CSSS

Juvies!!!

It is late in the summer, and most of the Cape Sable seaside sparrows have finished up breeding. The fledglings are now independent of their parents, and they form flocks that roam the prairies, exploring the habitat and seeing what the adult sparrows are up to. They have more confidence when they are in groups, [...]

By |August 2, 2016|CSSS, News|

Balloons Blow

On March 16, I spotted a distant object in the sky that appeared to be a helicopter flying dangerously low. A quick look into my binoculars let me get a closer look at this star falling from the sky. I did not wish upon this star. I think I would’ve wished for  better ways  to celebrate occasions without [...]

By |July 21, 2016|CSSS, News|

A “Day Off”

Sometimes fire or rain will impede the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow crew from working in the field. The wildfire that occurred during the first weeks of the field season meant we ended up working on a Saturday. I headed to Everglades National Park and spent my usual day off in the field. I stopped at [...]

By |June 29, 2016|CSSS, News|

Rough Terrain in the Everglades

It is time to speak of my fear of walking on slippery rocks. I found out about this fear when hiking a Peruvian mountain in Huascarán. There were moments where we had to walk through streams, and I was fine for the first few, but it was quietly making my anxiety grow inside. At one [...]

By |June 27, 2016|CSSS, News|

The Everglades to Myself

One of our plots is inaccessible without the use of a helicopter. We step off the helicopter, grab our gear from the back, walk to a safe distance from the helicopter, turn around and see our only way out fly away. On days we conduct transects, we are only 100 meters away from each other [...]

The Joys of the Everglades

With my season as a Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow research technician nearing the half-way point, I enjoy reflecting on all of the new things out in Everglades National Park that I experienced in my first weeks as a technician. I still find unexpected pleasures out in the field that I have never encountered before. Of [...]

From Egg to Fledge: How We Find and Monitor Nests

Imagine you’re trying to find out where someone lives – someone who doesn’t want to be found. You might start by lurking around their favorite hangouts and getting a feel for their movement patterns. Once you spot them, you might follow them around, hoping they’ll lead you to their house. But they’re not as oblivious [...]

By |May 12, 2016|CSSS, News|

Smoke Ahead: Fire in Everglades National Park

Fire is critical for the pine rockland and prairie habitat of Everglades National Park, but not always beneficial to the Cape Sable seaside sparrows or our work, so we were worried when we saw we saw “Prescribed Burn” and “Smoke Ahead” signs on two occasions when we drove into the park to conduct our field studies. Pinelands are located on higher [...]

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