Photos courtesy of Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

Seabirds are often thought of belonging to the isolated domain of the remote ocean – but throughout southern Oregon, hundreds of thousands of nesting Leach's storm-petrels must share the coastline with a diversity of terrestrial carnivores each summer. Anecdotal observations from the past few decades suggest that certain mammal species actively hunt storm-petrels at their colony islands, but the exact impact of these predators is not well understood. For the past three years, Luke Stuntz has been leading a research project on the predatory behavior of river otters and mink at several important seabird colonies in Curry County, with a focus on the intersection between predator sociality and their seasonal impacts on nesting seabirds. Luke will present on how these islands represent a fascinating context to examine the adaptability of Oregon’s native mesocarnivores, and he will discuss the specific conservation implications of this unique species interaction.

Luke Stuntz is a graduate student in Wildlife Science at Oregon State University studying the predation of seabirds by native terrestrial carnivores along the coast of southern Oregon. Luke joined the Seabird Oceanography Lab in 2022 as a novice in the world of seabird ecology, but his expertise and experience in carnivore behavior has allowed for an exciting collaboration between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the OSU project team. He is very passionate about translating behavioral ecology research to applied conservation settings, and he plans to move into a career in protected land management following his time at OSU.

This presentation is hosted by Yaquina Birders & Naturalists.

MEETING LOCATION:

OSU Extension Lincoln County
1211 SE Bay Blvd
Newport, OR 97365