(Monthly Club Meeting) Ornithology Research Update: Scarlet Tanagers and Ruffed Grouse

Dr, Jeff Larkin, Biology Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania will introduce three of his graduate students, who will report on their masters level research on the decline of Ruffed Grouse and Scarlet Tanager.

The students’ research studies the causes of decline over a period of decades, methods to gather data, and possible solutions to reverse the decline of these birds in Pennsylvania.  Both students Jacob Goldman and Randall Koleck are studying the effects of habitat management on Ruffed Grouse, including using various technologies to determine the effects of various types of habitats on grouse occupancy.  Student Tyler Hodges, specializing in avian ecology, is studying high-quality breeding habitat that supports Scarlet Tanagers and how forestry management practices affect tanagers both with positive and negative outcomes.