Zoom Event: Giant Sequoias and Riparian Forests as Post-Fire Refugia for Migratory Birds
Our first meeting of the year will host speaker Edwin Jacobo. His presentation will focus on how giant sequoia groves and riparian forests may serve as critical fire refugia during migration for migratory birds as wildfires become larger, more frequent, and more severe across western North America. He used automated telemetry, field observations, and body condition data to investigate how migratory birds respond to wildfire at stopover sites and the potential role of giant sequoia groves and riparian vegetation as fire refugia.
The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society chapter helped fund a state-of-the-art Motus study on Western Tanagers within the Kern River Preserve. Results from these studies underscore the importance of the KRP for migratory birds and the need to continue studying the migration ecology of birds.
Edwin Jacobo earned his PhD from Washington State University. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in environmental sciences from Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Mexico. He is interested in migratory bird responses to environmental change, particularly climate-related disturbances. His research focuses on avian responses to alterations in habitat quality caused by wildfire, drought, and tree mortality. Edwin seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying bird responses to environmental change to inform habitat management and conservation needs.
When not doing fieldwork, Edwin likes fishing and birding with his wife and spending time with his family in Mexico.