP Constance’s love of wildlife, exploration, adventure, and general lust for life has led her to travel the country and work for organizations and on research projects including for the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, monitoring of the Endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover, studying freshwater food-web dynamics on Alaska’s North Slope and in glacier-fed river systems, the breeding ecology and conservation of Yellow-Billed Loons and Interior Alaska songbirds, and more yet to come.
Jason Zito
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Seabird Mitigation Predator Control Specialist
Jason has been working in conservation on Kaua‘i since 2009 when he joined the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project as a seasonal technician monitoring endangered Hawaiian forest birds. With experience gained from diverse conservation field positions and a lifetime of hunting and fishing he now coordinates the control of invasive vertebrate species in Hono o Nā Pali Natural Area Reserve and works closely with KESRP to enhance the breeding success of the native Hawaiian seabirds.
Laney White
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Laney received a B.S. in Environmental Biology and a B.A. in English from Tulane University. She has worked with a number of seabird and shorebird projects, primarily on small islands along both coasts and in Hawai‘i. In between field jobs and travel, she has focused on community outreach with environmental nonprofits in New Orleans.
Ilana Nimz
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Nimz is from O‘ahu and designed a major in Conservation Biology and Marine Science at University of Hawai‘i at Manoa following an inspirational exchange to University of Otago in New Zealand. She has worked with seabirds and pinnipeds for many seasons, spending 3-6 months in remote camps in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Farallones, and Aleutians. Nimz enjoys photographing the species she lives with on these incredible islands.
Zachary DeWalt
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Zak graduated with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Business and the Liberal Arts from The Pennsylvania State University. He joins the project this year to gain focused experience in research-based adaptive management and seabird ecology in the Hawaiian islands. His previous work includes resource protection and site management for endangered shore and waterbirds and sea turtles at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and theoretical and empirical experimentation on the ecology of wind-dispersed invasive plants in agrarian Pennsylvania. He has also volunteered on various conservation projects while travelling outside the country.
Deirdre O’Connell
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Auditory Survey Field Assistant
Deirdre “Dee” earned a degree in Outdoor Education from Prescott College in Arizona. She spent many years and nights in the backcountry of the western United States leading educational trips for organizations like Outward Bound and private high schools with outdoor programs. Along the way she slowly started shifting towards guiding white water rafting trips in Grand Canyon NP, backpacking in Idaho and Colorado and mountain bike guiding in Utah. Years of exploring and working in the natural world, have sparked her into yet another direction, doing biological field research . She has worked with grey wolves in the mountains of Idaho for three summers, followed by three seasons in the Mojave deserts of California surveying for endangered desert tortoise. She has now joined the KESRP team working with endangered seabirds in the remote montane areas of Kaua‘i.
Brooke McFarland
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Avian Conservation Research Associate
Brooke received her MS in Marine Biology in 2010 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, focusing on the habitat ecology of the Black Oystercatcher. She has worked throughout coastal Alaska, studying the productivity and population trends of cliff-nesting seabirds, raptors and passerines, as well as a wide range of marine and terrestrial wildlife and habitat. Brooke has been working with KESRP as an Avian Conservation Research Associate since 2011.
Kyle joined the KESRP team in spring of 2012 as a field assistant, and after a brief hiatus doing terrestrial bird work in Wyoming, has returned to KESRP in 2013 as our Radar Technician. Originally from Syracuse, NY and with a B.S. in wildlife biology from Unity College in Maine, Kyle has worked as a field ornithologist across the United States and eastern Canada for over ten years. While he does keep a soft spot in his heart for Newell’s Shearwater and Hawaiian Petrel, Kyle enjoys witnessing and trying to better understand differential migration in more temperate climates. Diurnal raptors movement is of particular interest, and Kyle has served as a hawk-counter for six seasons at sites including Derby Hill Bird Observatory in Upstate New York, Kiptopeke Hawkwatch on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the Lucky Peak Hawkwatch on the Boise Ridge in Idaho. Kyle has also done a fair bit of work banding passerines for organizations including Acadia University, PRBO Conservation Science, Boise State University, and the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory.
Elizabeth Ames
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Elizabeth completed a B.S. in Biology from Wilmington College in Ohio. Since graduating in 2007, she has worked on a variety of field biology and ecology projects around the country, most focusing on avian conservation research. Her previous field experience includes working on the Big Island of Hawai’i for three field projects, where she helped establish permanent forest plots for HIPPNET, banded native forest birds on the Kipuka project, and studied the ecology of endangered forest birds in Hakalau NWR. She has also spent time working on the Southeast Farallon Island NWR studying avian migration, on the North Slope of Alaska studying arctic nesting species, and in the Sierra Nevada mountains conducting avian point counts, as well as many others.
Jay Wright
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Jay completed a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Vassar College in 2005. After several years of aimless wandering, he started work as a Marine Fisheries Observer in the Northwest Atlantic. In 2010 he moved from commercial fisheries to wildlife field work, starting at Monomoy NWR on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with tern and shorebird productivity studies, and subsequently working as a field technician for avian projects in Alaska, South Africa, and California. Before joining the KESRP team in May 2013 he worked for two Antarctic summers in the South Shetland Islands studying Antarctic fur seal productivity and Leopard seal behavior and assisting with Chinstrap and Gentoo penguin productivity and diet studies.
Justin Windsor
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Field Assistant
Justin Windsor found fascination in birds as a young child. By the age of 11 he had a collection of wild waterfowl from around the world. In recent years he has received a B.S. in wildlife biology from Missouri State University. His orientation has continued to focus specifically on birds. In 2007 he began working with passerines as a volunteer. In 2008 he signed on with Utah State University to conduct sage grouse monitoring. He then began working with waterfowl and seabirds on the gulf coast of Alaska in 2009. From 2010 to 2012 he has worked with spotted owl demography in the Sierra Nevada range of California for the US Forest Service.
Guru Bani “Mele” Khalsa
Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Seabird Mitigation Predator Control Assistant
Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project 