Bornean Bird Ecology
Alison Styring and Rose Raggai in Binyo Conservation Area, Planted Forests Zone, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo)
Most of my research focuses on community ecology of lowland rainforest birds in Borneo. I am interested in large scale patterns of diversity, species interactions, and the relationship between patterns of land use and community structure. This work is conducted in collaboration with researchers at Sarawak Forestry, Louisiana State University, and Sabah Parks Department. Current research focuses on bioacoustic inventories in the forest canopy and understory, patterns of abundance and rarity in protected areas and forest fragments, and biological cycles and strategies of understory birds in the equatorial forests of Borneo.
Avian Ecology and Long-term Monitoring in Pacific Northwest Forests
I am interested in the community ecology and long-term population trends of resident and migratory birds in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Much of this work happens in the Evergreen State College Forest Reserve (and is part of a broader project called Evergreen Ecological Observation Network ) and in the riparian forest at Glacial Heritage Preserve. Most recently, we have completed a study of the ecology of Pacific Wrens in a section of the campus forest and we are now initiating a project to track migratory movements of Swainson’s Thrush that breed in Washington state. This project represents a piece of what is becoming a broad network of migratory bird tracking in the west (Motus project 221 ) and part of the larger tracking network known as Motus.
Natural History Collections
I curate the bird collections at The Evergreen State College Natural History Museum. These collections include over 5000 bird and mammal specimens, hundreds of reptile, amphibian, and fish specimens, thousands of botanical specimens, and thousands of terrestrial and marine invertebrates. I am interested in integrated natural history collections into undergraduate research and teaching. For more information on the natural history of the environment around Evergreen, check out the Natural History Museum blog.